Yud Kislev
1. In a number of years the date of Yud Kislev — the festival of redemption of the Mitteler Rebbe — falls in the week of Parshas Vayeitzei[2] (and sometimes — as in this year's calendar[*2] — on Shabbos Parshas Vayeitzei itself). According to the well-known words of the Shelah[3] (that "the festivals of the whole year… all of them have a connection with the parshiyos in which they fall"), it is understood that the redemption of the Mitteler Rebbe can be learned from the content of this week's parsha, or more — that it is alluded to in the parsha[4].
The general content of Parshas Vayeitzei is exile and redemption: the parsha begins with Yaakov's descent into exile[5] — "And Yaakov went out from Be'er Sheva and went toward Charan," leaving Eretz Yisrael for outside the land, and outside the land itself — "toward Charan," to "the burning wrath of the Omnipresent"[6], and more — to Lavan the Aramean, to the point of "I served you"[7]; and at the end of the parsha the "redemption" from this exile is related[8] — how Yaakov was saved from Lavan the Aramean and "went on his way"[9] — on the way to Eretz Yisrael[10].
And the special connection with the redemption of the Mitteler Rebbe, one may say, is this:
One of Yaakov's requests as he went to Charan was "and I return in peace to my father's house"[11]. The emphasis in this is that (in addition to his returning whole[12] to his father's house) the manner of the return should be "in peace" — in a manner of peace and tranquility[13]. And so it was in actuality:
although Lavan pursued him with no good intentions — as he himself said to him, "It is in my power to do you harm"[14] — it passed entirely in peace (without any war, etc.).
And this is the connection with the redemption of the Mitteler Rebbe, which was similar, for, as is known, his redemption was connected with (the verse[15]) "He redeemed my soul in peace" (especially according to what is related in Chassidic stories[16], that the news of the redemption came "as he was saying, in Tehillim[17], the verse 'He redeemed my soul in peace'"). The meaning of "He redeemed my soul in peace" is[18] that (not only is there a redemption from the enemy, but also) the manner of the redemption is "in the way of peace, without any war at all" — like "and I return in peace."
2. And although the connection of the redemption of the Alter Rebbe with saying the verse "He redeemed my soul in peace" is emphasized — as the Alter Rebbe writes in his well-known letter[19], "And when I read in the book of Tehillim the verse 'He redeemed my soul in peace'… I went out in peace" —
we find that the connection of the verse "He redeemed my soul in peace" with Yud Kislev (the day of the Mitteler Rebbe's redemption) is — in an essential respect — stronger than with the day of Yud-Tes Kislev (the day of the Alter Rebbe's redemption):
The story and explanation of the Previous Rebbe[20] is well known: the Alter Rebbe said the verse "He redeemed my soul in peace" at the time of his redemption (although the verse is in the portion of Tehillim for the 19th of the month) because during the days of his imprisonment the Alter Rebbe added in saying Tehillim (he said Tehillim "abundantly"), that is, (also) the portions of Tehillim as it is divided for the days of the week. And since Yud-Tes Kislev then fell on the third day of the week, he was then saying psalm 55 of Tehillim (which belongs to the portion for the third day of the week).
It emerges that in an open manner (and in actual saying) the connection of "He redeemed my soul in peace" with the redemption of the Alter Rebbe is (a) only in the years when Yud-Tes Kislev falls on the third day of the week; and (b) even then only for those who say Tehillim "abundantly," but not for every person (for whom the connection is only in thought[21], from the content of the matter[22]).
But the connection of "He redeemed my soul in peace" with Yud Kislev is such that it is said on the day of redemption by every person, every single year, because the verse "He redeemed my soul in peace" is in the portion of Tehillim for the tenth of the month
[in accordance with the Previous Rebbe's institution[23] that everyone should say each day the portion of Tehillim as it is divided according to the days of the month — and he emphasized[24] that this is something equal for every soul].
And this itself shows that the content of "He redeemed my soul in peace" is (in some essential respect) in a more revealed manner in the redemption of the Mitteler Rebbe than in connection with the redemption of the Alter Rebbe.
3. This will be understood according to the explanation of the connection of "He redeemed my soul in peace" with the redemption of the Alter Rebbe and of the Mitteler Rebbe:
In "He redeemed my soul in peace" there is, as explained, a twofold accomplishment: the redemption from the enemy itself, and that the manner of the redemption is by way of peace.
