Parashat Tsav 2
from Likutei Torah by Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi
The first day of Passover, Sunday, March 28, 2021
Translation and Commentary by Rabbi Gedalia Potash and William Schecter, MD
This draft has neither been edited nor approved by Rabbi Potash
This year, Parashat Tsav occurred on the day before Pesach. Because of the demands of preparation for the Seder, we delayed our study to the first day of Pesach prior to the Tfilah. We decided to study a section of Page 22 of the Elter Rebbe’s Likutei Torah which deals with a Kabbalistic interpretation of the Mitzvah of eating Matzah as found in the Hagadah. In the following passage, the Elter Rebbe explains the difference between the happiness and joy experienced on a Festival or Holiday and the experience of Shabbat which is quite different. Shabbat is on a higher spiritual plane than any of the Holidays. Why is that so?
The Elter Rebbe begins: “To understand the reason for the Mitzvah of eating Matzah as explained in the Hagadah, that there was insufficient time for the dough to rise because of the necessity of leaving Egypt immediately without delay. But even if we were not forced to leave Egypt and there was sufficient time for the dough to rise, were we not already commanded on the 10th of Nissan (four days prior to the Exodus) to eat only Matzah and bitter herbs. And in the subsequent generations we were commanded to remove all leavening from our places of dwelling so that we would eat only Matzah and that this commandment was for a remembrance of the Exodus from Egypt. The Elter Rebbe now asks but didn’t the Passover entail a prohibition of eating leavened bread for only one day?
This question was asked in Masechet Pesachim Page 96:b: “Rather, it refers to leavened bread, which is prohibited all seven days of Passover in the generations following the Exodus. The Gemara asks: Does this prove by inference that during the Passover of Egypt, leaven was prohibited for only one night and not more? But wasn’t it taught in a baraita that Rabbi Yosei HaGelili says: From where is it derived with regard to the Passover of Egypt that its prohibition of leavened bread applied for only one day? The verse states: “No leavened bread shall be eaten” (Exodus 13:3), and juxtaposed to it the verse states: “This day you go forth” (Exodus 13:4), to teach that the prohibition of leaven applied in Egypt for only one day. In any event, the prohibition applied for an entire night and day, and not just one night.”
The Elter Rebbe responds to his own question: The point is that the Passover from Egypt is not practiced but for one day and therefore because the Children of Israel were exiled and as a result, they ate Matzot also during the rest of the days of the Passover and similarly the Mizrahi interpreted the fact that they left Egypt in haste and even so the commandment was to eat Matzot for 7 days in future generations as a remembrance of the Exodus from Egypt.
To understand the issue of eating Matzah further, we have to advance the issue of Moadim LeSimcha (Times of Happiness—referring to the days of the Passover Holiday between the first two days {in the Diaspora, one day in Israel} and the 8th day of Passover which is also a Holiday}. The intermediary days are not Holidays but neither are they secular days. They are referred to as Moadim LeSimcha). For the main point of the Moadim is Happiness as it is written “And you shall rejoice in your Happiness (Deuteronomy 17:14) For the Holiday time is the time of the revelation of the Maternal Intellect (a synonym for Bina, understanding--מוחין דאמא). Now the Elter Rebbe supports this concept by referring the Hallel Prayer which is part of the Hagadah liturgy and is also recited at major Holidays and at the beginning of each new lunar month. He quotes: “He sets the childless woman among her household as a happy mother of children.” (Psalm 113:9—a part of the Hallel Prayer)
Now says the Elter Rebbe, as opposed to Holidays, which reveal the Maternal Intellect, on Shabbat the Paternal Intellect (מוחין דאבא a synonym for Chochma=Wisdom) is revealed. The Paternal Intellect (Chochma) is on a higher plane than the motherly intellect (Bina) and there is no attribute of revealed happiness as there is on a Holiday. The explanation of the essence of the Maternal Intellect is understood from the two aspects of the revelation of the Eternal Light Blessed be He (a synonym for G-d). The first is the cascade downward of the Light and the order of the various spiritual and energy levels within the cascade which have the attribute of flowing from cause to cause and enlightenment to enlightenment. For example, the attributes in thought in the cascade in general occur from one existence to the next (i.e., from known to known).
The second aspect of revelation derives from above the downward cascade of energy, that is from nil to existence (from unknown to known). This nil is the complete absence of any existence whatsoever (a concept which is impossible for us to grasp) and in this instance there is a downward flow in the cascade from cause to effect (not from cause to cause). When the effect approaches its cause from below to above, it reaches its cause. When this happens, it experiences joy and happiness and the happiness will be great similar to when a son is freed from captivity and sees the face of his father. Such is the happiness of the effect when it perceives the light from above under which the energy descended in the energy cascade so that a great distance was made between the effect (the lower-level light or energy) and its cause above so that the effect was distanced from the Light of His Face through the concealment occurring in the various levels of the Cascade. All this is the result of this revelation so that the effect has perceived how it exited from darkness to the great light and from bereavement to Holiday and from enslavement to redemption.
