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Repentance
Article No. 27, Tav-Shin-Mem-Hey, 1984-195
It is written in The Zohar (Nasso, item 28): “This commandment is the commandment of Teshuva [repentance], and this is Bina. What is Bina? She is the letters Ben Yod-Hey [Son of Yod-Hey]. That son is Vav, which is attached to her and receives from her Mochin of Yod-Hey. Anyone who repents, it is as though he has returned the letter Hey, which is Malchut, to the letter Vav, which is Yod-Hey, by which HaVaYaH is completed.”
In The Zohar (Nasso, item 29), “The letter Hey is certainly a confession of words. This is the meaning of “Take words with you and return to the Lord. Say to Him, ‘…that we may present the fruit of our lips.’” Certainly, when one sins, he causes the Hey to depart from the Vav. This is why the Temple was ruined and Israel were removed from there and were exiled among the nations. For this reason, anyone who repents causes the return of the Hey to the letter Vav.
In The Zohar (Nasso, item 31), “This answer is called ‘life.’ This answer, which is Malchut, and Hey de HaVaYaH, is called ‘life,’ as it is written, ‘for from it flow the offspring of life,’ which are the souls of Israel, who are the offspring of Malchut, called ‘life.’ She is the Hevel [mouth fume] that comes in and out of one’s mouth effortlessly. This is also the meaning of the Hey of Hibara’am [they were created], since the letter Hey is pronounced by the mouth more easily than all the other letters. It was said about her, ‘for man lives by that which proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord,’ for Malchut is called ‘that which proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord.’ Also, she is on a man’s head, as in, ‘On my head is the Lord present.’ It was said about her, ‘And the image of the Lord does he behold,’ since Malchutis called ‘the image of the Lord,’ and also, ‘Only in the image does a man walk.’”
In The Zohar (Nasso, item 32), “And because she is on a man’s head, he must not walk four Amot[approx. four feet] bear-headed, for if she is removed from the man’s head, life promptly leaves him.”
Also in The Zohar (Nasso, item 34), “It was certainly about this shape of the Hey that they asserted, ‘I have a good gift in my treasury, whose name is ‘Shabbat’ [Sabbath].’ Shabbat is Malchut, when she ascends to Bina. When this Malchut, who is Shabbat, is over Israel, they have neither labor nor enslavement, and in it, the laboring and toiling soul stops and rests.”
We need to understand all those names which the holy Zohar gives to Malchut.
1) What does it mean that Malchut is called Hey, and that she is Hevel without labor and toil? After all, there is a rule, “I found but did not labor, do not believe.”
2) What does it mean that Malchut is called “life”? In several places, the holy Zohar calls Malchut “the quality of judgment,” from whom extends death.
3) What does it imply that Malchut is called “the Lord’s mouth”?
4) What does it mean that she is on a man’s head?
5) Why does he say that Malchut is called the “image of the Lord,” as it is written, “The image of the Lord does he behold”?
6) What does it mean that Malchut is called “Tzelem [image], as it is written, “Only in the image does a man walk”?
To explain the above said, we first need to understand the purpose of creation, meaning the connection that the creatures should have with the Creator. All of our labor surrounds this axle, as well as the punishments we suffer if we do not go to correct it. This is also all the reward we receive when the creatures connect with the Creator.
It is known that the purpose of creation is to do good to His creations. However, in order to prevent the bread of shame, which is the matter of equivalence of form—as disparity of form in spirituality is called “moving farther,” and equivalence of form is called “moving closer”—therefore, although His desire to do good to His creations is unbounded, still, the matter of equivalence of form was made, meaning not to receive delight and pleasure unless it is in order to bestow contentment upon the Creator.
From this extends to us the matter of labor, meaning that we must make a Masach [screen] so we can receive the delight and pleasure in order to bestow. This is the root of the labor that we have, as it is written in “General Preface to the Book, Panim Meirot Umasbirot” (item 3): “Know that the Masach in the Kli [vessel] of Malchut is the root of the darkness because of the detaining force that exists in the Masach, to stop the upper light from spreading to Behina Dalet. This is also the root of the labor in order to receive reward, since labor is an involuntary act, for the worker feels comfortable only when resting. But because the landlord is paying his salary, he annuls his will before the will of the landlord.”
