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עשר עשתי ביום א"תשל
B’Yom Ashtei Assar
5731
גחלק
Part Three
ב"ה
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Simply Chassidus releases one ma’amar of the Rebbe each month
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יהודה בן שרה רבקה' ארי' ר .
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The ma’amar “B’Yom Ashtei Assar 5731” from Sefer Hamaamorim Melukat Vol. 3 is copyrighted by Kehot Publication Society, a division of Merkos
L’inyonei Chinuch, and is reprinted here with permission.
3 עשר עשתי ביום ה"ד
Section Three
At the beginning of the ma’amar, the Rebbe asked four questions,
two on each Midrash (the first one about the nasi from the tribe of
Asher and the second about the “wise man” who chose the king):
1. If the “only praise of the Jews is that they choose Hashem to
be their G-d”, why does the Midrash say that (because of this
praise) the nasi from the tribe of Asher brought his korban
because Hashem chose the Jews to be His people?
2. How can we say that Hashem “chooses” the Jews or the Jews
“choose” Hashem if there isn’t another viable option? Choice
only applies if there are two equal options, or two different
options with unique advantages – and neither of those seem
to apply here.
3. Why does the Midrash call the man who chose the king
(rather than the King’s ministers) “wise”? Even a child knows
that a king is superior to his servants!
4. If a king is essentially greater than his ministers, why does the
wise man provide a reason? The wise man said he chose the
king because, “The ministers will not always remain in their
position, but the king will always remain in his position”
[Editor’s note: For the benefit of the reader, we have provided a
comprehensive summary of the flow of the previous sections to
enhance comprehension.]
In the first section, we explained that the wise man (the Jew) chooses
the King (Hashem) because he understands that Hashem is the only
true existence (kelipah only exists temporarily in order to enable free
choice, but will disappear when Moshiach comes – it does not
“remain in its position”). Therefore, he chooses to forego the easier
and more personally beneficial path and instead dedicates his efforts
4 א"תשל'ה ניסן א"י
to the service of Hashem. This choice takes great wisdom, which is
why the Midrash called the man “wise.” (This answered questions
three and four.)
This also seems to answer part of question two – why “choosing
Hashem” is called a choice (but does not answer how Hashem
choosing us is called a choice). As the Rebbe explained in the
beginning of the ma’amar, the faculty of choice is only used when the
available options are either equal or have unique advantages. When
we asked the question, we assumed that there wasn’t any
advantage to serving anything other than Hashem. However, now
that we know that those who transgress His will receive from the
level of makif and don’t need bittul, we see that the chooser has two
uniquely “beneficial” options:
1. If the goal is to maximize personal benefit, the chooser would
not choose the King. This enables him to receive more
personal benefit because he receives from the makkif and
doesn’t need to have bittul.
2. If the goal is to pursue truth, the chooser would choose the
King.
However, in the second section of the ma’amar the Rebbe points out
that the Midrash associates the wise man’s choice with the possuk,
“’My portion is Hashem!’ says my soul.” Seemingly, the intellect
(without the influence of the soul) is capable of understanding that
pursuing eternal truth is a loftier goal than pursuing temporary
material pleasures. If so, why does the Midrash say that this choice
comes from the soul?
The Rebbe answered this by explaining that the mind (on its own) is
capable of understanding which option is superior, but its actual
decisions are guided by self-interest. Therefore, without the
influence of the soul (which “chooses” Hashem with an “essential
5 עשר עשתי ביום ה"ד
choice” because it is united with Him) the mind’s bias would cause a
person to serve his own self-interests rather than choosing Hashem.
Accordingly, the answer to question two would be as follows:
Initially we assumed that “choosing the King” implied that there had
to be two viable options, and nevertheless the Jew (logically) chose
Hashem. We now understand that the Jew “chooses” the King with
an essential “soul” choice – he chooses Hashem because he is
connected to His essence.
However, this seems to imply that the soul chooses Hashem
automatically without the need for intellect. If so, why is the choice
expressed through intellect – the wise man chooses the king
because “his role is permanent?”
In order to answer this question, the Rebbe introduced a deeper
interpretation of the Midrash. The Rebbe expanded the
interpretation of our Midrash to say that “choosing the king” also
excludes the “ministers who are at the king’s table” (malachim and
sefiros), even though they only serve to reveal G-dliness. (They are
“with Him”). This gives us an even greater appreciation of the
wisdom of the wise man (question three) – he “goes through all the
chambers in the king’s palace” and never loses the exclusive focus on
the King Himself.
Finally, the Rebbe connected this focus on Hashem’s essence (and
exclusion of even the highest levels of G-dliness) to the Alter Rebbe’s
famous saying, “I don’t want anything else. I don’t want Your Gan
Eden, I don’t want Your Olam Ha’ba, I only want You alone!” Even
though these levels are “Your Olam Ha’ba” and “Your Gan Eden”
(they only exist in order to reveal G-dliness), the Alter Rebbe only
desired “You alone.”
