Parshas Vayeitzei
1. On the verses, "And Yaakov vowed a vow, saying, 'If G‑d will be with me… and G‑d will be a G‑d to me, then this stone which I have set up as a pillar shall be a house of G‑d…'"[1], the commentators ask[2]: how could Yaakov make the fulfillment of his good deeds ("this stone…," "I will surely give a tenth to You") depend on a condition — "If G‑d will be with me…"? Did Yaakov serve G‑d only, G‑d forbid, for the sake of reward and benefit — "on condition of receiving a reward"?!
From this itself[3] it follows that by tying the vow (good deeds) to a condition, Yaakov did not mean that his goal was to have the things in the condition, and that in order to receive them he vowed to do good deeds. On the contrary: his goal was the fulfillment of the vow[4], and he made the vow depend on the condition "If G‑d will be with me…" because that is the way through which[*4] the vow can be carried out[5].
2. This will be understood by first noting that there are two interpretations regarding the condition and the vow. Rashi holds that the condition includes (and ends with) "and G‑d will be a G‑d to me" ("that no unfit one be found among my offspring"), and the vow begins with the second verse, "And this stone which I have set up as a pillar…"; the Ramban holds that "and G‑d will be a G‑d to me" is (not the continuation of the condition "as Rashi says," but) the beginning of the vow, and the condition ends with the words "and I return in peace to my father's house."
We must understand, according to the Ramban: since "and G‑d will be a G‑d to me" is the beginning of the vow, the division of the verses should have been such that "and G‑d will be a G‑d to me" would be (not the end of the verse "and I return in peace…," which speaks of the condition, but) the beginning of the verse "And this stone…," which speaks of the vow?
[Especially since "and G‑d will be a G‑d to me" has (according to his view) not merely a connection with "And this stone… shall be a house of G‑d" because both are parts of the vow, but more: they are one content and continuation; in the Ramban's words: "I will serve the unique Name… in the place of this stone, which will be for me a house of G‑d."]
We must therefore say, also according to the Ramban, that "and G‑d will be a G‑d to me" (although it is part of the vow) has in one respect more connection with the condition "and I return in peace" than with the continuation of the vow, "And this stone…," and therefore they ("and G‑d will be…" and "and I return…") stand in one verse.
3. Just as the vow is divided into two verses ("and G‑d will be a G‑d to me" and "And this stone…") because these are two kinds within the vow, as explained above, so too regarding the conditions Yaakov set: their division into two verses — (a) "If G‑d will be with me… and will guard me… and will give me… and clothing to wear," and (b) "and I return in peace to my father's house" (and according to Rashi also the end of the verse, "and G‑d will be a G‑d to me") — is because they are two kinds.
This is also emphasized in the wording of the verses: the first verse speaks of things G‑d will do — "If G‑d will be with me and will guard me… and will give me…"; whereas in the second verse the wording is "and I return…" (not "and He will bring me back…" or the like)[8], as though the return will come about by itself[9].
4. The core explanation of all this:
The "descent" of Yaakov Avinu — his leaving Be'er Sheva (Eretz Yisrael) for outside the land, and especially Charan ("the burning wrath of the Omnipresent (in the world)"[10]) — was for the sake of an ascent. And in this ascent there are three matters:
a) Being there, in Charan and the house of Lavan, he was not influenced by them and left there "whole, free of sin"[11]; through this Yaakov was elevated to a higher level than he had been before the descent.
[Similar to (though not exactly[12]) the advantage of a baal teshuvah over a tzaddik — "in the place where baalei teshuvah stand, complete tzaddikim cannot stand" — which is because the baal teshuvah "tasted the taste of sin" and nevertheless "separated himself from it and conquered his inclination"[13].]
b) It was specifically there that he carried out the command "Be fruitful and multiply… and conquer it," the "take for yourself a wife from there… and may He make you fruitful…"[14] — and in the manner of "his bed was complete"[15].
c) In the language of Chassidus: through his work with the flocks of Lavan for twenty years[16] he refined and elevated[17] the sparks of holiness that were in the flocks of Lavan — and this brought about in him an elevation to the point of "and the man burst forth exceedingly"[18].
