1. Light to Replenish, Light to Add.

Shabbos Bereishis[333] is a continuation of the festivals of the month of Tishrei in general, and of Shemini Atzeres and Simchas Torah in particular. This continuity is discussed in a letter written by my revered father-in-law, the Rebbe [Rayatz], and published in honor of the day after Yom Kippur, in the [recent] kuntreis of Chag HaSukkos.[334]

The letter was actually written in 5689 [1928], but what difference does it make if it was written several years ago? Quite the contrary! Our Sages teach that[335] "the minds of elders are gratified by old wine." In the language of Chassidus, wine represents reasoned understanding;[336] in the language of the Sages,[337] zaken (lit., "an elder") is "one who has acquired wisdom" (zeh shekanah chochmah). Hence, to speak metaphorically of a teaching which explains the reasons underlying the Torah: the older it becomes, the more does it gratify the minds of mellow scholars.

At any rate, the above letter includes a directive: "Let the entire [chassidic] community assemble on the joyous days [...] of Shemini Atzeres and Simchas Torah [...], and also -- by way of replenishing and adding[338] to 'the light which is good'[339] -- on Shabbos Bereishis."[340] This means that Shabbos Bereishis serves to replenish and add to 'the light which is good,' relative to the preceding joyous days [...] of Shemini Atzeres and Simchas Torah.

2. Alone In His World.

Let us consider these terms more closely.

Hashlamah signifies making good any outstanding gaps in one's avodah. Tosefes means that even if one has properly done everything that was required of him, he should add to his efforts even further. The phrase "adding to the light" makes it clear that it is light that must be added. The phrase "adding to the light which is good" specifies a sublime level of light, for the Torah uses this phrase (or ki tov) to describe the light that was created on the first day of Creation, when[341] "the Holy One, blessed be He, alone existed in His world," yachid beolamo. (This was341 before the eventual creation of the angels. At that time the creation of heaven and earth -- for these were created on the first day[342] -- took place at a level so sublime that any possibility of two reigning authorities was unthinkable.) Because at that time G-d alone existed in His world, the Torah calls the first day[343] yom echad. This phrase, which ordinarily means "one day," is also understood by the Sages341 to mean "the day of Him Who is One."

3. Through Torah, Tzaddikim Leap Over Time.

What does this really mean?

Concerning "the light which is good" the Sages teach that[344] "G-d hid it away for the tzaddikim in the Time to Come." To this the Baal Shem Tov added:[345] "And where did He hide it? -- In the Torah." This means that in the Torah there is now hidden the light that will be present in the Time to Come. Accordingly, by means of the Torah it is possible, even now, to attain a revelation of the light of the Time to Come.

Why is this so?

The Jewish people and the Torah and the Holy One, blessed be He, are all one.[346] Just as G-d[347] "was, is, and will be, simultaneously," so too is this true of the Torah -- which is why the light of the Time to Come is hidden in it now. The same is also true of tzaddikim, for in them the oneness of the Jewish people and G-d is manifest: in them the light of the Time to Come is present even now, for they transcend the bounds of time.

4. A Peek Into Tomorrow.

Parenthetically: The above enables us to understand the[348] "incident involving the Baal Shem Tov's brother-in-law, R. Gershon of Kitov..., where the Baal Shem Tov wrote him concerning the whole episode before it actually took place."

In a higher world, time transcends its transient bounds. When he wrote, the Baal Shem Tov was in the World of Yetzirah, "in which 15 years can be incorporated in one glance."[349] The question, however arises: Why did the Baal Shem Tov not write that this episode would take place in the future?

The explanation is that tzaddikim do not exist as self-sufficient entities: their entire existence is G-dliness.

Maamarim of Chassidus in general,[350] and maamarim of my revered father-in-law, the Rebbe [Rayatz],[351] in particular, discuss the statement in the Zohar:[352] maan pnei ha'adon Havayah? – da Rashbi. Now, how can such a phrase be applied to a created being? The explanation: The phrase can be applied to Rashbi, because he annulled his own identity so completely that he no longer existed as an independent entity.[353]

The phrase "was, is, and will be, simultaneously," thus also relates to tzaddikim, just as it applies (as it were) to G-d. This is why the Baal Shem Tov did not write that this episode would take place in the future -- because for him this was the present.

5. Exactly Where Did He Hide It?

To revert (a little more deeply) to the above teachings[354] -- that "G-d hid away ['the light which is good'] for the tzaddikim in the Time to Come"; and "Where did He hide it? -- In the Torah."

The light of the Time to Come which G-d hid in the Torah is to be found in the pnimiyus, in the innermost dimension of the Torah -- the Tree of Life[355] -- which transcends the nigleh, the Torah's revealed dimension.[356]

Likewise: the above statement specifies that G-d hid away the light for the tzaddikim. The quintessential level of tzaddik (viz., Yesod Olam, which is higher than the Sefirah of Malchus) is attained specifically by means of the pnimiyus of the Torah; by this means one comes to transcend the bounds of time.

