Parshas Nitzavim[1]
1st Mamar “Atem Nitzavim Hayom Kulchem[2]”
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Synopsis: Achdus of all Neshamos on Rosh Hashana; All sparks of Neshamos are elevated; Hashem made Kerisas Bris; Blow Shofar to remind Hashem of Bris; Penimiyus and Chitzoniyus of the heart; Meaning of Tzevakos; Penimyus Haleiv-Lecha Amar Libi-Mimamakim Kerasicha.
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1. Atem Nitzavim Hayom Kulchem:[3]
See Volume 1 of our Chassidishe Parsha Torah Or Series under Parsha Nitzavim where we covered the following matters of this Mamar in detail:
- The unity of all Jews
- The ability for all Jews to unite – Every Jew helps complete another
- Unity-The prerequisite for the Coronation
- The covenant
- The meaning of Malchiyos, Zichronos, Shofros
- Affecting the Covenant through Shofar-The inner cry of the soul
A. Searching for the inner point of one’s heart:[4]
It states in scripture, “Licha Amar Libi, Bakshu Panaiy/to you my heart states, search for my innards.” This is an instruction for every individual Jew to search and uncover the inner part of his heart and the depths of his heart, and to call on to G-d from this depth and essential point. This can be accomplished through repentance from the depths of one’s heart, when one truly feels remorse and regret for the great distance that was created between him and the light of G-d as a result of sin. This exposes the inner part of one’s heart and arouses above in heaven a revelation of the inner part of G-d’s kingship. This level of depth cannot be reached simply through learning Torah and fulfilling Mitzvah’s and requires repentance from the depth of the heart to reveal.
B. The judgment on Rosh Hashanah as to who will receive revelation of G-dliness:[5]
It states in scripture that “there is judgment for the G-d of Jacob.” This means as follows: Every Rosh Hashanah there is a judgment above in heaven regarding who will merit to experience a revelation of G-dliness for the coming year and have a true essential attachment to G-d.
2nd Mamar “Ki HaMitzvah Hazos Asher”
2. Ki HaMitzvah Hazos Asher:[6]
A. The intent of the command of “Anochi Hashem Elokecha:”[7]
In the first of the 10 Commandments we were instructed the words “I am Hashem your G-d.” Seemingly, the intent of this command remains to be understood, as how can the terms “I am” be used regarding G-d. Such terminology is usually reserved in reference to an item that contains a known image and picture, towards which one can point and say “this is it.” G-d, however, does not contain any known image and figure and no thought can grasp Him, as the verse states, “and you saw no image when G-d spoke to you.” Rather, the explanation is as follows: The knowledge that G-d created everything from nothing and that He is the creator who re-creates everything daily and gives everything life, is well known, and was already known even prior to the giving of the Torah. This belief was settled within the hearts of all Israel who are believers the son of believers before the giving of the Torah. This belief is consciously felt within one’s own soul, similar to the knowledge that he is alive due to the fact that he feels his own energy and movement. The same likewise applies regarding G-d, that the sight of the heavens and earth and everything that is in it, proves to the person G-d’s existence, as nothing can create itself. All this we know on our own without needing any command or instruction. Hence, what then is the novelty of the instruction of “I am Hashem your G-d” which we were told in the 10 Commandments? This is an instruction to believe that we are not just created one time or even daily by G-d, but that we are re-created by Him at every moment. This is the meaning of the name Havayah, which is a present tense term for creation, and its opening letter Yud alludes to the fact that creation occurs constantly, as G-d is constantly creating all of creation something from nothing.
B. Tamim Tihyeh Im Hashem Elokecha:[8]
The verse states “And you shall be complete – Tamim – with Hashem your G-d.” What is the intent of this command and instruction? How does one become complete with G-d? The intent is as follows: In order to reach completeness of soul one needs to have the name of Havayah be drawn down upon him to become his personal G-d. How is this accomplished? Through the complete fulfillment of Mitzvah’s. Only then will one be complete and whole in every limb of his soul. However, if one lacks even one Mitzvah or has blemished his soul with a transgression, then his soul is considered to be lacking a limb, as the completion of the lives of one’s soul is dependent on drawing down the divine energy found within the supernal limbs of the king, which refer to the Mitzvah’s. The Mitzvah’s are the energy of all of the limbs of the soul and without them the limbs of the soul contain no energy or existence. Now, what does one do if he has already sinned upon his soul and blemished it through either transgressing a negative command or nullifying the fulfillment of a positive command? How does he fix this? So, on this it states “and this Mitzvah is not very far” which refers to the Mitzvah of repentance. Through true repentance one is able to return the light of G-d to his soul to fill all of its lacking’s and cure all of its blemishes.
