ז' כסלו – קונטרס אחרון פרק ד'

Furthermore, there is another point here. The בירורין—refinements, or spiritual rectifications—that take place in the worlds of בריאה, יצירה, עשיה—Briyah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah—through the performance of Torah and mitzvos in מחשבה, דבור ומעשה—thought, speech, and action—are actually on a higher level in their source than the נפש, רוח, נשמה—the soul-levels of a person.

In other words, when a person does mitzvos, whether through action, speech, or even thought, the sparks that are being elevated and refined through these mitzvos originate from a very lofty place. Their root is higher than the root of the soul-powers within the person himself. This is a profound idea: the act of doing a mitzvah, or even learning Torah and speaking about mitzvos, is not just about the person’s own spiritual level, but is actually engaging with something that comes from an even higher spiritual source.

What is the reason for this? The root of these sparks that are refined through mitzvos comes from the level of ס"ג—Sag, which is the Divine Name with the numerical value of 63. This level is found in the פנימית א"ק—the inner dimension of Adam Kadmon, the highest spiritual world.

By contrast, the נפש, רוח, נשמה—the soul-levels of a Jew—have already been refined and rectified through the Divine Name מ"ה—Ma, which has the numerical value of 45. This level, Ma, is described as coming from the מצח—the forehead, which is only an external radiance, not the inner essence. So, the soul of a person comes from a lower, more external level, while the sparks in the world that are elevated through mitzvos come from the inner, loftier level of Sag.

This is the meaning of the verse, לפני מלוך מלך כו'—"before there reigned any king…". The Torah describes the kings of Edom, which represent the world of תוהו—Tohu, as existing before there was a king for the Jewish people. The king for the Jewish people represents the level of Ma, which has already been rectified. But the kings of Edom, which came before, represent the higher, unrectified level of Sag, the inner dimension. This shows that the sparks we refine through mitzvos are rooted even higher than the soul-levels of a person.

This is also the reason why a person is sustained by food from the mineral, plant, and animal kingdoms. The human soul is only from the external aspect of Adam Kadmon, but the sparks within food come from the inner aspect, from Sag. Therefore, when a Jew eats and refines the sparks in his food, he is actually receiving sustenance from a higher source than his own soul.

Through the power of Ma within him—that is, the soul-level that comes from Atzilus—a Jew is able to refine and elevate the sparks in his food, which are from Sag. In this way, the person is nourished by something that is, in its root, higher than himself. This explains the spiritual dynamic of why eating and refining sparks through food is such a profound act.

There is yet another point, as it is written: ופני לא יראו—"My inner [essence] shall not be seen." The inner dimension of the Divine cannot descend below; only the external aspect, the אחוריים—the back or outer side—can be revealed. This is called the נובלות חכמה עילאה—the "droppings" or external residue of the supernal wisdom.

In other words, the true inner essence of the Divine is too lofty to be manifest in the lower worlds. What is revealed and accessible to us is only a ray, an external aspect, not the true inner core. This is why, when it comes to the service of Hashem through love and awe, or through intellectual comprehension, what we receive is only an external radiance, not the essence itself.

Another point: speech, even when it is speech of supernal wisdom, does not have the power to create. However, the טפה—the drop, or seed—that is drawn from the vessel of supernal wisdom, does possess the power to generate and to bring something into being from nothing. Furthermore, the essence of supernal wisdom is included within this drop.

This is illustrated by the analogy of a person: you can convey ideas and wisdom to another through speech, but you cannot create a new being through speech. Only through the physical seed, which contains the essence, can a new life be created. Similarly, in the spiritual sense, mitzvos performed in action draw down the essence, not just a ray or external aspect.

The reason for this is that in the drop, the מהות ועצמות—the very essence and core—of supernal wisdom is drawn down. This is not the case with speech or thought, which only convey an external aspect or a ray of the wisdom, not its essence.