6 א"תשל'ה ניסן א"י
The Rebbe continues:
דפירוש זה באנא נסיב מלכא שאינו רוצה בהדרגות , מרלו ויש( טוהפירוש דאנא נסיב מלכא , שלמעלה אלא בהעצמות( דקדושה)
.שייכים זה לזה(, מ"שאינו עובד להכו)כפשוטו
At the beginning of the ma’amar, we explained that “choosing the
King” means rejecting any type of idolatry. In the previous section,
we added a new explanation that “choosing the King” also means
having a complete focus on Hashem’s essence without any desire for
even the highest G-dly revelations.
In the following sections, the Rebbe will explain how these two
mistakes share a common thread – and how one can lead to the
other.
שהאהבה דמי לי בשמים שאינו רוצה בהגילויים 72פ הידוע"ויובן זה עלו ' ע ישאר במציאותו ויהי"אף שבג, ס"ע אלא בעצמות אוא"דג
כ מצד הגילוי "משא( 73נהנים מזיו השכינה)השגה ותענוג באלקות ע הוא רק "מכיון שהגילוי דג, מ"מ, ס יתבטל ממדריגתו"דעצמות אואהוא , ס"שבאין ערוך לגבי עצמות אוא(, השכינה זיו) הארה בלבד
.בוחר בהעיקר ולא בהטפל
In the first part of the ma’amar the Rebbe explained that the Jew
chooses to serve Hashem even though following selfish pursuits
wouldn’t require bittul and would result in more personal benefit
(because unholy influence from makkif is “free” and not based on the
merits of the recipient).
Similarly, the love of “Whom else do I have in Heaven” causes a Jew to
choose Hashem’s essence (rather than G-dly revelation) even though
enjoying the lower revelation of Gan Eden would enable the soul to
receive the “personal benefit” of the “ray of Hashem’s presence”
while still retaining its own “independent” existence (it doesn’t
7 עשר עשתי ביום ה"ד
experience the complete bittul caused by the revelation of Hashem’s
essence).
In summary, both “choosing the King” and the love of “Whom else do
I have in heaven” forego personal benefit (influence from makkif,
revelation of Gan Eden) and require bittul (influence is given
according to the merits of the recipient, causes complete bittul of the
soul’s existence).
The Rebbe now explains how focusing on Gan Eden for the sake of
one’s own spiritual pleasure can potentially lead to “choosing the
ministers”:
שהם כלא חשיב לגבי )ע "דכאשר הוא בוחר בהגילויים דג, מובןומזה בכדי שישאר במציאותו ,74שלו' בשביל הלגרמי( ס"עצמות אוא
'( י ריבוי השתלשלות וכו"ע)זה אפשר שיבוא מ, ויהנה מזיו השכינהשרים היא נמשכת ממקום המות ' י הע"דהגם שיודע שההשפעה שע
מ ירצה בהשפעה זו יותר מבההשפעה "מ(, ל סוף סעיף ה"כנ) .לו שפע בריבוי' בכדי שיהי, שמהקדושה
If a Jew chooses to focus on the revelations of Gan Eden (which are
insignificant in comparison to Hashem’s essence) to increase his own
spiritual benefit (his soul remains an “independent” existence to
enjoy the revelation), it is possible that this same motivation could
eventually lead him to not serve Hashem at all, G-d forbid. Since his
overall approach prioritizes his own personal benefit despite the
fact that he knows that there is something higher (the King Himself),
he could potentially stop serving Hashem to increase his own
personal enjoyment despite the fact that he knows that Hashem is
the only true source of life.
Additionally, focusing on Gan Eden for “philosophical” reasons can
also potentially lead to “choosing the ministers”:
8 א"תשל'ה ניסן א"י
חשבים אותם שמ מ"להטעות של העובדים לכוז הוא גם בנוגע "ועדאו שיש להם בחירה , מ עצמם"שההשפעה באה מהכו)למציאות
, ס"ע ולא בעצמות אוא"דמזה שרוצה בהגילויים דג(. פ להשפיע"עכאפשר שיבוא , היינו שהוא נותן חשיבות לענין שמחוץ להעצמות
שיש להם , מ"שיתן חשיבות להכו'( י ריבוי השתלשלות וכו"ע)מזה .ו"זו שההשפעה היא מהם עצמם חויתירה מ, בחירה בהשפעתם
As explained at the beginning of the ma’amar, the generations that
started to serve the forces of nature initially thought that even
though everything ultimately comes from Hashem, these forces had
free choice regarding whether or not they would pass on this G-dly
influence to the world. Later, this resulted in thinking that “Hashem
abandoned the earth” and gave these forces independent control. In
both of these situations, the idolaters realized that Hashem is the
ultimate source of all power, but mistakenly attributed some level of
importance to the intermediaries that carry out His will.
Similarly, the “philosophical” choice to focus on Gan Eden and other
G-dly revelations (even though one realizes that they are not Hashem
Himself) attributes some level of importance to things that are not
Hashem’s essence. Since both mistakes both share a common cause,
the more “spiritual” error can eventually lead to the much more
serious mistake of serving the forces of nature.
