על ידי בחינה ממוצעת, קו המכריע ומטה כלפי חסד

by a mediary, the determining factor between Chesed and Gevurah, which leans towards Chesed,

היא מדת הרחמים

i.e., the attribute of Rachamim (“mercy”).

When Chesed does not insist (so to speak) on an unlimited revelation of kindness (but is satisfied to reveal the G‑dly illumination in a finite manner), and Gevurah insists only on witholding the revelation from those who are unworthy of receiving it (but does not insist on blocking the revelation altogether, even from the worthy — then the mediating attribute of mercy, which leans toward kindness, declares that while a particular recipient may not be strictly worthy of the kindness to be shown, he is at least worthy of being granted it out of compassion.

הנקראת בשם תפארת, בדברי חכמי האמת

This attribute of Rachamim is called Tiferet (“beauty”) in the terminology of the Kabbalists (lit., “the scholars of truth”),

לפי שהיא כלולה מב׳ גוונין, לובן ואודם

because it is made up of the two colors white and red,

המרמזים לחסד וגבורה

which allude to Chesed and Gevurah, respectively.

Rachamim is therefore called Tiferet, because there is beauty in the harmony of diverse colors.

ולכן סתם שם הוי׳ ברוך הוא שבכל התורה, מורה על מדת התפארת

The Divine Name Havayah (the Tetragrammaton), as it appears unqualified throughout the Torah, therefore indicates the attribute of Tiferet,

כמו שכתוב בזהר הקדוש

as is stated in the sacred Zohar.4

Each of the Divine Names indicates one of the Supernal Attributes: the Name E-l, for example, indicates Chesed; Elokim indicates Gevurah; and any unqualified appearance of the ultimate Divine Name — Havayah, which is known as Shem HaEtzem (“the Essential Name”) — alludes to the attribute of Tiferet. Why is this the case?

לפי שכאן הוא בחינת גילוי אור אין סוף ברוך הוא, הארה רבה

For here, in Tiferet, the [infinite] Ein Sof-light becomes manifest in an immense illumination,

ביתר שאת משאר מדותיו הקדושות יתברך

surpassing that of the other Divine attributes.

This, then, is the meaning of the above quotation, that “He makes peace in His high places”: The revelation of G‑d’s infinite light “makes peace” between Michael and Gabriel, who represent Chesed and Gevurah.

והנה אתערותא דלעילא, לעורר גילוי הארה רבה והשפעה עצומה הנ״ל מאור אין סוף ברוך הוא

Now, the arousal from above, that elicits a manifestation of this great illumination and immense diffusion from the [infinite] Ein Sof-light

לעשות שלום הנ״ל

in order to bring about the above-mentioned peace,

היא באתערותא דלתתא

is effected by an arousal from below —

במעשה הצדקה

by the act of charity,

והשפעת חיים חן וחסד ורחמים

and by the benevolent bestowal by one man to another of “life, graciousness, kindness and compassion”5

למאן דלית ליה מגרמיה כלום

to him who has nothing of his own,

ולהחיות רוח שפלים כו׳

thereby “to revive the spirit of the lowly, [and to revive the heart of the downcast].”6

When one gives tzedakah to a pauper7 “while raising his spirits” with a few warm and supportive words, so that he is given not only “life” but “graciousness, kindness and compassion” as well, then this arousal from below results in an arousal from above. This releases an intense illumination of the infinite Ein Sof-light into the Supernal Attributes, thereby making peace between them, and tempering and sweetening the Gevurot in the Chassadim.

The Alter Rebbe will now go on to explain the effect of the “act” of tzedakah upon the individual benefactor himself, in terms of his battle with the evil of his animal soul.

The animal soul may be refined, and the good within it separated and elevated from its evil, in one of two ways:

One possible direction of attack is “from below to above” (milmatah lemaalah), whereby each attribute of the divine soul does battle with its counterpart in the animal soul, seeking to refine and elevate it. For example: the divine soul’s love for G‑d seeks to purify the animal soul’s attribute of Chesed with its fleshly desires; the divine soul’s fear of G‑d seeks to refine the animal soul’s evil kinds of fear; and so on.

Then there is a manner of purification that proceeds “from above to below” (milmaalah lematah), whereby one draws down a Divine light upon oneself so that the attributes of the animal soul spontaneously become purified and elevated within this light.

This approach anticipates the Time to Come, when the world as a whole will become purified of all evil through the G‑dliness that will then be manifest, until ultimately,8 “I shall remove the spirit of impurity from the earth.”

A similar manner of refining the animal soul exists today. It is accomplished through studying Torah lishmah, “for its own sake.” By studying in this way — altruistically, without thought of even spiritual gain — the individual draws down a G‑dly illumination that enables him not only to overwhelm the evil within him, but also to sift out the good within his animal soul from the evil in which it had been encumbered.

In the same way, when a Jew practices the “act” of tzedakah he draws down upon himself a G‑dly enlightenment that becomes revealed within him during prayer, and this enables him to extract the good within his animal soul from the surrounding evil and to elevate it.