Lessons in Torah Or

Nevertheless, while “weeping is implanted in the heart from this side, joy sits in the other side.”

Meaning that in truth, from the vantage point of the body, one is absolutely distant from Hashem. However, from the standpoint of the soul, there is immense joy, to have joy in Hashem, ‘the joy of [His] mitzvos,’ which descend from His Essence and Being, so to speak, above even the level of Hashem’s Light that ‘Sovev Kol Almin-Encompasses all Worlds,” and become invested in the physical mitzvos that we perform, thus reconnecting us to Hashem’s Essence.

However, how is it possible that these two opposites (weeping and joy) are fused so absolutely?

It is accomplished through ‘Yaakov,’ who symbolizes the attribute of mercy.

It says (Bereishis 29:11) “And Yaakov...raised his voice and cried,” to awaken Hashem’s mercy. Yaakov represents Hashem’s attribute of Mercy. This attribute enables to fulfill our mission of planting mitzvos, since this mission requires a combination of bitterness and joy. The combination of these two opposite aspects is through awakening Hashem’s mercy. Based on this, we can explain the verse (in a third manner): “הַבָּּאִּים יַש ְרֵ ש -the Jewish People who came to this world to plant mitzvos יַעֲקֹב-is through the attribute of ‘Yaakov-Mercy of Hashem.’”

As we say (in the Daily Prayers), “In Your abundant mercy, have mercy on us...”

With this Mercy from Hashem, the joy of a mitzvah is made possible, which causes some of the power of connection to Hashem of the mitzvos to be revealed.

This is the meaning of the verse (Bereishis 27:22) “The voice is the voice of Yaakov.”

The verse is describing what Yitzchok said when Yaakov came to ask for the blessings. Yitzchok said that the characteristic feature of Yaakov is specifically his voice, how he mentions Hashem constantly in whatever he discusses.

This is analogous to a voice, which reveals what was previously concealed in thought.

So too, with Hashem’s Mercy there can be revealed the hidden love and joy in Hashem’s service.

A voice is produced with three things: Fire and water, which are opposites, and air, which is an intermediary that connects the two opposites.

Speech is made of three components: 1- the moisture in the lungs and throat, 2- the heat and energy of the blood pumping into the lungs, 3- the air in the lungs. Through the air, the heat and moisture are able to merge together in producing the sound of the voice as that air hits the vocal cords and mouth.

Similarly, in order for the [effect of] action mitzvos to be revealed below, the idea of Yaakov (Mercy) is also necessary.

Therefore, Yaakov is known as “the middle pole” (see Shemos 26:28), which extends from the uppermost end to the lowermost end, in order to connect the beams [of the Mishkan] so that they do not separate and become detached.

The Mishkan (Tabernacle) in the desert that the Jewish People built was made of 48 standing beams of wood, called Kerashim. A hole was made in the middle of the beams, so that one long beam could be inserted through the middle of all the beams and thereby connect all of them.

Similarly, Yaakov’s Attribute of Mercy is able to connect all the levels, and bring the hidden higher levels into revelation in the lower levels.

Chapter 5

This is the meaning of [the original verse], “Yaakov’s family, who arrived and took root in Egypt”:

Meaning, that in order for the Jewish People to receive the Torah and the mitzvos in a manner of Yaakov (planting) and Yisroel (sprouting), until their “seeds” of mitzvos in Egypt produced the great revelation of Hashem at the Giving of the Torah, when “Hashem spoke to you face to face,” (Devarim 5:4), they first had to come down into Egypt, which is the idea of bitterness, as it says that the Egyptians embittered their lives “with mortar and bricks” (Shemos 1:14).

Only then could they receive the Torah. This reflects the pattern described in the verse “First one must take be spiritually planted in the dirt and take root on the level of Yaakov; and only then can one grow and flourish spiritually on the level of Yisroel.”

This took place in Egypt in order to receive the Torah, which we received only on an external level, perceiving only how the Torah applies to physical matters of the mitzvos.

Similarly, the bitterness that we experience now in our present Exile and in our overwhelming responsibility to attain our livelihood, is so that in the Future [Redemption] we will be able to receive the inner dimension of the Torah, when (Yeshaya 52:8) “with our very eyes we will see when Hashem will return to Tzion [the Beis Hamikdash].”

This means that we will experience the inner dimension of the Torah which is described as “seeing it with our eyes,” meaning, seeing the lofty Divine dimension of the Torah that nowadays we only learn about but cannot directly perceive.

To reach this deeper level of perception of the Torah it is worth all the suffering in Exile, since the revelation of Hashem we will perceive then we will be a totally different category of revelation altogether compared to the revelation of Hashem that we perceive now through our understanding the Revealed Dimension of the Torah.