That is to say: By means of the pnimiyus of the Torah (as it is taught, "He hid [the light] in the Torah") tzaddikim come into being, and by means of it they attain a revelation of the light of the Time to Come.

6. While in This World, Behold the World to Come.

This concept -- that now, too, one can attain a revelation of the light of the Time to Come -- must also be alluded to in nigleh, in the revealed dimension of the Torah.

In the first instance: There is a Talmudic principle that if nothing basic is lacking in the commodity concerned,[357] "[Fleece] which is about to be shorn may be regarded as if already shorn." In such a case, a related principle applies: Though the absence of a certain required activity may invalidate the observance of a commandment, the fact that the requisite time for its observance has not yet arrived does not invalidate it.[358]

Elsewhere, the Gemara alludes to the above concept more explicitly (and in fact on our very subject, viz., the revelation of future light in the present):[359] "There were three men in this world whom G-d allowed to savor an anticipatory echo of the World to Come -- Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov." Now, Tanna dvei Eliyahu Rabbah[360] writes that "every single Jew is obliged to say, 'When will my deeds come to equal the deeds of my forefathers, Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov?'" It is thus clear that every single Jew has the potential to taste, while in this world, something resembling the spiritual bliss of the World to Come.

And if someone should argue that Tanna dvei Eliyahu Rabbah is not a book of legal decisions, one may cite the Gemara in Berachos[361] which records one of the blessings with which departing scholars used to take their leave of R. Ami: "May you behold your World during your lifetime." We see here that the Babylonian Talmud speaks definitively of a state in which one may behold, during his lifetime, his World -- an allusion to the revelations of the World to Come.

7. This is Not a Time to Sit Back.

In the above-quoted letter[362] my revered father-in-law, the Rebbe [Rayatz], urges chassidim to "replenish and add to 'the light which is good' -- on Shabbos Bereishis."

If there are tasks in avodah which were not accomplished in the course of the festivals of the month of Tishrei, they can be compensated for on Shabbos Bereishis; and even if all the tasks of Tishrei were duly accomplished, let no one think that it is time to sit back and await his reward. Every individual should now be adding to those labors.

This applies to his avodah on Rosh HaShanah in the acceptance of the yoke of heaven;[363] it applies to his avodah of repentance on Yom Kippur; also to his avodah during the four days between Yom Kippur and Sukkos, when[364] "all Israel are busy with mitzvos, this one with his sukkah and that one with his lulav." (This is why Sukkos is called[365] "the first day," implying [as a fresh start after all one's old accounts have been cleared away]364 "the first [day] on the [new] account of sins.") It also applies to one's avodah on Sukkos, "the time of our rejoicing,"[366] and to his avodah on Shemini Atzeres and Simchas Torah, concerning which it is written,[367] "They shall be for You alone and there will no strangers with You."[368]

In all these areas of his avodah everyone should continue to increase "the light which is good" -- the light of the first day, when "the Holy One, blessed be He, alone existed in His world," for it was this light, which was created on the first day, that He "hid away for the tzaddikim in the Time to Come." And it is this light, writes the Rebbe [Rayatz], that can be elicited and drawn down on Shabbos Bereishis.

8. The Parable of a Train.

The whole gamut of avodah throughout the festivals of Tishrei, up to and including the replenishment and increase of the "light which is good" on Shabbos Bereishis, may be compared to a train journey.

A man in a hurry either takes an express train that speeds him to his destination nonstop, or the more common kind of train that picks up additional passengers who did not board it at the first station. The latter kind of train also serves travelers who cannot bear the speed of an express journey.

The stations along the way are also of two kinds. There are minor stations at which the train stops for only a few moments. At major stations it stops for a longer period so that it can be loaded with bulky baggage. Taking animals on board -- oxen, sheep, goats, donkeys or horses -- requires a really long time, because they are afraid of the train and the siren and the journey. (In fact their fear is well grounded, because when they arrive at their destination they will become man's flesh and blood, and lose their animalistic identity....) Because they take so long, they are taken on board only at the major stations, where all kinds of things are loaded.

Before the journey begins a siren is sounded, for the benefit of waiting passengers who are busy with their luggage or who have completely forgotten that they have to travel somewhere. After a second and third blast of the siren, the train begins to move slowly: it means business.... Only then does it gather speed and set out.

Now, everything in the physical world is the way that it is, because that is the way that it is in its spiritual root. Accordingly, let us seek to understand the spiritual root of our subject.

