This section begins with an implied question that evolves from the concepts discussed in Section 4. There it was stated that through its descent into this world and its confrontation with the “abundant waters,” the soul is motivated to teshuvah. And through teshuvah, the soul is able to ascend to an even higher rung than its source. How is that possible?
Behold, the source of the soul is in G‑d’s Essence which transcends all revealed levels.וַהֲגַם שֶׁשֹּׁרֶש הַנְּשָׁמוֹת הוּא בְּעַצְמוּתוֹ יִתְבָּרֵךְ שֶׁלְּמַעְלָה מִכָּל הַגִּלּוּיִים,
There is an entire Seder HaHishtalshelus, Spiritual Cosmos, that contains numerous spiritual worlds, i.e., progressively higher levels of spiritual existence. Above – and the source for – all these worlds is G‑d’s Essence. Now, the souls of the Jewish people have several intermediate sources. As we say in our Morning Blessings, “The soul that You have given me is pure. You have created it…,” mentioning four levels corresponding to the worlds of Atzilus (“is pure”), Beriah (“You have created it”), Yetzirah (“You have formed it”), and Asiyah (“You have breathed it into me”).1 However, the ultimate source of every Jew’s soul is G‑d’s Essence. Often, the term “Essence,” Atzmus, is used also to refer to the essence of His light. The maamar proceeds to explain that this is not the intent here. Instead, in this case, the term “G‑d’s Essence” refers to His very Essence itself, above any and all revelations or levels of light. This is the source and root of the souls of the Jewish people.
This is (also) evident from our Sages’ statement:2 “With whom did He consult regarding the creation of the world? With the souls of the righteous.”וְכִדְמוּכָח (גַּם) מִמַּה שֶׁאָמְרוּ רַבּוֹתֵנוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה בְּמִי נִמְלַךְ בְּנִשְׁמוֹתֵיהֶן שֶׁל צַדִּיקִים,
The intent of the phrase “the souls of the righteous” is the entire Jewish people, as it is written:3 “Your people are all righteous.”4
This consultation of G‑d with the Jewish people concerned even the highest revelations of G‑dliness.שֶׁעִנְיַן הַהַמְלָכָה הוּא גַּם עַל גִּלּוּיִים הֲכִי נַעֲלִים
(For even these sublime revelations of light come into being because of G‑d’s will; He is not, Heaven forbid, compelled to reveal them.)(מִכֵּיוָן שֶׁהֵם בְּרָצוֹן וְלֹא בְּהֶכְרֵחַ חַס וְשָׁלוֹם),
Even the highest levels of the Spiritual Cosmos come into being because G‑d willfully desires their existence. This is one of the differences between the revelation of light Above and the revelation of light from the sun. The sun has no choice whether to reveal its light; it was created in a manner that it emanates light continuously, as if compelled to do so. G‑d’s revelations, by contrast, are willful. Thus, even the most sublime levels of Divine light – including the essence of His light – are emanated willfully. Since the Midrash teaches that He chose to “consult” with the souls of the Jewish people concerning the creation as a whole, that consultation concerns even these sublime levels of light. All existence other than G‑d’s Essence is dependent on that consultation.
Thus, it can be concluded that the souls with whom G‑d consulted are above all levels of revelation.5הֲרֵי מוּבָן שֶׁהַנְּשָׁמוֹת שֶׁבָּהֶן נִמְלַךְ הֵן לְמַעְלָה מִכָּל הַגִּלּוּיִים,
And thus, the question arises: How can teshuvah enable a soul to ascend higher than its source when its source is in G‑d’s very Essence? Were we to speak about one of the soul’s intermediate levels, it is understood that through teshuvah, the soul could ascend to a higher rung. When, however, the focus is on the soul as it is rooted in G‑d’s Essence, how is it possible for there to be an ascent to a higher rung? There is nothing higher than G‑d’s Essence!