Thus, all we need to do is work. This is the only thing incumbent upon us, as it is written, “Which God has created to do.” “Created” is what we attribute to the Creator, which is the desire to do good to His creations. From “created,” extends to us the matter of separation and disparity of form. However, by “to do,” meaning through the work we do in order to achieve the degree of in order to bestow, we move closer to the Creator once again through equivalence of form.
This is the meaning of the partnership between the creatures and the Creator, as it is written in The Zohar (“Introduction of the Book of Zohar,” item 67): “‘And to say to Zion, ‘You are My people.’’ Do not pronounce ‘You are My people [Ami],’ but ‘You are with Me [Imi],’ which means partnering with Me.” That is, the Creator gave the will to receive, which is the deficiency He has created, which is called “darkness,” as it is written, “And creates darkness.” This comes from His desire to do good. The creatures must give the Masach, by which we have equivalence of form, for only then we have Kelim[vessels] that are suitable to receive the abundance that comes from His doing good to His creations. It follows that “has created” comes from above, and “to do” comes from the lower ones.
We find two matters in the labor: 1) The work and the reward are two matters. The work is not in the place of the reward, meaning that the time of work and the time of reward are separate. 2) The work and the reward are in the same place and the same time.
Labor means that one has to make a movement, and movement also happens in three ways: 1) labor of the body, 2) labor of the mind, 3) inner labor, which is the hardest. This is done when he must work with the mind, while doing things that contradict the mind and the intellect. That is, he must annul his mind. This means that the mind mandates that he will do this or that, but he makes a movement and cancels his mind—what he understands to be one hundred percent true according to his mind. And yet, he annuls it. This is true labor.
Let us return to the matter of labor. For example, a person makes a movement in order to receive a reward for the movement. Otherwise, he would remain at rest, since by the nature of creation, man longs for rest. The reason for this is explained in The Study of the Ten Sefirot (Part 1, Histaklut Pnimit [Inner Reflection], item 19): “This is because our root is motionless and restful; there is no motion in Him at all.”
Therefore, we see that to the extent of the size, importance, and necessity that he has for the reward, to that extent he can exert. However, if he were to find a tactic to receive the reward without exertion, he would promptly waive the effort because to him the effort is but a means to obtain the reward. Thus, if he can get the reward through some other means, meaning not through work, then he will think, “Why should I work for nothing?” for he does not receive any reward for his work, since he can get what he will be given for the work without the work. It follows that he is not paid, and as we said, it is impossible to work without pay. Therefore, he waives the work.
This is regarded as the work and the reward being in two places and two times, since the work is, for example, that he is in a factory, and the pay is the paycheck he receives at the office. “In two times” means a separate time for work and a separate time for reception of the reward, since the work is every hour and every moment, and the reward is received only at the end of the day, when he finishes the work, as it is written (Deuteronomy, 24:14), “You shall not oppress the hired … You shall give him his wages each day before the sun sets.”
But sometimes the work and the pay are in the same place and the same time. This is so where the work itself is the reward, and he does not expect to be given any other reward for his work. That is, every move the body makes. As was said above, the body cannot make a move at all without reward.
But here, when his work is the reward, he receives the reward right where he works. And also, he receives the reward while he is working. That is, he does not need to wait for another time to be given the reward, such as for the end of the day, but rather each and every movement is rewarded right there and then.
For example: If a great ADMOR [high ranking rabbi] comes to Israel. If, for instance, the ADMOR of Lubavitch comes, and all his followers go to greet him. And he has a small package in his hand, which he gives to one of the followers to take it to the taxi. Afterwards the ADMOR takes out a $100 note and gives it to him in return for carrying the package to the taxi. His follower will no doubt refuse to receive the money. And should the ADMOR ask him, “Why won’t you take the money? Is this too little? To an ordinary porter, who is not a follower and does not know what is an ADMOR, and does not know that I am in important person, if I were to give him a $10 note, he would have thanked me. To you I give ten times more than to an ordinary porter, and you won’t take it?”
