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עשר עשתי ביום א"תשל

B’Yom Ashtei Assar

5731

גחלק

Part Three

ב"ה

About Simply Chassidus

Simply Chassidus releases one ma’amar of the Rebbe each month

with English translation and commentary. Each ma’amar is divided

into three sections, each of which can be learned in approximately

one hour. By learning one section per week, usually on Shabbos

morning, participants can finish one ma’amar per month, with time to

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Reviewed with Rabbi Fischel Oster in the zechus of refuah shleima for

יהודה בן שרה רבקה' ארי' ר .

Made possible by

The ma’amar “B’Yom Ashtei Assar 5731” from Sefer Hamaamorim Melukat Vol. 3 is copyrighted by Kehot Publication Society, a division of Merkos

L’inyonei Chinuch, and is reprinted here with permission.

3 עשר עשתי ביום ה"ד

Section Three

At the beginning of the ma’amar, the Rebbe asked four questions,

two on each Midrash (the first one about the nasi from the tribe of

Asher and the second about the “wise man” who chose the king):

1. If the “only praise of the Jews is that they choose Hashem to

be their G-d”, why does the Midrash say that (because of this

praise) the nasi from the tribe of Asher brought his korban

because Hashem chose the Jews to be His people?

2. How can we say that Hashem “chooses” the Jews or the Jews

“choose” Hashem if there isn’t another viable option? Choice

only applies if there are two equal options, or two different

options with unique advantages – and neither of those seem

to apply here.

3. Why does the Midrash call the man who chose the king

(rather than the King’s ministers) “wise”? Even a child knows

that a king is superior to his servants!

4. If a king is essentially greater than his ministers, why does the

wise man provide a reason? The wise man said he chose the

king because, “The ministers will not always remain in their

position, but the king will always remain in his position”

[Editor’s note: For the benefit of the reader, we have provided a

comprehensive summary of the flow of the previous sections to

enhance comprehension.]

In the first section, we explained that the wise man (the Jew) chooses

the King (Hashem) because he understands that Hashem is the only

true existence (kelipah only exists temporarily in order to enable free

choice, but will disappear when Moshiach comes – it does not

“remain in its position”). Therefore, he chooses to forego the easier

and more personally beneficial path and instead dedicates his efforts

4 א"תשל'ה ניסן א"י

to the service of Hashem. This choice takes great wisdom, which is

why the Midrash called the man “wise.” (This answered questions

three and four.)

This also seems to answer part of question two – why “choosing

Hashem” is called a choice (but does not answer how Hashem

choosing us is called a choice). As the Rebbe explained in the

beginning of the ma’amar, the faculty of choice is only used when the

available options are either equal or have unique advantages. When

we asked the question, we assumed that there wasn’t any

advantage to serving anything other than Hashem. However, now

that we know that those who transgress His will receive from the

level of makif and don’t need bittul, we see that the chooser has two

uniquely “beneficial” options:

1. If the goal is to maximize personal benefit, the chooser would

not choose the King. This enables him to receive more

personal benefit because he receives from the makkif and

doesn’t need to have bittul.

2. If the goal is to pursue truth, the chooser would choose the

King.

However, in the second section of the ma’amar the Rebbe points out

that the Midrash associates the wise man’s choice with the possuk,

“’My portion is Hashem!’ says my soul.” Seemingly, the intellect

(without the influence of the soul) is capable of understanding that

pursuing eternal truth is a loftier goal than pursuing temporary

material pleasures. If so, why does the Midrash say that this choice

comes from the soul?

The Rebbe answered this by explaining that the mind (on its own) is

capable of understanding which option is superior, but its actual

decisions are guided by self-interest. Therefore, without the

influence of the soul (which “chooses” Hashem with an “essential


choice” because it is united with Him) the mind’s bias would cause a

person to serve his own self-interests rather than choosing Hashem.

Accordingly, the answer to question two would be as follows:

Initially we assumed that “choosing the King” implied that there had

to be two viable options, and nevertheless the Jew (logically) chose

Hashem. We now understand that the Jew “chooses” the King with

an essential “soul” choice – he chooses Hashem because he is

connected to His essence.

However, this seems to imply that the soul chooses Hashem

automatically without the need for intellect. If so, why is the choice

expressed through intellect – the wise man chooses the king

because “his role is permanent?”

In order to answer this question, the Rebbe introduced a deeper

interpretation of the Midrash. The Rebbe expanded the

interpretation of our Midrash to say that “choosing the king” also

excludes the “ministers who are at the king’s table” (malachim and

sefiros), even though they only serve to reveal G-dliness. (They are

“with Him”). This gives us an even greater appreciation of the

wisdom of the wise man (question three) – he “goes through all the

chambers in the king’s palace” and never loses the exclusive focus on

the King Himself.