And the point of the Holiday is the revelation of the happiness similar to “the childless woman who is set among her household as a happy mother of children”. (Psalm 113) The word עקרת (a barren woman) has the same root as עקרה (to be uprooted) and the same root as עיקר (a mainstay) as in the expression “a rat excluded from the mainstay of houses” (I tried to find the source for this expression without success and don’t understand completely its relevance to the argument).
During the intermediary secular days (Chol Hamoed), the Holiday has the attribute of Malchut1 which is clothed in the Worlds of Briah, Yetzirah and Asiyah2 in the Klipat Noga3. But on the Holiday itself (that is the first two days of Pesach in the Diaspora and the 8th day of Pesach), the attribute of Malchut ascends to the World of Atzilut, having the attribute of a happy mother of children with understanding and reaching the revealed Eternal Light so that the light will cascade down and descend in such a way as to lead to a grasping and achievement of that which is possible from the revealed Eternal Light Blessed be He and how this very great revelation will transform them from grief to joy and those in darkness will see great light which is the Eternal Light in the attribute of existence like the achievement of grasping (understanding) the light of the face of the King so revealed.
And as, by way of example, the Soul delights in the World to Come from the splendor of the Divine Spirit which, under its essence, is invested in the material body and then separates from it and ascends to the Source of its formation and delights in the supernal Gan Eden (heaven) and enjoys the splendor, etc. The enjoyment and delight it is said is bequeathed to those who love Me (G-d) through existence which reveals the Eternal Light allowing the Soul to delight in it. Meaning that there is an achievement and understanding of the exit from darkness to great light. And this is the River that the Soul passes over on foot. There we will rejoice in it, meaning that the River flowing out of Eden is Understanding—It is the ascent that occurs on all three Festivals (Sukkot, Pesach and Shavuot) and there (in Gan Eden) is the source of Happiness. This is the attribute of Maternal Intellect-understanding-the world to come, supernal Gan Eden, the revelation of the delight of the Souls through their reaching this state.
But the Paternal Intellect-Chochma (Wisdom)-from nil you will find only nil. Nil refers to a concept in the Heavens not subject to understanding and mastery which reveals itself in the attribute of the Eternal Light Blessed be He because Nil (the complete absence of everything) is incomprehensible to the human mind (the Elter Rebbe uses an Aramaic phrase to express this idea--דלית מחשבה תפיסא). And it is impossible enjoy the Paternal Intellect because there is no achievement of understanding and the issue of this revelation is the nullification of achievement of understanding and the nullification of the Souls in the reality of the Eternal Light which cannot be understood. And this revelation is revealed on Shabbat.
Rabbi Potash explained this confusing idea as follows. On the Festivals and Holidays, we experience joy and happiness because we can relate to the concepts based on things that we perceive, material things. But on Shabbat, we celebrate the creation of the world, from nil to existence. The concept of nil, not a void in existence but the complete absence of existence, of anything, is a concept that we cannot understand. So instead of joy and happiness we experience a more subtle emotion.
Therefore, they said that it was with difficulty that permission was granted to speak about the laws of Torah on Shabbat because the Torah is issued forth from Wisdom meaning that the issuing forth of Wisdom is similar to going out to the wilderness which is solely enlightenment exiting from Wisdom. But the essence of Wisdom is elevated and sublime in the lofty heights above the Torah and happiness does not belong to this revelation for happiness and delight are only experienced when we understand how existence exited from darkness to great light meaning that after experiencing the great light which has the attribute of the lofty heights. And after understanding the descent of the light from above (through the process of cascading descent and contraction of the light), here with its ascent from below to above, happiness greatly increases. All this belongs only to the Maternal Intellect which is the revelation of the Eternal Light from the attribute of Existence (יש) and the understanding of how it is in the lofty heights above. But the Paternal Intellect has the attribute of revelation of that which is above understanding and there—there is no above and below for above and below are equal—darkness is the same as light—and darkness does not darken and light darkens.
In summary, on the Holidays and Festivals (like Pesach) we can experience great joy and happiness because our Souls have the potential to rise spiritually to meet the descending energy (light) cascading downward. The meeting of the light from above and below causes great happiness similar to the happiness that occurs when a son is released from captivity and first sees the face of his father the King (as in the metaphor used by the Elter Rebbe). On the other hand, on Shabbat, when we celebrate the creation of the world, there is a one-way flow of energy, from above to below because the human mind cannot contemplate the Source of this energy which derives from nil. So, we are bequeathed the vitality and life force but do not experience the same joy because we are unable to understand it. Our discussion ended at this point.
- Malchut: The lowest of the 10 Sephirot in the Kabbalistic Cosmology.
- The Worlds of Atzilut, Briah, Yetzirah and Asiyah: The four worlds described in Kabbalah in descending order from highest spirituality (Atzilut) to the lowest, our world (Asiyah)
- Klipat Nogah: the fourth peel surrounding the G-dly Soul which contains both G-dly and material (animal) elements.
The translation of the text below begins in the last paragraph of the first column on the right of the first page and continues to the middle of the second page below