Nevertheless, it is possible to say that through teshuvah (resulting from their descent to this physical plane), the souls of the Jewish people are able to ascend even higher than the level on which they existed in their source.מִכָּל מָקוֹם שַׁיָּךְ לוֹמַר שֶׁעַל יְדֵי הַתְּשׁוּבָה (בִּירִידָתָן לְמַטָּה) נַעֲשֵׂית בָּהֶן עֲלִיָּה גַּם לְגַבֵּי הַדַּרְגָּא שֶׁהָיְתָה בְּשָׁרְשָׁן.
This concept can be explained on the basis of the interpretation of our Sages’ statement,6 “Israel arose in G‑d’s thought,” put forward by the Maggid of Mezritch.7וְיוּבַן זֶה עַל פִּי מַה שֶּׁכָּתַב הָרַב הַמַּגִּיד בְּפֵרוּשׁ מַאֲמַר רַבּוֹתֵינוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה יִשְׂרָאֵל עָלוּ בְּמַחֲשָׁבָה,
The Maggid offers an analogy to a person who has a son. Even when the son has departed from his father’s presence, his image is still engraved in his father’s mind.שֶׁהוּא כִּמְשַׁל אָדָם שֶׁיֵּשׁ לוֹ בֵּן, דְּגַם כְּשֶׁהַבֵּן עָבַר מִכְּנֶגֶד פָּנָיו וְהָלַךְ מֵאִתּוֹ, עִם כָּל זֶה נֶחְקְקָה הַצּוּרָה שֶׁל הַבֵּן בְּמַחֲשָׁבָה שֶׁל הָאָב.
[The Maggid offers this analogy to explain the verse,]8 “Let us make man in Our image.”
The analogy is intended to answer an obvious question. G‑d is undefined; there is no image of Him. What then is meant by “Our image”? The Maggid explains that the words “Our image” do not refer to the “image of G‑d,” but rather to the image of man that “arose in [G‑d’s] thoughts.”
There is, however, a difference between a father’s thoughts of his son and G‑d’s thoughts of man.
With regard to a father on the earthly plane, the concept applies only to a father after he actually has a son.אֶלָּא שֶׁבִּבְנֵי אָדָם שַׁיָּךְ זֶה דַּוְקָא בְּמִי שֶׁיֵּשׁ לוֹ בֵּן כוּ'.
But with regard to G‑d, it is possible to say that even before the Jewish people were created, their image was engraved in G‑d’s thought,אֲבָל אֵצֶל הַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרֵךְ שַׁיָּךְ זֶה לוֹמַר אַף קֹדֶם שֶׁנִּבְרְאוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל הָיָה נֶחְקָק צוּרָתָם בְּמַחֲשָׁבָה,
as implied by our Sages’ statement, “Israel arose in G‑d’s thought,” i.e., He thought of them even before they actually came into being,כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמְרוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה יִשְׂרָאֵל עָלוּ בְּמַחֲשָׁבָה,
because with regard to Him, the past and the future are the same.כִּי אֶצְלוֹ יִתְבָּרֵךְ הֶעָבָר וְהֶעָתִיד אֶחָד.
A person can only think of his son after the son came into being and they shared a relationship. Since, however, the past and the future are the same for G‑d, He can conceive of man even before he came into being.
This is the meaning of the verse, “Let us make man in Our image” – that “Israel arose in [G‑d’s] thought” and He created man according to the image that He conceived. This is the source of the Jewish people as they exist within G‑d’s Essence.
From this, it is understood that the statement that the souls of the Jewish people are rooted in G‑d’s Essence and He “consulted” with themוּמוּבָן מִזֶּה, דְּזֶה מַה שֶּׁהַנְּשָׁמוֹת מֻשְׁרָשׁוֹת בְּעַצְמוּתוֹ יִתְבָּרֵךְ וּבָהֶם נִמְלַךְ כוּ'
refers to the souls as they exist as created beings (and descend to this realm).הוּא עִנְיַן הַנְּשָׁמוֹת כְּמוֹ שֶׁהֵן בִּבְחִינַת נִבְרָא (וּכְמוֹ שֶׁהֵן יוֹרְדוֹת לְמַטָּה),
Often, when stated that the souls are rooted in G‑d’s Essence, the intent is that the spiritual source of the soul exists in G‑d’s Essence and then, as that spiritual potential descends through the chainlike progression of spiritual worlds (Seder HaHishtalshelus), the Jewish people are brought into being on this physical plane.