What should we say about this? His follower did not want to receive from him the money for carrying precisely because he knows the greatness and importance of the ADMOR, and the ADMOR has chosen him to serve him. This is a great reward, which is worth a lot. If any of the followers could buy from him the service that the ADMOR had let him do, the follower would certainly tell him: “All the money in the world is worthless compared to this service, which the ADMOR has given me, and has chosen me over everyone else.”
Here we see that the labor and the reward are in the same place and the same time, since during the work, meaning while he is carrying the load—and he should be rewarded, since it is impossible to work without reward—he does not receive reward elsewhere, meaning that the work is the package he is carrying, and his reward is elsewhere, namely the money, or on another time, meaning that he is rewarded when he has finished the job.
Rather, here the work and the pay are in the same place. The work is carrying the package, and the reward is also carrying the ADMOR’s package. He does not need to be given anything else that can be regarded as reward. Rather, the work of carrying the ADMOR’s package is itself his reward.
This is also regarded as “in the same time,” meaning that while he is working, at the same time he is rewarded, and it cannot be said here that he receives the reward after he has finished his work. Rather, he is receiving his pay at that very moment. The time of work and the time of pay are inseparable here because his entire reward is the service he is giving to the ADMOR. He enjoys this service more than any fortune in the world.
It follows that there is something new here—that it cannot happen that there can be such a thing as receiving reward each and every moment of one’s work. Rather, the reward always comes after the work, as it is written, “to do them today and to receive the reward for them tomorrow.” But here it is different, meaning that the work and the reward come as one.
It therefore follows that the work is not regarded as labor for which to receive reward. Only when the work and the reward are in two places and two times is work regarded as labor. That is, when the work is only a means to receive reward. Therefore, if he could toss the means and receive the purpose right away, why would he need the means? For this reason, since the whole purpose is the reward, his attention is only on the reward, and he is always searching how to work less and gain more.
But if the work and the reward are simultaneous, this work is not regarded as labor, of which we can say that he wants to get rid of the work, since the work and the pay are in the same place and the same time, since he enjoys serving an important person.
Accordingly, the labor in Torah and Mitzvot [commandments] is only when he is carrying the burden of Torah and Mitzvot like the porter carrying the ADMOR’s package without knowing the ADMOR’s importance. At that time he is always bargaining and wants more reward than the ADMOR is paying him for his labor, as we said in the allegory about the ADMOR of Lubavitch. That is, the follower who takes the package that the ADMOR has given him, since the follower recognizes the importance and greatness of the ADMOR, he wants no reward from the ADMOR. Rather, the size of the reward is measured by his recognition of the greatness and importance of the ADMOR; this is how is receives additional reward.
Although by nature we derive great pleasure when serving an important person, there is a difference in the importance, too. If a person is serving the most important person in town, while it pleases him, this is nothing like knowing that he is serving the most important person in the country. And his pleasure would be even greater if he knew that he was serving the most important person in the world. Then his joy would grow unboundedly.
It follows that we labor in Torah and Mitzvot because we lack the importance and greatness of the Creator. In the words of the holy Zohar, it is called that all our thoughts should be only to “raise the Shechina [Divinity] from the dust. That is, to us spirituality is completely in concealment of the face, and we do not feel the importance of our work. That is, we do not feel the importance of the one for whom we work, and whom we are serving. Therefore, when we overcome in the work, that work is by coercion. This is called “labor,” since the reward is not in the place of the work.
In other words, by working in coercion, he expects to receive reward after some time and in a different place. Since the reward is far from the time of the work, he has time to think that now he is working and later he will receive reward. Therefore, there is a time when there is work there, and this is called “labor.”
This is not so when he feels the importance of the work, meaning when he feels whom he is serving. At that time the reward is in the place of the work. Such work is not regarded as labor because the work and the reward are in the same time and in the same place, and this is not labor.