5. Since "the deeds of the fathers are a sign for the children," it is understood that "And Yaakov went out from Be'er Sheva and went toward Charan" is found also in the avodah of each and every one. As the Ohr HaChaim[19] explains, the verse alludes to the general descent of the soul below (and also to the descent of Jews into exile[20]), which is a descent for the sake of an ascent — and in it there are the above matters (like the matters in Yaakov's ascent)[21]:
a) The soul, while above before its descent, is in the category of a tzaddik; and because it descends below and is clothed in a body and an animal soul, which conceal and hide G‑dliness, and nevertheless performs its avodah in Torah and mitzvos, it gains the quality (of "and the spirit shall return to G‑d"[*21]) of a baal teshuvah[22].
b) In its descent below it fulfills the command "Be fruitful and multiply…" (and Torah and mitzvos in general).
c) Through its avodah below in physical things it makes the world a dwelling for G‑d — "a dwelling in the lower realms" — and through this it is elevated far higher than it was before[23].
And in the matter of the world ("the lower realms") becoming a dwelling for G‑d (and in the soul's ascent that comes through it), there is an advantage (in one respect) in the avodah of "all your deeds should be for the sake of Heaven"[24] and "know Him in all your ways"[25] over the avodah of Torah study and the fulfillment of mitzvos: for when even a person's permitted, everyday matters ("your deeds" and "your ways") are "for the sake of Heaven" and in the manner of "know Him," the dwelling for G‑d comes about also in the truly "lower realms"[26].
6. One may say that the advantage of avodah in permitted matters over the avodah of Torah and mitzvos also applies to the first elevation (the soul attaining the quality of a baal teshuvah)[*26]:
When a Jew performs a mitzvah — even when he fulfills it in a manner in which he must overcome the evil inclination that prevents him from fulfilling it —
nevertheless, since after he compels himself to fulfill the mitzvah "his inclination is weakened"[27] and his true will is revealed — for every Jew (inwardly) "wants to do all the mitzvos"[28] — it emerges that the evil inclination has no connection with the fulfillment of the mitzvah itself; consequently the fulfillment of the mitzvah is not at the level of a baal teshuvah but at the level of a tzaddik.
Not so the avodah of "all your deeds should be for the sake of Heaven" and "know Him in all your ways": since he does these permitted matters because by nature he desires them on account of the body, its existence and its vitality[29], from his animal soul[30] [which is why, even when he does them "for the sake of Heaven," and even in the manner of "know Him," they remain "your deeds" and "your ways"], when he does the permitted matters for the sake of Heaven or in the manner of "know Him," the deed itself is in the manner of a "baal teshuvah."
7. A more detailed explanation of the elevation of "teshuvah" attained through the avodah of "all your deeds…" and "in all your ways…" over the "teshuvah" of "conquering the inclination" that is found also in the avodah of Torah and mitzvos:
One of the qualities of the avodah of teshuvah (in its plain sense) is that teshuvah brings out the strength of a Jew's bond with G‑d — that the bond is not lost, G‑d forbid, even through a sin, which is why he can do teshuvah even after the sin[32].
So too regarding the "teshuvah" in the soul's avodah in its descent below: in it the strength of the soul's bond with G‑d is openly expressed — that even when it is clothed in a body and an animal soul (and the evil inclination), it is bound to G‑d through the service of G‑d.
In light of this, the elevation of the "teshuvah" attained by doing permitted matters for the sake of Heaven, over the "teshuvah" in the avodah of Torah and mitzvos, is understood:
In the avodah of Torah and mitzvos, the strength of the soul's bond is expressed in that even while in a body and animal soul it has the power to overpower them and "go out" of them — "his inclination is weakened"; but through doing even the permitted matters "for the sake of Heaven," etc., it is brought out that its bond reaches even the matters in which the will of the animal soul is felt.
8. Nevertheless, the elevation of the soul — the elevation of teshuvah attained by doing permitted matters for the sake of Heaven, etc. — does not reach the elevation (the third matter above, section 5) that comes about in it by making the world a dwelling for G‑d[33].