These two ways of redemption — redemption by way of war and redemption by way of peace — are found in Torah. In general, this is the difference between the revealed part of Torah (nigleh) and the inner dimension of Torah (pnimiyus haTorah):
The inner dimension of Torah is "the Tree of Life, in which there is no question… and no dispute"[25]; whereas the revealed part of Torah, in which there is much give-and-take, questions and contradictions, etc., is like redemption by way of war ("the war of Torah"[26]): to bring out the light of the halachah and the conclusion of Torah, one must wage war with the concealment and hiding[27] of the questions, the give-and-take, etc.
It is similar to the difference we find within nigleh itself between the Babylonian Talmud and the Jerusalem Talmud[28]: of the Babylonian Talmud it is written[29], "He has placed me in darkness," because the matters of Torah come there in such a way that until one reaches the clarity of a matter, the conclusion, one must go through give-and-take, questions, etc. ("in darkness"); whereas in the Jerusalem Talmud there are not so many questions and so much give-and-take; there the matters of Torah are from the outset in a (more) luminous manner, so that one comes more quickly to the conclusion.
Nevertheless, since the Jerusalem Talmud too is nigleh, which speaks of the matters of the world ("the Tree of good and evil"[25]), which obscure the truth of Torah, therefore in the Jerusalem Talmud too there is the obscuring — at least to some extent — of questions, etc.
But in the inner dimension of Torah "there is no question… and no dispute" — because the inner dimension of Torah speaks openly of G‑dliness and spiritual matters, which are also openly[30] above the world and the concealment of the world; therefore questions, etc., have no place there — it is a redemption by way of peace, "He redeemed my soul in peace"[31].
And this is the connection of the redemption of the Alter Rebbe and the Mitteler Rebbe with saying the verse "He redeemed my soul in peace": their redemption was (not only a personal redemption but) a general redemption, a redemption of Torah — the redemption of the Torah of Chassidus, the inner dimension of Torah, whose content is (as explained) the "He redeemed in peace" within Torah itself.
4. It is known[32] that the revelation of the Torah of Chassidus in general took place in an orderly manner, in accordance with the order of revelation of a new idea: first the point of the idea (Chochmah) is revealed, the general point that is above details, and afterwards the point comes down into Binah, into understanding and comprehension, so that the idea becomes understood with all its details.
And as we find in the order of revelation of nigleh: first comes the Mishnah, which is "something brief that includes many matters"[33], and only later the give-and-take on the Mishnah ("first learn, then reason"[34]); and also plainly — the generations of (the Tannaim and) the Mishnah, and afterwards the later generations of (the Amoraim and) the Gemara, in which the "brevity of words"[33] of the Mishnah is explained and expounded broadly and at length.
So too in the order of revelation of the Torah of Chassidus, first through the Alter Rebbe and afterwards through the Mitteler Rebbe:
The Alter Rebbe revealed the matters of Chassidus in such a manner that their details, etc., are (still) included in a point — the level of Chochmah of the Torah of Chassidus; and the Mitteler Rebbe brought them out in broad explanation, with the expansion of the length and breadth of Binah. As one sees in his maamarim of Chassidus, there is in them length, with many explanations, etc.
And because the Mitteler Rebbe revealed the matters of Chassidus in the expansion and broadening of Binah, understanding and comprehension, the matters of the Torah of Chassidus were brought down in such a way that everyone can grasp and comprehend them (even more) with his intellect[35].
[Like the general difference between Chochmah and Binah in a person: in Chochmah one "takes" the general point of the idea, which is above being able to be grasped in the vessels of comprehension and understanding. Only when he brings the point of the idea down into "Binah," whose role is to break the idea down into its details, each thing in its proper way, can a person grasp the idea, and it becomes united with his vessels of comprehension.]
And this is the reason why (with emphasis) specifically the redemption of the Mitteler Rebbe is connected with the saying of "He redeemed in peace" by every person (as explained) — because in this the novelty of the revelation of the Torah of Chassidus through the Mitteler Rebbe (compared with the revelation through the Alter Rebbe) is expressed: he revealed the Torah of Chassidus (whose content is the "He redeemed in peace" within Torah) in such a way that it can be grasped in the understanding and comprehension of each and every person.