- Teshuvah is medicinal healing:[9]
Repentance is similar to a medicinal act of healing as the verse states, “and I will heal those who return.” Just as medicine for physical healing of an illness of the body is more expensive and more sublime than food of the body through which man is able to live, so too, repentance is on a much higher level than the actual Mitzvah’s as it draws down vitality of the soul from the name of Havayah and is able to fill and heal the soul of all the blemishes and lacking of G-dliness which result from sin, as explained previously.
- Teshuvah is level of Anochi:[10]
The purpose of repentance is to draw down from the level of Havayah. For this purpose, repentance must reach the level of Anochi, which is the essence of G-d, in order to draw down the Divine light that will then fix and heal the blemish. It is for this reason that specifically by the Mitzvah of repentance, Scripture uses the term “Asher Anochi Mitzavecha Hayom,” as all other Mitzvah’s are Mitzvah’s of Havaya in contrast to Teshuvah which is higher than the level of Havayah and is rather the aspect of Anochi.
- The tears of the future:[11]
It states in scripture that “they will come with tears.” Now, why would there be crying in the future when there will be no more death and evil? So, this crying will not be one of sadness which is due to tragedy, but rather will be tears of joy and will come automatically as a result of the great revelation of G-dliness that we will experience at that time, similar to the cry referred to by the Arizal that every soul is to experience on the high holidays due to the great Dveikus felt with G-d.
- We do not truly see the heavens:[12]
The verse states in reference to the Mitzvah of repentance, that “it is not in the heavens nor over the sea.” In truth, the heavens are not within the sight of man and the blue color that we see in the heavens is not truly the color of the heavens but rather the color of the air.
3rd Mamar “Ki Karov Eilecha Hadavar Meod”
3. Ki Karov Eilecha Hadavar Meod:[13]
A. The concealed and revealed aspects of Israel and Torah and how they connect:[14]
The Zohar states that there are three levels which are connected to each other, G-d, the Torah, and the Jewish people. Each one of these levels contain a concealed and revealed aspect, which corresponds to the levels of Soveiv and Mimalei. The Torah serves as a medium to connect all of these aspects. The revealed aspects of the Torah [which refers to the Talmud and Jewish law] connect the revealed aspect of the soul of the Jew to the revealed aspect of G-d and give him an experience of Mimalei. While the concealed aspects of the Torah connect the concealed aspects of the soul to the concealed aspect of G-d, and give him an experience of Soveiv.
B. How the division of the annual energy that is drawn down on Rosh Hashanah takes place:[15]
All of the life and energy on behalf of the entire year is drawn down on Rosh Hashanah as man was created on Rosh Hashanah. This energy is then divided into 12 parts, one part on behalf of each of the 12 months. Each month receives the life and energy that was designated for that month from the general energy that was designated for that entire year on Rosh Hashanah. Likewise, each day a portion of life and energy that has been designated for that day is received from the general energy designated for that specific month. Each year receives a special designated energy and life that was not received in the previous years. [In the next discourse of Sos Asis, the Alter Rebbe explains in greater detail that aside for the life force being divided into 12 parts, one part per month, it is also divided based on the festivals and seasons. In his words:[16]] This life force is also divided between the three festivals [i.e. Sukkos, Pesach and Shavuos], and the four seasons [i.e. autumn, winter, spring, and summer] as well as the four times that the world is judged [which is on the first of Tishrei which is the judgment of all creation, the 15th of Tishreiy which is the judgment on water, the festival of Pesach which is the judgment of grain, and the festival of Shavuos which is the judgment of fruits.] Only after the life force for the entire year is divided on behalf of the above three divisions [i.e., festivals, seasons, and judgment days] only then is it divided to the 12 months and afterwards to each individual day, and even to individual moments within the day.
- Choosing life and not lusts and pleasures:[17]
Scripture instructs man to choose life, to love G-d, who is one’s very life. Choice belongs to the realm of the intellect, to choose good and despise evil. Love, however, is in the heart. The choice for good comes prior to the love, as one must first accustom himself in his intellect to choose life to the point that this is an absolute decision. One must fully decide to choose the spiritual life force that one sees within the heaven and earth and not choose the materialistic aspects of the world which are all of its pleasures which are referred to as death being that they do not last and rather wither away.
- Mesirus Nefesh is above rhyme and reason:[18]
Repentance is to be performed with Mesirus Nefesh which is above intellect. It is for this reason that the Torah does not mention any reason for Mesirus Nefesh, even though it does mention a reason for loving G-d, as “He is your life.” The reason for this is because love for G-d is drawn from reason and understanding, through Seder Hishtalshlus. However, on Mesirus Nefesh a reason is not mentioned, as it is above intellect, and is faith which is above intellect and comes from Soveiv.
