ואף שאין לו דמות הגוף חס ושלום Now “He has no corporeal form,” G‑d forbid. How, then, can one differentiate Above between those letters that possess substance and those that do not? אך דברה תורה כלשון בני אדם Nevertheless, “the Torah speaks as in the language of men.” Since on the mortal plane this differentiation […]

וגם ההתבוננות, להבין ולהשכיל באמתתו וגדולתו ית׳, נמשכה גם כן מן התורה Furthermore, contemplation that endeavors to understand and conceive of G‑d’s true being, also derives from Torah, I.e., such contemplation must necessarily be preceded by the study of Torah, דאורייתא מחכמה נפקא, היא בחינת יו״ד של שם הויה וכו׳ for36 “Torah proceeds from Chochmah,” […]

The previous chapter taught that the Jewish soul is a part of the Tetragrammaton, the internal aspect of G‑dliness, from which it derives. In this it differs from other created beings whose source is more external — the Divine Name Elokim and Supernal speech. However, in order that the soul be able to become enclothed […]

וזה שנאמר: כי חלק ה׳ עמו, יעקב חבל נחלתו This, then, is the meaning of the verse,2 “For [G‑d’s] people is a part of G‑d; Jacob is the rope of His inheritance.” This verse implies that within the soul there are to be found two levels: the internal aspect of the soul is “part of […]

והוא על דרך משל מחבל עב, שזור מתרי״ג חבלים דקים This is analogous to a thick rope woven of 613 thin strands. ככה חבל ההמשכה הנ״ל כלול מתרי״ג מצות So, too, the “rope” of the downward flow mentioned above is comprised of the 613 mitzvot,14 each mitzvah being an individual thin strand. וכשעובר ח״ו על […]

The Alter Rebbe opened the fourth chapter by beginning to explain the concept of repentance according to the mystical approach to the Torah. He prefaced his commentary by noting that according to Scripture and our Sages a person who committed a sin punishable by excision would actually die before his fiftieth year, while one who […]

ואדרבה In fact, not only is it possible for the sinner to receive his nurture from kelipah as do animals and other living beings, but indeed, ביתר שאת וביתר עז with even greater emphasis and force. על פי המבואר מזוהר הקדוש פרשת פקודי, שכל שפע וחיות הנשפעות לאדם התחתון For, as explained in the holy […]

וזהו שאמרו רז״ל: אין בידינו לא משלות הרשעים וכו׳ Hence the statement of our Sages,19 of blessed memory: “It is not within our hands (i.e., it is not given us) to understand the reason for either the tranquillity of the wicked [or the suffering of the righteous].” בידינו דוקא, כלומר: בזמן הגלות אחר החורבן The […]

In the language of the Zohar, the lower level of repentance entails returning the latter hei of the Four-Letter Name of G‑d to its rightful place — returning the Shechinah, which is the source of Jewish souls, from the exile to which it was banished by transgression. For when a man sins, the Divine vitality […]

וכמו שכתוב: וישוב אל הוי׳ וירחמהו As the verse states:6 “He shall return to G‑d and He will have compassion for him”; i.e., the sinner shall return to G‑d and have compassion for Him. But how are we to understand the concept of arousing mercy for the Tetragrammaton? פירוש: לעורר רחמים על השפעת שם הוי׳ […]