The Rebbe clarifies that this “philosophical” mistake can lead to
“choosing the ministers” even if a Jew is aware that it’s “Your Gan
Eden”:
ה "ע של הקב"ע הוא מפני שהוא ג"דגם כשרצונו בג, ויש להוסיף( מ"להכו)גם אז אפשר שיבוא מזה הטעות שיש להם "(, ע"דאיין ג)"
מכיון , בחירה להשפיע ועד להטעות שההשפעה היא מהם עצמםלא מצד עצמם )שגם לפי טעות זו הכח שיש להם להשפיע הוא
דאיין " בדוגמת) ג"ל ס"ה מינה אותם על זה כנ"מפני שהקב( אלא "(.ע"ג
9 עשר עשתי ביום ה"ד
Even if the Jew wants Gan Eden because he realizes that it’s “Your
Gan Eden” (like the statement of the Alter Rebbe), nevertheless this
still resembles the mistake of the idol worshippers. Just like a Jew
could want “Your Gan Eden” (they keep their main focus on Hashem),
so too the early idolaters worshipped “Your forces of nature” (they
also realized that Hashem was the source of all power).
Furthermore, focusing on “Your Gan Eden” could eventually lead to
the more serious mistake of believing that the forces of nature
themselves are the source of influence, because even those
idolaters believed that “Hashem appointed them to their position.”
[However, realizing that it is “Your Gan Eden” makes this case a more
distant comparison to “choosing the ministers” than the earlier
examples which focused on G-dly revelation as an “independent” or
“selfish” goal.]
[Editor’s note: “Serving the forces of nature” does not necessarily
mean that the person will bow down to the sun or the moon. Rather,
it can also mean seeing the natural world (for example, earning
parnosa) as an independent source of one’s needs – and not
recognizing that everything comes exclusively from Hashem.
Similarly, the fact that a person could “not serve Hashem” because of
the pursuit of personal enjoyment doesn’t necessarily mean that he
will become an idolater. Rather, it could mean that he could start to
make compromises in his level of observance in order to lead a more
“enjoyable” material life. (End of editor’s note)]
If even the most subtle spiritual mistakes can lead to such severe
consequences, what should a Jew do to prevent them?
י "הוא ע' שום נתינת מקום לאנא נסיב דוכסין וכו' ובכדי שלא יהי, א מישראל"שזהו בכחו של כאו, פ"מעין ושמץ עכ)שיעורר אצלו
מער ניט אז דיך "א "כ", ע"דאיין ג"שלא לרצות אפילו ( כדלקמן ."אליין
10 א"תשל'ה ניסן א"י
In order to eliminate any possibility of making these mistakes, a Jew
needs to maintain an exclusive focus on Hashem’s essence (“You
alone”) and have no interest in even “Your Gan Eden.” (Even though
every Jew can’t achieve this with perfection, later in the ma’amar the
Rebbe will explain how this general approach is within every Jew’s
capability.)
Above, we explained that there are two types of mistakes that one
could make in serving Hashem:
1. The philosophical mistake of thinking that the intermediary
is independently powerful (either in terms of the forces of
nature or (lehavdil) “Your Gan Eden”)
2. The selfish mistake of prioritizing personal pleasure over
bittul (either in terms of receiving from the makkif or (lehavdil)
wanting the spiritual pleasure of Gan Eden)
Here, the Rebbe will explain how these both share the same central
point – and why the Jew is in a unique position to overcome this
error.
הוסיף ביאור בהשייכות דאנא נסיב מלכא להאהבה דמי ל ויש( ד"יומ הוא "בהקדים שעיקר הענין דעבודת כו, ס"לי בשמים שרוצה באוא
דהאמת , מ"הן בנוגע להכו. שחושבים דבר שהוא רק אמצעי לעיקר, שעל ידם נמשכת ההשפעה( גרזן)הוא שאינם אלא אמצעי
בנוגע להשפעות הגשמיות והן, מ חושבים שהם עיקר"והעובדים לכושהשפעת הגשמיות היא בכדי שישתמשו בהם , הנשפעות על ידם
שלכן )מ מחשבים את הגשמיות לעיקר "והעובדים לכו', לעבודת ה, להם ריבוי שפע גשמי' בכדי שיהי, ז"הם רוצים בההשפעה מהלעו
(.ל סעיף ד"כנ
The fundamental mistake made by those who worship idols is that
their focus is on the intermediary (the forces of nature) rather than
11 עשר עשתי ביום ה"ד
the primary thing (Hashem). This case of confused priorities is the
root of their philosophical mistake (they believe that the
intermediary has power) as well as their selfish mistake (they use
material pleasures for their own enjoyment rather than the purpose
they were created for – the service of Hashem).