This is the meaning of the verse quoted at the beginning of the maamar (from Yeshaya 43:1), “So says Hashem your creator, Yaakov, your former, Yisroel,” which corresponds to another similar verse (Yeshaya 45:7) “He forms light and creates darkness:”

We asked at the beginning of the maamar: Since “creation” is a higher level than “formation,” so the higher level, Yisroel, should be associated with “creation,” and Yaakov, the lower level, with “formation,” why does the verse reverse the order and connect Yaakov with “creation” and Yisroel with “formation?”

We have a similar question on the verse “He forms light and creates darkness;” if light is higher than darkness, then light should be associated with “creation” and darkness with “formation,” why does the verse reverse the order of those associations?

The answer is: In everything there is the substance (matter) and the form (conceptual dimension).

The creation of the substance which came down below is known [figuratively] as “Yaakov,” and the formation, referring to the abstract form and concept is known as “Yisroel.”

In the process of creation, the first thing that is created is the matter/substance, which is then given a form. Thus, even though form is loftier than matter, nonetheless, the form only comes after there is already matter to shape and define.

In terms of darkness and light, Hashem first “creates” the matter, the substance, which is spiritually dark, and then “forms” the form/shape, which is spiritually illuminated. That is why it says “He forms light and creates darkness.”

Similarly, in terms of the Jewish People, the first stage of our being is in a state of spiritual darkness, known as Yaakov, in the time of Exile, which is followed by the higher stage of spiritual Light, known as Yisroel, in the Time of Redemption. This is why Yaakov is “created,” since this stage is created first, like the raw matter, which is then “formed” into the level of Yisroel.

This is the meaning of the statement of our Sages (Avos 3:9): “Anyone who’s fear of sin supersedes his wisdom, his wisdom will endure,” meaning in order for his wisdom to endure in a manner of true “sprouting forth,” this must have been preceded by his “fear of sin.”

Just like the form can only come after there matter and substance to shape, so too the wisdom, which is the spiritual form, only has lasting application in the “matter” of the actual mitzvah observance, the “fear of sin.”

As is explained above, “A wife who fears Hashem,” specifically, “she [is the one] who ‘תִתְׁה ל ָּלַׁ-is praised.’”

As explained above, that specifically the fear of Hashem ‘לָּלַהְתִּת-is praised,’ meaning that it brings about ‘ֹוּלִּהְּב-when He [Hashem] will shine’ His true Light into us.

Summary of the Maamar:

1. The descent of the Jewish people into exile in Mitzrayim and their subsequent redemption is compared to planting seeds in the ground that grow into crops. What is the meaning of this comparison?
2. In the Gemara it describes mitzvos as the main “fruits/crops” that a person produces in his lifetime. Why are mitzvos compared to produce from the ground?
3. To explain this, we need to understand how Hashem wants a “דירה בתחתונים -home in the physical world.” What does it mean a “home” for Hashem if He is everywhere; in what way does He “dwell” in the “home” we make for Him any more than He was already there previously?
4. The idea of Him “dwelling” with us does not refer to the fact that He exists in our domain, which He does regardless of our actions. Rather, it refers to His revelation to us, to our ability to perceive His presence. This revelation to us is dependent on our actions.
5. More specifically: Through our prayers and saying blessings to Him throughout the day (100 times a day), this brings down Hashem’s Light into our world in the spiritual dimension. When we do mitzvos, this brings that Light into the physical dimension of our world.
6. This is why fulfilling mitzvos is compared to planting a seed: For the seed to grow, it needs to become nullified in the ground, to lose its previous state of being, and unite with the vegetative power in the earth, so that it can grow into an actual plant, which is radically different state of being than it was a seed.
7. Similarly, Hashem “compacted” His will and wisdom into the physical action of the mitzvos, like the seed contains the “blueprint” of the entire plant. For this “mitzvah seed” to reveal its power and become an actual revelation of Hashem Himself, it needs to be “planted” in the Jewish people, who are “Hashem’s precious land.”
8. This is because when a Jew does a mitzvah, he truly nullifies his ego to Hashem, like how the seed becomes nullified in the ground. Through this humble to devotion to Hashem, a Jew reveals the power of the “mitzvah seed” to “grow” into a true and eternal connection to the Essence of Hashem Himself. This is like how the seed becomes plant through its losing its previous state of being in the ground.
9. This is why the process of “planting mitzvos” is connected to the Jewish people as they are referred to as “Yaakov” which is the same letters as “י' עקב-the letter Yud that descends to the heel,” i.e., how the Divine soul descends from Hashem’s wisdom (the letter Yud) into the physical body that feels separate from Hashem (like the insensitive heel). Since, the mitzvos also must descend from Hashem’s will and wisdom into a Jew in the physical world to attain their true greatness.
10. This contrasts with how the Jewish people are referred to as “Yisrael,” which is the letters of “לי ראש-my head,” which corresponds to the great elevation that the Jewish people receive in their connection to Hashem because of their service of Him in this world. Similarly, the true greatness of the mitzvah, the eternal connection to Hashem it creates, is the result of the mitzvah’s initial “descent” to come to us in this world and be performed by us. This is why the “growth” of the mitzvos into “produce” is connected to the Jewish people as referred to by the name “Yisrael.”
11. However, for this process of revealing Hashem through mitzvos to be complete, the person first needs to ensure that he has truly nullified his ego. This is accomplished (to a large degree) through our devotion to Hashem in prayer. In prayer, we awaken our feelings of love for Hashem. When we realize that the coarseness of the body, and the haughtiness of the ego, block out Hashem’s Light, this bothers us greatly. We want to experience our true love for Hashem, and feel His Light and presence, but the ego and selfish desires are stopping us. This brings us to a feeling of bitterness over our inner obstacle to achieving true closeness to Hashem. Which, in turn, brings us to a feeling of mercy for our own Neshama that is “trapped” in dealing with ego and animalistic desires. When we awaken a feeling of mercy on our own Neshama, this causes an awakening of Hashem’s mercies towards us. Through this process during prayer, we can break through some of the ego and animal desires, and Hashem will help us to actually experience our true inner connection to Him.
12. When our inner connection to Hashem is experienced during prayer, then our true connection to Hashem through mitzvos will also be properly revealed.
13. Just as a person needs to humble himself and break through his ego to experience the true connection to Hashem in Mitzvos, the Jewish people as a collective whole experienced a similar process. For them to attain the true connection to Hashem by receiving the Torah and mitzvos on Har Sinai, they first needed to attain true humility and inner devotion to Hashem. This was the reason they needed to be in Mitzrayim for many years and endure harsh situations. Through their self-sacrifice in Mitzrayim to hold on to the Jewish beliefs and identity, they broke through the barrier of the ego. Only after that could they receive the full power of the Torah and mitzvos and experience it properly.
14. The same thing applies to our current exile. The hardships that we endure, and the self-sacrifice that we live with to keep Torah and mitzvos for over two thousand years in exile, refines us to an infinitely greater degree than the refinement accomplished in Mitzrayim that was only for 200 years. As a result of this self-refinement that accomplished throughout this bitter exile, we will experience an infinitely greater and deeper level of closeness to Hashem that even that experienced at Har Sinai. May we merit to see this very soon!

