וע"פ Based on the above preface, we can understand the mitzvah of partaking of matzah on the holiday of Pesach.
The previous section explained how the spiritual sparks within material entities can increase the power of the G‑dly soul. In this section, the Alter Rebbe expands that concept, emphasizing the unique potential of matzah to inspire faith in G‑d.
The Zohar explains1 , viii that just as with regard to intellectual understanding in the physical realm a child is incapable of knowing and conceptualizing anything until he tastes bread for the reason explained above, so too, when the Jewish people left Egypt, they did not know how to conceive of the greatness of G‑d until they partook of matzah. [Matzah] is bread that is drawn down from the sublime land;
This is a reference to the Sefirah of Malchus which is also the source of G‑d’s speech.
[i.e., influence] from “the utterance of G‑d’s mouth” is drawn down into this food to enable the person and his G‑dly soul to know and recognize “He Who spoke and the world came into being.” Cf. the Baruch She’amar prayer in the Morning Service. Just as ordinary vitality is drawn down to the intellectual soul
The intellectual soul refers to the nefesh hasichlis which is an intermediary between a person’s animal soul and his G‑dly soul.
[by eating] physical bread, as explained above, so too, eating matzah on Pesach draws down vitality [to enhance] the [power of] knowledge within the G‑dly soul.
Granting it access to a dimension of G‑dliness higher than it possesses on its own.
והענין The concept can be [explained as follows]: Chametz represents rising up and elevation, becoming puffed up, ascending, and lifting oneself up. In contrast, matzah does not rise at all. Similarly, [there are counterparts in our] Divine service. Chametz reflects the approach of self-elevation and pride that [characterizes] kelipah.
Lit., “the shell,” one of the kabbalisticterms for the unholy dimension of existence.
Matzah, by contrast, represents humility and submissiveness, [the willingness to] “negate one’s will.”2 , ix
והנה It is well known that during the Egyptian exile, the Jews were very bound to the lowly [material realm]. [The Hebrew term for Egypt, Mitzrayim, relates to the word meitzarim, meaning “boundaries” or “straits.” While in exile in Egypt, the Jews’] intellect and emotions were [constricted] by the limitations and boundaries of the physical world that cause a person to be self-concerned and to feel separate [from G‑dliness].
Because the revelation of G‑dliness was constricted, the awareness of material reality dominated their thoughts and feelings.
ועיקר The fundamental dimension of the exodus from Egypt was [achieved when] “the King of kings... was revealed to them.” This refers to [G‑d’s] infinite light which transcends the Spiritual Cosmos. Through this, [true] bittul, self-transcendence, was drawn down to [the Jewish people].
I.e., the revelation of G‑dliness overwhelmed them with awe to the extent that they lost all sense of self-concern. This represents a higher dimension of bittul. Under ordinary circumstances, a person operates within an underlying framework of self-concern. Even when he is not obsessed with pride, there is still a relationshipto selfhood, referred to in Chassidus by the term yesh. He may realize the need to go beyond himself and devote himself to G‑d’s service, but even that commitment is bound by the nature of his selfhood. It is a product of his understanding and feeling, and is conscribed by their limits. Thus, spiritually, he is in Egypt, constrained by his boundaries and limitations. In Chassidus, this state is referred to as bittul hayesh, “the nullification of one’s selfhood.”
When, by contrast, there is a revelation of G‑d’s infinity, one is swept away by the experience entirely. His self-concern is eclipsed by his awareness of G‑d and his commitment is boundless, knowing no constraints. In Chassidus, this is referred to as bittul bemetzius;a state in which one’s entire existence is negated.
As [our Sages] said: “‘With great awe,’3 this refers to the revelation of the Divine Presence.”4 Through this bittul and sublime fear, they left all their [spiritual] limitations and constraints.
In Chassidus (Tanya, ch. 4, et al.), it is explained that there are two levels of fear: On the lower level of fear, a person operates within the context of his selfhood. He is afraid because of what could happen to him. When, however, G‑dliness is revealed to the extent that he loses all consciousness of self, his fear is elevated to a higher level. He is in awe of G‑d (as opposed to being afraid of what G‑d will do). Nevertheless, as the Alter Rebbe proceeds to state, the lower level of fear is necessary to enable a person to reach the higher level.
And similarly, they left Egypt in an [actual] physical sense.
I.e., their redemption on the physical plane was a natural result of the inner, spiritual redemption they experienced as a result of the revelation of G‑dliness.
וזה This [all] took place after midnight.
I.e., beginning with the slaying of the firstborn which took place at midnight.
Nevertheless, initially, they were commanded to eat matzah before midnight, as it is written: “In the evening, you shall eat matzos.” This refers to the negation of one’s will: the submissiveness and the humility that comes as a result of the lower level of fear.
The person feels his selfhood but acknowledges that G‑d is greater and therefore humbles himself before Him.
[This lesser fear] prepared for and served as a medium leading to the revelation [of G‑dliness] and the higher fear, which was drawn down and revealed to them after midnight.
The higher fear stems from the revelation of G‑dliness. This is dependent on G‑d and not on man’s efforts. Nevertheless, the Jewish people’s efforts to attain the lesser fear created a setting for that revelation.
וגם Also, the Zohar5 calls matzah “the bread of faith.”
The implication is, as the Alter Rebbe proceeds to explain, that partaking of matzah arouses and strengthens a person’s faith.