9. Only In a Body Can a Soul Gather Speed.

The train's speed alludes to the ultimate reason for which man was created and for which his soul descended to this world -- that as a result of his avodah down here he should become a mehalech, someone who progresses.[369] Angels are known as omdim (lit., "those who stand"),[370] for even though they stand in love and awe of G-d for 2000 years, and for another 2000 years, and for another nearly 2000 years, and even ascend from one level to the next, their various ascents are orderly and graded. Before souls are dispatched to this world, they too are described as omdim (lit., "those who stand"), as in the verse,[371] "By the life of G-d... before whom I stood." It is only by descending into this world and being garbed in a body, and toiling with both soul and flesh, that a soul becomes a mehalech -- because this embodiment makes possible an ascent that leaps far beyond any gradual and orderly upgrading. Once it is garbed in a body, the soul takes a leap out of Seder Hishtalshelus (the chainlike scheme of descent by which the divine light is progressively contracted) into a realm that transcends it -- until a point at which the soul becomes[372] "absorbed in the person of the King," so to speak, and reaches the very Essence and Being of the Infinite One.[373]

Moreover, just as there are two kinds of train, regular and express, so too the soul can embark on the above-described odyssey by either of two modes -- be'itah and achishenah.

[The Gemara[374] confronts the juxtaposition of these terms as follows. "It is written,[375] 'In its time' [i.e., the Redemption will come at its appointed time], but [immediately thereafter] it is also written, 'I shall hasten it.' [Yet there is no contradiction:] If [the Jewish people] are found worthy, then G-d will hasten it; if they are not found worthy, it will come in its time."][376]

These two modes are exemplified in Yaakov Avinu's parting words to Eisav. Yaakov for his part was already prepared to proceed to Mount Seir. However, he explained,[377] "the children are tender, and I am responsible for the nursing sheep and cattle, and if they are driven hard for even one day all the sheep will die." Therefore, he concluded,[378] "I shall make my way slowly." In other words, the journey toward the Redemption ("And deliverers shall go up to Mount Zion to judge the Mount of Eisav"[379]) must proceed gradually, by the mode of be'itah -- "in its time."

10. Days of Awe, Days of Dancing.

In our analogy, the train sounded a siren before it set out, it stopped at stations along the way, and so on. These details, too, have their parallels in the various festivals of Tishrei.

We should first note a statement of my revered father-in-law, the Rebbe [Rayatz]:[380] "The month of Tishrei is the all-embracing head of all the months. It includes days which serve as roots and sources for the entire year: Rosh HaShanah is the root and source for one's awe of G-d...; Yom Kippur -- for repentance and forgiveness and atonement; the seven days of Sukkos -- for the love of G-d and for joy; and so on."

These days may be divided into two general categories: days of awe, during which one's avodah is characterized by tears of contrition, and days of joy ("the time of our rejoicing"366), during which avodah is characterized by exuberant dancing. As explained by my revered father-in-law, the Rebbe [Rayatz],[381] the same spiritual goals which are attained on Rosh HaShanah by a contrite frame of mind, are attained on Shemini Atzeres and Simchas Torah by means of joy.

These different approaches to avodah correspond to the various kinds of compartments which are made to suit the needs of the various kinds of passengers and freight.

11. Forty Days and Twelve Days.

To consider this in greater detail: First comes the preparatory avodah which is undertaken in the month of Elul, when it is customary to sound the Shofar in order to rouse people to teshuvah. As it is written,[382] "Could a Shofar be sounded in the city and the people not shudder?!" In truth, of course, a person should really spend[383] "all his days in teshuvah," except that in Elul people feel aroused to do this. The period given for this is forty days (from Rosh Chodesh Elul until Yom Kippur) -- as with the people of Nineveh:[384] if they would return to G-d, well and good; if not... (and so on, as is stated there).

In particular, every individual is given the twelve days from Chai Elul to the eve of Rosh HaShanah, one day for each of the twelve months of the bygone year; during these days one can rectify and complete the tasks of those months.[385]

12. Woodcutters and Waterdrawers.

After the month of Elul comes Rosh HaShanah, when the sounding of the Shofar continues to rouse people to teshuvah.[386]

One of the differences between these times is that during Elul one sounds ten blasts. These may be perceived as corresponding to the ten faculties of the soul which are aroused by the ten sounds. On Rosh HaShanah there are a hundred sounds. These correspond to the soul's ten faculties which each incorporate all the others -- for every particular facet of every aspect of the soul needs to be aroused.

The explanation for this is that on Rosh HaShanah "one must be particular about every detail" (as, for example, with the precise vocalization [in the phrase Zochreinu lechaim] of the word lechaim).[387] On Rosh HaShanah, therefore, ten sounds will not suffice -- so that no one should mistakenly think that it will suffice to rectify the ten faculties of the soul in a general kind of way, or that it will suffice to rectify only one of these tenfold faculties and to ignore the others. Rather, a hundred particular blasts must be sounded in order to arouse each of the ten component facets of each of the ten faculties of the soul.