This same central point applies to the “holy” mistake of focusing on
G-dly revelation (“Your Gan Eden”):
, התכלית הוא לא בהם עצמם, גם הגילויים הכי נעלים, והנה הגילויים. והם רק אמצעי שעל ידם תושלם הכוונה הפנימית דדירה בתחתונים
היינו שמחשיב אותם (, ס"ולא באוא)כשרוצה בהגילויים , ולכןמ "הכו)אפשר להיות נתינת מקום שיחשיב גם האמצעים , לעיקר
.לעיקר( גשמיוהשפע ה
Even the highest G-dly revelations are only “tools” that are used to
accomplish the ultimate goal of creation – making a dirah b’tachtonim
(making the physical world into a “home” for Hashem). [The only
purpose of the G-dly revelations is to give us the inspiration and
strength to overcome the challenges of refining the coarse physical
world.] Therefore, if someone treats these “tools” as the main point,
they make the same fundamental mistake as the idol worshippers –
they confuse the main point with the intermediary. Because these
mistakes share a similar central theme, one can therefore lead to the
other.
The reason why Jews have the potential to have the correct priorities
to “choose the King” and the other nations “choose the ministers” can
be traced back to the sources of their creation:
ע מהן עובדין לחמה ומהן ללבנה וישראל "דזה שאוה, יש לומרז "ועפע הוא מחיצוניות "כי השרש דאוה, הוא, ה"אינן עובדין אלא להקב
והבחינה דחיצוניות (, שרוצה באיזה דבר בשביל ענין אחר)הרצון היא באופן שאין נרגש בה שהרצון ( ע"כמו שהיא מקור לאוה)הרצון
12 א"תשל'ה ניסן א"י
ולכן מסתעף , הוא בשביל ענין אחר אלא שזה גופא הוא התכלית .75מ לעיקר"ע מחשבים את הממוצעים דכו"מזה שאוה
Chassidus explains that there are two general types of ratzon (will);
pnimius ha’ratzon and chitzonius ha’ratzon.
Pnimius ha’ratzon (the internal will) means the essential desire
for the ultimate goal.
Chitzonius ha’ratzon (the external will) means the desire for
the intermediary steps that are necessary in order to reach
the ultimate goal.
For example, a city might decide to build a new main road in the
town. However, this doesn’t mean that the city has any interest in
paving or traffic patterns. Building a better road means easier travel,
which could mean that shoppers have better access to stores (so
local businesses make more money) or executives have an easier way
to commute to their jobs (so more highly-paid executives will move
into the area). Money by itself can’t accomplish anything either – so
their ultimate goal is the higher standard of living that comes with
higher incomes in the area.
In this case, the pnimius ha’ratzon is the higher standard of living, and
all the other details are chitzonius ha’ratzon.
The ultimate purpose of creation is for the Jews to refine the world
and create a dirah b’tachtonim for Hashem. The people from the
other nations are part of this plan, but they are not the ultimate
goal. Therefore, we say that the source for the other nations is in
chitzonius ha’ratzon.
However, being part of chitzonius ha’ratzon doesn’t feel like you’re
only accomplishing a small step towards achieving the ultimate goal.
In our example, the construction foreman building the road feels
13 עשר עשתי ביום ה"ד
that the ultimate goal is the completion of the new road – and
doesn’t feel like he’s only accomplishing a small part of a greater goal.
Because the other nations come from chitzonius ha’ratzon (which
feels to them like pnimius ha’ratzon, they therefore feel that the
“intermediary” things within their own lives (the forces of nature and
material pleasures) are actually primary.
שמצד פנימיות הרצון אין , והשרש דישראל הוא מפנימיות הרצוןמ הם "ולכן יש לישראל ההכרה שהכו, נתינת מקום לאיזה ענין אחר
וכן השפע הגשמי הוא רק בשביל)רק אמצעי כגרזן ביד החוצב .אנא נסיב מלכא, ה"ולכן אינן עובדין אלא להקב'(, עבודת ה
On the other hand, Jews come from pnimius ha’ratzon which only
focuses on the ultimate goal and gives no independent
importance to any intermediary steps – no matter how important
they seem. Therefore, this gives the Jew a natural ability to see that
all the forces of nature are only “an axe in the hand of the
woodchopper” (and that the material world is only a tool for the
service of Hashem), which leads them to have an exclusive focus on
Hashem – I choose the King.
Having explained these concepts, the Rebbe now returns to the
question from chapter seven: Why does this choice (“I choose the
King”) need to be expressed intellectually (the “wise” man) if it’s an
essential choice made by the soul?
ה היא "ר גם המעלה בזה דבחירת ישראל בהקביש לבא ז"ועפ( יאאלא גם מצד השכל לא רק מצד הרצון דהנשמה שלמעלה מהשכל
כי זה שהשרש דישראל הוא בפנימיות המקיף (, ל סעיף ז"כנ)וכידוע דשרש , הם בחינת פנימי הוא מפני שישראל( פנימיות הרצון)
ישראל עיקר העילוי דבחירת, ולכן, הפנימי הוא בפנימיות המקיףנמשך ( מקיף)ה הוא כשהרצון דהנשמה שלמעלה מהשכל "בהקב
מעצם הנשמה דוקא נמשך ז "שעי(, פנימי)ופועל גם בהשכל
14 א"תשל'ה ניסן א"י
חיצוניות )שלמעלה גם מהרצון שלמעלה מהשכל (, פנימיות המקיף) (.המקיף
As explained above, the Jew’s source is in pnimius ha’makif (referred
to above as “pnimius ha’ratzon” because ratzon is makkif – it’s not
expressed in any specific limb of your body more than another).
