Galus, “exile,” is primarily a spiritual condition.
When a Jew wakes up in the morning and what brightens or dampens his mood are his material concerns, he is in exile. Instead, what should he look forward to? What should spark his energy? A mitzvah that he will fulfill or Torah knowledge that he can gain. For experiencing redemption in a personal sense means living a life focused on G‑dliness. When that is a person’s motivation, he will see every mitzvah as a new opportunity to establish a bond with G‑d and that will inspire him with energy.
Our Sages highlight the power of the mitzvos we perform through their teaching,1 “One hour of teshuvah and good deeds in this world is superior to the entire life of the World to Come.” True, in the World to Come, the souls “derive pleasure from the radiance of the Divine Presence.”2 They savor the revelation of G‑dliness. However, all that can be revealed is a ray of His light. In contrast, in this world a person connects to and draws down G‑d’s Essence through his teshuvah and good deeds.
When a person views the Torah and its mitzvos in such a manner, he is truly alive. His approach to the Torah changes. To borrow our Sages’ words,3 he does not view the Torah and its mitzvos as “an old edict.” Instead, every day, it is “new in his eyes.” Every day and every moment, the Torah presents him with a fresh and vital opportunity to bond with G‑d.
What practical steps can a person take to reach such a spiritual focus? It begins with meditation. As the Rebbe explains in the maamar that follows – based on a maamar of the Alter Rebbe in Likkutei Torah4 – a person can attain such a mindset through contemplating these spiritual truths and taking them to heart.

The Questions the Maamar Sets Out to Resolve

In the maamar cited, the Alter Rebbe states: “All the above is the way it should be, but when this is not so, and instead, one’s bitterness and joy stem from matters of this world, then the G‑dly spark within him is in exile, as it were, within his animal soul.”
The Alter Rebbe’s focus on viewing the Torah and its mitzvos with continuous newness requires explanation: Seemingly, even when a person sees the mitzvos merely as “an old edict,” it is possible that he will observe them with energy and vitality. Even with this sub-optimal perspective, the mitzvos – and not matters of this world – can still be the source of his bitterness and joy.
Another statement in the Alter Rebbe’s maamar also needs to be clarified: The Alter Rebbe states that the inspiration to regard the Torah and its mitzvos as new is possible only through contemplating that through the observance of mitzvos in this world, one bonds with and draws down G‑d’s Essence.5 Seemingly, even contemplating the superior nature of the reward to be granted for fulfilling the mitzvos will inspire a person to observe them with energy and vitality. Why then does the Alter Rebbe state that such an approach can only be attained through an appreciation of the connection with G‑d’s Essence established through the fulfillment of the mitzvos?

When Opposites Can Be United

The Rebbe begins his maamar by focusing on the second question. First, he establishes a foundation based on kabbalistic concepts, explaining that our world has its source in a level of G‑dliness that respects – indeed creates – time and space and the other elements that structure our world. This level of G‑dly light is known as memale kol almin, literally meaning “that fills all the worlds.” This light enclothes itself within the worlds and adapts itself to their limited framework. Since this light is innately limited, it cannot enable a person to continuously view the Torah and its mitzvos as new. Only by becoming conscious of a level of G‑dliness that transcends that framework can one cultivate such awareness.
This transcendent G‑dly light is referred to as sovev kol almin, literally meaning “that encompasses all the worlds.” This G‑dly light completely transcends the limits of time and space, and indeed all limitations. The light that is sovev kol almin has no restrictions; it can be manifest in this world as well. Accordingly, this light can enable man to appreciate a timeless dimension.
But therein, lies a difficulty: G‑d’s light that is sovev kol almin enables man to appreciate timelessness, but it does so by lifting a person above the structures of time and space. True, that light is not restricted by the limitations of time and space, but nevertheless its infinite dimension cannot be revealed within those limitations. Either that light will remain hidden and not be revealed within the world, or it will be revealed and nullify the pattern and structure of our world.
The perception of the Torah and its mitzvos as new every day must generate energy for a person in his fulfillment of the mitzvos in the here and now, and the here and now is defined by G‑d’s light that is memale kol almin.
This requires a fusion of opposites: The perception of the Torah and its mitzvos as new every day stems from timelessness that transcends the structure of the Spiritual Cosmos, whereas the internalization of that perception within man’s feelings involves drawing down this timeless quality within the limits of that structure.
The revelation of timelessness in the structures of this world is possible only as a result of the manifestation of G‑d’s Essence, for only He is utterly unbounded and undefined. His Essence cannot be described as limited, nor as transcendent, nor can it be said that either limitation or transcendent are beyond Him. Hence, it is through His essential power that His light that is sovev kol almin can be fused with His light that is memale kol almin making it possible for man to perceive the Torah and its mitzvos as new every day.

