In the preceding chapters, the Rebbe Rashab explained that opposite tendencies can be fused in harmonious synergy through drawing down an essential light that transcends them both. He highlighted how the medium to draw down this essential light is the Torah, which represents G‑d’s essential delights, the core of His being, as it were, in which His innermost energy is vested. The present chapter explains man’s role in drawing down this dimension of the Torah and how doing so brings about unity and synergy in the spiritual realms and ultimately, in our material world.
וְזֶהוּ קָרוֹב הוי' כוּ'
On the basis of the above, it is possible to understand the meaning of the verse:1 “G‑d is close… to all those who call upon Him in truth” —
שֶׁיִּקְרָאוּהוּ לְמַהוּת וְעַצְמוּת אֵין סוֹף
“To all those who call upon Him in truth” refers to those who call upon the Essence of G‑d as He is Ein Sof, Who is one with the Torah in an essential bond. As a result of this bond, G‑d’s essential delights are invested in the Torah.
מִשַּׁעֲשׁוּעִים הָעַצְמִים הַנִּזְכָּרִים לְעֵיל
From those above-described essential delights, it is possible to draw down essential G‑dliness
בֶּאֱמֶת דְּתוֹרָה
into the truth of Torah, i.e., the Torah as it is given to us.
וְהַיְנוּ לִשְׁמָהּ לְשֵׁם הַתּוֹרָה
“Calling” to G‑d “in truth” refers to studying Torah lishmah, for its own sake, i.e., for the sake of the Torah itself.
שֶׁהוּא רַק לְהַמְשִׁיךְ גִילּוּי אוֹר אֵין סוֹף בְּאוֹתִיּוֹת דְּתוֹרָה,
This means that one studies solely in order to draw down the revelation of G‑d’s infinite light into the letters of Torah, and in that way, adds to and enhances the Torah’s power. Thus, the study is “for the sake of the Torah,“ i.e., it amplifies the Torah’s power.
There are several interpretations of what it means to study Torah lishmah, for its own sake. In an ultimate sense, it means studying Torah without any personal intent at all — not even to connect to G‑d through Torah study2 — but rather for the Torah’s sake, i.e., because the Torah is entirely one with G‑d. Sensing that oneness, a Jew is drawn to Torah study with a natural desire, like a child who instinctively runs to hug his father upon seeing him after they have been separated for a long time.3 Here, the Rebbe Rashab interprets “studying for the sake of the Torah” in a spiritual sense, explaining that when a person studies the Torah lishmah, it is “for the sake of the Torah” because he draws down essential G‑dliness into the Torah.4
שֶׁזֶּהוּ כָּל עִיקַּר עִנְיַן כַּוָּונַת מִצְוַת תַּלְמוּד תּוֹרָה כוּ'.
This is the fundamental intent of the mitzvah of Torah study.
וְהוּא עַל יְדֵי קְרִיאָה
This is achieved through “calling” —
The Hebrew root קרא means both “call” and “read.”
שֶׁקּוֹרֵא וְשׁוֹנֶה בְּתוֹרָה שֶׁבִּכְתָב וְתוֹרָה שֶׁבְּעַל פֶּה
through reading and studying the Written Torah and the Oral Torah;
כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמְרוּ כָּל הַקּוֹרֵא וְשׁוֹנֶה בַּתּוֹרָה שֶׁבִּכְתָב וְתוֹרָה שֶׁבְּעַל פֶּה
as our Sages say,5 “Whenever one reads and studies” — the Written Torah and the Oral Torah —
The Rebbe Rashab mentions the Written Torah and the Oral Torah to parallel the verbs “reads and studies.” Even when one merely reads the Written Torah, he fulfills the mitzvah of Torah study. Hence, reading is sufficient. By contrast, the Oral Law must be studied — i.e., one must understand the subject matter — to fulfill the mitzvah.6
הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא קוֹרֵא וְשׁוֹנֶה כְּנֶגְדּוֹ
“the Holy One, blessed be He, reads and studies opposite him.”
וּכְמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב הוי' צִלְּךָ כוּ',
This concept can also be inferred from the Baal Shem Tov’s interpretation7 of the verse,8 “G‑d is your {protective} shadow,” just as a shadow follows the movement of an object, every action that 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.