Even though pnimius ha’ratzon focuses on the ultimate goal, this
doesn’t mean that it negates the existence of any intermediary.
Rather, it reveals how each thing in existence is only an intermediary
(and not a contradiction) to achieving the ultimate goal. (It reveals
the “pnimius” – ultimate purpose – of each thing.)
Since a Jew is from pnimius ha’makif, this gives him the ability to
reveal the “pnimius” within every aspect of himself (and the world
around him). Therefore, a Jew is able to (and must!) reveal within
himself how his entire being – even his limited intellect – reflects
the reality of “choosing the King.” (In contrast, the perspective of
chitzonius ha’makif would allow the soul to have faith in Hashem
without penetrating every aspect of the Jew’s pnimius.) When a Jew
reveals that every part of his being “chooses” (recognizes) Hashem’s
essence (that there is nothing outside of Him), this also reveals the
essence of the Jew’s soul – which is the essence of every part of the
Jew.
This helps us understand why the Midrash referenced the specific
possuk, “’Hashem is my portion,’ says my soul:”
דחלק (, חלקי דוקא)אמרה נפשי ' חלקי הוי ש"דזהו גם מ, ויש לומרבענין מה טוב חלקנו ומה נעים גורלנו ומה 76כידוע)הוא בחינת פנימי
ה הוא כשהבחירה "והעילוי דבחירת ישראל בהקב(, יפה ירושתנוובאופן שזה פועל , בהבנה והשגה, משכת בפנימיותדהנשמה נ
.ז הוא ההמשכה דפנימיות המקיף"שעי, במחשבה דיבור ומעשה
The Frierdiker Rebbe explains that the phrase from davening,
“ ומה יפה ירושתנו מה טוב חלקנו ומה נעים גורלנו אשרינו ” (How
15 עשר עשתי ביום ה"ד
fortunate are we! How good is our portion, how pleasant is our lot,
and how beautiful our inheritance) refers to three steps in our service
of Hashem. Even though the final step is revealing the essence of our
soul (ומה יפה ירושתנו) which we didn’t earn (it’s an “inheritance”), we
need to reveal it by first working with our limited, revealed abilities
so the essence of the soul is revealed even within (”מה טוב חלקנו“)
our limited abilities (“חלקנו”). We see from here that the term “חלק”
(portion) refers to the Jew’s limited abilities.
Answer to the question posed in chapter seven:
Therefore, the possuk used the combination of “Hashem is my
portion” and “says my soul” to show that the ultimate expression of
the Jew choosing Hashem is when the essential choice of the soul
(“says my soul”) is expressed through his limited intellect (“Hashem is
my portion”). When it is fully expressed through the Jew’s intellect,
this affects his practical thought, speech, and action to show that
every part of the Jew is exclusively focused on “choosing the King” –
which accomplishes the revelation of pnimius ha’makif.
Since this ma’amar was said on the Rebbe’s 69th birthday when the
Rebbe started saying the 70th kapitel of Tehillim (corresponding to the
Rebbe’s 70th year), the Rebbe connects this concept to the first possuk
from his kapitel:
For the conductor; of David, to
make mention.
יר ח לדוד להזכ :למנצ
למנצח לדוד 77פ"ש במדרש תהלים עה"שר זה עם מלק ויש( יבלו צאן וכעס עליהם גירש את הצאן והתיר ' משל למלך שהי, להזכיר
אחר זמן כנס הצאן ובנה את הדיר , את הדיר והעביר את הרועהאמר הרועה הרי הצאן מכונסות והדיר בנוי ואני , ולרועה לא הזכיר
16 א"תשל'ה ניסן א"י
כי אלקים יושיע ציון 78כך אמר דוד למעלה מן המזמור. איני נזכרוישבו שם וירשוה וזרע עבדיו , הרי הדיר בנוי, ויבנה ערי יהודה
, ואני איני נזכר, הרי הצאן מכונסות, ינחלוה ואוהבי שמו ישכנו בה .לכך למנצח לדוד להזכיר
The Midrash brings an analogy to explain this possuk:
“There was once a king who became angry with his flock and sent
away the sheep, took down the fence around their pen, and fired the
shepherd. A while later [when he calmed down], he brought in the
sheep and put the fence back up, but he did not remember the
shepherd. The shepherd said, “The flock is restored and the pen is
rebuilt, but I am not remembered.”
So too, Dovid HaMelech is reacting to what was written in the
preceding kapitel. It said: “When Hashem saves Zion, and builds the
cities of Yehudah…”, so the sheeps’ pen is rebuilt. Then it says “…and
they dwell there and take possession of it. And the seed of His
servants inherit it, and those who love His name dwell therein,” so
the sheep will be brought in. But I [the shepherd] am not mentioned!
Therefore it says: “Of David, to make mention. Hashem, to save me.”