Finally, the Rebbe connected this focus on Hashem’s essence (and

exclusion of even the highest levels of G-dliness) to the Alter Rebbe’s

famous saying, “I don’t want anything else. I don’t want Your Gan

Eden, I don’t want Your Olam Ha’ba, I only want You alone!” Even

though these levels are “Your Olam Ha’ba” and “Your Gan Eden”

(they only exist in order to reveal G-dliness), the Alter Rebbe only

desired “You alone.”


The Rebbe continues:

דפירוש זה באנא נסיב מלכא שאינו רוצה בהדרגות , מרלו ויש( טוהפירוש דאנא נסיב מלכא , שלמעלה אלא בהעצמות( דקדושה)

.שייכים זה לזה(, מ"שאינו עובד להכו)כפשוטו

At the beginning of the ma’amar, we explained that “choosing the

King” means rejecting any type of idolatry. In the previous section,

we added a new explanation that “choosing the King” also means

having a complete focus on Hashem’s essence without any desire for

even the highest G-dly revelations.

In the following sections, the Rebbe will explain how these two

mistakes share a common thread – and how one can lead to the

other.

שהאהבה דמי לי בשמים שאינו רוצה בהגילויים 72פ הידוע"ויובן זה עלו ' ע ישאר במציאותו ויהי"אף שבג, ס"ע אלא בעצמות אוא"דג

כ מצד הגילוי "משא( 73נהנים מזיו השכינה)השגה ותענוג באלקות ע הוא רק "מכיון שהגילוי דג, מ"מ, ס יתבטל ממדריגתו"דעצמות אואהוא , ס"שבאין ערוך לגבי עצמות אוא(, השכינה זיו) הארה בלבד

.בוחר בהעיקר ולא בהטפל

In the first part of the ma’amar the Rebbe explained that the Jew

chooses to serve Hashem even though following selfish pursuits

wouldn’t require bittul and would result in more personal benefit

(because unholy influence from makkif is “free” and not based on the

merits of the recipient).

Similarly, the love of “Whom else do I have in Heaven” causes a Jew to

choose Hashem’s essence (rather than G-dly revelation) even though

enjoying the lower revelation of Gan Eden would enable the soul to

receive the “personal benefit” of the “ray of Hashem’s presence”

while still retaining its own “independent” existence (it doesn’t

http://chabadlibrary.org/books/admur/mlukat/3/20/index.htm#_ftn_1213



experience the complete bittul caused by the revelation of Hashem’s

essence).

In summary, both “choosing the King” and the love of “Whom else do

I have in heaven” forego personal benefit (influence from makkif,

revelation of Gan Eden) and require bittul (influence is given

according to the merits of the recipient, causes complete bittul of the

soul’s existence).

The Rebbe now explains how focusing on Gan Eden for the sake of

one’s own spiritual pleasure can potentially lead to “choosing the

ministers”:

שהם כלא חשיב לגבי )ע "דכאשר הוא בוחר בהגילויים דג, מובןומזה בכדי שישאר במציאותו ,74שלו' בשביל הלגרמי( ס"עצמות אוא

'( י ריבוי השתלשלות וכו"ע)זה אפשר שיבוא מ, ויהנה מזיו השכינהשרים היא נמשכת ממקום המות ' י הע"דהגם שיודע שההשפעה שע

מ ירצה בהשפעה זו יותר מבההשפעה "מ(, ל סוף סעיף ה"כנ) .לו שפע בריבוי' בכדי שיהי, שמהקדושה

If a Jew chooses to focus on the revelations of Gan Eden (which are

insignificant in comparison to Hashem’s essence) to increase his own

spiritual benefit (his soul remains an “independent” existence to

enjoy the revelation), it is possible that this same motivation could

eventually lead him to not serve Hashem at all, G-d forbid. Since his

overall approach prioritizes his own personal benefit despite the

fact that he knows that there is something higher (the King Himself),

he could potentially stop serving Hashem to increase his own

personal enjoyment despite the fact that he knows that Hashem is

the only true source of life.

Additionally, focusing on Gan Eden for “philosophical” reasons can

also potentially lead to “choosing the ministers”:



חשבים אותם שמ מ"להטעות של העובדים לכוז הוא גם בנוגע "ועדאו שיש להם בחירה , מ עצמם"שההשפעה באה מהכו)למציאות

, ס"ע ולא בעצמות אוא"דמזה שרוצה בהגילויים דג(. פ להשפיע"עכאפשר שיבוא , היינו שהוא נותן חשיבות לענין שמחוץ להעצמות

שיש להם , מ"שיתן חשיבות להכו'( י ריבוי השתלשלות וכו"ע)מזה .ו"זו שההשפעה היא מהם עצמם חויתירה מ, בחירה בהשפעתם

As explained at the beginning of the ma’amar, the generations that

started to serve the forces of nature initially thought that even

though everything ultimately comes from Hashem, these forces had

free choice regarding whether or not they would pass on this G-dly

influence to the world. Later, this resulted in thinking that “Hashem

abandoned the earth” and gave these forces independent control. In

both of these situations, the idolaters realized that Hashem is the

ultimate source of all power, but mistakenly attributed some level of

importance to the intermediaries that carry out His will.