Faith also reflects the quality of bittul;one negates his understanding and does not seek a rationale. Instead, he believes the truth with simple faith. This quality is drawn down to the soul through the mitzvah of eating matzah.
והוא This can be understood from the analogy of ordinary [leavened] bread which nurtures man and our Sages’ statement [cited above] that “A child does not know how to call ‘father’ until he tastes grain.” The child’s “knowing to call ‘father’” that results from his partaking of grain does not involve a full sense of comprehension and intellectual awareness. He does not know what makes him his father and why he should love him.
For he is not intellectually developed enough to come to such a recognition.
Nevertheless, he calls him his father. This calling represents a bond to his father that does not stem from a rationale or knowledge that he comprehends. Instead, it is a [basic, core] recognition. It is a very underdeveloped level, below intellect and understanding. Nonetheless, it represents a very strong bond, [causing] his soul [to be] very closely attached to the soul of his father.
The nature of this bond is paradoxical. It has no intellectual foundation and yet is very powerful. In his Shaar HaEmunah (ch. 5), the Mitteler Rebbe explains this phenomenon, stating that a child’s existence stems from the essence of his parents; therefore, he is innately drawn to them. This inherent connection filters through the child’s conscious processes and motivates him to recognize his father and call to him.
[Implied is that] the recognition that was awakened in the child by eating bread is rooted in the source of the bread that derives from the realm of Tohu — which, as explained above, is a level above ordinary comprehension, above the level of Chochmah. Therefore, it is drawn down into a level that is below intellect and understanding. And as a result, the connection is very powerful.
Since the G‑dly source of the grain is from Tohu, a level that transcends intellect, it can serve as a catalyst to reveal the inner soul connection between the child and his parents that is not dependent on intellect.
וכמ"כ Similar concepts apply with regard to the mitzvah of eating matzah, which the Zohar calls “the bread of faith.” Faith represents the recognition, awareness, and bonding with the Holy One, blessed be He. All Israel believethat He exists alone, just as He existed before the creation of the world,
I.e., a Jew’s faith does not focus only on the mere existence of G‑d, but rather leads to the awareness that He exists in a manner that surpasses worldly existence entirely.
as it is written: Malachi 3:6. “I, G‑d, have not changed.”x [This awareness] is drawn down from the sublime knowledge,
Daas, knowledge, is associated with connection and bonding (see Tanya, ch. 3). Thus the sublime Daas enables a person to establish a connection to the infinite dimension of G‑dliness.
for G‑d’s infinity transcends the level of Chochmah. Therefore it is drawn down and enclothed in the quality of [simple] faith.
Like the child’s recognition of his father, this recognition of G‑d is not intellectual. Precisely because it is not intellectual, it enables a person to connect to the essence of G‑d: He as He exists in His infinity, above the bounds of intellect. However, just as the child’s recognition comes about while he is in an underdeveloped state, so too, this recognition of G‑d does not require spiritual sophistication. Indeed, it is present in all Jews, even the most simple (Shaar HaEmunah, loc. cit.).
ולכך Matzah is “the bread of faith,” for bread’s source is from this quality, as explained above with regard to a child’s recognition of, and his ability to call to, his father that comes about due to bread.
As stated previously, because bread has its source in the realm of Tohu,which surpasses knowledge, it is able to awaken a recognition that surpasses knowledge.
אלא The latter,
I.e., the recognition that stems from eating ordinary bread,
however, refers to [the ability to] recognize an entity in this [material] world which stems from physical bread that comes from the physical earth. The bread of matzah [eaten] on Pesach, by contrast, is drawn down from the sublime [quality corresponding to] earth
The Sefirah of Malchus which reveals spiritual light to the lower levels of existence.
and its power is enclothed within [the matzah]. From this [sublime earth] comes forth bread6 which draws down the G‑dly dimension of this [sublime]quality, [enabling] one to call to his Father in heaven with a powerful bond to the extent of “wringing out” his soul,7
I.e., exhausting all of his intellectual and emotional power in his devotion.
even though he does not understand this intellectually. Such [commitment expresses] the quality of bittul. From this [eating] are drawn down the potential to negate one’s will and the quality of humility epitomized in the request:8 “May my soul be like dust to all.” This is the power of the [sublime] earth from which this bread came forth, as explained above.
Summary
The previous section explained how the spiritual sparks [of Tohu] within material entities can increase the power of the G‑dly soul. In this section, the Alter Rebbe expands on that concept, emphasizing the unique potential of matzah to inspire faith in G‑d. He quotes the Zohar which refers to our Sages’ statement that “A child does not know how to call ‘father’ until he tastes grain” and explains that similarly, the Jews who left Egypt did not recognize their Father in heaven until they partook of matzah.
The Alter Rebbe explains this by contrasting chametz (which reflects puffed up self-concern) with matzah (which reflects humility). Eating matzah enables us to internalize this humility. This also relates to the Zohar’s description of matzah as “the bread of faith,” for faith involves making a commitment that transcends one’s own understanding, a humbling recognition of G‑dliness. This relates to the concept of leaving Egypt (Mitzrayim), i.e., going beyond one’s own constraints (meitzarim).
In a complete sense, this is only possible as a result of the revelation of G‑dliness. When G‑d’s infinity is revealed, man loses his self-concern as a result of the intensity of the experience. The potential for such powerful spiritual awareness is embedded in the matzah we eat and it is awakened through our fulfillment of the mitzvah.
