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וגם כבר היה לעולמים מעין זה, בשעת מתן תורה A glimmer of this revelation which will take place in the future has already been experienced — at the time of the Giving of the Torah at Sinai, כדכתיב: אתה הראת לדעת כי ה׳ הוא האלקים, אין עוד מלבדו as it is written:10 “You (G‑d) revealed […]

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ולכן היו בטלים במציאות ממש, כמאמר רז״ל, שעל כל דיבור פרחה נשמתן כו׳ Therefore, they the Jews who stood at Sinai were nullified out of existence, as our Rabbis have said:14 “At every [divine] utterance their soul took flight from their body, אלא שהחזירה הקדוש ברוך להן בטל שעתיד להחיות בו את המתים but G‑d […]

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In the previous chapter, the Alter Rebbe explained that the statement of the Sages that “G‑d desired an abode in the lower realms” refers to our physical world. This is the lowest of worlds in terms of the degree of revelation of the divine creative power: it is hidden in this world as it is […]

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Thus far, the Alter Rebbe has discussed the effect of a mitzvah on the objects used in its performance (e.g., the etrog, the parchment used for tefillin, etc.). He now discusses its effect on the power of a Jew’s animal soul that is applied to the mitzvah. This soul, like the aforementioned objects, derives its […]

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This, in summary, is the subject of the following discussion. זאת ועוד אחרת An additional [virtue] in mitzvot involving action (aside from their function in elevating one’s animal soul, mentioned above): שכח נפש החיונית המתלבש באותיות הדבור בתלמוד תורה או תפלה וכיוצא בהן או מצות מעשיות the vitalizing soul’s energy clothed in the utterance of […]