Note by the Rebbe (footnote #9)

(Back to the Tanya text)

והכל על פי חכמה עילאה דאצילות, ובינה ודעת כלולות בה

And all this, both the Mishnah and Talmud, is according to the Supernal Chochmah of Atzilut, and Binah and Daat are comprised in it (i.e., in Chochmah),

ומיוחדות באין סוף ברוך הוא, כי בתוך כולן מלובשות חב״ד דאצילות, שאור אין סוף ברוך הוא מיוחד בהן בתכלית היחוד

and they (the Mishnah and Talmud, and the illumination of ChaBaD and middot found in them) are united with the blessed Ein Sof, for in all of them are clothed ChaBaD of Atzilut, with which the light of the blessed Ein Sof is united in a perfect union.

Thus, when the Shechinah enclothes itself in the shrine of the Holy of Holies of the World of Yetzirah, and thereafter in Malchut of Yetzirah, that part of Torah which is called the Mishnah is drawn down, this being the receptacle for the light of the Shechinah as it is revealed in the World of Yetzirah.

וכן בדרך זה ירדה השכינה, ונתלבשה בהיכל קדשי קדשים דעשיה

In like manner, i.e., in the same manner that the Shechinah first clothed itself in the level of Malchut of Yetzirah, the Shechinah then descended and clothed itself in the shrine of the Holy of Holies of Asiyah.

וכל עולם מג׳ עולמות אלו מתחלק לרבבות מדריגות, הנקראות גם כן עולמות פרטים

And each of these three Worlds, Beriah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah, is subdivided into myriads of gradations, which are also called particular worlds,

ומלכות דאצילות מלובשת במלכות של כל עולם פרטי, יורדת, ומתלבשת בהיכל קדשי קדשים, שהוא חב״ד, שבעולם שלמטה ממנו במדרגה

and Malchut of Atzilut (the level of Shechinah) is clothed in (a) the level of Malchut* of each particular World; (b) moreover, through the above-mentioned enclothing, it descends, and (c) enclothes itself in the shrine of the Holy of Holies, namely, the ChaBaD, which is in the World below it in rank.

We thus have Malchut of Atzilut as it is enclothed in Malchut of a World of higher rank, descending into the ChaBad of a World of lesser rank.11

הגהה

ובזה יובן לשון הכתוב: מלכותך מלכות כל עולמים

*NOTE

This will enable us to understand the wording of the verse: “Your kingdom is the kingdom of all Worlds.”

The text seems to imply that there is one level of kingship called “Your kingdom,” and another level of kingship known as “the kingdom of all Worlds.” The Alter Rebbe therefore explains that the verse is telling us that “Your kingdom” is the innermost aspect of “the kingdom of all the Worlds.” Within them all is enclothed “Your kingdom” — Malchut of Atzilut.

END OF NOTE

והנה מהשכינה המלובשת בהיכל קדשי קדשים של כל עולם ועולם כללי או פרטי, נמשך ומתפשט ממנה אור וחיות לכל העולם והברואים שבו: נשמות ומלאכים וכו׳

It is from the Shechinah which is clothed in the shrine of the Holy of Holies of each and every general or particular World that light and vitality are extended and diffused to that whole World and the creatures contained therein — the souls, angels, and so forth,

The last phrase refers to the other beings of each World, such as the heichalot; they all receive light and vitality from the Shechinah as it is enclothed in the shrine of the Holy of Holies of that particular World.

כי כולם נבראו בעשרה מאמרות שבמעשה בראשית, שהם דבר ה׳ הנקרא בשם שכינה

for they were all created by the ten Divine utterances of creation,12 these being G‑d’s speech, which is termed the Shechinah.

Divine speech revealed that which was previously concealed. This is also the purpose of the Shechinah — revealing to the world a light which is essentially higher than the world. Therefore, Malchut of Atzilut (which is termed the Shechinah, and which is G‑d’s speech as revealed in the ten Divine utterances of creation) is the level from which life and vitality are drawn down and revealed to all Worlds and created beings.

And all this is accomplished through Torah, for Torah is the shrine of the Holy of Holies (in which the Shechinah first resides) in every World. Thus, as mentioned earlier, it serves as a “garment” to the Shechinah.

Footnotes

1.See Mishlei 2:3; Berachot 57a (and Chiddushei Aggadot of Maharsha, ad loc.).

2.Shmot 25:8.

3.Note of the Rebbe: “In all the above no mention is made that this is the level of Malchut of Atzilut, and ‘Divine speech.’ Only later, as an introduction to the concept of ‘Holy of Holies’ and Torah, and the manner in which they descend from World to World, does the Alter Rebbe use the terms, ‘Malchut of Atzilut…,’ ‘Malchut of Beriah…,’ and so on. For inasmuch as he finds support for this in Etz Chayim he uses the terminology of Etz Chayim — Malchut (and not Shechinah, and the like). The Tanya itself, however, does not adopt the style of Kabbalistic writings.”