Likewise with the ten kinds of Jews alluded to in the verse,[388] Atem nitzavim hayom kulchem... -- "You are standing this day" ('i.e., Rosh HaShanah'[389]), "all of you...: the heads [of] your tribes..., from your woodcutters to your waterdrawers." In this verse "the Torah enumerated ten levels,"[390] each of which incorporates all ten levels. Thus, in order that no one should mistakenly think that one can take [into account] ten levels of people all of whom belong to a single level, the level of "your heads," ignoring the other levels that include the woodcutters and waterdrawers, we sound a hundred blasts, corresponding to all ten levels which in turn each include ten sublevels -- i.e., all the particular levels that comprise the Jewish people.

13. The Right to Demand Forgiveness.

After Rosh HaShanah comes Yom Kippur, when (to quote the words of my revered father-in-law[391]) the transcendent spiritual diffusion[392] of "repentance and forgiveness and pardon"[393] is elicited.

The very concept of eliciting the makkif of forgiveness and pardon requires explanation. At first glance it would appear to differ from the eliciting of other makkifim, such as the makkif of repentance or of awe or of love or of joy; they all depend on the Divine service initiated by man, whereas forgiveness and pardon, it would seem, do not depend on man but come from above.

The explanation is that in truth even Divine forgiveness and pardon are linked to a man's service, for when he carries out his avodah of teshuvah as he should, he becomes master over this forgiveness and pardon. At this point he does not have to request it of G-d, but may demand it.

Along these lines we find a statement of the Sages:[394] "We have carried out that which You have decreed on us; You, too, carry out that which You are obliged to do." (The Kohanim customarily recite a similar prayer after the Priestly Blessing.[395]) This is pointed out by my revered father-in-law in the maamar of Chai Elul.[396]

14. Now is the Time.

After Yom Kippur come the four days between Yom Kippur and Sukkos. At this time, too, the service of teshuvah continues. As my revered father-in-law related,[397] one Motzaei Yom Kippur he entered the study of his father, the Rebbe Rashab, and asked: "And what now?" The Rebbe Rashab answered: "Right now is the time to do teshuvah!"

15. A Train You Can't Miss.

After the avodah of teshuvah has been carried out in all its particulars, it is time for the days of joy, zman simchaseinu -- "the season of our rejoicing."[398] This season comprises the seven days of Sukkos, as well as Shemini Atzeres and Simchas Torah, during which the dominant theme of man's service is joy.

To recall the analogy of the train which has different kinds of carriages for different kinds of passengers:[399] For those passengers who did not board the carriages labeled "Contrite Weeping" (because they are more inclined to serving G-d through joy, and they like dancing), another carriage is added, labeled "Joyful Dancing." If these people dance for the sake of Heaven, then they, too, will be able to board the train that is heading on its way to greet Mashiach.

16. Dazzled by Spiritual Experiences.

This entire sequence must then be followed by "replenishing and adding to 'the light which is good' -- on Shabbos Bereishis.[400]

First of all, as already mentioned,[401] the ultimate purpose -- the train's destination -- for which man was created and for which his soul made its descent is that he arrive at the Essential Being of the Infinite One.

This goal cannot be attained merely by the spiritual revelations[402] experienced during the month of Tishrei. Also required is the continuing activity known by the phrase, "And Yaakov went on his way"[403] -- on his way to the entire year's spiritual labors, for it is specifically through them that G-d's Essence can be drawn down into this world.

The problem is, that under the influence of the intense revelations of the festivals of Tishrei, both during the Days of Awe and during "the season of our rejoicing," a person can get so caught up in those revelations that when the time comes to step out and tackle the year's labors (through which alone the Divine Essence can be elicited), he will not do them justice.

A classic parable[404] compares his predicament to that of an individual who enters the royal palace in order to see the king, but as soon as he steps into the first outer chamber he is so dazzled by its grandeur that he forgets.... In truth, of course, one cannot say that someone can really forget about the King (G-d forbid). However, the fact is that this individual doesn't reach the king because he forgets to keep on walking, on account of all the genuinely good things that he finds in his present place. This can happen at a variety of levels. With one visitor, as soon as he sets foot in the first outer chamber he is dazzled and fixated. Another gets one step further, as far as the inner antechamber. Yet another continues walking through all the rooms of the palace until he reaches the king's throne room -- but because he is so engaged in gaping at the manifestations of the king's splendor, he never reaches the king himself.

Accordingly, there is a need to arouse those who are preoccupied with the spiritual manifestations experienced during the month of Tishrei. As my revered father-in-law explains in the maamar of Rosh HaShanah,[405] since the souls in Gan Eden are preoccupied with its spiritual revelations, they have to be wakened "in the middle of the night," for at that time "the Holy One, blessed be He, comes to revel in the company of the righteous in the Garden of Eden."[406]

This, then, is the meaning of "replenishing and adding... on Shabbos Bereishis." Those who did not manage to complete the spiritual tasks of Tishrei because of their preoccupation with its manifest experiences (or for other reasons) can still complete them on Shabbos Bereishis.

17. The Paradox of Shabbos Bereishis.

It is thus clear that Shabbos Bereishis has a certain superiority over the festivals of Tishrei.