The Rebbe asks a question on this Midrash:
ולא היו )הרי זה שכנס הצאן לאחרי שכעס עליהם , וצריך להביןולמה לא , הוא מפני שנתעורר שוב הרצון אליהם( מרוצים לפניו
.וצריך לבקשה מיוחדת על זה, להרועה( מעצמו)הזכיר
If the king sent the sheep away because he was angry with them and
no longer had a desire for them, he must have brought them back in
because his desire for them was reawakened. If his desire was
reawakened for the sheep, why wasn’t it reawakened for the
shepherd – which therefore forced the shepherd to ask on his own?
17 עשר עשתי ביום ה"ד
' ואפשר שהמשכת הרצון יהי, דרצון הוא מקיף, והענין הואע השפעה "דרועה הו, נזכר' וזהו שבקש דוד שהרועה יהי. בחיצוניות
וכל זמן שלא ישנה (. החילוק בין רועים לנסיכים 79כידוע)פנימית כי המשכת המקיף עצמו . חסר העיקר(, הרועה)ההשפעה פנימית
.ושרש הפנימי הוא מפנימיות המקיף, היא מחיצוניות המקיף
As explained in the previous section, ratzon (will) is makif. Therefore,
it’s possible for ratzon to be expressed in an external way and not in a
way of pnimius. [Editor’s note: This is similar to how someone might
have emunah (faith), but since emunah is makkif, it’s possible that his
emunah isn’t expressed in a way of pnimius – through his practical
actions.]
In Torah Ohr, the Alter Rebbe explains the difference between “the
seven shepherds” and “the eight anointed ones”, which refer to
different types of tzadikim. The shepherds interact with the Jews in a
way of pnimius (interacting with them according to the needs of each
one), while the “anointed ones” affect them in a way of makif (they
inspires them through their yiras shomayim but do not interact with
them according to their own individual levels).
Based on this explanation that a “shepherd” represents pnimius, the
analogy that the “shepherd was not mentioned” means that
Hashem’s will was awakened for the “sheep” (chitzonius, makif), but
was not yet expressed in a way of pnimius (shepherd). Since the
ultimate purpose of creation is for everything to be expressed in a
way of pnimius, this meant that the main point was missing – there
was a revelation of chitzonius ha’makif, but not pnimius ha’makif.
Our original question on this Midrash was: If his desire was
reawakened for the sheep, why wasn’t it reawakened for the
shepherd – forcing him to submit a special request to be returned?
This answer (that the shepherd represents pnimius) implies that
Hashem’s desire can be reawakened for the Jews without revealing
18 א"תשל'ה ניסן א"י
Himself to them in a way of pnimius. The Rebbe challenges this
assumption:
והאיך שייך לומר , והגם שכשהצאן מכונסות נותנים להם כל צרכיהם , שאין להם רועה
How is it possible that the “sheep were gathered in” (Hashem
reawakened His desire for the Jews), which implies that they were
given everything that “sheep” need, and they weren’t given a
shepherd (a revelation in a way of pnimius)?
The Rebbe answers:
,79י הרועה הוא לימוד התורה"דההמשכה פנימית שע, יש לומרנמצא ,80ומכיון שהתורה דעכשיו היא הבל לגבי תורתו של משיח
(.פנימיות)שחסר עדיין אמיתית הענין דרועה
Even though Hashem reawakened His desire for the Jews and gave
them everything they needed, the pnimius He gave them was not the
ultimate expression of pnimius. As explained by the Alter Rebbe in
the ma’amar referenced above, the shepherd affects the Jews in a
way of pnimius by teaching them Torah – which they are able to
logically understand, enabling it to enter their pnimius.
However, since the level of Torah that is taught before the coming of
Moshiach is considered as “nothing in comparison to the Torah of
Moshiach,” the teaching of the “pre-Moshiach Torah” isn’t the
ultimate expression of bringing the highest revelation (the Torah of
Moshiach) into pnimius (logical understanding).
According this is explanation, Dovid is requesting a revelation of the
“Torah of Moshiach” in a way of pnimius.
The Rebbe now questions the assumption that this possuk refers to
“pre-Moshiach Torah”:
19 עשר עשתי ביום ה"ד
והגם שהמדובר כאן הוא לאחרי שאלקים יושיע ציון ויבנה ערי ,בגאולה העתידה' שזה יהי' יהודה וגו
The pesukim from the previous kapitel refer to the time “When
Hashem saves Zion, and builds the cities of Yehudah,” which clearly
refers to the times of Moshiach. If so, how is it possible that the
“shepherd was not mentioned” (the ultimate level of the Torah of
Moshiach was not revealed to the Jews in a way of pnimius)?