We can discern this when here, if the work and the reward are in the same place, the work itself is the reward. Therefore, he will not want to relinquish the work because naturally, you don’t waive the goal, you only waive the means. Therefore, when the reward and the work are in the same place and the same time, a person cannot relinquish the work. If he relinquishes the work, he relinquishes the reared, since they are in the same place.
But if a person works like a porter, as in the above allegory, since there, there is labor because the work and the reward are in two different places, then the person wants to relinquish the labor, which is only a means for the reward, and he wants the reward. For example, a person who works to obtain the next world is willing to relinquish the work, meaning if he is given the next world without labor, since he needs only the goal and not the means.
We can discern the same regarding a gift. If an important person gives someone a gift, the recipient distinguishes two things about the gift: 1) that he loves him, or he would not have given him the gift, 2) the gift itself.
Here, too, we should make the same discernments, meaning what is the goal and what is the means. We should also determine the importance of the giver—if the giver is an important person then the love is the goal and the gift is only a means, whereby the gift the love appears here. It follows that here, too, he is willing to relinquish the gift, but not the love. But if the giver is an ordinary person then the gift is the goal and love is the means, and he can relinquish the love as long as he gives him gifts. It follows that whether he gives or receives, there is always the same calculation of the importance of the person.
Thus far we talked about the reward and the work. However, there is another matter, namely punishment. That is, if he does not keep the Torah and Mitzvot, he is punished for it. But here, too, we should discern if the punishment is where he broke the laws or the in another place and another time.
Let us take, for example, reward and punishment in regard to the rules of the state. One who breaks the laws of the state is punished. His punishment is not in the same place and the same time. A person who stole another man’s possessions and was caught receives a punishment, say incarceration or a fine. However, this is all not in the same place or in the same time. But if it is not known that he is the thief, he will never be punished.
The same thing applies to transgressors of the rules of Torah. And yet, there is a big difference between breaching the law of Torah and breaching the laws of the state. In the revealed part, meaning the work in Torah and Mitzvot, every person can see what the other is doing. Here the transgression and the punishment are also not in the same place and the same time. If a person has committed a transgression and there are witnesses who saw it, he is punished for his transgression. For example, if he ate pork and people saw it, afterwards the court sentences that for this transgression he deserves to be flogged. It follows that the transgression and the punishment are in two places and two times, such as when breaking the laws of the state.
However, in man’s work, approaching the internality of the Torah, which is called the “hidden part,” there the matter is concealed and no one can see man’s inner work, since no one knows what is in one’s heart. If, for example, a man comes and says, “I want to make a big donation for a seminary where people learn Torah. However, I want there to be a big stone nameplate in the seminary where it will be inscribed that I gave the big donation, and to advertise in the papers that I gave such a big donation, so that wherever I go I will be respected.”
We can say that he is a great philanthropist, but we cannot say that his intention is specifically to support learners of Torah, but that pursuit of honor, called “self-love,” is also mixed in the support of the learners of Torah. However, his real intention is hidden from us because perhaps all he wants is really only to support the learners of Torah. And in order to prevent the recipients of his money from respecting him he pretends to want respect, that he wants to pay to charity because he wants to exchange the desire for money with a desire for honor. Naturally, he will not be respected.
Between man and man we can discern between the revealed part and the concealed part. But between man and God there is certainly a big difference. Our sages said, “One should always engage in Torah and Mitzvot, even if Lo Lishma [not for Her sake], since from Lo Lishma he comes to Lishma[for Her sake]” (Pesachim, 50b). Thus, in the act of Mitzvot and in the study of Torah there is a big difference between the revealed part, meaning the act, and the concealed part, meaning the intention, since no person can look at the intention, for the act that one does between man and God does not have a person in the middle who can criticize his intention. Normally, each one is busy with himself and does not have time to think of his friend’s calculations. It follows that only he thinks of the intention.
That is, when he engages in Lo Lishma, meaning expects reward, the work and the reward are not in the same place and in the same time. But here, when we are speaking of punishments, the transgression and the punishment are not in the same place and in the same time, since he receives the punishment after he commits the transgression, and afterwards he suffers the punishment—a punishment in this world or a punishment in the next world. This applies only to the part of Lo Lishma.
