This letter opens with a surprising question.
The Alter Rebbe cites the Arizal, who writes that even Moshe Rabbeinu’s prophecy did not reach the innermost levels of Chochmah and Keter of Atzilut. Rather, Moshe’s prophetic grasp was through lower levels associated with the transmission of Torah and prophecy.
This immediately raises a difficulty:
If “no prophet ever arose in Israel like Moshe,” how could the Arizal later describe and explain spiritual levels that seem higher than those attained by Moshe himself?
The rest of the letter will answer this question.
- What the Arizal Says About Moshe’s Prophecy
The Alter Rebbe quotes the Arizal’s teaching that Moshe’s prophetic attainment was not in:
- The inner essence of Chochmah of Atzilut.
- Certainly not in Keter (Arich Anpin), which is above Chochmah.
Rather, Moshe perceived Divine revelation through levels that ultimately descend into:
- Netzach
- Hod
- Yesod
- Malchut
through which prophecy and Torah become communicable to created beings.
- “You Shall See My Back, But Not My Face”
The Arizal connects this to the verse:
“וראית את אחורי ופני לא יראו“
“You shall see My back, but My face shall not be seen.”
The Alter Rebbe cites this as support for the idea that Moshe’s attainment was only through a more external aspect of the higher levels.
Even Moshe did not grasp the innermost essence of those Divine realities.
- The Difficulty
The Alter Rebbe now formulates the obvious challenge.
The Torah explicitly says:
“ולא קם נביא עוד בישראל כמשה“
“No prophet has arisen again in Israel like Moshe.”
If so:
How could the Arizal discuss spiritual worlds and levels that are seemingly higher than those reached by Moshe?
At first glance, it sounds as though the Arizal surpassed Moshe’s attainment.
- What Is the Real Question?
The Alter Rebbe is introducing a distinction that will become the heart of the discussion.
The apparent contradiction assumes that:
- Prophecy
- Kabbalistic knowledge
- Intellectual understanding
are all the same thing.
But they are not.
The letter is preparing us to understand that there are different modes of spiritual perception.
A later sage may explain concepts that were not prophetically revealed to Moshe in that way, without in any sense surpassing Moshe’s prophetic level.
- The Larger Theme
This connects back to the previous letter.
The Alter Rebbe has been discussing different forms of Divine revelation:
- What can be understood.
- What can be experienced.
- What remains beyond comprehension.
Now he is asking:
How do prophecy, Torah, and Kabbalistic insight relate to one another?
And how can later generations discuss dimensions of Godliness that seem beyond the reach of even the greatest prophet?
Key Takeaway
The opening of Iggeret HaKodesh 19 presents a fundamental question: if Moshe Rabbeinu was the greatest prophet in history, how could the Arizal describe spiritual levels that appear higher than Moshe’s prophetic attainment? The Alter Rebbe’s point is that prophecy and Kabbalistic understanding are not identical forms of perception. The remainder of the letter will explain how later revelations of Torah wisdom can coexist with Moshe’s unique and unsurpassed prophetic greatness.