It is true that Shabbos Bereishis is the "leftovers" of those festivals. (Indeed, we also observe on the material plane -- because that is how things are on the spiritual plane -- that when a housewife prepares drinks and refreshments for Yom-Tov, she calculates that she can prepare more than what is needed, and whatever is left over will go towards the Kiddush of Shabbos Bereishis.) And "leftovers" plainly suggests less than half of whatever was originally the main quantity.

We find, nevertheless, that mere leftovers can have a greater effect than the main entity itself. Thus, for example, we find that Elisha told the wife of Ovadiah,[407] "Go and sell the oil and pay your creditors, and you and your sons will live from whatever remains." Interpreting this verse, the Sages[408] ended it off thus: "...and you and your sons will live from whatever remains until the dead are resurrected." In other words, that which had been considered the main quantity sufficed only to pay off the creditors, whereas that which had been considered the leftovers sufficed to support the family not only for one or two or three years, but "until the dead are resurrected" -- and this will take place after the coming of Mashiach, after the construction of the Third Beis HaMikdash, and after the ingathering of all the exiles.[409] And until that time, the prophet assures her, she "will live from whatever remains"!

So, too, with Shabbos Bereishis: Though it is the "leftovers" of the festivals of Tishrei, its effect can be greater than theirs.

18. That's Elijah's Problem.

Shabbos Bereishis is not like any other Shabbos nor even like any other Shabbos Mevarchim. It is something quite different. As my revered father-in-law explains in the sichah of [last] erev Sukkos,[410] it is comprehensive: the spiritual light and vitality that are diffused on Shabbos Bereishis are continuous throughout the entire year.

Likewise, there is a saying of the Tzemach Tzedek: "In the way that one sets oneself up on Shabbos Bereishis, that's how things go throughout the year."[411]

Now, someone could well raise the objection[412] that a statement like this would appear to be more appropriate to Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur, and to Hoshana Rabbah through Shemini Atzeres, than to Shabbos Bereishis. As is stated in the Zohar,[413] the "notes" are given out in the Heavenly Court on Hoshana Rabbah and Shemini Atzeres, and that is when everything is closed and finalized. This objection, then, will be answered by Elijah the Prophet.

As the Tzemach Tzedek once remarked[414] (when someone had pointed out that the Gemara states that Eliyahu HaNavi cannot come on the eve of Shabbos), "Let him come already! And once he has come, he will unravel this halachic anomaly too."

19. A Strong Weakling?!

In the above letter of the day after Yom Kippur, my revered father-in-law continues to speak of the avodah which is demanded of every individual. In his words: "'Even the weakling shall say, I am strong,'[415] for every individual who takes the paved road is fortified with the strength of the luminous merit of our forebears, the Rebbeim."

This means that even though a particular individual may be weak, and indeed the Rebbe [Rayatz] himself describes him as being weak, nevertheless, when he treads the road which has been paved by our holy forebears, he can legitimately say I am strong, by virtue of their luminous merit.

It is true that we are speaking here of light, which by definition becomes more faint as it proceeds (as my revered father-in-law goes on to explain[416]). Nevertheless, "even the weakling shall say, I am strong" -- for though the light grows faint and he himself is weak, this is only from his part, but as far as the luminous merit of our holy forebears, the Rebbeim, is concerned, he is indeed strong.

20. To Secure a Sweet Year.

A little while ago (sec. 8), in the parable of the train, we distinguished between its major and minor stations. One of the major stations, at which everyone can board, together with all their baggage, so to speak, is Yud-Tes Kislev.

As the Rebbe [Rayatz] teaches,[417] Yud-Tes Kislev is the "Rosh HaShanah of Chassidus." To this he adds,[418] "May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year in the study of Chassidus and in the spiritual lifestyle of Chassidus."

From this it is clear that on Yud-Tes Kislev one can correct and compensate for anything lacking until that time.

Every single chassid should therefore make every effort in this direction, and thereby be assured that with the approach of Yud-Tes Kislev he and his wife and his family and all his affairs will be inscribed and sealed for a good and a sweet year. These blessings should then be utilized for the study of Chassidus and for a lifestyle that follows the paths of Chassidus, in the spirit of the teaching that "one should transform materiality into spirituality."[419]

Furthermore: The Alter Rebbe stated that the teachings of Chassidus do not belong to a particular party, but are intended for all Jews.[420] Accordingly, every single Jew should make this effort, and thereby be assured that with the approach of Yud-Tes Kislev he and all his family and all his affairs will be inscribed and sealed for a good and a sweet year. And all of this he should transform into ruchniyus.

21. Rebbe, Here is My Minyan.

Since there are several weeks left till Yud-Tes Kislev, when everyone can board the train, and when everyone is inscribed and sealed for a good year, I would like to make a suggestion.