Lessons from the Maamar in the service of Hashem

1. We need to look at our lives in terms of what we accomplish in mitzvos. The mitzvos are not a secondary aspect of our lives. It is not that we have a physical life, and an emotional and mental life, and that is who we are, whereas mitzvos are just things we do. The connection with Hashem established through mitzvos is so powerful, so real, that the entire descent of our Neshama into this world is centered around our mission to fulfill mitzvos.
2. When we look at the mitzvos we do, we can get disheartened, since we don’t feel the profound effect of what they accomplish. But we need to realize that fulfilling a mitzvah is like planting a seed. You don’t see the tremendous result that will come from planting that seed until much late, perhaps many years later. But when you do, when you see that great tree, it will be the result of planting that single seed in the ground in the right time and the right place. So too, the infinite revelation of Hashem to us in the future is the result of the seemingly simple actions of the mitzvos that we perform now, even though we do not see the accomplishment until then. We need to look at our mitzvos as planting seeds of experiencing Elokus, seeds that will grow into something tremendously holy and awesome, greater than we can ever imagine.
3. A seed needs to lose its original state of being in the ground to grow into something incomparably greater. So too, we need to lose our ego, our original state of self-importance, in order to attain a greater state of being, of uniting with Elokus, with Hashem Himself, through mitzvos.
4. Not only are our mitzvos like “seeds” that grow and flourish into something tremendously great, but we ourselves are as well. Even though we make think lowly of ourselves in our current spiritual state, but that is only a superficial observation. If we look deeper, we will realize that each Jew has infinite holiness hidden in him or herself, just as a seed has the entire tree hidden in a hard and edible seed. Through awakening our love for Hashem in prayer, and through learning Torah and fulfilling mitzvos, we reveal the true greatness hidden in us, causing it to grow and flourish into experiencing who we truly are, a Divine soul that is bound up with the Essence of Hashem.
5. Just as it is in our own personal life, so too regarding the Jewish people as a whole. The fact that we are in exile is only to bring us to an infinitely greater level of closeness to Hashem than we had before. Our current situation in exile is like the seed that is buried in the ground. The seed isn’t abandoned to be forgotten. Just the opposite, in the ground the seed will reveal its true potential. Similarly, we aren’t, G-d forbid, abandoned in exile, just the opposite, in exile we reveal our deepest and most powerful inner connection to Hashem through our self-sacrifice, on a level we could never imagine. And we believe that very soon we will see this service of Hashem flourish into the complete Geula with Moshiach!