In answer to the question asked above, then, it is now clear that the way by which one can arrive at “G‑d’s truth” is by the arousal of Divine compassion. אך התעוררות רחמים רבים לפני ה׳ צריכה להיות גם כן באמת However, [this] arousal of G‑d’s great compassion also needs to be done in truth. […]

אשרינו מה טוב חלקנו, ומה נעים גורלנו כו׳ “Fortunate are we. How good is our portion, how pleasant is our lot….”1 In this prayer, which is recited as part of the introductory morning prayers preceding Hodu, we offer thanks to G‑d for our “portion” and “lot” — His self-revelation to every individual Jew. These same […]

וכמו שכתוב: כי נשגב שמו לבדו Thus it is written, 9 “For [even] His Name alone is exalt-ed”; i.e., G‑d’s Name is exalted “alone”, standing apart from all the worlds which it transcends, רק זיוו והודו על ארץ ושמים וגו’ while only His reflection and 10 “His splendor are on the earth and the heavens.” […]

Until now the Alter Rebbe has explained the term “our portion.” He now goes on to explain the term “our lot” (in the above-quoted verse, ומה נעים גורלנו — “and how pleasant is our lot”), signifying something bestowed exclusively, and merited only by lot. והנה אף שגילוי זה, על ידי עסק התורה והמצות, הוא שוה […]

זורע צדקות, מצמיח ישועות [It is written:] “He sows tzedakot and causes deliverance to sprout forth.”1 Tzedakot, the plural form of tzedakah, can mean both “acts of righteousness” and “acts of charity.” הנה מה שכתוב לשון זריעה במצות הצדקה The use of the idiom “sowing” in relation to the commandment of charity, וכמו שכתוב בפסוק: […]

However, the following must be understood: Since the Divine illumination must inevitably result from G‑d’s attribute of kindness and His tzedakah, why is man’s service necessary at all? The Alter Rebbe answers this question by explaining that parallel to the above attribute, there also exists a Divine attribute of severity and contraction, that seeks to […]

This leaves us with an apparent disproportion — that the practice of tzedakah before one’s prayers should result in the vastly superior revelation of teshuvah ilaah during prayer. אך הענין הוא, על דרך משל, כמו שזורעין זרעים או נוטעין גרעין The above concept, however, can be understood by the analogy of sowing seeds of grain […]

וככה ממש, על דרך משל, כל מעשה הצדקה שעושין ישראל Now precisely like this, metaphorically speaking, every act of charity that Jews perform עולה למעלה בבחינת העלאת מ״נ, לשורש נשמותיהן למעלה ascends, like an “elevation of mayin nukvin,” to the Root of their souls Above, Just as in the analogy, planting a seed will unveil […]

Like the preceding Epistle, the present one too centers on the theme of tzedakah. If it is to be performed properly, tzedakah ought to be given unstintingly, and not only after all one’s own needs and desires have been satisfied. Ideally, it should be given in the spirit of an aphorism that was current among […]

אך בזאת יאות לנו Rather, this [approach] shall be befitting us — להיות כל עסקינו במילי דעלמא לא לגרמייהו that19 all our involvement with mundane affairs should be [conducted] not for its own sake, כי אם להחיות נפשות, חלקי אלוה but in order to animate souls, (i.e., to provide sustenance for fellow Jews, whose souls […]