Tzedakah, as we shall presently appreciate, sensitizes the Jew who practises it so that the superrational degree of Chochmah in his Neshamah is able to light up the innermost recesses of his heart.   As mentioned in the introduction to Kuntres Acharon, the Rebbe observes that this is one of several Essays that would appear […]

ואותיות איתן משמשות לעתיד   The letters that spell the [Hebrew] word eitan [each] indicate the future tense.   At a deeper level, this term thus hints at future revelation: in the Time to Come there will be a revelation of the spiritual degree called eitan.   פירוש: אנא עתיד לאתגליא   This means,8 “I […]

Since we are speaking here of Supernal Mercy, there must first be a sufficiently vigorous “arousal from below” that will cause it to descend to this lowly world. The required arousal initiated from below must therefore spring from the palpable realities of this lowly world. In plain words, as the Alter Rebbe will now conclude, […]

Word had evidently reached the Alter Rebbe that the chassidim of a certain synagogue did not permit a worshiper who would pray at length to lead the services, because some individual there was pressed for time. In this letter of admonition, the Alter Rebbe writes that it is better for this person to even forgo […]

כי על אהבה המסותרת בלב כל ישראל בתולדתם וטבעם, לא שייך ציווי כלל   For regarding the love latent in the heart of all Israel by birth and nature, there can be no command at all, for it already exists.   Rather, the command is that this latent love be revealed; moreover, that it be […]