6744 —שמחה בחודש אדר והפצת המעיינות פנימה וחוצה; ודעת הזהר ב"מבעה"

B"H, 3 Adar II^[1], 5719
Brooklyn.

The Chassid, a G‑d-fearing man, distinguished and honored, etc.^[2], Reb Shaul Yissachar, may he live long^[3]

Shalom u'Vrachah!

After a long interruption, your letter of Rosh Chodesh Adar II was received.

At an auspicious time you and your wife, may she live, will be mentioned at the holy resting place of my father-in-law, the Rebbe, of sainted memory^[4], for what you need, in accordance with the content of your letter.

And may it be G‑d's will that, since we are in the month of Adar, in which we increase in joy^[5], you too will give good news of joyful matters, in good that is visible and revealed – see Torah Or at the end of Parshas Bereishis on the difference between delight and joy^[6] – and also that you are endeavoring as much as you can in spreading the wellsprings^[7], the teachings of Chassidus, not only as regards "the other" within a person, that is, the animal soul^[8], but also "the other" in its plain sense, the Jewish people; and this is easy to understand^[9]. Of this too it is said: "Nothing stands in the way of the will."

With blessing for good news^[10] and for a happy Purim.

Regarding your note on Zohar II (118a, and there)^[11], that the explanation is that "maveh" is a person: see there in the Or HaChamah^[12], that the Zohar's intent is the Mishnah "A person is always forewarned", and so it is implied by the Zohar's wording, see there. If so, this is a proof to the contrary: that the Zohar does not explain that "maveh" is a person^[13].

Publisher's notes

Reb Shaul Yissachar (מו"ה שאול ישכר): Bik, Bnei Brak. Further letters to him: above, vol. 17, letter 6301, and the references in the notes there; below, letter 6919.

Regarding your note on Zohar II (בהערתו בזח"ב): continued below, there.

Notes

1. Adar II (אד"ש): אד"ש = אדר שני, Adar II (5719 was a leap year).

2. The Chassid, a G‑d-fearing man, distinguished and honored (הרה"ח אי"א נו"נ): הרה"ח = הרב החסיד; אי"א = איש ירא אלקים; נו"נ = נעלה ונכבד.

3. Reb Shaul Yissachar (מו"ה שאול ישכר שי'): מו"ה = מורנו הרב. R. Shaul Yissachar Bik of Bnei Brak (per the publisher's note), who often wrote to the Rebbe with questions in Torah; see for example vol. 7, letter 2225; vol. 17, letter 6301 (9 Sivan 5718), on his remark on the Alter Rebbe's Shulchan Aruch regarding saying "the time of the giving of our Torah" on Shavuos; vol. 19, letter 7208. Continuing this letter, the Rebbe wrote to him again on the Zohar (letter 6919, 3 Tammuz 5719; see note 13 below).

4. My father-in-law, the Rebbe… (כ"ק מו"ח אדמו"ר זצוקללה"ה נבג"מ זי"ע): כ"ק מו"ח אדמו"ר = כבוד קדושת מורי וחמי אדונינו מורנו ורבנו, the Previous Rebbe, R. Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn; זצוקללה"ה = זכר צדיק וקדוש לברכה לחיי העולם הבא, "may the memory of the righteous and holy one be for a blessing, for the life of the World to Come"; נבג"מ = נשמתו בגנזי מרומים, "his soul is in the hidden treasuries on High"; זי"ע = זכותו יגן עלינו, "may his merit protect us".

5. The month of Adar, in which we increase in joy (חדש אדר דמרבין בשמחה): The saying of Rav in Taanis 29a: כשם שמשנכנס אב ממעטין בשמחה כך משנכנס אדר מרבין בשמחה, "Just as when Av begins we lessen joy, so when Adar begins we increase joy." In this leap year, the month of Adar II.

6. The difference between delight and joy (החילוק בין ענג ושמחה): In the discourse "Ba'atarah she'itrah lo imo", at the end of Parshas Bereishis: והנה התענוג והשמחה לכאורה ענין א' הם. אבל באמת ב' ענינים המה, "Delight and joy would seem to be one thing, but in truth they are two." Joy יכול להיות על הטוב אף כשהוא נעלם ומכוסה מעיניו, "can be over good even when it is hidden and concealed from one's eyes", like a rich man who rejoices in his treasure without seeing it; אבל ענין התענוג והשעשועים אינו אלא דוקא כשרואה הדבר שמתענג ממנו בעיניו ממש, "but delight is only when one sees with his very eyes the thing he delights in." The Rebbe blesses him with joyful matters "in good that is visible and revealed" – good that one sees with one's eyes.

