Parashat Lech Lecha
from Torah Or by Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi
Friday October 30, 2020
Tranlation and Commentary by Rabbi Gedalia Potash and William Schecter, MD
This draft has been neither edited nor approved by Rabbi Potash
This week is less a direct translation of the Elter Rebbe's text but more a commentary on his text.
The Elter Rebbe begins his commentary by considering the first Pasuk of this week’s Parasha “ויאמר השם אל אברם לך־לך מארצך וממולדתך ומבית אביך אל הארץ אשר אראך (The Lord said to Avram “Go forth from your native land and from your father’s house to the land that I will show you). Let’s consider the two words highlighted in Hebrew in the Pasuk. The first word “Lech Lecha” is usually translated as “go forth”. In fact, it means “go to yourself, to your essence. This “double word”-Lech lecha- hints at the internal journey Avram is about to take to an elevated spirituality. The next highlighted word (meartzecha) means from your land (the land of your birth). However, the root of the word ארץ (Eretz-land) is similar to רצון (Ratzon-desire) alluding to the material desires of the world. So, the phrase “Go forth from the land of your birth” on a simple level might mean leave Haran and journey to the Land of Caanan. On a spiritual level it might mean nullify your material desires and ascend to a higher spiritual plane.
The subtitle of the Elter Rebbe’s commentary reads “the issue of Lech Lecha is Avram’s journey from a lower plane to a higher plane and then from a higher plane to a lower plane”. He goes on to explain. Avram, he says, is like “an absent minded professor”. He is the “concealed intellect” removed from all practical ideas and knowledge. He then breaks up Avram’s name to Av=father, Ram=uplifted, exhalted, so high as to be abstract. Avram was a unique exhalted person who was able to see the lofty abstract concept of monotheism, not just describing it but achieving oneness with the concept and feeling it. For, the Elter Rebbe suggests, G-d is the definition of wisdom but not wisdom and knowledge as we understand it.
Avram’s achievement is his apprehension of this Divine wisdom during his journey of ascent. His genius was to bring this abstract concept down to a practical level and explain it to the peoples of the world, a process similar to a descent from a lofty height to our own world. The Elter Rebbe compares this to the Kabbalistic process of השתלשלות (Hishtalshalut) -the process of gradual flowing down of the Divine Energy from the Eternal Light through the infinite number of worlds until, through the process of צימצום (tsimtsum—contraction) the energy is reduced, as in a step-down transformer, so that when it reaches our world we are not consumed by its infinite power. The idea is that Avram’s intellectual and emotional connection to the Divine can be revealed in the various worlds of cascading energy so that G-d’s creations can receive (Kabbalah) its revelation and delight.
The Elter Rebbe then discusses Avram sitting at the opening of his tent. This is an allusion to the story of the three angels on their way to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham was “sitting at the door of his tent” when the three men approached him (Genesis 18:1-2). Rav Potash explained that Avram was sitting at the opening of his tent ready to share the revealed love he had discovered symbolized by the interior of the tent. He was symbolically inviting the peoples of the world into his tent to share his knowledge (both intellectual and emotional).
Continuing on the theme of spiritual and physical, the Elter Rebbe turns to the story of creation. Each day begins with darkness—"and there was evening”. Then comes the light—"and there was morning”. The darkness symbolizes loneliness and travail, a process which is necessary before the revelation of light. Kabbalistically, these two concepts are represented by the Hebrew words Batel (בטל )—nullification, selflessness and Yesh (יש )—existence, self. The Elter Rebbe then explains that Avram cannot complete the process of descent alone. He represents Chochma—wisdom. He needs his son Yitzhak who represents Gvurah—discipline to complete the descent and relate to the peoples of the world. Avram then represents Batel, selflessness as he unifies himself with Divine wisdom and leaves, to a certain extent, the shackles of the material world. Yitzhak represents Yesh—material existence. So, the Yesh leads to Batel which in turn leads to Yesh (lower to higher and then higher to lower) to perfect the world.
In order to explore this concept further, the Elter Rebbe then discusses the Mitzvah of circumcision. The foreskin, he says, is the first layer (Klipat Noga) concealing spirituality and the Divine soul. It is impossible to uncover this “Divine spark” as long as the foreskin is in place. The story of the first circumcision is as follows. After the Covenant Between the Parts (ברית בין הבתרים ) (Genesis 12-17), G-d promises to make Avram a father a great nation and grant his descendants the land between “the River of Egypt (the Nile?, Nachal El Arish?) to the Euphrates. G-d then changes Avram’s name from Avram (exalted father) to Avraham (the father of a multitude of nations). G-d then instructs Abraham (age 99) to circumcise himself, his son Yishmael (age 13) and all the men of his household. The circumcision being a sign of the covenant between G-d and Abraham and his descendants (Genesis 17:9-14).
After the circumcision, Abraham has descended from the lofty abstract “Professor” to a down to earth guy, the father of many nations, who is able to relate to people. This is the process of Milah-circumcision-the refinement and removing of the concealment that detracts from the emotional beauty of the soul.
The Elter Rebbe then goes on to compare the Bitul (nullification) of circumcision to the Tsadik’s (righteous person’s) role in the world. A tsadik, he says is like a candle in the presence of a torch. The flame of the candle loses its identity and joins with the flame of the torch.
The Elter Rebbe then goes on to discuss the Dispersion of the Jewish People as a metaphor for spreading the Divine Sparks present in the Klipat Noga—the outer layer of materialism encompassing the Divine Soul. These Divine Sparks, he says, are present in delicious food and drink that are elevated and included in the Divine Holiness. Similar to the metaphor of the candle and the torch, the Divine Sparks in the material delights of food and drink are elevated, nullified, that is lose their identity, and absorbed into the Shekinah (the Divine Light). This then is the meaning of G-d instructing Avram to Go forth from your land (Go to yourself and leave the material {the land}) and eventually to descend from the spiritual heights to repair the world. The Elter Rebbe compares the 20 generations from Adam to Avram as Tohu (Disorder), Kabalistically similar to the breaking of the 10 vessels and the powerful disorder that ensued. Starting with Avram, the world of Tikun (repair of the shattered Vessels-Sephirot) begins with the gradual and progressive descent from the Divine Knowledge and Energy represented by AV (father, the first to letters of Avram) to ”the Land which I will show to you”. The interpretation of “I will show to you” is as follows. The Elter Rebbe suggests that G-d will reveal you and in yourself, that is to say you will come to the revelation through the Mitzvah of circumcision. And so, Avram’s name was changed to Abraham. Our discussion ended at this point.