ס "תידה הוא הגילוי דעצמות אואבגאולה הע' הרי עיקר הגילוי שיהי(, דוד מלכא משיחא)וזו היתה בקשתו של דוד , שלמעלה מהשגה
הבנת והשגת התורה , גם הענין דרועה' שיהי, י בקשתו נעשה זה"וע .בתכלית השלימות
The main revelation of the times of Moshiach will be a revelation of
Hashem’s essence which is above our understanding. [This parallels
the revelation of the soul’s essential choice which is above
understanding.] Dovid HaMelech’s request for Hashem to
“remember the shepherd” was asking for this level (which is
completely above understanding) to be revealed in a way of pnimius
– that we will be able to understand the Torah of Moshiach in a way
of logical understanding – pnimius. [This parallels the way that the
soul’s essential choice is revealed within the logical appreciation of G-
dliness, “the king’s role is permanent.”]
We now return to the original question from the beginning of the
ma’amar:
Question One:
If “the only praise of the Jews is that they choose Hashem to be their
G-d,” why did the nasi from the tribe of Asher bring a korban that
represented how Hashem chose the Jews from among all the
nations?
20 א"תשל'ה ניסן א"י
First, the Rebbe explains the connection between Hashem choosing
the Jews and the Jews choosing Him:
ל יש לבאר הקשר והשייכות דבחירת ישראל "כל הנ פ"וע( יגבישראל להיות ה "דבחירת הקב, ה בישראל"ה ובחירת הקב"בהקב
ולא שהם )ה הוא בישראל "שרצונו הפנימי דהקב, לו לעם סגולההוא השרש והנתינת כח לבחירת ישראל (, אמצעי לענין אחר
ה הוא מפני "ל בארוכה דזה שישראל בוחרים בהקב"כנ, ה"בהקב .ששרשם הוא בפנימיות הרצון
The fact that Hashem chose the Jews to be His special nation means
that He has an “essential” desire for them (they are not a means to
accomplishing any other goal – pnimius ha’ratzon). Because the Jews
come from pnimius ha’ratzon, this is what enables them to “choose
Hashem” (overriding their mind’s self-interest and revealing their
soul’s essential desire for Hashem within their intellect – showing that
every part of their being is an intermediary to “choosing the King”).
At the beginning of the ma’amar, the Alter Rebbe writes in Tanya that
Hashem chose the Jew’s physical body. Here, the Rebbe
(parenthetically) explains the significance of this aspect of Hashem’s
choice:
, מזה נמשך להם הכח, דזה שהבחירה בישראל הוא בהגוף, ויש לומר]ז נרגש בהם "שעי, הגילוי דפנימיות הרצון' ים הגשמיים יהישגם בענינ
'[.שגם הגשמיות הוא בשביל עבודת ה
The fact that Hashem chose (essentially desired – pnimius ha’ratzon)
the physical body of the Jew gave the Jew the ability to reveal
Hashem’s ultimate will within the physical world and recognize that
the only purpose of the physical world is for it to be used in the
service of Hashem.
The Rebbe now explains why the nasi from the tribe of Asher brought
a korban that represented how Hashem chose the Jews from among
21 עשר עשתי ביום ה"ד
all the nations even though the praise of the Jews is that they choose
Hashem:
ז יש לבאר זה שהקרבנות של אשר היו על שם הבחירה שבחר "ועפאף שאין אישורן של ישראל אלא על שבחרו , ה בישראל"הקב
לא זה שיש בהם מצד )כי עיקר העילוי דישראל הוא , ה"בהקבמה שפועלים )ובזה דוקא , י עבודתם"זה שפועלים ע( אלא, למעלה
אלא שבכדי , ה"הוא עיקר הנחת רוח והתענוג דהקב( י עבודתם"עי ההמשכה והגילוי דבחירת "להם הנתינת כח על זה הוא ע' שיהידנוסף . י הקרבנות שהקריב אשר"וגילוי זה נמשך ע, ה בישראל"הקב
י "הנה ע, א מישראל מצד שרשו בפנימיות הרצון"להכח שבכ .זה בגילוי יותרנמשך כח , הקרבנות דאשר
Ultimately, the true praise of the Jews – and the main satisfaction that
Hashem gets from the Jews – is what they accomplish through their
own efforts. This is why it says that “the only praise of the Jews is that
they chose Hashem to be their G-d” – the main accomplishment of
the Jews is revealing their souls’ essential choice for Hashem within
their limited capabilities through their own efforts.
However, their capability to accomplish this (bring the makif into
pnimi) is from the fact that Hashem chose them (Hashem’s ultimate
desire is for the Jews, pnimius ha’ratzon). Even though every Jew
automatically has this potential because he comes from pnimius
ha’ratzon, the nasi of the tribe of Asher brought his korban in order to
accomplish an even greater revelation of this choice.
This ability was brought into an even greater level of revelation
through the Alter Rebbe:
, ר הזקן איך וויל מער ניט אז דיך אליין"י שאמר אדמו"ויש לומר דע א"לכאו( עוד יותר)ניתן הכח , צ"י הצ"ובפרט לאחרי שנתפרסם זה ע
דהגם שיש לו ריבוי , ובפרט לההולכים בעקבותיו ובדרכיו, מישראלשכל הרצונות שלו יהיו בלא לב , ב"ועד לרצונות שמצד נה, רצונות
דירה ' להשלים כוונת העצמות לעשות לו ית' ועיקר רצונו יהי, ולבר הזקן שלא רצה מער ניט "אצל אדמו' ומעין שהי ד"ע) בתחתונים
22 א"תשל'ה ניסן א"י
בכדי לעשות את ( בעיקר' )ם רצונו בגשמיות יהיוג(, אז דיך אליין .הגשמיות כלי לאלקות
When the Alter Rebbe would say “I only want You alone,” and
especially after the Tzemach Tzedek publicized this, this revealed the
ability for every single Jew to “choose Hashem” to an even greater
degree than before – especially for those who follow in the Alter
Rebbe’s ways.
