ויחפרו עבדי יצחק בנחל

ויחפרו עבדי יצחק בנחל כו'. באר חפרוה שרים וגו'.

"And the servants of Yitzchak dug in the valley…"¹ "A well that princes dug…"²³

דהנה איתא בגמרא על פסוק: הנהר הרביעי הוא פרת. "'הוא'..דמעיקרא".

For the Gemara⁴ says on the verse "The fourth river is the Peras":⁵ "'It is' — the same one from the outset."

שממנו נפרדו לארבעה ראשים. דהיינו ג' יצאו ממנו, והרביעי הוא בעצמו.

That is, from it the river divided into four heads: three went out from it, and the fourth is the Peras itself.⁶

ואמרו: "כל הנהרות.. למטה מפרת". וכל מעיינות שבעולם, נובעים מסולמא דפרת. פירוש, מתחת לקרקע נוקב והולך. עד שבחפירה מועטת, ימצא "באר מים חיים",.

And they said:⁷ "All rivers… are lower than the Peras." And all the springs in the world flow from the "ladder of the Peras":⁸ that is, it bores its way along beneath the ground, until with a little digging one finds "a well of living water."^9[a]

ולכאורה תמוה, מפני מה יקרא,"באר מים חיים" כיון שעיקר נביעתו, הוא מנהר פרת?

But at first glance this is puzzling: why should it be called "a well of living water," when its main source is the river Peras?

והענין, דהנה כתיב: "ונהר יוצא מעדן, להשקות את הגן כו'". ג"ן סדרי דאורייתא.

The explanation: it is written, "A river goes forth from Eden to water the garden…"¹⁰ Gan ("garden") refers to the fifty-three¹¹ sedarim of the Torah.^[b]

פירוש, כידוע, שבתחלה צריך לקבל עול מלכות שמים בשלימות. דהיינו, להאמין באמונה שלימה, באחדות ה'. שהוא המהווה כל העולמות, וכולא קמיה, כלא חשיב, וכולא חד כו'.

This means, as is known, that first one must accept the yoke of Heaven's kingship completely: to believe with perfect faith in the oneness of G‑d, Who brings all the worlds into being, and that "all before Him is considered as nothing,"¹² and all is one.

וכאשר יתבונן האדם בקריאת שמע, וישים ללבו היטיב, ענין האחדות, ויקבל עליו באמת עול מלכותו.

And when a person contemplates during the Shema, and takes the matter of G‑d's oneness well to heart, he will truly accept upon himself the yoke of His kingship.

כי "יעקב חבל נחלתו", חפצם, לדבקה בו בכל לבבם. ומאמינים באחד, וחפצים בו. אבל אין מקום שישרה בו בחינת אחד, לאחר שקבל עליו. ואין לו מקום, אלא בתורה.

For "Yaakov is the portion of His inheritance":¹³ their desire is to cleave to Him with all their heart. They believe in the One and desire Him. But there is no place in which this level of "One" can rest after he has accepted it upon himself; it has no place except in the Torah.

שהיינו, שמיד אחר קבלת מלכות שמים, ילמוד בעיון מחשבתו, ושכלו, ודבורו, בתורה שבעל פה. וקודם למודו, יתבונן באחדות ה' כו'. ועל ידי זה, יגרום לו, העסק בתורה בכל עומק מחשבתו ולבבו וכו'.

That is: immediately after accepting Heaven's kingship, he should study the Oral Torah in depth, with his thought, intellect and speech. Before his study he should contemplate G‑d's oneness. This will bring him to occupy himself with Torah with all the depth of his thought and heart.

וזהו נקרא: "ונהר יוצא מעדן". פירוש, "מעדן" מעם הקדוש ברוך הוא, שנקרא "עדן". "ונהר", הוא לשון המשכה.

This is called "A river goes forth from Eden":¹⁴ "from Eden" means from the Holy One, blessed be He, Who is called "Eden"; "river" denotes a drawing down.