Similarly, the “philosophical” choice to focus on Gan Eden and other

G-dly revelations (even though one realizes that they are not Hashem

Himself) attributes some level of importance to things that are not

Hashem’s essence. Since both mistakes both share a common cause,

the more “spiritual” error can eventually lead to the much more

serious mistake of serving the forces of nature.

The Rebbe clarifies that this “philosophical” mistake can lead to

“choosing the ministers” even if a Jew is aware that it’s “Your Gan

Eden”:

ה "ע של הקב"ע הוא מפני שהוא ג"דגם כשרצונו בג, ויש להוסיף( מ"להכו)גם אז אפשר שיבוא מזה הטעות שיש להם "(, ע"דאיין ג)"

מכיון , בחירה להשפיע ועד להטעות שההשפעה היא מהם עצמםלא מצד עצמם )שגם לפי טעות זו הכח שיש להם להשפיע הוא

דאיין " בדוגמת) ג"ל ס"ה מינה אותם על זה כנ"מפני שהקב( אלא "(.ע"ג


Even if the Jew wants Gan Eden because he realizes that it’s “Your

Gan Eden” (like the statement of the Alter Rebbe), nevertheless this

still resembles the mistake of the idol worshippers. Just like a Jew

could want “Your Gan Eden” (they keep their main focus on Hashem),

so too the early idolaters worshipped “Your forces of nature” (they

also realized that Hashem was the source of all power).

Furthermore, focusing on “Your Gan Eden” could eventually lead to

the more serious mistake of believing that the forces of nature

themselves are the source of influence, because even those

idolaters believed that “Hashem appointed them to their position.”

[However, realizing that it is “Your Gan Eden” makes this case a more

distant comparison to “choosing the ministers” than the earlier

examples which focused on G-dly revelation as an “independent” or

“selfish” goal.]

[Editor’s note: “Serving the forces of nature” does not necessarily

mean that the person will bow down to the sun or the moon. Rather,

it can also mean seeing the natural world (for example, earning

parnosa) as an independent source of one’s needs – and not

recognizing that everything comes exclusively from Hashem.

Similarly, the fact that a person could “not serve Hashem” because of

the pursuit of personal enjoyment doesn’t necessarily mean that he

will become an idolater. Rather, it could mean that he could start to

make compromises in his level of observance in order to lead a more

“enjoyable” material life. (End of editor’s note)]

If even the most subtle spiritual mistakes can lead to such severe

consequences, what should a Jew do to prevent them?

י "הוא ע' שום נתינת מקום לאנא נסיב דוכסין וכו' ובכדי שלא יהי, א מישראל"שזהו בכחו של כאו, פ"מעין ושמץ עכ)שיעורר אצלו

מער ניט אז דיך "א "כ", ע"דאיין ג"שלא לרצות אפילו ( כדלקמן ."אליין


In order to eliminate any possibility of making these mistakes, a Jew

needs to maintain an exclusive focus on Hashem’s essence (“You

alone”) and have no interest in even “Your Gan Eden.” (Even though

every Jew can’t achieve this with perfection, later in the ma’amar the

Rebbe will explain how this general approach is within every Jew’s

capability.)

Above, we explained that there are two types of mistakes that one

could make in serving Hashem:

1. The philosophical mistake of thinking that the intermediary

is independently powerful (either in terms of the forces of

nature or (lehavdil) “Your Gan Eden”)

2. The selfish mistake of prioritizing personal pleasure over

bittul (either in terms of receiving from the makkif or (lehavdil)

wanting the spiritual pleasure of Gan Eden)

Here, the Rebbe will explain how these both share the same central

point – and why the Jew is in a unique position to overcome this

error.