Despite the fact that a Jew might have many desires (even desires
that come from his animal soul), when he makes his highest priority
achieving Hashem’s essential desire to make a dirah b’tachtonim
(choosing the King) he weakens the intensity of these other desires
by putting them in perspective. Similarly, he is capable of mainly
desiring material things as “tools” for use in the service of Hashem.
Even though every Jew can’t achieve the level of the Alter Rebbe
completely, he is able to primarily adopt the Alter Rebbe’s desire for
“I only want You alone!”
Maintaining this focus on achieving Hashem’s ultimate goal for
creation “motivates” Hashem to give us more of the physical things
we need:
ר "וכמאמר אדמ, ז יומשך לו גם ריבוי השפעה בגשמיות"ועיאז דער אויבערשטער גיט אידן גשמיות און אידן מאכן פון די 81הזקן
ה נותן לישראל ריבוי "דכשהקב, דמזה מובן, גשמיות רוחניות, ת וריבוי באיכותריבוי בכמו, גשמיות עושים ישראל ריבוי רוחניות
, ה"ועד שמתקשרים ומתאחדים בהקב, ועד לתכלית השלימות .82ה כולא חד"וקוב( אורייתא)ישראל
The Alter Rebbe once said (and the Rebbe quotes it in HaYom Yom),
“Hashem gives the Jews gashmius (material things) and the Jews make
them into ruchnius (spirituality).” Therefore, when Jews maintain their
focus on using the physical world for its intended purpose, this
23 עשר עשתי ביום ה"ד
“motivates” Hashem to give us all our material needs in order to
accomplish His goal. The more gashmius He gives us, the greater and
better quality ruchnius we are able to produce.
This accomplishment of Hashem’s ultimate purpose reveals our unity
with Hashem Himself, as the Zohar says, “The Jews (the Torah) and
Hashem are one.”
The Rebbe concludes:
וזה , בימי ההכנה לזמן חירותנו, וכל זה נעשה מתוך שמחה וטוב לבבי "גאולה האמיתית והשלימה ע, מביא גם את זמן חירותנו בפועל
.בקרוב ממש, משיח צדקנו
“And all this should be done with joy and gladness of heart during the
[upcoming] days of preparation for the ‘Time of our Freedom’
[Pesach, which is a few days after Yud Alef Nissan, when this ma’amar
was said], and this will bring us to the time of our actual freedom –
the complete and true geula through Moshiach tzidkeinu, may it be
soon!”
24 א"תשל'ה ניסן א"י
Footnotes from Original Hebrew Text
.צ שם"שרש מצות התפלה להצ. א ואילך"סע, ת תזריע כ"לקו( 72
.א, ברכות יז( 73
.ת שם"ה הלשון בלקו"כ( 74
לא מפני )מ הוא "דזה שטעו שצריך לחלוק כבוד להכו, ז בתחלתו"ע' ם הל"ראה רמב( 75
חלק להם " ה"שהקב מפני( אלא, כמובא לעיל'", טיבותא לשקיי" ד"שצריך להודות להם ע
שהסיבה לטעות זו היא , ואולי יש לומר". ל-רצון הא"הוא ( שיחלקו להם כבוד)ושזה " כבוד
.נרגש שזהו הרצון הפנימי( ע"כמו שהוא מקור לאוה)כי בחיצוניות הרצון
.מ"ובכ. ת"ש'ה אשרנו ה"ראה סד( 76
.*תהלים מזמור ע( 77
.סוף מזמור סט( 78
.ד ואילך, א מקץ לג"תו( 79
.א, ב"כ שם פ"ועיין ג. ח, א"ר פי"קה (80
יטל תהלים המתאים למספר שנותיו "ע( * ח "ק מו"מכתב כ)פ המנהג לומר הקאפ
א "צ ח"ר מוהריי"ק אדמו"קודש כ-אגרות .ד אמירת תהלים"נדפס בקובץ מכתבים ע ,ר"אדמו
לומר ( א"לתש)א ניסן שנה זו "התחילו בי –( ואילך 1' א ניסן ע"מ י"סה .ע נג"י ס"ח.לא' ע
.מזמור ע שבתהלים
ת "ש'מ ה"סה(. רסה' ב ע"צ ח"ר מוהריי"ק אדמו"קודש כ-אגרות)כז טבת " היום יום"ראה ( 81
.עח' ע( ו"הוצאת תשמ)
א, ג עג"ראה זח( 82
25 עשר עשתי ביום ה"ד
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