In these chapters, the Rebbe Rashab develops the theme with which he concluded the previous chapters — that the harmonious balance between revelation and tzimtzum, which ultimately makes possible the creation of our world, results from the revelation of a higher power, G‑d’s infinite light. The medium for drawing down that essential light, he explains, is the Torah. The Torah represents G‑d’s essential delights, the core of His being, as it were, in which His innermost energy is vested. Hence, when a Jew studies Torah with the proper intent, he (so to speak) draws G‑d down upon himself, and into the world at large.
This concept is alluded to by the verse,1 “G‑d is your [protective] shadow;”1 just as a shadow follows an object’s every movement, every action we perform spirals upward to the spiritual realms, evoking a corresponding response in those realms. Thus, when a Jew invests his energies in Torah study, G‑d “studies” opposite him, reflecting, as it were, the Jew’s efforts and investing Himself in the Torah.
To accomplish this, the Jew must study the Torah lishmah, for its own sake, i.e., for the sake of the Torah itself. This means studying for no personal benefit at all, not even for spiritual benefit nor in order to draw closer to G‑d. Instead, one’s sole motivation should be — to draw down the revelation of G‑d’s infinite light into the letters of the Torah.
A similar pattern is reflected in the verse,2 “G‑d is close to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth.” “Truth” alludes to the truth of the Torah. When a person calls to G‑d in truth — through the Torah as studied lishmah — he elicits a response Above and calls G‑d into truth, intensifying the Divine power of the Torah. And this in turn enriches the world with truth — a force that blesses it with peace and stability.