This is addressed both to those who are present, and to those who are now not present -- especially to all those to whom the above-mentioned letter[421] of the day after Yom Kippur is addressed: "Our friends, Anash and the temimim; may G-d bless you with life." And who would not like to be included at least in the category of "our friends, may G-d bless you with life"?

I would like to suggest that by Yud-Tes Kislev every individual endeavor to influence at least a minyan of fellow Jews, in the realms of thought, word, and deed, each member of the minyan being influenced in all three areas, or at least in two or in one of them:

In the realm of action -- in whatever relates to the fulfillment of the practical mitzvos; in the realm of speech -- in whatever depends on speech, and since "the study of Torah is equal to them all,"[422] everyone should seek to inspire the members of his minyan to set aside fixed times for Torah study; and in the realm of thought -- in spiritual tasks that depend on thought, including one that relates to "the service of the heart," which is prayer.[423]

This minyan can also include minors, who are below the age of bar-mitzvah but who have reached an age at which they can be educated. As the Rosh writes,[424] even minors are counted in the ten people upon whom (as the Sages teach) the Divine Presence rests.[425]

Then, with the arrival of Yud-Tes Kislev -- the chassidic Rosh HaShanah, when (from the perspective of Chassidus) "you all stand firm this day" (which alludes to Rosh HaShanah) -- let every individual visualize the face of the Rebbe [Rayatz] and say, "Here is the minyan that I have gathered. In the words of the verse, all of you -- like one man, 'all the tribes of Israel together.'[426] This individual I have brought to a certain attainment in the realm of action; this individual -- in the realm of speech; this individual -- in the realm of thought."

And when all the tribes of Israel will (in the language of the above verse) come together, then (as in the other half of the same verse) there will be a king in Yeshurun, the Jewish people. And this in turn will prepare the way for the immediate fulfillment of the prophetic promise,[427] "G-d shall be King over the entire earth," with the true and complete Redemption, speedily and in our own days, Amen.

22. Ten Names: A Flow of Blessings.

With the approach of Yud-Tes Kislev, it would be appropriate that every individual send here the names of the minyan that he has gathered, together with their mothers' names, so that they should be mentioned at the holy resting place of my revered father-in-law, the Rebbe (May I serve as an atonement for his resting place!).

And since[428] "a tzaddik after his passing is more to be found than during his lifetime," "even in this world of action," the Rebbe will call down a flow of blessings so that that day will really be a gut Yom-Tov, so that all those who engage in this task -- together with all our brethren of the House of Israel -- will be inscribed and sealed for a good year in the study and spiritual lifestyle of Chassidus.

   

Notes:

333. (Back to text) The above account of the farbrengen of Shabbos Bereishis, Shabbos Mevarchim MarCheshvan, 5711 [1950], appears in the Hosafos (Addenda) to Likkutei Sichos, Vol. II, pp. 443ff.; 468ff.

334. (Back to text) It was reprinted in Sefer HaMaamarim 5711 [1951], p. 48, and again in his Igros Kodesh (Letters), Vol. II, p. 119.

335. (Back to text) In the original, yayin yoshan sheda'as z'keinim nochah heimenu; Megillah 16b, quoted by Rashi on Bereishis 45:23.

336. (Back to text) In the Holy Tongue, the same word (taam) signifies both [the pleasure of] taste and [the pleasure of grasping] the reason underlying something.

337. (Back to text) Kiddushin 32b.

338. (Back to text) In the original, the corresponding nouns are hashlamah and tosefes.

339. (Back to text) Bereishis 1:4.

340. (Back to text) In the original, the mention of this forthcoming date is followed by the traditional parenthetical blessing, haba'ah oleinu l'tovah -- "May it bring us good things!"

341. (Back to text) Rashi on Bereishis 1:5, based on Bereishis Rabbah 3:8.9.

342. (Back to text) See Rashi on Bereishis 1:6, 1:14, 1:24.

343. (Back to text) Bereishis 1:5.

344. (Back to text) In the original, ginzu ltzaddikim l'assid lavo; Chagigah 12a.

345. (Back to text) Cited in: Degel Machaneh Yehudah, Parshas Bereishis (and elsewhere); and in Keser Shem Tov, sec. 84. It is based on teachings of the Sages on the level of derush (cf. Torah Or, Parshas VaYechi, p. 47b: "...and our Sages taught: 'that it was good' -- to hide in the Torah"); see Zohar I, pp. 47a, 264a; II, 148b ff.; Zohar Chadash on the Book of Ruth, p. 85a ff.

346. (Back to text) Cf. Zohar III, 73a.

347. (Back to text) In the original, hoyah, hoveh, v'yihiyeh k'echad; cf. Zohar III, 257b; Pardes, Shaar Alef, sec. 9; Tanya -- Shaar HaYichud VehaEmunah, ch. 7 (see Lessons In Tanya, Vol. III, p. 914).