So, when it comes to mitzvos performed in action, it is like the drop that contains the essence. In contrast, speech and thought are like the mere expression or radiance of the wisdom, not its core. This is why action has such a unique power in drawing down the essence of holiness.

Even when a person grasps an idea intellectually, in any area of wisdom, what is present is only a הארה—a radiance or ray—that extends from the essence of the intellect within the soul. This ray is only a garment for the true essence and core of the intellect, and the intellect itself is only a ray and garment for the essence of the soul.

In other words, the process is as follows: the soul contains the essence; from this comes the essence of intellect, which serves as a garment for the soul; from the essence of intellect comes a ray, which is what the person actually grasps and understands. Thus, what we comprehend is only a distant reflection of the true essence, not the essence itself. This further highlights the unique quality of mitzvos in action, which draw down the essence itself, as opposed to intellectual or emotional service, which only access a ray or external aspect.

In contrast, when it comes to the טפה—the drop, meaning the seminal drop that gives rise to offspring—there is drawn into it not only a ray or external aspect, but also the very essence and being of the soul itself as it is invested in the mind. This is a much deeper transmission than what occurs through speech or thought alone.

Because the מהות הנפש ועצמותה—the essence and core of the soul—is present in the drop, it is able to generate a child who is truly similar to the parent, "בדומה לה ממש"—in actual likeness to him. The offspring is not just a reflection or a mere extension, but carries the very essence of the parent within himself.

This is the key difference between what is transmitted through the physical act of reproduction and what is transmitted through intellectual or spiritual communication. The latter only conveys an external aspect, while the former brings down the essence itself.

This is the distinction between the service of the angels and the souls of Jews. The angels are described as "היוצאין מנשיקין"—those who come forth from a kiss, meaning their existence and their divine service are the result of a spiritual, non-physical connection, like a kiss which is a joining of breath, a spiritual closeness.

By contrast, the souls of Jews are "היוצאין מהכלים"—those who come forth from the vessels. The vessels here refer to the kelim of Atzilus, the divine attributes as they are concretized and able to bring forth actual creation. Just as a child is born from the physical vessel of the parent, so too the souls are drawn from the vessels, which means they receive the essence, not just a spiritual ray.

Therefore, the angels, whose source is only in the "kiss"—the spiritual, external aspect—do not possess the essence. Their service is limited to what is called love and awe (אהבה ויראה), but not the core essence that is present in the Jewish soul, which comes from the vessels.

However, the kelim of Atzilus—the vessels of the world of Atzilus—become the soul for the worlds of Beriah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah (נשמה לבי"ע). That is, the divine vessels serve as the animating force for the lower worlds.

As a result, the intellectual love and awe (דחילו ורחימו שכליים) that exist in these lower worlds are similar to the angels, who are "מלאכים דנשיקין"—angels that come from the level of a kiss. This means their spiritual vitality comes only from an external radiance (הארת חיצונית) of Chabad (Chochmah, Binah, Daas) as it is in Beriah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah.

In other words, the love and awe that are generated intellectually in the lower worlds are not drawing from the essence of Chabad, but only from its external light, just as the angels do. This is in contrast to the souls, which, as explained above, are rooted in the vessels and thus have access to the essence.

The reason for this is that the inner dimension of Chabad—its essence and being, the פנימית חב"ד ומהותו ועצמותו של אור פנימי—cannot be revealed except specifically through the radiance of the vessels (הארת הכלים). Only when the divine light is invested in the vessels and descends downward, like the drop from the mind of a person, can the essence be transmitted.

This is analogous to the physical process of conception, where the essence of the soul is drawn down through the vessel of the drop. In the spiritual realms, the essence of the divine intellect cannot be revealed through mere spiritual radiance or external expression; it requires the medium of the vessels, which are able to bring it down to a lower level.

This is alluded to in the verse, "ופני לא יראו"—"My face shall not be seen" (Shemos 33:20). The "face" refers to the inner essence, which cannot be revealed openly. Only the external aspect can be perceived, unless it is transmitted through the vessels, as in the analogy of the drop.