However, in those who work on the intention—to be able to aim their actions only to bestow—the reward and the punishment are in the same place and the same time, since his inability to aim the act of bestowing contentment upon the Creator is his punishment, and he does not need to be given any other punishments, for nothing torments him more than seeing that he is still far from the Creator.
The evidence is that he does not have the love of the Creator, that he wants to respect Him. All this is because he is in a state of Achoraim [posterior] and concealment from the Creator. This is what pains him, and this is his punishment. But here is his reward—if he has love for the Creator and wants to bestow contentment upon him. However, all this concerns specifically those who want come to work only for the Creator, and not in Lo Lishma. It can be said about them that the punishment and the reward are in the same place and in the same time.
But normally, punishment is when they are in two different places. This is so because generally, observing Torah and Mitzvot is in the revealed part, meaning only in the act. It is called “revealed because in terms of the act, it is revealed to everyone what one does and what one says. In the revealed part, we explained above that there the reward and punishment are in two different places.
With all the above we shall come to clarify the words of the holy Zohar, where we asked six questions. It is known that Malchut is called “the last Hey in the name HaVaYaH,” called Behina Dalet de Ohr Yashar [fourth discernment in the Direct Light]. Her quality is to receive in order to receive. All the corrections we need to do through Torah and Mitzvot are to correct her, so the reception in her will be in order to bestow, which is called Dvekut [adhesion] with the Creator. But if her intention is not to bestow she becomes removed from the Creator.
Also, it is known that everything we learn about the upper worlds pertains to the souls, as our sages said (Vayikra, 36:4), “Rabbi Birkiya said, ‘The heaven and earth were created only by Israel’s merit, as it is written, ‘In the beginning God created,’ and there is no beginning but Israel, as it was said (Jeremiah, 2), ‘Israel was holy to the Lord, the first of His harvest.’’”
Therefore, everything we learn in upper worlds is only so the souls will receive the upper abundance, as it is known that the purpose of creation is to do good to His creations. In order to correct the disparity of form that governs Malchut herself, who is called “receiving in order to receive,” since disparity of form causes separation in spirituality, and this Kli, called Malchut, is the Kli of all the souls from which man was created. He must correct it so that all the vessels of reception will work in order to bestow.
See what is written in the introduction to The Book of Zohar (items 10-11): “And in order to mend that separation, which lies on the Kli of the souls, He has created all the worlds and separated them into two systems, as in the verse: ‘God has made them one opposite the other.’ These are the four pure worlds ABYA, and opposite them the four impure worlds ABYA. And He … removed the will to receive for themselves from them, and placed it in the system of the impure worlds ABYA. …And the worlds cascaded onto the reality of this corporeal world, to a place where there is a body and a soul, and a time of corruption and a time of correction. For the body, which is the will to receive for itself, extends from its root in the Thought of Creation, and passes through the system of the impure worlds, as it is written, “a man is born a wild ass’s colt.’ He remains under the authority of that system for the first thirteen years, which is the time of corruption. By engaging in Mitzvot from thirteen years of age onward, when he engages in order to bestow contentment upon his Maker, he begins to purify the will to receive for himself imprinted in him, and slowly turns it to be in order to bestow. By this he extends a holy soul from its root in the Thought of Creation. It passes through the system of the pure worlds and dresses in the body. …And so he accumulates degrees of holiness from the Thought of Creation in Ein Sof [Infinity], until they aid him in turning the will to receive for himself in him to be entirely in the form of reception in order to bestow contentment upon his Maker.”
According to what he presents there in the introduction to The Book of Zohar, we see that everything we say about the upper worlds concerns only the souls. Therefore, when we say that Malchut moved father from the name HaVaYaH, it pertains to the souls, which need to correct her so she will connect with the name HaVaYaH, because with respect to the souls, she drew farther.
