אבל ההשראה

Indwelling, however, i.e., that degree of indwelling of which it is written that “the Shechinah dwells among them,”

היא הארה עצומה מאור ה׳, המאיר בה בלי גבול ותכלית

is an intense radiation from the light of G‑d, that radiates in it — within the soul itself, and not within its inherently limited faculties — without limit or end.

ואינו יכול להתלבש בנפש גבולית, כי אם מקיף עליה מלמעלה, מראשה ועד רגלה

It cannot become vested (i.e., integrated and internalized) within a finite soul, but encompasses it from above, like a transcendent (makkif) light, “from its head to its foot,” so that all the levels and faculties of the soul, from the highest to the lowest, are surrounded by this infinite Divine light.

כמו שאמרו חז״ל: אכל בי עשרה שכינתא שריא, כלומר: עליהם, מלמעלה

As our Sages, of blessed memory, taught,30 “The Shechinah hovers over every gathering of ten Jews” — over them, from above.

Just as the Shechinah hovers over all Jews in an encompassing manner even when they are not studying Torah, so, too, even with regard to the indwelling of the Shechinah that is brought about by congregational Torah study: this illumination of the soul, being infinite, must be primarily transcendent.

כמו שכתוב: ויהי נועם ה׳ אלקינו עלינו, ומעשה ידינו כוננה עלינו

Thus it is written,31 “May the pleasantness of the L‑rd our G‑d be upon us; establish upon us the work of our hands”;

כלומר: כי נועם ה׳ אשר הופיע במעשה ידינו, בעסק התורה והמצות

i.e., [we ask] that the pleasantness of G‑d which has appeared through the work of our hands, in [our] involvement in the Torah and the commandments32 —

דאורייתא וקודשא בריך הוא כולא חד

for33 “the Torah and the Holy One, blessed be He, are entirely one” —

יתכונן וישרה עלינו מלמעלה

become established and rest upon us from above, in an encompassing manner,

להיותו בלי גבול ותכלית, ואינו מתלבש בנפשנו ושכלנו

for it is without limit and end, and does not become vested within our [finite] soul and intellect.

ועל כן אין אנו משיגים בשכלנו הנעימות והעריבות מנועם ה׳ וזיו השכינה בלי גבול ותכלית

This is why we do not apprehend with our intellect the delightfulness and sweetness of “the pleasantness of G‑d,” and the unlimited splendor of the Shechinah,

אשר מתכונן ושורה עלינו במעשה ידינו בתורה ומצות ברבים דוקא

that is established and rests upon us through the work of our hands, in [our] joint study of the Torah and [our] joint fulfillment of the commandments.

An infinite order of illumination is elicited only by collective Torah study and performance of mitzvot.

ועל זה אמרו רז״ל: שכר מצוה בהאי עלמא ליכא

And of this our Sages, of blessed memory, said,34 “In this world there is no reward for the [performance of the] commandments.”

Since this world is finite, it cannot be a receptor for the infinite revelation of Divine radiance that is called forth by the performance of the mitzvot.

כי אי אפשר לעולם להשיגו, כי אם בהתפשטות הנפש מהגוף

For it is impossible for the world to attain it (i.e., the reward of infinite light) except when the soul is divested from the body and unencumbered by it;

ואף גם זאת, על דרך החסד, כמו שכתוב: ולך ה׳ חסד, כי אתה תשלם לאיש כמעשהו

and even then, [the soul is able to receive this light only] by way of grace; as it is written,35 “Kindness, O G‑d, is Yours, for You render to every man according to his work.”36 I.e., granting every man an infinite degree of illumination according to his work in Torah and mitzvot is an act of kindness on G‑d’s part.

וכמו שאמרו רז״ל: שהקב״ה נותן כח בצדיקים כו׳

Thus our Sages, of blessed memory, taught37 that the Holy One, blessed be He, gives the righteous the capacity [to receive their reward in the World to Come].

Even then this gift is needed, for even after the soul divests itself of its body it is finite, while the reward that it receives is infinite.

מה שאין כן במלאכים

This is not so, however, with the angels,38 which are incapable of receiving an infinite degree of revelation;

כמו ששמעתי מרבותי, כי אילו נמצא מלאך אחד עומד במעמד עשרה מישראל ביחד, אף שאינם מדברים בדברי תורה

as I heard from my masters, viz., the Baal Shem Tov and the Maggid of Mezritch, that if one39 angel40 were to stand in the presence of a gathering of ten Jews, even if there were no words of Torah between them, yet still, since the Shechinah rests upon every gathering of ten Jews,

תפול עליו אימתה ופחד בלי גבול ותכלית, משכינתא דשריא עלייהו, עד שהיה מתבטל ממציאותו לגמרי

such a boundless and infinite terror and dread would then befall him on account of the Shechinah that abides over them, that he would become utterly nullified.