פירוש, כאשר יומשך אלהות מלמעלה למטה, בקבלת מלכות שמים. המשכה זאת, משקה את "הגן", היא התורה. שהיא ד' אמות של הלכה, במקום קדשי קדשים. אורייתא, היכלא דמלכא, שבה שורה אחדות ה' כו', כאשר יתקיים בו, בחינת "נהר יוצא מעדן "בתפלתו, ושעור למודו, מיד אחר התפלה.

That is, when G‑dliness is drawn from above to below through accepting Heaven's kingship, this flow waters the "garden," which is the Torah: the "four cubits of halachah"¹⁵ in the place of the Holy of Holies. The Torah is the King's palace, in which the oneness of G‑d rests, when the level of "a river goes forth from Eden" is fulfilled in him, in his prayer and in his set study right after prayer.

אבל אחר כך, צריך לעסוק בכל מחשבתו כו' בעניני עולם השפל, ושוכח כל התבוננותו בקבלת מלכות שמים, מפני גשמיות גופו, על מעוט דעת שלו. ויתרחק מאד, מבחינה שהיה לו דעת בתפלתו ועבודתו בתורה כו'.

But afterward he must turn all his thought to the affairs of this lowly world, and he forgets all his contemplation of accepting Heaven's kingship, because of the physicality of his body and his limited understanding. He becomes very distant from the level at which he had understanding in his prayer and his service in Torah.^[c]

לכך נתן לנו מצות, לעשותם כל היום. כי ענין המצות מעשיות, הם הגבה למעלה מעלה בפנימיותם ושרשם. אך שנתלבשו, בכמה לבושים, בהשתלשלות העולמות כו'.

Therefore we were given mitzvos to do all day long. For the practical mitzvos, in their inner dimension and root, are exceedingly lofty; only they have been clothed in many garments as the worlds descended one from another.

ומכל מקום, רומזים על מדרגה הגבוה שבשרשם. כמו מצות ציצית, שענינה למעלה בעולמות עליונים, ונתלבשה מצותה, בשמונה חוטין של צמר, וה' קשרים כו'.

Nevertheless they allude to the lofty level of their root. For example, the mitzvah of tzitzis: its meaning above is in the higher worlds, and its observance has been clothed in eight threads of wool and five knots.

ולכן, המצות לא תצטרך להם עבודת האדם, לתקנם ולכוון אל אמתתם. "כי מצות אין צריכות כוונה". לפי שהן בעצמם מתוקנים, ונשתלשלו ממעלה למטה כו'. והעושה המצוה, המשכת אלהות שגורם, אינה מצד עבודתו, רק מחמת המצות עצמן כו'.

Therefore the mitzvos do not need man's effort to perfect them and direct them to their truth, for "mitzvos do not require intent."¹⁶ They are perfect in themselves, having descended from above to below. And the drawing down of G‑dliness brought about by one who does a mitzvah is not due to his effort, only due to the mitzvos themselves.

מה שאין כן בתורה, ותפלה, שהיא עבודת הלב, תלויה דוקא בכוונת האדם כו'. ועיקר הכוונה הצריכה בעשיית המצות, הוא שיתבונן בתחילה, איך שהוא מאד רחוק מה', על ידי טרדתו כל היום, בהבלי חפצי העולם הזה, וגשמיות חומרו. ועוונותיו, מסך מבדיל, לבלתי התקרב אל ה', אפילו מעט.

This is not so with Torah and prayer, the "service of the heart," which depend specifically on the person's intent. And the main intent needed in doing the mitzvos is this: he should first contemplate how very far he is from G‑d, through being occupied all day with the vanities of this world's affairs and the physicality of his matter; and his sins are a dividing screen, keeping him from drawing near to G‑d even a little.

ויתבונן בזה היטב הדק, וישבור לבו בהתבוננת זה, ויכנע לבבו. מפני שמכל מקום חפץ הוא, להתקרב אל ה' בתורתו כו'.

