Parashat Yitro
From Torah Or by Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi
Translation and Commentary by Rabbi Gedalia Potash and William Schecter, MD
February 6, 2024
This draft has neither been edited nor approved by Rabbi Potash
The Elter Rebbe begins his commentary by quoting the first Pasuk of the 4th Aliyah: “On the third month after the Israelites had left the land of Egypt, on that very day, they entered the wilderness of Sinai.” The Elter Rebbe comments that the Torah only says “on that day” but does not specify the day. It was left to the Rabbis of the Talmud to say that it was the first day of the third month (Sivan).
Commentary: Of course, this precedes the giving of the Torah, celebrated by the Holiday of Shavuot, which occurred on 6th day of the third month (6 Sivan).
The Elter Rebbe now comments that there were several Tsadikim and Patriarchs that preceded the giving of the Torah. He is referring to Abraham, who represents the Attribute of chesed—love, Isaac who represents the Attribute of Gvurah—Discipline and Jacob who represents the Attribute of Tiferet—Beauty. Abraham traveled back and forth in the Negev (south). This traveling, says the Elter Rebbe, from one spiritual level, to the next represents the Attribute of supernal love. Eventually, Abraham reaches the spiritual level of Merkava.
Commentary: The Merkava (Chariot) refers to the Chariot in Ezekiel’s Vision (see the first chapter of the Book of Ezekiel for more details). The Zohar discusses the Merkava in detail and it refers to the thr.ee Patriarchs’ and the Attributes (Chesed, Gvurah and Tiferet)
The spiritual level of Merkava, says the Elter Rebbe, has the attribute of Divine Revelation in Abraham’s soul. Referring to the quotation of the Pasuk discussing leaving Egypt, the Elter Rebbe compares this to an ascent from a lower to a higher spiritual level.
Commentary: Why is this so? The Hebrew word for Egypt, Mitzraim, is based on the word Tsar, meaning narrow. So, Abraham’s ascent from Mitzraim spiritually represents an ascent from the limitations of the body and the animal soul which limit and envelope the G-dly soul within each man.
Casting off the limitations of Mitzraim enables the G-dly Soul to contemplate G-d’s Greatness and His Dissemination over all His creations to whom He gives life. Nevertheless, the soul does not have the power to cast off the sheath of the material body completely so that man must continually suppress the animal soul and transform it for a G-dly purpose. The Elter Rebbe then refers to the famous Talmudic parable of a thief standing at the entrance to basement about to steal. He suddenly prays to G-d for the success of his enterprise. Abraham, says the Elter Rebbe, ascended from the limitations of Mitzraim to cleave his soul with the supernal love until the soul desires to cast off its material vestments in the Klipat Nogah and to nullify itself with the Divine Light so that the soul loses its individual identity and unites with the Divine.
Comment: Klipah in Hebrew means shell or peal. Nogah means light. The Kabbalah postulates multiple material layers enveloping the G-dly Soul. The fourth layer is referred to as Klipat Nogah. It has both material (negative) and light (positive) elements within it and the struggle is for the spiritual to suppress the material.
This love, says the Elter Rebbe, comes from the contemplation of the Infinite Light Blessed be He (G-d) which surrounds al the worlds but whose understand if beyond the realm of possibility for humans.
The Elter Rebbe next quotes Psalm 145:13:
מַֽלְכוּתְךָ֗ מַלְכ֥וּת כׇּל־עֹלָמִ֑ים וּ֝מֶֽמְשַׁלְתְּךָ֗ בְּכׇל־דּ֥וֹר וָדֹֽר׃
Your kingship is an eternal kingship;
Your dominion is for all generations.
He then quotes Ecclesiastes 8:4
בַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר דְּבַר־מֶ֖לֶךְ שִׁלְט֑וֹן וּמִ֥י יֹֽאמַר־ל֖וֹ מַֽה־תַּעֲשֶֽׂה׃
since a king’s command is authoritative, and none can say to him, “What are you doing?”
He follows this quote with the famous Pasuk recited each morning
ברוך שאמר והיה העולם
Blessed is He that said (spoke) and the world came into existence
From this single expression life was drawn down (from the Eternal Light) to give life to all the worlds and to create existence from nil.
In summary the Exodus from the limitations of Egypt is followed two months later by the entry into the wilderness of Sinai and the Divine Revelation culminating in the giving of the Torah. But man can only perceive an infinitesimally small portion of the Ain Sof (the Divine Infinite Light). G-d is the Creator who created all the worlds with His utterance and although we cannot possibly understand His Infinite Power, which created our world which is only an infinitesimally small part of His Power, we can through contemplation perceive some of His Attributes.