5. One may say a deeper point in this: the fact that the matter of "He redeemed my soul in peace" stands in a more revealed manner in connection with the redemption of the Mitteler Rebbe is because through it a still higher completeness in the matter of "He redeemed in peace" was brought about[36]. The difference is not only in how revealed the matter (He redeemed in peace) is (whether only as a general point, or also in expansion until it reaches every person), but a difference in the manner (and quality) of the peace.
And this matter too is alluded to in Parshas Vayeitzei — in the above-mentioned verse, "and I return in peace (beshalom) to my father's house":
The Alter Rebbe explains in Torah Ohr[37] that "beshalom" means "two (beis) peaces": there are two modes of peace — "peace from above to below" (the peace comes from the side of the "above") and "peace from below to above" (the peace comes from the side of the "below"). And "and I return beshalom to my father's house" means that Yaakov prayed that he would have both modes of peace, "peace from above to below" and "peace from below to above"[38].
[And as it was afterwards in actuality: the "peace" between him and Lavan came about not only from above to below — "And G‑d came to Lavan… Beware…"[39] (from the side of G‑d) — but also from below to above — from Lavan himself, a covenant and peace, when he (of his own accord) said[40], "Come, let us make a covenant, I and you…"]
Similarly one may say in our matter that this is what the redemption of the Mitteler Rebbe (which is connected with the revelation of Chassidus in the manner of "Binah") accomplished compared with the redemption of the Alter Rebbe: in the "He redeemed in peace" of the Mitteler Rebbe there is (openly) also the quality of the second mode of peace, "peace from below to above."
6. One may say the explanation of this: the content of the word "shalom" itself shows that at first there is a state of separation and opposition (in actuality, or at least potentially), which is nullified and transformed into the opposite state through "shalom" — there comes to be peace and unity between the differing and opposing opinions.
— If from the outset there is no separation and opposition, or differing opinions, there is no place for the matter of "shalom."
This is also one of the interpretations[41] of the verse "He redeemed my soul in peace… for many (berabim) were with me": "the many" denotes opposing opinions (from whose standpoint there is no peace and unity, but separation and dispute — "many"); and the reason the redemption is by way of peace ("He redeemed my soul in peace") is that "many were with me": even "the many" (the opponents) are (become) "with me" [similar to the saying of our Sages[42] on this verse, that Avshalom's men prayed for David's victory].
According to this one may explain the connection of "He redeemed my soul in peace" specifically with Chabad Chassidus:
In general Chassidus, where the main emphasis is on faith, the matter of "peace" is not fitting — because in faith there is from the outset no room for two (and all the more so many) opinions; in faith the truth shines[43] without concealment, etc., to the point of simple unity.
The accomplishment of Chabad Chassidus is that the matters of the Torah of Chassidus are brought down into the world of intellect, which is seemingly a contradiction: by nature there are many opinions in human intellect ("their opinions are not alike"[44]); intellect[45] gives room for the existence of differences (and consequently dispute); and similarly the order of reaching an idea is to go through a question and concealment, etc., until one properly understands the conclusion[46]. And together with this, the matters of the inner dimension of Torah, "in which there is no question… and no dispute," are brought down into intellect — the intellect takes these matters without questions[47] and without dispute.
It emerges that through the Torah of Chabad Chassidus "peace" is drawn into "the many."
7. But this itself — drawing "peace" into "the many" (so that they are "with me") — can be in two ways:
One way is from above to below: unity is drawn into the place of multiplicity and division. The second way is "peace from below to above": (not only is peace and unity drawn into the place of multiplicity, but) the peace is brought about from the side of the multiplicity ("below") itself — which, of course, is a far greater novelty: the multiplicity itself is transformed into unity.
An example of these two ways in halachah is the ruling of a Sanhedrin:
A Sanhedrin must specifically have "many"[48], for by nature each person has a particular approach in understanding and knowledge ("their opinions differ"); therefore "a father and son, a teacher and his student, are counted only as one"[49] — because since from the outset they have one way and approach in thinking, etc.[50], they are not considered two opinions.
On the other hand, to decide the law all the different opinions must come to unity and decide in one way. This is brought about through the rule "follow the majority"[51], in such a way that the judges of the dissenting minority must nullify their opinion to the opinion of the majority.