The sanctity of ten Jews congregating together, even if they are not engaged in Torah study, is so intense, than an angel would become utterly nullified when confronting the indwelling of the Shechinah that abides in the presence of ten Jews.41

In Sefer HaSichot 5704,42 the Rebbe Rayatz relates that when his father taught him this letter for the second time, and they came to the above theme of the superiority of souls over angels, he noted that “As I heard from my masters” refers to both the Baal Shem Tov and the Maggid of Mezritch; the phrase “I heard from my teacher” (in the gloss to ch. 35) refers to the Maggid of Mezritch.

The Rebbe Rashab went on to tell him that this theme is one of the laws that are studied in Gan Eden.

Then, having shared with him eight narratives regarding the laws studied in Gan Eden, he concluded: “And all this is discussed in Tanya in order to [encourage] the establishment of daily study groups in Ein Yaakov, concerning which the Alter Rebbe states that most of the secrets of the Torah are concealed in it, and that moreover it atones for man’s sins.

At that time, too, the Rebbe Rayatz writes,43 his father told him that chassidim of old used to include as part of their indispensable daily study sessions — in addition to Mishnayot, a page of Gemara, and Tanya — a passage of Ein Yaakov, and at least one law (of two paragraphs) in Kitzur Shulchan Aruch.44 If a paragraph was long, it was studied as one law, though usually one law is divided there into two paragraphs.

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ועל כן רע בעיני המעשה אשר נעשה תחת השמש בכלל

Therefore, evil in my eyes is45 “the conduct that takes place under the sun” in general,

The Alter Rebbe is referring here to those who engage in business or labor — temporal occupations that are “under the sun,” in contrast to Torah, that is “above the sun.” To them, too, his forthcoming words of rebuke are addressed, and he finds it “evil in his eyes” that before or after prayer they devote their time to lightminded talk instead of to Torah study.

ובפרט בין אחיי ורעיי הנגשים אל ה׳, הגשה זו תפלה

especially among my brethren and friends who draw near to G‑d46 — and47 “drawing near means prayer,” for prayer, particularly when accompanied by the avodah of measured meditation, constitutes a “drawing near” to G‑d,

ואחר תפלה או לפניה, נעשה מושב לצים, רחמנא ליצלן

when after prayer or before it, [the gathering] becomes a “company of scoffers,” heaven forfend.

כמו שאמרו רז״ל: שנים שיושבים, ואין ביניהם דברי תורה כו׳

As our Sages, of blessed memory, said,48 “If two people sit together and no words of Torah are exchanged between them, [this is a company of scoffers].”

ואם נעשה מושב לצים בעשרה, דשכינתא שריא עלייהו, אין לך עלבונא וקלנא דשכינתא גדול מזה, רחמנא ליצלן

Now if a “company of scoffers” is constituted by ten people, over whom the Shechinah abides, there is no greater insult and shaming of the Shechinah than that, heaven forfend.

ואם אמרו רז״ל על העובר עבירה בסתר, שדוחק רגלי השכינה, חס ושלום

And if our Sages, of blessed memory, said49 of him who commits a transgression in secret that “he repulses the feet of the Shechinah,” heaven forfend,

העובר עבירה ברבים דוחק כל שיעור קומה של יוצר בראשית, כביכול

then he who commits a transgression in public repulses the whole measure of the stature of the Creator, as it were.50

כמו שאמרו רז״ל: אין אני והוא וכו׳

As our Sages, of blessed memory, said,51 “It is impossible for Me and him [to live together in the world].”

But repulsing the Shechinah does not mean that the actions of the transgressor cause it to be utterly absent, for the above passage speaks of shaming the Shechinah while it is present.

אלא שמלך אסור ברהטים כו׳

Rather,52 “The King is held captive in the gutters”53 [“of the mind”54] — shackled in the channels of people’s unworthy thoughts which, like gushing currents, flash fleetingly through the mind. This is indeed a humiliation of the Shechinah.

אבל ווי למאן דדחקין לשכינתא, כד יוקים לה קודשא בריך הוא, ויימא לה: התנערי מעפר קומי וגו׳

But55 woe unto those who repulse the Shechinah, when G‑d will raise her (the Shechinah) and say to her,56 “Awake, arise from the dust….”

ועל תלת מילין מתעכבי ישראל בגלותא: על דדחקין לשכינתא, ועל דעבדין קלנא בשכינתא וכו׳, כמו שכתוב בזוהר הקדוש

So, too, “On account of three things are the Jewish people detained in exile — because they repulse the Shechinah, and because they shame the Shechinah,” and so on, as stated in the sacred Zohar.57

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