Here, the emphasis is the opposite: Why does the source of the Jewish souls exist in G‑d’s Essence? Because He conceives of the souls as they exist on this physical plane. The cause and effect relationship is reversed. It is not that the Jews exist on this physical plane because their source is in G‑d’s Essence, but rather the Jewish souls are rooted in G‑d’s Essence because He desires the existence of a Jew on the physical plane.
It is just that this image was (also) engraved in His thought, which is possible,וְרַק שֶׁ(גַּם) צוּרָה זוֹ הִיא חֲקוּקָה בְּמַחֲשַׁבְתּוֹ יִתְבָּרֵךְ,
because for Him, the past and the future are the same.9לְפִי שֶׁאֶצְלוֹ יִתְבָּרֵךְ הֶעָבָר וְהֶעָתִיד אֶחָד.
The interpretation of the teaching, “With whom did He consult?...” is well known.10וְכַיָּדוּעַ בְּפֵרוּשׁ בְּמִי נִמְלַךְ כוּ',
I.e., it is obvious that it does not involve consultation as we usually employ that term.
Instead, the intent is that there arose before Him, as it were, the delight that He would receive from the Divine service of the souls as they exist on this physical plane.שֶׁזֶּהוּ מַה שֶּׁעָלָה לְפָנָיו יִתְבָּרֵךְ הַתַּעֲנוּג שֶׁיִּתְעַנֵּג כִּבְיָכוֹל בַּעֲבוֹדַת הַנְּשָׁמוֹת לְמַטָּה.
The intent of the statement that G‑d “consulted” with the Jewish people regarding the creation of the world is that G‑d conceived, as it were, of the delight He would receive from the service of the Jewish people on this physical plane, and this motivated Him to bring this world – and the entire Spiritual Cosmos – into being.
On this basis, the ascent achieved by the souls through their descent to the physical plane can be explained,וְעַל פִּי זֶה יוּבַן עִנְיַן הָעֲלִיָּה שֶׁנַּעֲשָׂה בְּהַנְּשָׁמוֹת עַל יְדֵי יְרִידָתָן לְמַטָּה,
even though before their descent, the souls were also rooted in G‑d’s Essence.הֲגַם שֶׁגַּם לִפְנֵי יְרִידָתָן הֵן מֻשְׁרָשׁוֹת בְּעַצְמוּתוֹ יִתְבָּרֵךְ,
At the beginning of this section, the question was raised: Since the source of the souls of the Jewish people is in G‑d’s Essence, how is it possible that their descent to this plane will be a descent for the purpose of an ascent? How is it possible to ascend higher than G‑d’s Essence?
That question can be resolved based on the understanding of why they are rooted in G‑d’s Essence:
The reason they are rooted in His Essence (and why He “consulted with them”)כִּי זֶה מַה שֶּׁהֵן מֻשְׁרָשׁוֹת בְּעַצְמוּתוֹ יִתְבָּרֵךְ (וּבָהֶם נִמְלַךְ כוּ')
is because of His knowledge that ultimately, they would descend to this physical plane and fulfill G‑d’s intent.11הוּא מִצַּד יְדִיעָתוֹ יִתְבָּרֵךְ שֶׁתִּהְיֶה אַחַר כָּךְ יְרִידָתָן לְמַטָּה כוּ' וְיַשְׁלִימוּ הַכַּוָּנָה.
Even though initially it is known with absolute certainty that they will fulfill His intent,וַהֲגַם שֶׁגַּם בִּתְחִלָּה יוֹדְעִים בְּוַדָּאוּת גְּמוּרָה שֶׁיַּשְׁלִימוּ הַכַּוָּנָה,
i.e., since G‑d conceived of the delight He would receive from the Jews’ Divine service and all existence came into being as a result, there is no possibility that His intent in creation will not come to fruition. Nevertheless,
this is merely a potential,הֲרֵי זֶהוּ בְּכֹחַ
and the ultimate peak (and the consummate intent) is for the potential to become realized.וְתַכְלִית הָעִלּוּי (וְהַכַּוָּנָה) הוּא הַפֹּעַל.