But in this itself there are two ways (as explained in the later authorities[52]):
One way is that although the minority judges in themselves hold otherwise, since they know that the Torah says "follow the majority," they nullify their opinion before the opinion of the majority — in which case the "unity" comes not from their own opinion, but from the majority and the ruling of the Torah ("follow the majority");
a second way is that after the vote is taken and the decision is made according to the majority, it is transformed into the ruling of all the members of the Sanhedrin, because all (afterwards) agree with the majority: (knowing that the Torah says "follow the majority") they reconsider the matter, etc., until their own opinion too agrees and is transformed to the majority's opinion. In this way the "peace" comes from "the many" themselves.
8. The above explanation of the two ways in "peace" also explains the Jewish custom that when two Jews meet with a greeting of peace, the first says "Shalom aleichem" and the second answers "Aleichem shalom"[53].
This is seemingly not understood: (a) why does one say (even to an individual) "Shalom aleichem" (plural) — not "alecha" (singular)[54] (as we find in the Gemara[55], "Shalom alecha, my master (and teacher)")? (b) why does the second answer "Aleichem shalom" — in the reverse order[56] of what the one who opened said[57]?
One may say the explanation[58]: when two Jews meet, it becomes a reality of "many" (the minimum of "many" is two[59]), whose "opinions are not alike" — and their avodah then consists in bringing about unity in the "many." Therefore one says "Shalom aleichem" — one must draw peace and unity ("Shalom" is the Name of the Holy One, blessed be He[60], simple unity) into the "aleichem" (the many).
But in the unity (between those who meet) there are two stages[61]:
When the one who opens says "Shalom aleichem," it is known only that he is ready for peace, and it is required that the second also answer peace. But if the answer of peace were in the same wording as the one who opened ("Shalom aleichem"), it would give room to think that his answer of peace comes (not from himself but) merely as an acknowledgment and confirmation of the one who opened with peace. Therefore he changes from the one who opened and says "Aleichem shalom" — to emphasize that he not only "agrees" to the other's "Shalom aleichem," but he himself wants peace.
And this is also the reason for the difference in the order of the wording:
The first says "Shalom aleichem" ("shalom" before "aleichem") because he is the one who opens with peace; the peace comes from his side, as he "demands" that there be peace among "aleichem" (the many) — "peace from above to below";
when the second answers peace, through which he brings about that the peace comes (not only from the one who opened, but) also from the one who answers, he says "Aleichem shalom." For with his answer of peace the novelty has been accomplished that the many themselves make peace (from "aleichem" comes "shalom") — peace from below to above.
9. According to all the above we will also understand (perhaps) in our matter the two modes of "He redeemed in peace" — with the Alter Rebbe (Chochmah) and with the Mitteler Rebbe (Binah):
The fact that the nature of intellect is connected with "multiplicity" (as explained above, section 6) is (mainly) from the aspect of "Binah," that is, from the multiplicity of details (and division) of the idea [for division gives room for differences of opinion and dispute; and likewise from the multiplicity of details questions and contradictions arise in the matter];
whereas in "Chochmah" there is the revelation of the point of the idea, which is above details — and consequently there is not (as much) room for dispute and questions, etc.
And this is the difference in the "peace" brought about through Chochmah or through Binah:
When the point of the idea (Chochmah) shines, one feels that all the questions in the matter are nullified (although he does not yet know how they are answered), because the point of the idea is the "general principle" (and truth) of the line of reasoning, through which all the details of the idea are united. It emerges that through "Chochmah" (too) "peace" is brought about among the details of the idea ("the many") — but the "peace" comes (not from the details of the idea, the multiplicity itself, but) from the point of the idea — "peace from above to below";
whereas in Binah it is brought about that each detail of the idea is explained to him in its own right, so that the "peace" (in the idea) is created from the multiplicity (of details) itself — "peace from below to above."
So too regarding the revelation of the Torah of Chassidus — whose content is "He redeemed in peace," in a manner of peace and tranquility ("in which there is no question…"), as explained:
In the revelation of the Torah of Chassidus through the Alter Rebbe — in the manner of "Chochmah" — the "peace" is from above to below;
and the "He redeemed in peace" brought about through the Mitteler Rebbe's revelation of Chassidus, by way of the understanding and comprehension of Binah, is a "peace from below to above": the vessels of understanding and comprehension of the one below receive and grasp the matters of the inner dimension of Torah, and through this the multiplicity of intellect itself becomes united and transformed into "He redeemed in peace."
(From the talks of Yud Kislev 5744 and 5745; maamar beginning "Veshavti BeShalom" 5738*)