To Remain Continuously New

This potential for a fusion of opposites is integral to the continuous renewal of the Torah, for newness involves change. Something that did not exist previously has now come into being. Since time is one of the fundamental aspects of the structure of our world, there is no natural way that an entity can remain continuously new. As such, continuous newness represents a fusion of time and timelessness. This is only possible as a result of influence from G‑d’s Essence, which is completely unbounded and therefore capable of uniting these opposing qualities.

Mirroring the Influences Above

There is an integral relationship between the fusion of spiritual influences that enables the mitzvos to be performed in a manner that they be continuously as new and the mystic purpose of the mitzvos. When a Jew performs a mitzvah, he brings about “the union of the Holy One, blessed be He, and His Shechinah.” The term “the Holy One, blessed be He” refers to G‑d as He is “holy,” i.e., distinct and transcendent, relating to G‑d’s light that is sovev kol almin. The term Shechinah, translated as “the Divine Presence,” is related to the word shochein, “dwell,” and refers to G‑d’s light that “dwells and enclothes itself in the worlds,” His light that is memale kol almin.
Man’s Divine service must correspond to the Divine influence that it draws down. A person who observes the mitzvos inspired by his perception of them as being new every day, fuses time with timelessness. In this manner, he augments the revelation of the unity of G‑d’s light that is sovev kol almin with His light that is memale kol almin, enabling this spiritual dynamic to become overtly manifest in our world.

Vibrant Spirituality

On the basis of the above concepts, it is possible to resolve the question mentioned at the outset: Why must there be a focus on the Torah’s continuous newness for the Torah to be the source of a person’s bitterness and joy?
When a person lives his life focused on the factors that appear to govern our world, he will unquestionably attach a certain degree of importance to material matters. While he may also have moral and spiritual values, ultimately it is the matters of this world that will affect his mood and cause him either bitterness or joy. It is only when he focuses on the transcendent nature of G‑d’s light that he will be able to rise above material consciousness and make spiritual matters his primary focus.
In such an instance, however, it is possible that he will withdraw from material involvement entirely, retreating to a cloistered life focused solely on the spiritual. How can he harmonize the two, centering his life on the spiritual while at the same time living vibrantly in the here and now? Through seeing the Torah as continually new and appreciating its ongoing relevance. Such a perspective will enable him to incorporate the Torah’s vitality into his day-to-day experience.

Overcoming Exile

Exile has a twofold effect that makes it challenging for a Jew to live in the above manner:
a) The transcendent dimension of G‑d’s light is withdrawn and not revealed. This makes it harder to a person to focus on the spiritual. As a result,
b) the dimension of Divine light which is enclothed in the body and in the Spiritual Cosmos becomes dominated by their material aspects and subjugated to them.
How can a person found in such a predicament extricate himself? An answer is provided by the verse that serves as the title for this maamar, “Zion will be redeemed through judgment, and her captives through tzedekah.”6
“Judgment” refers to Torah study, which is described with the analogy of light. The light the Torah radiates enables the revelation of the higher dimensions of the soul and of G‑dliness. Tzedekah, in an extended sense, refers to all the mitzvos, and most particularly to tzedakah in the literal sense. Tzedakah draws down boundless G‑dly light, which leads to the redemption of those dimensions of the soul and G‑dliness that were held in captivity within the material dimensions of existence. The combination of these two influences enables a person to draw down and internalize the loftier dimensions of G‑dliness within the context of his ongoing life experience.