וּכְתִיב הַקּוֹל קוֹל יַעֲקֹב
It is also written,9 “The voice is the voice of Yaakov,”
זֶה קוֹל דְּתוֹרָה,
and our Sages10 have explained, “This refers to the voice of Torah study,”
וְהַיְנוּ לְפִי שֶׁבְּקוֹל זֶה דְּאוֹתִיּוֹת הַתּוֹרָה
i.e., the voice of one who reads the letters of the Torah
מְעוֹרֵר לְמַעְלָה לִהְיוֹת הַמְשָׁכַת אוֹר אֵין סוֹף בְּחָכְמָה עִלָּאָה דְּתוֹרָה שֶׁל מַעְלָה
elicits an arousal Above, drawing down G‑d’s infinite light into the level of Supernal Chochmah of the heavenly Torah,
בִּבְחִינַת קוֹל הוי'
drawing down “the voice of G‑d,”
שֶׁהוּא קוֹרֵא וְשׁוֹנֶה גַם כֵּן אוֹתוֹ הַמִּקְרָא וְאוֹתָהּ הַהֲלָכָה כְּנֶגְדּוֹ
Who also reads and studies the same Scriptural verse and that same law opposite him.
שֶׁזֶּהוּ הִתְלַבְּשׁוּת אוֹר אֵין סוֹף בְּקוֹל דְּתוֹרָה
G‑d’s “reading and studying” refers to the enclothment of G‑d’s infinite light in the voice of Torah,
כְּמוֹ שֶׁהָיְתָה הַתּוֹרָה הַקְּדוֹשָׁה אֶצְלוֹ שַׁעֲשׁוּעִים כוּ'.
i.e., through his study, a Jew draws down the holy Torah at the level at which it was His delight,11 i.e., as it is one with His very Essence.
וְזֶהוּ שֶׁיִּקְרָאוּהוּ מַמָּשׁ בֶּאֱמֶת דְּתוֹרָה כוּ',
This is the meaning of “who call upon Him” (i.e., His essence) into and through the truth” of Torah,
וְהַיְנוּ לִשְׁמָהּ לְשֵׁם הַתּוֹרָה,
i.e., the person studies lishmah, for the sake of the Torah itself.
In this way, he “calls upon [G‑d] in truth” — i.e., through the truth of the Torah and not because of his personal yearning or need.12 And he calls G‑d into “truth,” i.e., into the Torah, drawing essential G‑dliness into the Torah, as explained above.
Through reading and studying the Torah in this manner, the person is acting for the sake of the Torah, i.e., he augments and adds to the Divine power of the Torah,
שֶׁבִּקְרִיאָה זוֹ
for when he reads from the Torah, he elicits a response Above and
הוי' קוֹרֵא וּמַמְשִׁיךְ עַצְמוֹ בַּתּוֹרָה
G‑d “reads” and draws Himself into the Torah,
בִּבְחִינַת שַׁעֲשׁוּעִים הָעַצְמִיִים מַמָּשׁ כוּ'.
investing the highest dimension of the Torah, the actual essential delights of G‑d, the level at which the Torah is absolutely one with G‑d, into the Torah the person is studying.
The Rebbe Rashab has explained one meaning of koreh baTorah, “calling G‑d into the Torah” — that through studying lishmah, a person draws down essential G‑dliness into the Torah, augmenting its power. Building on that interpretation, he proceeds to explain another meaning of the phrase — that the person calls forth G‑d through the Torah; his Torah study draws G‑dliness into all the levels of the Spiritual Cosmos and ultimately, into this material world.]
וּבָזֶה וַדַּאי נַעֲשֶׂה שָׁלוֹם בְּפַמַּלְיָא שֶׁל מַעְלָה
This certainly brings about “peace among the hosts of Above,”
שֶׁזֶּהוּ הַיִּחוּד וְהַהִתְחַבְּרוּת בֵּין יוּ"ד וְהֵ"א דְחָכְמָה וּבִינָה
which is the union and bonding of the yud and hei of G‑d’s name that refer to Chochmah and Binah respectively,
שֶׁיִּהְיוּ נִקְרָאִים תְּרֵין רֵיעִין דְּלָא מִתְפַּרְשִׁין כוּ'
so that they may be called “two friends who never part,”13
בְּצִמְצוּם וְהִתְפַּשְּׁטוּת וְהֶעְלֵם וְגִילּוּי כְּנִזְכָּר לְעֵיל.
fusing tzimtzum and expansion, concealment and revelation, as mentioned previously,14
וְשֶׁיִּהְיֶה בְּמִדָּה וְשִׁיעוּר כְּפִי הַצָּרִיךְ לְהִשְׁתַּלְשְׁלוּת הָעוֹלָמוֹת כוּ'.
so that they function synergistically, according to the measure and proportion necessary to enable the chainlike descent of spiritual worlds.
שֶׁזֶּהוּ עִנְיַן מִדַּת הָאֱמֶת לִהְיוֹת כָּלוּל מִכָּל הַהֲפָכִים וּבִמְזִיגָה נְכוֹנָה דַוְקָא
This is the distinctive attribute of truth — the fusion of all opposing elements, combining them in appropriate proportion.