4.Parentheses are in the original text.

5.The Rebbe notes: “Possibly this alludes only to Torah. See above, ch. 4, where exactly the same expression is used. See also beginning of ch. 53: ‘The Supernal Wisdom of Atzilut, which is the totality of the Torah.’ — This matter requires further investigation.”

6.Parentheses are in the original text.

7.Iggeret HaKodesh, on the third page of Epistle 25.

8.The Rebbe explains why the Alter Rebbe has added, “that we possess,” i.e., the Talmud that we possess here, in this world. Possibly, he says, this was added in order to anticipate a question that might arise from ch. 23 above. There the Alter Rebbe says that Torah is the illumination of the blessed Ein Sof, for “He is the Knower….” This indicates that Torah is wholly one with G‑d Himself. How, then, can it be said that the Talmud emanates from a level and Sefirah no higher than the World of Beriah?

The Alter Rebbe therefore explains that this refers only to the Talmud “that we possess,” as man studies it in this world. This concept sits well with the statement in ch. 23, that the laws are “particular streams flowing from the inner Supreme Will itself” — but an emanation from the Supreme Will. The Rebbe also cites the Alter Rebbe’s second note to ch. 40, which says that the core and the essence of the Supreme Will is in Atzilut, and only a glow therefrom radiates to each World according to its rank.

9.The Rebbe addresses the question of why the Alter Rebbe repeats, “By virtue of the clothing of Malchut of Atzilut in Malchut of Beriah,” when it had already been stated: “Through the fact that [the latter Sefirot] clothe themselves in the Malchut of Beriah….”

He answers: The vestment spoken of earlier is much milder and conceals little. From it, therefore, there only come about entities of the World of Beriah such as the souls and angels of that World, or the part of Torah connected with that World — the World of Beriah being on the level of a “world of concealment.”

The vestment which the Alter Rebbe speaks of here is so much stronger and conceals so much more, that through this concealment creatures of the World of Yetzirah come into being — the World of Yetzirah being on the much lower level of a “world of manifestation.”

The Rebbe provides an additional answer, which because of its complexity will be presented in capsule form.

There are two manners in which the Shechinah (Malchut of Atzilut) may clothe itself in the Malchut of every World. The actual manner in which it vests itself depends on its goal. When the vestment takes place in order to create creatures of that World itself (for example, when the Shechinah vests itself in Malchut of Beriah in order to create angels and souls of the World of Beriah), then the Shechinah first clothes itself in the ChaBaD of that World. Only after vesting itself there will it clothe itself in Malchut.

In such a situation, the prior vestment in ChaBaD is indispensable, just as in the analogy of body and soul, the vitality of all parts of the body derives from the brain — ChaBaD.

However, when the Shechinah vests itself in the Malchut of a lower World not for the sake of the World itself, but only in order to be able to descend into an even lower World (for example, when Malchut of Atzilut vests itself in Malchut of Beriah, in order to be later able to vest itself in Malchut of Yetzirah), then the vestment is direct: the Shechinah descends directly into the Malchut of the lower World.

Even if it were argued that in this instance too there must be some manner of prior vestment in ChaBaD of that World, still, in the subsequent vestment of the Shechinah in Malchut, no real effect of the prior vestment in ChaBaD is felt. At any rate, this lesser effect is present only to the degree necessary to enable the Shechinah to clothe itself in Malchut of the lower World.

This is why, when the Alter Rebbe begins discussing the World of Yetzirah, he first says, “By virtue of the clothing of Malchut of Atzilut in Malchut of Beriah.” This he does in order to emphasize that the vestment of the Shechinah in Malchut of Beriah is a direct (or at least a more direct) vestment, since it is not for the sake of Beriah itself, but rather for the sake of Yetzirah.

10.Note of the Rebbe: “For all of Torah is wisdom of the blessed Ein Sof, for which reason ‘Torah and G‑d are truly one.’ This is why the distinctive quality of Torah surpasses even that of the mitzvot, as explained in many places in the Tanya.”

11.The division of stages into (a), (b) and (c) is by the Rebbe; so too the repetition of “Malchut of Atzilut” in each and every one. It seems that the Rebbe is thereby indicating that the vestment in the Holy of Holies of each World relates to Malchut of Atzilut, and not to the Malchut of the lower Worlds in which Malchut of Atzilut vests itself. This corresponds with what the Alter Rebbe says further: “…and from the Shechinah which is clothed in the shrine of the Holy of Holies….”

12.Note of the Rebbe: “For before this there were no Worlds (this being the meaning of ‘In the beginning’ — at the beginning point of creation — from non-being to being).”