348. (Back to text) Sefer HaMitzvos (i.e., Derech Mitzvosecha) by the Tzemach Tzedek, p. 59a; see also the notes and sources appended there on p. 202b ff. (and in the edition of 5751 [1991]: on p. 208a).

349. (Back to text) Sefer HaMitzvos by the Tzemach Tzedek, loc. cit.

350. (Back to text) Sefer HaMaamarim 5564 [1804], p. 106; Sefer HaMaamarim 5655 [1895], p. 94ff.

351. (Back to text) Sefer HaMaamarim 5687 [1927], p. 102ff.; Sefer HaMaamarim 5699 [1939], p. 167ff.

352. (Back to text) II, 38a.

353. (Back to text) A tzaddik has so utterly banished his ego that only one aspect of his being has any real existence, viz., the spark of Divinity that animates him. This explains why the Gemara and the Zohar describe certain tzaddikim in terms usually reserved for Divinity. Cf. Yerushalmi, Bikkurim 3:3.

354. (Back to text) Sec. 3 above.

355. (Back to text) In the Aram. original, ilna d'chayei.

356. (Back to text) Cf. Zohar III, 124b (in Raaya Mehemna); cited and explained in Tanya -- Iggeres HaKodesh, Epistle 26 (see Lessons In Tanya, Vol. V, p. 119ff.).

357. (Back to text) In the original, ha'omeid lgnuz, k'gzuz dami; Kesubbos 51a. (The Gemara there discusses whether dates which are about to be picked and dropped on to the mats waiting below may already be considered as movable chattels.) See also the references enumerated in Sdei Chemed, Kuntreis HaKelalim (Vol. II), Maareches Chaf, Klal 142.

358. (Back to text) In the original, the status of the object involved is described as either muchsar ma'aseh (lit., "lacking the [requisite] activity"), or zman m'chusar (lit., "lacking the [requisite] time"). See Yoma 62b, and the references indicated there. See also the references listed in Sdei Chemed, loc. cit. (Vol. III), Maareches Mem, Klal 161.

359. (Back to text) Bava Basra 16b ff.

360. (Back to text) Beg. of ch. 25.

361. (Back to text) 17a. In the original, olamech tireh b'chayecha.

362. (Back to text) See sec. 1 above.

363. (Back to text) In the original, kabbalas ol.

364. (Back to text) Vayikra Rabbah 30:7, and see Matnos Kehunah there.

365. (Back to text) Vayikra 23:40.

366. (Back to text) Siddur Tehillat HaShem, p. 253.

367. (Back to text) Mishlei 5:17, expounded at the end of the maamar entitled BaYom HaShemini Atzeres 5666 [1905] (in Hemshech 5666, p. 40), and elsewhere. Compare, however, Shmos Rabbah 15:23. See also the classic hemshech of 5637 [1877] entitled VeKachah, sec. 84 and 104.

368. (Back to text) This explains the statement of the Rebbe Rashab [the father of the writer of the above-quoted letter] that on Simchas Torah the attribute of stern justice (dinim or gevuros) is not active. (See Sefer HaSichos -- Toras Shalom, p. 54.)

369. (Back to text) Man is described as a mehalech (lit., "one who walks") since mortals are dynamic; since angels, in contrast, are relatively static, they are described (also in Zechariah 3:7) as omdim (lit., "those who stand").

370. (Back to text) Torah Or, end of Parshas Vayeishev (p. 30a ff.); Likkutei Torah, beg. of Parshas Bechukosai; the maamar entitled Im Bechukosai 5700 [1940] (in Sefer HaMaamarim 5700, p. 90ff.); and elsewhere.

371. (Back to text) I Melachim 17:1. Eliyahu the Prophet is speaking here of his soul before its descent to this world; hence the past tense. See: Zohar III, 68b; I, 233b; and see also Likkutei Sichos, Vol. XXV, p. 147, footnote 53, and references cited there.

372. (Back to text) Zohar I, 217b.

373. (Back to text) See: Torah Or, Parshas Noach, p. 9a; Likkutei Torah, Parshas Re'eh, p. 25a; and elsewhere.

374. (Back to text) In the concise original: zachu -- "achishena"; lo zachu -- "bitah".

375. (Back to text) Yeshayahu 60:22.

376. (Back to text) Shaarei Orah: Shaar HaPurim, the maamar beginning Yaviu Levush Malchus, sec. 94ff. See also (in English): From Exile to Redemption (Kehot, N.Y., 1996), Vol. II, pp. 140-141.

377. (Back to text) Bereishis 33:13.

378. (Back to text) Loc. cit., v. 14.

379. (Back to text) Ovadiah 1:21 (quoted by Rashi on Bereishis 33:14).

380. (Back to text) See the end of the maamar entitled Tzohar Taaseh 5702 [1941] (in Sefer HaMaamarim 5702, p. 49), which is reprinted in the Introduction to Kuntreis Shemini Atzeres-Simchas Torah (in Sefer HaMaamarim 5711 [1951], p. 78).

