Up to this point, the Alter Rebbe explained that mitzvot, including tzedakah, generally operate within defined limits and measures. Here he introduces an important exception: the person who has sinned and damaged his spiritual connection to Hashem.
- The Normal Limits Apply to One Who Keeps Torah Properly
The standard measures of Torah and mitzvot apply to a person who:
- Guards the Torah faithfully.
- Does not deviate from it.
- Lives according to halachah.
For such a person, the regular framework of mitzvot is sufficient.
- Sin Creates a Deficiency
However, when a person sins, he has caused a loss.
The Alter Rebbe describes this as:
- Diminishing the holiness he could have drawn into the world.
- Reducing the Divine light that would have been revealed through his Torah and mitzvot.
In other words, something is now missing that should have been there.
- The Problem Cannot Be Fixed by Ordinary Measures
The damage cannot be repaired merely by continuing within the ordinary system of measured mitzvot.
Why?
Because the person is not just trying to maintain his spiritual state. He is trying to repair a deficiency that already exists.
- Teshuvah Draws a Higher Level of Divine Light
To repair that loss, a person needs a revelation from a level above the normal order.
The Alter Rebbe calls this:
- Chesed Ila’ah (Supernal Kindness)
- Rav Chesed (Abundant Kindness)
This is a Divine light that is:
- Beyond limits.
- Beyond the spiritual worlds.
- Not constrained by the regular system of measure and proportion.
- Why This Higher Light Can Repair the Damage
Since this light transcends the worlds, it is not restricted by the limitations that govern ordinary spiritual growth.
When a person performs genuine teshuvah and creates an awakening from below (itaruta d’letata), this higher Divine kindness is drawn down.
As a result, it can:
- Repair spiritual blemishes.
- Restore what was lost.
- Correct past deficiencies.
- More Than Restoration
The Alter Rebbe says something even stronger.
This higher light does not merely restore what existed before.
It creates:
“An entirely new light.”
The person can reach a higher spiritual state than before the failure occurred.
- Why Baalei Teshuvah Reach Such Great Heights
This explains the famous teaching:
“In the place where baalei teshuvah stand, even complete tzaddikim cannot stand.”
The Alter Rebbe’s point is not that sin is desirable.
Rather:
- A tzaddik draws Divine light through the regular order.
- A baal teshuvah can draw a transcendent level of Rav Chesed that comes from beyond the normal order altogether.
Key Takeaway
The peshat of this passage is that sin creates a spiritual deficiency that ordinary measured mitzvot cannot fully repair. Through sincere teshuvah, a person draws down Hashem’s infinite “Rav Chesed,” a level of Divine kindness beyond all limits, which not only repairs the damage but can elevate the person to an entirely higher spiritual level.