One of the explanations of this:
The soul's bond with G‑d is connected with its "existence" and "nature." Therefore, although this natural bond is strong (remaining whole even when the soul is clothed in the animal soul), since it is the "nature" of its "existence," there is a limitation in it[34].
But[35] when the soul brings about that the matters of the world become vessels for G‑dliness — since this (their becoming vessels for G‑dliness) comes not from their "nature" and "existence" [for, on the contrary, the "existence" of the "world" (olam, related to helem, concealment[36]) conceals and hides G‑dliness], but from G‑d, whose "unity" has no limits, which is why even the "world" can be a dwelling for Him[37] —
then, by making the world a dwelling for G‑d and thereby bringing out the infinity of the unity of the Holy One, blessed be He, the soul's bond with G‑d too becomes (not only as it is from the aspect of its own "existence," but) as it is from the aspect of the unlimited unity of the Holy One, blessed be He[38].
9. These ascents, which the soul attains through its descent below, are still not the ultimate intent of its descent. For since "Everything the Holy One, blessed be He, created (in His world), He created only for His glory"[39] — and "I was created to serve my Maker"[40] — it is understood that the ultimate intent of (the creation of man and) the descent of the soul below is (not for the sake of the soul's ascent, but) in order to carry out G‑d's intent[41].
And as the Alter Rebbe says in Tanya[42], the descent of the soul below is not for the soul's own need, but in order to transform the body and the vital soul and its portion in the world — "to bind and unite them with the Ein Sof, blessed be He," through which the intent of "the Holy One, blessed be He, desired[43] to have a dwelling in the lower realms" will be fulfilled.
It is only that since the soul is the one that carries out this intent, it receives for this "a good reward without end," and therefore[44] it too has "a great and wondrous ascent without end"[45].
We must understand: how does this fit with what is stated in a number of places[46], that the descent of the soul below is for the sake of the ascent — which seemingly means that the soul's ascent is not a side matter but the reason and purpose of its descent?
10. The explanation of this (briefly, at least):
It is known[47] regarding "a dwelling for Him in the lower realms" that it is specifically the "lower realms" that become a dwelling for Him — for His very Essence. In the "upper realms" "revelations" shine, whereas the "lower realms" become a dwelling for His Essence.
And the fact that the Essence "is found" specifically below is connected with the fact that specifically in this world there is the bittul of "there is nothing else," unlike the upper worlds, where there is the bittul of "as nothing"[48].
And since the intent is that the dwelling be made specifically through man's avodah[49], the avodah (through which the "dwelling" is made) must therefore also be in a state of complete bittul [up to a bittul that is somewhat like the bittul of "there is nothing else," like the bittul of a simple servant[50], which comes (not because he senses the greatness of the master or the like, but) because of the master himself[51]].
Accordingly one may say that what is stated in many places, that the descent of the soul below is "for the sake of the ascent"[52], is connected with what is stated in Tanya, that the soul descends below in order to carry out the intent of "a dwelling in the lower realms": for the soul's ascent is that it reaches a state of bittul [that its avodah is not from the aspect of its own "existence" but from the aspect of the "unity of the Holy One, blessed be He" (as explained above, section 8)] — and the intent of "a dwelling in the lower realms" requires that the soul's avodah that makes the "dwelling" be in a state of bittul[54].