- How did the creation of physical matter take place:[19]
The creation of physical matter did not take place through a chain descent of level to level, known as Ila Vealul, and is not possible to take place through it even if the spiritual lifeforce goes through millions of contractions. Rather, all physical creations come from G-d Himself from the level of Ayin and not through Seder Hishtalshlus, as it is not possible for physical creation to ever derive from the spiritual, and rather it must come from the level of Ayin. Physical creation, including even the level of intellect and wisdom, cannot derive from the speech of G-d, as the creator is the opposite of the creations. Furthermore, even the level of wisdom, Chochmah of Atzilus, was created from Ayin and cannot be created in a way of Hishtalshlus Ilah Vealul. The entire concept of Hishtalshlus Ilah Vealul which is mentioned in Sefarim, is not regarding the creations which are created from the creator but rather regarding the soul and spirit of creations, such as the animal soul which comes from the face of the ox on the chariot. However, actual physical matter, as well as the creation of actual spirituality, comes from actual nothingness, Yeish Meayin Mamash!
- The service of Soveiv draws down lifeforce for the entire year on Rosh Hashanah:[20]
Being that as we stated above, the vitality and lifeforce of all creations derives from the level of Ayin, therefore, in order to draw it down on Rosh Hashanah one must do the service of Soveiv. What is the divine service of Soveiv? Teshuvah, repentance, times when a person sacrifices his soul to G-d as did Rebbe Eliezer Ben Durdaya, one reaches the level of Ayin. Now, it is not necessary for to actually die as did Rebbe Eliezer Ben Durdaya and rather even a simple sacrifice of one’s will suffices, as will be explained next. When one sacrifices his will for the sake of G-d he draws down from the source of G-dliness and everything that he learns and studies afterwards is considered Torah Lishma for the sake of the Torah, as he draws down from the source into the Torah.
- Having Mesirus Nefesh without dying:[21]
[Most people mistakenly believe that Mesirus Nefesh must entail the death of the individual on behalf of a religious cause. In truth, however, it does not have to reach this level, and to a certain degree it is considered Mesirus Nefesh when a person simply sacrifices his will for the sake of G-d.] When a person sacrifices his will to G-d in all matters of worldly desires to nullify his will and passions for the sake of G-d, such as to close his eyes from looking at forbidden images, and preventing his ears from hearing forbidden speech, and abstaining from speaking of forbidden matters, and controls his heart from thinking forbidden thoughts, then this is considered self-sacrifice. Likewise, when a person forces himself to do a favor for another above and beyond what he desires, and he does this simply for the sake of G-d, then it is considered self-sacrifice. The reason for this is because what is it matter if one completely kills his inclination or only partially kills it. Whenever one performs Iskfya to the side of evil through having a broken heart he helps kill the side of evil and it is not necessary for one to reach the complete state of sacrifice of his life to accomplish this.
- The 10 days of repentance for the 10 aspects of the soul:[22]
One of the reasons for the institution of the 10 days of repentance is for it to refine the 10 Sefiros which are found in the soul of man, three of the intellect and seven of the emotions. Each one of these aspects must be entirely elevated to G-d in the form of repentance until Yom Kippur.
4th Mamar “Sos Asis Bahashem Tagel Nafshi”
4. Sos Asis Bahashem Tagel Nafshi:[23]
A. Each year the creation of the soul is renewed on Rosh Hashanah, not the body:[24]
[The teachings of Chassidus expound on the idea that every Rosh Hashanah the lifeforce of the world is renewed. In this teaching, the Alter Rebbe clarifies that it is specifically the soul which is renewed once a year on Rosh Hashanah, and not the body of the creation.] Seemingly, it is not understood as to why Rosh Hashanah was set for the first of Tishrei and not for the 25th of Elul which is the true date for the creation of the world as that is when the heaven and earth were first created, while the first of Tishreiy is simply the day that Adam was created. So, the explanation is as follows: The beginning of creation of heaven and earth on the 25th of Elul, does not require an anniversary commemoration as its creation is something from nothing, to allow physical and material beings to exist, which must take place constantly at every moment. On this Scripture states, “and in his kindness he creates every single day constantly.” Hence it does not have any one time a year which is set for its renewal as its renewal takes place daily, and accordingly the date of Rosh Hashanah has no significance regarding this. Rather, the anniversary of Rosh Hashanah commemorates specifically the creation of man which was created on the first of Tishreiy. In this itself, it is coming to commemorate the creation of the soul of man and not the creation of his body, which as already stated must take place constantly. The soul of Adam is incorporated of all souls of the Jewish people and it is the main purpose of the creation of the worlds as the Midrash states, Bereishis, for the sake of Israel which is called Reishis. It is specifically the renewal of this creation, the soul of man, from nothing to a spiritual something that is commemorated and renewed annually on Rosh Hashanah. [Seemingly, the intent of the above is as follows: The set recreation of all creations of the physical world as something from nothing does not have one set day of renewal, as indeed it is renewed constantly. However, the spiritual creation of the Jewish soul which is a part of G-d above and is G-dly in nature, into a separate existence of a Yeish, reoccurs once a year on Rosh Hashanah. Perhaps, it is for this reason that we find stated elsewhere that the amount of love and fear of G-d that a Jew will experience in the coming year is decided on Rosh Hashanah, as that is when his soul’s creation is renewed for the entire year.]