True, the potential for the Jews’ Divine service existed within G‑d’s Essence, but that potential was yet to be actualized. When the Jewish souls actually descend to this world and carry out their Divine service in their daily lives, G‑d’s intent comes to consummate expression. The maamar is emphasizing that this – the actual fulfillment of G‑d’s intent – possesses a higher quality than the potential. By descending to this world and being the agents who fulfill that intent, the souls of the Jewish people share in that higher quality. This is the ascent achieved by the souls through their descent to this physical plane: That they become the agents who bring about the actual fulfillment of G‑d’s intent in creation.
The sichos delivered together with this maamar12 elaborate on this concept, explaining that even though the potential exists beforehand – and with regard to G‑d, it is said:13 אין הכח חסר פועל, “The potential is not lacking [anything that can be contributed] by the actual expression,”14 nevertheless, there is an advantage in the potential’s actual expression.
{This is also the meaning of the precise wording used in the expression: “With whom did He consult? With the souls of the righteous.”[וְזֶהוּ גַּם דִּיּוּק הַלָּשׁוֹן בְּמִי נִמְלַךְ בְּנִשְׁמוֹתֵיהֶן שֶׁל צַדִּיקִים,
When G‑d “consulted” with the souls –שֶׁבִּהְיוֹתָן בִּבְחִינַת הַהַמְלָכָה
[the higher quality that they could reach through their Divine service was then merely a potential;[שֶׁאָז הָעִלּוּי שֶׁלָּהֶן הוּא בְּכֹחַ,
a potential that would definitely be realized, for
it was known that they would fulfill G‑d’s intent.]שֶׁיּוֹדְעִים שֶׁיַּשְׁלִימוּ הַכַּוָּנָה]
On that rung, the souls were on the level of “the righteous.”הֵן בִּבְחִינַת צַדִּיקִים,
After they descended to this world, [when they fulfill G‑d’s intent in actual fact],וּלְאַחֲרֵי יְרִידָתָן לְמַטָּה [שֶׁאָז הֵם מַשְׁלִימִים אֶת הַכַּוָּנָה בְּפֹעַל]
they attain the rung of baalei teshuvah.}נַעֲשִׂים בִּבְחִינַת בַּעֲלֵי תְּשׁוּבָה].
It was explained above that the purpose of the descent to this physical plane was to enable the souls to reach the rung of baalei teshuvah. The intent is not teshuvah for sin, but teshuvah sparked by the awareness of one’s distance from G‑d. The awareness of that distance awakens the power within the soul to bring its essential potential into actual expression.

Summary

The previous section stated that through teshuvah, the soul is able to ascend to an even higher rung than its source. Now, the source of the soul is in G‑d’s Essence, which transcends all revealed levels. How is it possible to ascend to an even higher rung?
In resolution: Our Sages state, “Israel arose in G‑d’s thought.” The Maggid of Mezritch explains that statement by drawing an analogy to a person who has a son. Even when the son has departed from his father’s presence, his image is still engraved in his father’s mind. With regard to a father on the earthly plane, the concept only applies after he actually has a son. But with regard to G‑d, it is possible to say that even before the Jewish people were created, their image was engraved in G‑d’s thought, i.e., He thought of them even before they actually came into being because with regard to Him, the past and the future are the same.
This enables us to understand another statement of our Sages: that G‑d consulted with the souls of the righteous before creating the world. The intent is that there arose before Him, as it were, the delight that He would receive from the Divine service of the souls as they exist on this physical plane.
In other words, the image of the Jews that G‑d had in mind, as it were, was the image of the Jews as they exist on this physical plane. It is not that the souls arose in G‑d’s Essence as a spiritual entity and then they descended to this plane; rather, it was the image of the Jews as they exist on this plane that existed in His Essence as a potential. Afterwards, through the creation of the world and man’s Divine service, that potential is realized in actual fact. The realization of this potential is the positive quality brought out by teshuvah.