7. Spreading the wellsprings (הפצת המעינות): From Mishlei 5:16: יפוצו מעינותיך חוצה, "Let your wellsprings be spread outward"; Rashi there: סוף שתקנה תלמידים ותורה הוראות ברבים, "in the end you will acquire students and teach instruction in public."

8. "The other" within a person, that is, the animal soul (הזולת שבקרבו של אדם ז.א. הנה"ב): ז.א. = זאת אומרת; הנה"ב = הנפש הבהמית. The wellsprings of Chassidus are to be spread inward too, to "the other" within a person himself – his animal soul – as well as outward, to "the other" in the plain sense, his fellow Jews.

9. And this is easy to understand (וק"ל): וק"ל = וקל להבין.

10. Good news (לבשו"ט): לבשו"ט = לבשורות טובות.

11. Zohar II (118a) (זח"ב (קיח, א)): זח"ב = זהר חלק ב'. The Zohar there (Parshas Mishpatim, in the Ra'aya Meheimna) lists the four primary categories of damage: השור והבור והמבעה וההבער וסיומא דלהון אדם, מועד, "the ox, the pit, the maveh and the fire, and their conclusion is man, forewarned"; and further on: לבתר קם אדם בליע"ל רשע, רביעי לאבות נזיקין, דאתמר ביה אדם מועד לעולם, בין ער בין ישן, "afterwards arises the wicked man of Belial, fourth of the primary categories of damage, of whom it is said: a person is always forewarned, whether awake or asleep." The recipient wished to infer from this that the Zohar follows Rav in Bava Kamma 3b: מאי מבעה? רב אמר, מבעה זה אדם. ושמואל אמר, מבעה זה השן, "What is maveh? Rav said: maveh is a person. Shmuel said: maveh is the tooth [an animal's eating]."

12. The Or HaChamah (אוה"ח): אוה"ח = אור החמה, the commentary of R. Avraham Azulai on the Zohar. There (on Zohar II 118a): פי' סדר נזיקין מתחיל ד' אבות נזיקין השור וגומר ואחר שאמר כל דיני השור והבור וגומר הן ותולדותיהן בסוף פ' שני מסיים אדם מועד לעולם וגומר, "Seder Nezikin begins with the four primary categories of damage, the ox etc., and after giving all the laws of the ox and the pit etc., they and their derivatives, at the end of the second chapter it concludes: a person is always forewarned"; and on 118b: לפי שהוא בא בס"פ שני דבבא קמא שאחר שביאר הג' אבות נזיקין אמר אדם מועד, "since it comes at the end of the second chapter of Bava Kamma, which after explaining the three primary categories says: a person is forewarned." The Mishnah is Bava Kamma 26a: אדם מועד לעולם, בין שוגג בין מזיד, בין ער בין ישן, "A person is always forewarned, whether inadvertent or deliberate, whether awake or asleep."

13. This is a proof to the contrary (ה"ז ראי' להיפך): כ"מ = כן משמע; ה"ז = הרי זה; מפ' = מפרש. Since the Zohar counts maveh among the four primary categories and man after them ("their conclusion"), it refers to the Mishnah "a person is forewarned" at the end of the second chapter; so the Zohar's maveh is not a person, and there is no proof from it for Rav – on the contrary. Continuing this, the Rebbe wrote to the recipient in letter 6919 (3 Tammuz 5719): כ"כ שמדחשיב שם כ"פ שאדם הוא רביעי (לאחרי הבער) והוא "סיומא דלהון" – של השור והבור והמבעה וההבער – מוכח דלא זהו מבעה, "since it counts there several times that man is fourth (after the fire) and is 'their conclusion' – of the ox, the pit, the maveh and the fire – it is proven that this is not maveh."

Summary

The Rebbe blesses the recipient and his wife, links the joy of Adar to the Torah Or's distinction between joy and delight, and encourages him to spread the wellsprings of Chassidus both to his own animal soul and to others. In a note he answers that the Zohar's listing of "man" after the four categories of damage shows that it does not read "maveh" as man.