“It is specifically the renewal of the soul that is commemorated and renewed annually on Rosh Hashanah.”
B. The division of the annual energy decreed on Rosh Hashanah:[25]
See previous Mamar “Ki Karov” 3b where this matter was discussed, including the novelty added in this Mamar.
C. The world was originally created with kindness but is now dependent on our actions:[26]
At the time that the world was first created, including the creation of the first man Adam, it was motivated by a self aroused level of kindness in G-d. However, after its creation, its constant renewal is dependent on the work of man below. It is due to this that man was instructed in Scripture to rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the heavens, as it is now his job to draw down energy and life to all creations of the heaven and earth, as it is all dependent on the actions of man.
D. The soul of every Jew contains a spark from the soul of Adam:[27]
Adam, the first man, contained a soul that was incorporated of all the souls of the Jewish people. For this reason, every single soul and spark of the Jewish people contains a portion of the soul of Adam. It is for this reason that it stays in Scripture “and you are called Adam/Man.” It is likewise for this reason that the general lifeforce which derives from the infinite light of G-d and is drawn down on Rosh Hashanah on behalf of the entire year, is dependent on the actions of man below. [This task was placed upon the shoulders of Adam on the first day of his creation, as stated above, and this task has since been inherited to each Jew, as each Jew contains a part of the soul of Adam.]
E. In times of joy, humility is revealed:[28]
[Unlike a common misconception that since joy can lead to lightheadedness, it also leads to ego, in truth however, true] joy is the cause of humility and the feeling of humbleness in the presence of others. This is similar to a king that at the time of his joy he reveals himself to all of his servants and acts as if he is one of them. This is in contrast to other times which are not joyous occasions in which the king is isolated and to himself and feels elevated above all of the people, as who is of worth and comparison to him. This feeling of humility and humbleness is revealed due to the joy. Now, it is known that joy itself derives from pleasure, and it is the revelation of the pleasure that leads to the experience of joy within the heart, and hence the more the pleasure is revealed, the greater the joy.
F. Physical pleasures are incomparable to the spiritual pleasures awaited for one above:[29]
It is known regarding all the creations of this physical world, that there is no blade of grass that can grow here below without a spiritual mentor, known as a Mazal, telling it to grow. This Mazal is the spiritual pleasure behind its creation. Now, there is no comparison between the physical pleasure found within the physical item and the spiritual pleasure that is found in its Mazal, as one cannot compare spiritual pleasure to physical pleasure. Now, all the above is in regards to pleasures which relate to the material world which derive from the waste and leftovers of above [i.e. Pesoles Ushemarim], however, the pleasure of holiness is incomparably greater and more sublime than any of these pleasures, and contains myriads of levels, such as the lower Eden and higher Eden and above the higher Eden.
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[1] Likkutei Torah pp. 44-53b
[2] Likkutei Torah p. 41b
[3] Likkutei Torah p. 44a-45a
[4] Likkutei Torah p. 44b
[5] Likkutei Torah p. 45a
[6] Likkutei Torah p. 45a-46a
[7] Likkutei Torah p. 45a-45b
[8] Likkutei Torah p. 45b
[9] Likkutei Torah p. 45b
[10] Likkutei Torah p. 45b
[11] Likkutei Torah p. 45b
[12] Likkutei Torah p. 45b
[13] Likkutei Torah p. 46a-46b
[14] Likkutei Torah p. 46a
[15] Likkutei Torah p. 46a
[16] Likkutei Torah p. 47a
[17] Likkutei Torah p. 46b
[18] Likkutei Torah p. 46b
[19] Likkutei Torah p. 46b
[20] Likkutei Torah p. 46b
[21] Likkutei Torah p. 46b
[22] Likkutei Torah p. 46b
[23] Likkutei Torah p. 47a-49a
[24] Likkutei Torah p. 47a
[25] Likkutei Torah p. 47a
[26] Likkutei Torah p. 47a
[27] Likkutei Torah p. 47a
[28] Likkutei Torah p. 47b
[29] Likkutei Torah p. 47b
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