The Alter Rebbe now answers the question he raised:
If Moshe Rabbeinu was the greatest prophet who ever lived, how could the Arizal discuss spiritual levels that seem higher than those attained by Moshe?
His answer is that prophecy and wisdom are two different kinds of spiritual attainment.
- Prophecy Is Not the Same as Wisdom
The Alter Rebbe says the answer is simple:
There is a great difference between:
- The attainment of the great sages, such as Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai and the Arizal.
- The attainment of Moshe and the prophets through prophecy.
The sages attained through:
Chochmah and Da’at (understanding and knowledge).
The prophets attained through:
Re’iyah (seeing).
- Prophecy Is Called “Seeing”
The Torah describes prophecy with expressions such as:
“You shall see My back.”
“I saw Hashem.”
“Hashem appeared to him.”
Even though this is not physical sight, the analogy is precise.
Just as sight involves direct perception, prophecy involves:
Divine revelation.
The hidden becomes revealed.
This is why the Targum translates:
“Hashem appeared”
as
“Hashem revealed Himself.”
- The Kabbalists Did Not Receive This Type of Revelation
The Alter Rebbe emphasizes that the great Kabbalists did not experience prophecy in this sense.
They did not receive a direct revelation of Hashem.
Rather:
They intellectually grasped hidden wisdom.
Their achievement was profound understanding, not prophetic vision.
- “A Sage Is Greater Than a Prophet”
This explains the famous statement:
“חכם עדיף מנביא“
“A sage is greater than a prophet.”
What does it mean?
Not that the sage has a higher spiritual status than Moshe.
Rather:
A sage can intellectually investigate and understand realities that are too lofty ever to become revealed in prophetic vision.
- Prophecy Is Limited to What Can Be Revealed
The Alter Rebbe explains that prophecy operates through the levels of:
- Netzach
- Hod
- Yesod
- Malchut
These are the channels through which Divine influence descends from higher worlds into lower worlds.
Since prophecy is a revelation, it can only occur through levels capable of being revealed and communicated.
- The Higher Levels Remain Beyond Prophetic Revelation
Above these levels are dimensions of Divine wisdom that cannot descend into revealed prophecy.
Those levels may nevertheless be explored and understood through Torah wisdom.
Thus:
- A prophet sees what is revealed.
- A sage understands what remains concealed.
These are different forms of attainment.
- Why Torah Comes from Chochmah
The Alter Rebbe then cites the Zohar:
“אורייתא מחכמה נפקת“
“Torah emerges from Chochmah.”
This means that Torah is rooted in a level higher than ordinary understanding.
- The Reasons for Mitzvot Are Not the Whole Story
Even when Chazal or the commentators explain the reason for a mitzvah,
the Alter Rebbe says:
That explanation is not the ultimate reason.
Within every mitzvah are:
Hidden depths of Divine wisdom.
The rational explanation is only an outer garment.
The inner Divine wisdom remains infinitely deeper.
- The Same Is True Throughout Tanach
Every statement in:
- Torah
- Nevi’im
- Ketuvim
contains hidden Divine wisdom beyond its surface meaning.
Whether the verse contains:
- A commandment
- A rebuke
- A historical narrative
its inner content transcends ordinary human understanding.
- The Proof from Kri and Ketiv
The Alter Rebbe points to the phenomenon of:
Kri and Ketiv
The written word and the way it is read are sometimes different.
The simple meaning:
- The spoken reading corresponds to what can be understood and expressed.
- The written form hints to a deeper level that is not fully clothed in ordinary understanding.
- The Large Letters in Tanach
Likewise, the unusually large letters found in Torah, Nevi’im, and Ketuvim point to higher spiritual worlds.
These letters indicate Divine revelations that shine more openly and are not concealed in the same manner as ordinary text.
Key Takeaway
The Alter Rebbe explains that there is no contradiction between Moshe’s unparalleled prophecy and the Arizal’s profound Kabbalistic teachings. Prophecy is a direct revelation, a form of spiritual “seeing,” and therefore it is limited to what can descend into revelation. Kabbalistic wisdom is intellectual attainment of hidden realities and can therefore discuss levels that never become prophetically revealed. Thus a sage may understand aspects of higher worlds while still remaining infinitely below Moshe Rabbeinu’s unique prophetic vision.