Wednesday Nissan 9 5703
Torah Lessons (5703)	Chumash: Metzora, Revi'i with Rashi. Tehillim: 49-54. Tanya: And although fear (p. 203)...at length elsewhere. (p. 205).

Jewish wealth is not houses and gold. The everlasting Jewish wealth is: Being Jews who keep Torah and Mitzvot, and bringing into the world children and grandchildren who keep Torah and Mitzvot.

[Having explained that Beriah is the abode of souls that served G-d with intellectual love and fear, and Yetzirah - of souls that served Him with natural love and fear, the Alter Rebbe will now discuss the divine service of those souls whose abode is the World of Atzilut.

The quality of their divine service, he explains, surpasses even that of intellectual love and fear.

This is the level of those tzaddikim who become veritable "chariots" for G-d: they have no will save His Will, and their every act testifies to their utter self-nullification before Him].

The World of Atzilut is beyond the intelligence, grasp and understanding of a created being's intellect.

[Even a spiritual being in the World of Beriah is after all a created being, and Atzilut is beyond its grasp as well].

For the Chochmah, Binah and Daat of the Ein Sof are united with Him there [in Atzilut] in perfect unity, in a profound and wonderful unity infinitely superior to that [unity] found in Beriah.

For there they descended to illuminate [only] to a restricted "[contracted]" degree.

[The ChaBaD of Atzilut (referred to here as "ChaBaD of Ein Sof") radiate in Beriah only after their light is "contracted]", so as to enable the intellect of created beings [namely, the angels and souls of Beriah] to receive ChaBaD - [wisdom, understanding and knowledge] - from [these Sefirot of Atzilut], so that they might know G-d, and so that they might grasp and comprehend something of the Ein Sof-light, to the extent that the intellect of finite, limited, created beings is capable of understanding.

[To achieve this purpose a "contraction" of ChaBaD of Atzilut was necessary], lest they [the created beings of Beriah] dissolve out of existence and lest they furthermore cease altogether to exist as created beings, reverting instead to their source and root, namely G-dliness itself.

[Were the ChaBaD of Atzilut to shine forth in Beriah without being "contracted", allowing the creatures of Beriah to grasp G-dliness as it radiates in the Sefirot of Atzilut, these creatures would be overwhelmed by the G-dly illumination beyond their capacity to absorb, and would dissolve out of existence.

Hence, the Alter Rebbe will now continue, it is only the G-dliness in a "contracted" ChaBaD that creatures of Beriah can grasp and absorb (and even then, only to the extent of their limited capacity); the light of ChaBaD in its pristine state, as in Atzilut, is beyond them].

This contraction [which ChaBaD of Atzilut undergo in order to radiate in Beriah] thus causes the souls in the World of Beriah to be illuminated by a glow of ChaBaD of Ein Sof [i.e., ChaBaD of Atzilut; it is this contraction that enables them to have some perception of the Ein Sof-light].

The created intellectual beings [of Beriah] cannot, however, apprehend ChaBaD as they are [i.e., in all their undimmed intensity] in the World of Atzilut, where the ChaBaD are not contracted to such a great degree [as in Beriah.

"To such a great degree" - for the very fact of their being Sefirot (i.e., individual, defined categories) indicates that ChaBaD are merely contracted, limited manifestations of the undefinable Ein Sof; the degree of contraction, however, is much less than that of Beriah, and therefore the creatures of Beriah cannot receive intellectual illumination from ChaBaD of Atzilut].

Therefore, their thought cannot grasp there at all, [i.e., the thought and intellect of the created beings of Beriah can in no way grasp the light radiating in Atzilut].

For this reason, [Atzilut] is the abode of the great tzaddikim, whose service of G-d is far superior even to fear and love derived from understanding and knowing His greatness, just as Atzilut transcends by far the level of the understanding and knowledge of a created being's intellect.

Their service is, rather, on the level of an actual "chariot" of the blessed Ein Sof, nullifying their very existence before Him, and incorporating themselves, and all that they possess, within His light, through the observance of the Torah and the mitzvot.

Our Sages applied such a description to the Patriarchs, saying that [6] "they themselves constituted the divine chariot," for this was the Patriarchs' level of service, throughout their lives.

[The Patriarchs were constantly in that state of self-nullification before G-d denoted by the term "chariot".

Similarly, in the case of the tzaddikim spoken of here.

Through their Torah and mitzvot, they effect the highest degree of self-nullification before G-d in themselves and in all their affairs.

The abode of their souls, therefore, is likewise in a World pervaded with this spirit of self-nullification, namely the World of Atzilut].

