רַבֵּינוּ הַזָּקֵן זַייעֶנדִיג נאָךְ אִין וִויטעֶבּסְק, האָט אַמאָל געֶזאָגט אַ תּוֹרָה אוֹיפ'ן פָּסוּק אַתֶּם נִצָּבִים גו', אוּן האָט געֶטַייטשְׁט מֵחוֹטֵב עֵצֶךָ לְשׁוֹן עֵצָה, מְ'דאַרף אוֹיסהאַקעֶן דִי רַבּוֹת מַחֲשָׁבוֹת בְּלֶב אִישׁ, שׁוֹאֵב מֵימֶיךָ אוֹיסשׁעֶפּעֶן דִי מַיִם וואָס מַצְמִיחִים כָּל מִינֵי תַּעֲנוּג.

While the Alter Rebbe was still living in Vitebsk,1 he once delivered a teaching on the verse:2 “You are all standing today [before G‑d]..., [the choppers of your wood and drawers of your water].” The word meaning “your wood” (eitzecha) is phonetically related to the word meaning “counsel” (eitzah). That is, we must chop away the “many thoughts [that are] in a man’s heart,”3 and cast out the water4 that causes all kinds of [improper] desires to flourish.5

Probing Beneath the Surface

The Rebbe Maharash passed on this teaching while explaining the spiritual significance of mayim shelanu, the spring water that is drawn to bake matzos for Pesach. The essential thing, he explained, is to remove the water from its natural source, for otherwise, it can produce chametz, self-centered behavior.

To explain the matter further: Chassidus teaches us how to develop our unique gifts and individual potential in the service of G‑d — but this requires us to rise above our natural tendencies and desires, to divert the water that nurtures desire from its natural course. Thus, when Abraham was commanded to “go forth from your land... to the land that I will show you,”6 he was also being given a spiritual command, which is reflected in the similarity between the word meaning “land” (ארץ) and the word meaning “desire,” or “will” ‌.(רצון)7 He was being told to take leave of his own desires in order that he should be able to arrive at the land “in which I will enable you to be revealed.”8

The same applies to all his offspring. Only when we attain the Torah image of who we can be does our self-expression become desirable and we become capable of “standing before G‑d.”