However, when a person takes upon himself the burden of the kingdom of heaven above reason, and he is in bestowal, it causes man’s root, which is Malchut, to also be in bestowal, which is equivalence of form. At that time it is considered that Malchut, which was remote from the giver, in disparity of form, now that man engages in bestowal, called “equivalence of form,” it is regarded as Malchutmoving herself closer to the name HaVaYaH, meaning to the giver. This is the meaning of “Retuning the Hey to the Vav,” where Yod-Hey-Vav are called “the upper nine,” who are the giver, and the letter Vav is regarded as giving to Malchut, since now Malchut is regarded as giving, like the Vav. This is why the holy Zohar calls Malchut by the name Hey. This is the answer to the first question we asked.
On the one hand, at her root, Malchut is the root of the created beings. She is named Malchut due to her root of receiving in order to receive. From this aspect extends death, since reception causes separation from the life of lives. For this reason, death extends from here. This is also why Malchut is called the “tree of death” (Zohar, Behaalotcha, item 96), as it is written, “Rabbi Yehuda said, ‘Rabbi Hiya said, ‘The text testifies that anyone who gives charity to the poor awakens the tree of life, which is ZA, to add life to the tree of death, which is Malchut. Then there is life and joy above, in Malchut.’’”
We therefore see that on the one hand, Malchut is called the “tree of death,” from the perspective of her root, but when the souls engage in bestowal, she is in equivalence of form, and then the Tzimtzum [restriction] and concealment that were on her are removed. Specifically from here, meaning from Malchut, life extends to the world, and in that respect Malchut is called “life.”
By this we explained the second question, why Malchut is called “life,” since Malchut is called the “tree of death.” The answer is that after she is corrected, as in “Work below awakens work above,” it means that the works of the lower ones awaken the upper roots, by which they cause the unification of the Creator and His Shechina, and from that unification life comes to the world.
The third question is what does it mean that Malchut is the mouth of the Creator. We see that in corporeality, the mouth reveals what is on one’s mind. HaVaYaH is called “the quality of mercy.” This means that the Creator imparts delight and pleasure upon the creatures. When Malchut is called “life,” which is when the lower ones engage in bestowal, the upper life comes from Malchut. The purpose of creation is called “light of Hochma,” which is Ohr Haya. When Malchut reveals it, she is called “the mouth of the Lord,” revealing the thought of creation, which is to do good to His creations.
By this we come to interpret what we asked in the fourth question: what does it mean that because she is on a man’s head, a man must not walk four Amot [approx. four feet] bear-headed. It is known that Malchut is called “faith,” and faith is always above reason. Man’s mind is referred to as man’s “head.” Accordingly, the kingdom [Malchut] of heaven that one must take upon oneself should be above reason and above mind. This is why it is considered that Malchut is on a man’s head.
This is why it is forbidden to walk four Amot bear-headed, since if she departs from a man’s head, life promptly departs from him. Bear-headed means that Malchut, which is regarded as faith, is not on his mind and reason. It is as we said, that faith is regarded as above his head, meaning above reason. And because he has no faith, the light of life, which comes from Malchut, certainly departs from him, since Malchut is called “life” only by correcting the vessels of bestowal. But in vessels of reception, Malchut is called the “tree of death.” This is why life departs from him.
The fifth question, why Malchut is called “the image of the Lord,” is because “image” means as we say, “I want to have a general picture of the matter.” Therefore, when wanting to know the general picture of spirituality, we are told, “And the image of the Lord does he behold.” That is, seeing the general picture of spirituality depends on the extent to which he has been rewarded with faith in the Creator. Faith is expressed in mind and heart, and according to the faith with which one has been awarded, so he receives the image of it. Therefore, since Malchut is called “faith,” Malchut is called “the image of the Lord,” meaning that according to his faith, so is the image of spirituality that he receives.
Also, in the above manner we can answer the sixth question: why is Malchut called Tzelem [image], as it is written, “Only in the image does a man walk”? Tzelem also means faith, since “sun” is called reason [knowledge] and Tzel [shadow] is something that hides the sun. This is the faith, which is called “clothing.” If a person has that clothing, the upper light dresses in him, as it is written in The Zohar (Vayechi, item 201), “If the Tzelem [image] departs, the Mochin depart, and the Mochin dresses according to the Tzelem.”
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