He should contemplate this very thoroughly, and break his heart through this contemplation, and his heart will be humbled; for nevertheless he does desire to draw near to G‑d through His Torah.

ויכוון במצוה שנזדמנה לידו, בעשותו אותה. שהוא כמו באר מים חיים, שנובע מתחת הקרקע, מנהר א'. שאף על פי, שהנהר אינו נקרא "מים חיים", אבל המים היוצאים ממנו, ונוקב והולך עובי עפר הקרקע, נקרא "מים חיים", מפני שמתברר ומתלבן, על ידי דחקם לצאת, בעפר החומרי.

And in doing the mitzvah that comes to his hand, he should have in mind that it is like a well of living water, flowing beneath the ground from a river. Although the river itself is not called "living water," the water that goes out from it, boring through the thickness of the earth, is called "living water," because it is refined and purified by forcing its way out through the physical earth.^[d]

וכן ממש עשיית המצוות, כשהיה לו בתחלה, בתפלתו ועבודתו, בחינת: "נהר יוצא מעדן", הנזכר לעיל, רק שנכסה ונעלם בתוכו, על ידי גשמיות תשוקת גופו כל היום. וכשעושה המצוה, שנובעת מנהר הנזכר לעיל, פירוש, מפני שזוכר, שכבר קבל על עצמו מלכות שמים בכל לבבו, ולכך עושה מצותיו, ליכנס בעול מלכותו. אף על פי שעכשיו אין לו בחינת נהר, הנזכר לעיל - סומך לבו, על שכבר גמר בלבו לעבוד ה' באמת. זהו כמו "באר מים חיים". מפני שמאד ערב לו זאת המעט בעבודת ה', מפני שהתבונן, שמאד מאד רחוק הוא מה'. ועושה המצוה, הוא על דרך הנזכר לעיל, שמאד מתוק וערב לו לעשות המצוה כו'.

The doing of mitzvos is exactly the same. At first, in his prayer and service, he had the level of "a river goes forth from Eden," but it became covered and hidden within him through the physical cravings of his body all day long. When he does a mitzvah, which flows from that river — meaning, because he remembers that he has already accepted Heaven's kingship with all his heart, and so he does his mitzvos in order to enter the yoke of His kingship — then although he does not now have that level of the "river," he relies on having already resolved in his heart to serve G‑d in truth. This is like "a well of living water." This small measure in G‑d's service is very sweet to him, because he has contemplated that he is very, very far from G‑d. And he does the mitzvah in the way described: it is very sweet and pleasant to him to do it.

כמו הבאר כשחופרין בקרקע, ומוצאים מים, הם מים חיים, מפני שעברו עובי העפר. כן עשיית המצות, עשייתו אותה, נובעת מנהר הנזכר לעיל כו'.

Like a well: when they dig in the ground and find water, it is living water, because it has passed through the thickness of the earth. So too the doing of a mitzvah: his doing it flows from that river.

וזהו שהיה האר"י זכרונו לברכה, שמח מאד בעשיית המצות. ולכך זכה לרוח הקדוש, ולא שמח בעבודתו כו'. כי המצות, בפני עצמם קדושתם כו', כנזכר לעיל.

This is why the Arizal¹⁷ rejoiced greatly in doing mitzvos, and thereby merited ruach hakodesh, and did not rejoice in his own service. For the mitzvos have their holiness in themselves, as mentioned above.^[e]

ועשיותה בא, מהתבוננות שפלות התקרבותו אל ה', שזו היא מדת ענוה באמת, שנאמר על משה רבינו עליו השלום.

And his doing it comes from contemplating how low is his closeness to G‑d. This is true humility, the trait said of Moshe our teacher, peace be upon him.¹⁸

כי עיקר השפלות בפני כל אדם, שאמרו, אי אפשר להיות כי אם על דרך זה, שרואה בחבירו שהוא יותר קרוב לה' כו'.