But he whose soul's root is of too limited a capacity for this perfect service [on the level of a "chariot]", so that through his service of Torah and mitzvot he be constantly nullified before and absorbed in G-d's light, [he can therefore attain this state] only intermittently and [only] at times of divine favor on high, such as during the Shemoneh-Esreh prayer, which is at the level of Atzilut.

[The four rungs in the ladder of prayer correspond to the four Worlds: The prayers preceding Baruch She'amar correspond to Asiyah; the Psalms of Praise to Yetzirah; the Shema to Beriah, and the Shemoneh-Esreh (Amida) is at the level of Atzilut].

And especially when bowing in [the four designated places in] this prayer, [the Amida], for every such act of bowing represents the level of Atzilut ([7] as is written in Pri Etz Chayim, in the section dealing with the welcoming of the Sabbath), for it embodies the idea of self-nullification in G-d's light - to be accounted as absolutely naught before Him.

[In the case of he who can attain the level of a "chariot" only at such propitious times], then even at these times, the principal abode of his soul is in the World of Beriah [for we are dealing here with a soul associated with the World of Beriah], ([7] and only occasionally, at a time of divine favor, will his soul rise to Atzilut as "feminine waters," as is known to the initiates of Kabbalah).

   

Notes:

6. (Back to text) Bereishit Rabbah 47:6; Zohar I, 210b.

7. (Back to text) Parentheses were in the original text.

Positive Mitzvah 166: Resting on the First Day of Sukkot
Leviticus 23:35 "On the first day, there shall be a holy gathering"

We are commanded to regard the first day of Sukkot as a holy day. We must rest and stop all weekday activity (see Negative Mitzvah 327).

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Negative Mitzvah 327: It is forbidden to work on Sukkot
Leviticus 23:34-35 "The festival of Sukkot... you shall do no servile work"

We are commanded not to do work on the first day of Sukkot.

Outside of Eretz Yisrael, this Negative Mitzvah applies to the second day, as well, which is still Yom-Tov.

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Positive Mitzvah 167: Resting on the Eighth Day of Sukkot
Leviticus 23:36 "On the eighth day, there shall be a holy gathering for you"

We are commanded to regard the eighth day of Sukkot as a sacred day. We must rest and stop all weekday activity (see Negative Mitzvah 328).

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Negative Mitzvah 328: It is forbidden to work on Shemini Atzeret
Leviticus 23:36 "On the eighth day...you shall do no servile work"

We are commanded not to do work on the eighth day of Sukkot.

This is the holiday of Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah.

Outside of Eretz Yisrael, these are two separate holidays and we may not work on either of them.

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Introduction to Mitzvot 197 - 201

The Prohibitions against "Chametz"

The holiday of Pesach marks the Exodus of the Jewish People from Egypt and the birth of our nation.

The Torah speaks about Pesach many times and gives us many Mitzvot which must be followed during Pesach.

One of the most important Mitzvot of Pesach is not to eat or own any "chametz" - leavened dough.

"Chametz" symbolizes something which has risen high; someone who is proud and haughty.

The Egyptians were a conceited and proud people who worshipped idols.

They refused to accept HaShem, the only One G-d.

Indeed, Pharaoh, the king of Egypt asked, "Who is G-d and why should I listen to Him?"

HaShem answered Pharaoh's question by taking the Jews out of Egypt, splitting the Red Sea, and drowning the mighty Egyptian army.

On Pesach, when we remove all our "chametz" we confirm our acceptance and belief in HaShem, the One and only G-d.

The following Mitzvot caution us not to eat or own "chametz" on Pesach.

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Negative Mitzvah 199: It is forbidden to eat Chametz after noontime on the Fourteenth of Nissan
Deuteronomy 16:3 "You shall eat no leavened bread with it"

We are forbidden to eat any Chametz after noontime on the fourteenth day of Nissan.

This is the time when the sacrifice for Passover is brought in the Beit HaMikdash. It is forbidden to offer the Paschal Sacrifice while still eating or owning Chametz.

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The great tzaddik, Rabbi Zusia of Anipoli, learned seven things from a thief:

1. A thief goes quietly. So too, Zusia did not show off his accomplishments.

2. A thief puts his life on the line to do what he has to do. Zusia did the same to help a fellow human being.

3. Every detail is crucial to a thief. Zusia never overlooked any opportunity to do a good deed or learn from some experience.

4. A thief works hard. Zusia studied, prayed and meditated just as hard.

5. A thief works efficiently. Zusia never wasted precious time.

6. A thief is optimistic and ever hopeful. And so was Zusia.

7. If the first attempt does not succeed, a thief will return to try again. Zusia never gave up.

From: Bringing Heaven Down to Earth by Tzvi Freeman - tzvif@aol.com