381. (Back to text) Sefer HaMaamarim -- Kuntreisim, Vol. II, p. 339a (and quoted in HaYom Yom, entry for 22 Tishrei/Shemini Atzeres).

382. (Back to text) Amos 3:6; see also Tur Orach Chaim, beg. of sec. 581.

383. (Back to text) Shabbos 153a; see also Likkutei Torah, beg. of Parshas Haazinu; and elsewhere.

384. (Back to text) Yonah 3:4.

385. (Back to text) This concept is explained at length in the sichah of Chai Elul, 5703 [1943], which appears in Sefer HaSichos 5703 [1943], pp. 177 and 179.

386. (Back to text) See Rambam, Hilchos Teshuvah 3:4.

387. (Back to text) The Alter Rebbe's Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 582:7.

388. (Back to text) Devarim 29:9-10.

389. (Back to text) Ramaz on Zohar II, 32b (cited in Likkutei Torah on Parshas Ki Savo, p. 41c). See also: Zohar III, 231a; Paaneiach Raza, end of Parshas Nitzavim.

390. (Back to text) Likkutei Torah, beginning of Parshas Nitzavim. See also Zohar II, 82a.

391. (Back to text) At the end of the maamar entitled Tzohar Taaseh 5702 [1941].

392. (Back to text) In the original, "the makkif."

393. (Back to text) In the original, teshuvah u'mechilah u'selichah.

394. (Back to text) Cf. Maaser Sheni 5:13; Sifri and Rashi on Devarim 26:15.

395. (Back to text) "We have carried out that which You have decreed upon us; You deal with us as You have promised us"; Siddur Tehillat HaShem, p. 269.

396. (Back to text) Sefer HaMaamarim 5710 [1950], p. 272.

397. (Back to text) In the sichah of Motzaei Yom Kippur, 5689 [1928]. See also Sefer HaMaamarim 5709 [1949], p. 42.

398. (Back to text) Siddur Tehillat HaShem, p. 253.

399. (Back to text) See sec. 8 above.

400. (Back to text) See sec. 1 above.

401. (Back to text) See sec. 9 above.

402. (Back to text) In the original, "the giluyim."

403. (Back to text) See the above farbrengen of Simchas Torah, sec. 1.

404. (Back to text) See Keser Shem Tov, sec. 97.

405. (Back to text) Published in Kuntreis Rosh HaShanah, and reprinted in Sefer HaMaamarim 5711 [1951], p. 10ff.

406. (Back to text) Zohar I, 72a, 82b, 136b, 178b, 231b; and elsewhere.

407. (Back to text) II Melachim 4:7.

408. (Back to text) Yalkut Shimoni on this verse (Remez 228).

409. (Back to text) See: Zohar I, 139a; Igros Kodesh (Letters) of the Rebbe Rashab, Vol. I, p. 309ff.

410. (Back to text) Published in Kuntreis Chag HaSukkos, and reprinted in Sefer HaMaamarim 5711 [1951], p. 59.

411. (Back to text) See also, in Likkutei Sichos, Vol. XX, p. 556, the footnote on "The well-known saying...."

412. (Back to text) See also Likkutei Sichos, beginning of Vol. I.

413. (Back to text) I, 120a; II, 142a; III, 31b.

414. (Back to text) See also the above farbrengen of the eve of Simchas Torah (before Hakkafos), sec. 2.

415. (Back to text) Yoel 4:10.

416. (Back to text) Published in Kuntreis Chag HaSukkos and reprinted in Sefer HaMaamarim 5711 [1951], p. 51ff.

417. (Back to text) See Igros Kodesh (Letters) of the Rebbe Rashab, Vol. I, p. 259, and sources listed there; see also: Likkutei Dibburim (in English translation), Vol. V, sec. 1 of the farbrengen of the eve of the 20th of Kislev, 5692 [1931]; beginning of HaYom Yom.

418. (Back to text) End of HaYom Yom; and elsewhere.

419. (Back to text) See HaYom Yom, entries for 27 Teves, 29 Adar Sheni, 27 Elul; and elsewhere.

420. (Back to text) See: Sefer HaMaamarim 5711 (1950-51), p. 136; Likkutei Sichos, Vol. IX, p. 344; and elsewhere.

421. (Back to text) Of the Rebbe Rayatz; see sec. 1 above.

422. (Back to text) Pe'ah 1:1.

423. (Back to text) Taanis 2a, quoted by Rashi on Devarim 11:13.

424. (Back to text) 7:20, on Berachos 47b.

425. (Back to text) The infants in cradles of whom the Rosh writes can of course not be counted in our proposal, which requires that they attain the age of education.

426. (Back to text) Devarim 33:5.

427. (Back to text) Zechariah 14:9.

428. (Back to text) Zohar III, 71b; see also Tanya -- Iggeres HaKodesh: the Elucidation -- Part (b) -- to Epistle 27.