For the essence of lowliness before every person, of which they¹⁹ spoke, can only be in this way: he sees that his fellow is closer to G‑d than he.

וזהו: "נפש שבעה, תבוס נופת". שאפילו הדבש, מר לו. אבל "נפש רעבה, כל מר מתוק".

This is "A sated soul tramples honey":²⁰ even honey is bitter to it. But "to a hungry soul, every bitter thing is sweet."²¹

פירוש, "באר מים חיים" הנזכר לעיל. על ידי חפירותו, בעפר גופו, כשיוצא מעט מים מתוקים, ערבים לו מאד, מפני שגופו "רעבה" בעבודת ה'.

This means the "well of living water" mentioned above: through digging in the earth of his body, when a little sweet water comes out, it is very pleasant to him, because his body is "hungry" in G‑d's service.

וזהו: "באר חפרוה שרים":

And this is "A well that princes dug."^[f]

Flow of the maamar (where the Alter Rebbe is heading)

a. He brings that all springs come from the river Peras, and from this the question arises: why is a spring called "a well of living water" if its main source is the river? The answer comes later, in the matter of keeping the mitzvos.

b. Here the answer begins, first establishing two ideas that will fit the parable: the river is accepting Heaven's yoke in prayer, and the garden is the Torah studied right after it.

c. Here he turns to the opposite situation: after prayer and study a person is busy with the world and forgets his contemplation. This is why doing mitzvos now comes in, and it continues the explanation.

d. He returns to the first question: precisely the water that bores through the earth is refined and called "living water," even though its source is in the river. Immediately he applies this to the mitzvah.

e. The Arizal's practice is a proof of the same idea: joy in a mitzvah is great precisely out of distance, because the mitzvah's holiness does not depend on one's service.

f. Here he returns to the verse with which he opened: the "well" dug in the earth of the body amid the day's distractions is the one called "a well that princes dug."

Notes

1. Bereishis 26:19: "And the servants of Yitzchak dug in the valley, and they found there a well of living water."

2. Bamidbar 21:18: "A well that princes dug, that the nobles of the people carved out with a scepter, with their staffs; and from the desert a gift."

3. His intent is to show that all springs too come from the river Peras, and yet a spring is called "a well of living water."

4. Bechoros 55b: "Rav Nachman bar Yitzchak, and some say Rav Acha bar Yaakov, said: It is the Peras from the outset."

5. Bereishis 2:14: "The name of the third river is Chidekel, which flows east of Ashur, and the fourth river is the Peras."

6. As Rashi explains there.

7. Bechoros 55a: "All rivers are lower than three rivers, and the three rivers are lower than the Peras."

8. Bechoros 55b: "Rav Mesharshia said: These are ladders of the Peras." That is, the high springs rise from the Peras as if by a ladder.

9. Bereishis 26:19 (cited above).

10. Bereishis 2:10: "A river goes forth from Eden to water the garden, and from there it divides and becomes four heads."

11. The letters of gan have the numerical value fifty-three, the number of sedarim (parshiyos) of the Torah.

12. Based on the wording of the Zohar I, 11b: "All before Him is considered as nothing."

13. Devarim 32:9: "For G‑d's portion is His people; Yaakov is the portion of His inheritance."

14. Bereishis 2:10 (cited above).

15. Berachos 8a: "From the day the Holy Temple was destroyed, the Holy One, blessed be He, has in His world only the four cubits of halachah."

16. See Rosh Hashanah 28a. That is, one who does a mitzvah fulfills his duty even without intent.

17. The Arizal: Rabbi Yitzchak Luria.

18. Based on Bamidbar 12:3: "And the man Moshe was very humble, more than any person on the face of the earth."

19. Our Sages of blessed memory. See Avos 4:10: "Be lowly of spirit before every person."

20. Mishlei 27:7: "A sated soul tramples honey, but to a hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet."

21. There.