11. In light of all the above, the four matters in the sequence of the verses beginning "And Yaakov vowed a vow" will be understood —
both the two matters of the condition — (a) "If G‑d will be with me and will guard me… and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear," and (b) "and I return in peace to my father's house" [from whose division into two verses it is understood that they are two kinds, as explained above] — and the two matters of the "vow" (according to the Ramban's interpretation) — (a) "and G‑d will be a G‑d to me," and (b) "and this stone which I have set up as a pillar shall be a house of G‑d" [which are also divided into two verses]:
The ultimate intent is (as said above, section 1) the vow, and the condition is only the way to be able to carry out the vow. And according to the above, that the purpose of the soul's descent consists of two details [(a) for the sake of the soul's ascent, (b) to make the "dwelling in the lower realms"], and likewise in its avodah that leads to this there are two matters [the avodah of Torah and mitzvos, and the avodah of "all your deeds for the sake of Heaven"] — it emerges that the two matters of the condition are the two kinds of avodah mentioned above:
"If G‑d will be with me and will guard me… and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear" — this is the granting of strength from Above for "turn away from evil," guarding oneself from sins ("and will guard me…"[55]), and for "do good," Torah study and the fulfillment of mitzvos ("bread" and "clothing"[56]); and "and I return in peace…" — the avodah in permitted matters [which is like teshuvah ("and I return" — veshavti)[57]: although his involvement in permitted matters is because the animal soul desires them, nevertheless[58] these matters do not bring him down into evil ("whole, free of sin, that I did not learn from the ways of Lavan"[59]), for he does them not to fulfill his desire but "for the sake of Heaven"];
and these two kinds of avodah lead to the two matters of the "vow" — the intent and purpose of the soul's descent below:
First, "and G‑d will be a G‑d to me" — the ascent of (the person —) the soul; and afterwards, "and this stone… shall be a house of G‑d" — the "dwelling for Him in the lower realms."
[And since the main ascent of the soul is (as explained above, section 8) that it "goes out" of its "existence" and serves G‑d (not from the aspect of its "nature" but) from the aspect of G‑d, who is found everywhere, even in the matters of the world (which are not G‑dliness) —
therefore the order of the verse is that "and G‑d will be a G‑d to me" comes in one continuation with "and this stone… shall be a house of G‑d"; in the words of the Ramban, "I will serve the unique Name… in the place of this stone, which will be for me a house of G‑d" — that his avodah will be felt as it is (not from the aspect of his nature, but) like "this stone, which will be for me a house of G‑d," for the fact that "this stone" will be "a house of G‑d" is only because the unity of the Holy One, blessed be He, is without limit.]
Nevertheless, "and G‑d will be a G‑d to me" is in one verse with "and I return in peace…" and not with "And this stone…" — because, since the ultimate intent of the soul's descent below is not the soul's ascent but carrying out the intent of a dwelling in the lower realms (as explained above, section 9), the matter of "and G‑d will be a G‑d to me" (although it is a result of the avodah) belongs more (in one respect — namely, in that it is not yet the true purpose) to the "condition" (avodah) "and I return in peace" than to the ultimate intent of "And this stone… shall be a house of G‑d" (a dwelling in the lower realms).
12. One may say: also according to Rashi's interpretation — that "and G‑d will be a G‑d to me" is (not the vow but) the condition — "and G‑d will be a G‑d to me" is a detail (not in the soul's avodah in its descent below, but) in the ascent that comes through the avodah, as in the Ramban's interpretation
[for "that His Name rest upon me from beginning to end, that no unfit one be found among my offspring" (that the Name of the Holy One, blessed be He, rest not only on his "beginning" but also on his "end," even on "my offspring" who come forth from him) can only be when there are no limitations in his bond with G‑d]:
And the fact that according to Rashi's interpretation this matter ("and G‑d will be a G‑d to me") belongs to the "condition" and not to the vow (as in the Ramban's interpretation) is because the ascent of the soul is only a preparation for the (ultimate) intent of "And this stone… shall be a house of G‑d," a dwelling in the lower realms.
13. One may say that the reason why according to Rashi "and G‑d will be a G‑d to me" is a detail of the "condition," while according to the Ramban it is a detail of the "vow," is this:
In the Ramban's commentary there are not only "plain meanings" but also "pleasant words… for those who know grace" (Kabbalah)[60], which is connected with the level of "revelations"[61] — and from the aspect of revelations the soul's ascent is also a purpose[62];
whereas Rashi's commentary is the plain meaning of Scripture, which in a person's avodah is the avodah of a simple servant who seeks no benefit for himself[63] and wants only to carry out the will of the master.
(From the maamar beginning "Veshavti BeShalom," 5738, and from talks of the winter of 5724)