שֶׁאָז הוּא אֱמֶת כוּ'.
Only then is it truth.
The very definition of truth is that it applies in all places and at all times. If a combination of two qualities is unbalanced to the extent that one side outweighs the other, that imbalance demonstrates that, in an ultimate sense, truth is lacking.
וְלָזֹאת עַל יְדֵי הַתּוֹרָה
Therefore, it is through the Torah
נַעֲשָׂה הַהִתְחַבְּרוּת דְּהֶעְלֵם וְגִילּוּי
that there can be brought about a fusion of concealment and revelation,
בִּמְזִיגָה נְכוֹנָה דַוְקָא כוּ'.
blending them in the appropriate proportions and measures.
כִּי עִנְיַן הַהִתְחַבְּרוּת הוּא שֶׁלֹּא יִהְיוּ הֲפָכִים כְּלָל
This is so because, in a complete sense, combining means integrating one with the other so that they no longer conflict,
אֶלָּא שְׁנֵיהֶם יָאִירוּ בִּתְמִידוּת כִּתְרֵין רֵעִין דְּלָא מִתְפַּרְשִׁין
but rather both qualities that were previously in discord shine constantly like “two friends who never part,”
וְנִמְשָׁךְ תָּמִיד מֵהַהֶעְלֵם לְגִילּוּי
enabling there to be a constant flow from concealment to revelation,
הַיְנוּ מֵאַיִן לְיֵשׁ תָּמִיד וְזֶה גּוֹרֵם לָזֶה כוּ'
i.e., from nothingness to existence at all times, one prompting the other, on all levels of the Spiritual Cosmos,
וּכְמַעְיָן הַנּוֹבֵעַ תָּמִיד מִן הַהֶעְלֵם אֶל הַגִילּוּי לִהְיוֹת נָהָר וְהִתְפַּשְּׁטוּת כוּ'.
like a wellspring that issues forth constantly from concealment to revelation, to become a river that expands.
וְזֶהוּ עַל פִּי הֶאָרַת אוֹר אֵין סוֹף בְּחָכְמָה דְּתוֹרָה שֶׁבִּכְתָב וְתוֹרָה שֶׁבְּעַל פֶּה
This is brought about according to the emanation of G‑d’s infinite light in the Chochmah of the Written and Oral Torah,
שֶׁנִּקְרָא סֵפֶר וְסִיפּוּר
which are called Sefer and Sippur,15
Sefer, “a book,” refers to the Written Torah, which emanates from Chochmah, and, like a book, is defined and specific. Sippur, “a story,” refers to the Oral Torah, which emanates from Binah. Like a story that is told in a way that will interest the listeners and is adapted to their understanding, the Oral Law develops the concepts of the Written Torah in a manner that enables them to be understood and applied.
בִּבְחִינַת אֱמֶת
in a manner of truth
שֶׁהוּא הַמִּיצּוּעַ מֵחֶסֶד וּגְבוּרָה כְּנִזְכָּר לְעֵיל
which, as stated previously, mediates between and harmonizes Chessed and Gevurah.16
שֶׁזֶּהוּ שֶׁיִּקְרָאוּהוּ בֶּאֱמֶת דְּתוֹרָה דַוְקָא כוּ'.
This is what is meant by the phrase, “who call upon Him in truth,” i.e., who call upon Him specifically through the truth of Torah.
קִצּוּר.
Summary:
יִקְרָאוּהוּ בֶאֱמֶת, לְמַהוּת וְעַצְמוּת אֵין סוֹף בֶּאֱמֶת דְּתוֹרָה, עַל יְדֵי שֶׁקּוֹרֵא וְשׁוֹנֶה.
“Who call upon Him in truth” signifies a call to the very Essence of the Ein Sof, drawing Him into the truth of Torah, by reading and studying Torah.
עַל יְדֵי הַמְשָׁכָה זוֹ לֹא יִהְיוּ הֲפָכִים כִּי אִם תְּרֵין רֵיעִין דְּלָא מִתְפַּרְשָׁן.
Through drawing down this influence, Chochmah and Binah, and in a greater sense, concealment and revelation on every level in the Spiritual Cosmos, are no longer opposites but rather “two friends who never part.”
This paragraph summarizes the theme of the entire maamar: When man draws down G‑d’s essential light, he is able to create harmony and synergy between different and even opposing influences and thus bring about peace in his immediate environment and in the world at large.
***
עַד כַּאן נִיתַּן לְהַעְתִּיק מִגּוּף כְּתַב יַד קוֹדֶשׁ
Only this portion of the Rebbe Rashab’s manuscript was released for replication.17