הוסיף ביאור בהשייכות דאנא נסיב מלכא להאהבה דמי ל ויש( ד"יומ הוא "בהקדים שעיקר הענין דעבודת כו, ס"לי בשמים שרוצה באוא

דהאמת , מ"הן בנוגע להכו. שחושבים דבר שהוא רק אמצעי לעיקר, שעל ידם נמשכת ההשפעה( גרזן)הוא שאינם אלא אמצעי

בנוגע להשפעות הגשמיות והן, מ חושבים שהם עיקר"והעובדים לכושהשפעת הגשמיות היא בכדי שישתמשו בהם , הנשפעות על ידם

שלכן )מ מחשבים את הגשמיות לעיקר "והעובדים לכו', לעבודת ה, להם ריבוי שפע גשמי' בכדי שיהי, ז"הם רוצים בההשפעה מהלעו

(.ל סעיף ד"כנ

The fundamental mistake made by those who worship idols is that

their focus is on the intermediary (the forces of nature) rather than


the primary thing (Hashem). This case of confused priorities is the

root of their philosophical mistake (they believe that the

intermediary has power) as well as their selfish mistake (they use

material pleasures for their own enjoyment rather than the purpose

they were created for – the service of Hashem).

This same central point applies to the “holy” mistake of focusing on

G-dly revelation (“Your Gan Eden”):

, התכלית הוא לא בהם עצמם, גם הגילויים הכי נעלים, והנה הגילויים. והם רק אמצעי שעל ידם תושלם הכוונה הפנימית דדירה בתחתונים

היינו שמחשיב אותם (, ס"ולא באוא)כשרוצה בהגילויים , ולכןמ "הכו)אפשר להיות נתינת מקום שיחשיב גם האמצעים , לעיקר

.לעיקר( גשמיוהשפע ה

Even the highest G-dly revelations are only “tools” that are used to

accomplish the ultimate goal of creation – making a dirah b’tachtonim

(making the physical world into a “home” for Hashem). [The only

purpose of the G-dly revelations is to give us the inspiration and

strength to overcome the challenges of refining the coarse physical

world.] Therefore, if someone treats these “tools” as the main point,

they make the same fundamental mistake as the idol worshippers –

they confuse the main point with the intermediary. Because these

mistakes share a similar central theme, one can therefore lead to the

other.

The reason why Jews have the potential to have the correct priorities

to “choose the King” and the other nations “choose the ministers” can

be traced back to the sources of their creation:

ע מהן עובדין לחמה ומהן ללבנה וישראל "דזה שאוה, יש לומרז "ועפע הוא מחיצוניות "כי השרש דאוה, הוא, ה"אינן עובדין אלא להקב

והבחינה דחיצוניות (, שרוצה באיזה דבר בשביל ענין אחר)הרצון היא באופן שאין נרגש בה שהרצון ( ע"כמו שהיא מקור לאוה)הרצון


ולכן מסתעף , הוא בשביל ענין אחר אלא שזה גופא הוא התכלית .75מ לעיקר"ע מחשבים את הממוצעים דכו"מזה שאוה

Chassidus explains that there are two general types of ratzon (will);

pnimius ha’ratzon and chitzonius ha’ratzon.

Pnimius ha’ratzon (the internal will) means the essential desire

for the ultimate goal.

Chitzonius ha’ratzon (the external will) means the desire for

the intermediary steps that are necessary in order to reach

the ultimate goal.

For example, a city might decide to build a new main road in the

town. However, this doesn’t mean that the city has any interest in

paving or traffic patterns. Building a better road means easier travel,

which could mean that shoppers have better access to stores (so

local businesses make more money) or executives have an easier way

to commute to their jobs (so more highly-paid executives will move

into the area). Money by itself can’t accomplish anything either – so

their ultimate goal is the higher standard of living that comes with

higher incomes in the area.

In this case, the pnimius ha’ratzon is the higher standard of living, and

all the other details are chitzonius ha’ratzon.

The ultimate purpose of creation is for the Jews to refine the world

and create a dirah b’tachtonim for Hashem. The people from the

other nations are part of this plan, but they are not the ultimate

goal. Therefore, we say that the source for the other nations is in

chitzonius ha’ratzon.

However, being part of chitzonius ha’ratzon doesn’t feel like you’re

only accomplishing a small step towards achieving the ultimate goal.

In our example, the construction foreman building the road feels



that the ultimate goal is the completion of the new road – and

doesn’t feel like he’s only accomplishing a small part of a greater goal.

Because the other nations come from chitzonius ha’ratzon (which

feels to them like pnimius ha’ratzon, they therefore feel that the

“intermediary” things within their own lives (the forces of nature and

material pleasures) are actually primary.

שמצד פנימיות הרצון אין , והשרש דישראל הוא מפנימיות הרצוןמ הם "ולכן יש לישראל ההכרה שהכו, נתינת מקום לאיזה ענין אחר

וכן השפע הגשמי הוא רק בשביל)רק אמצעי כגרזן ביד החוצב .אנא נסיב מלכא, ה"ולכן אינן עובדין אלא להקב'(, עבודת ה

On the other hand, Jews come from pnimius ha’ratzon which only

focuses on the ultimate goal and gives no independent

importance to any intermediary steps – no matter how important

they seem. Therefore, this gives the Jew a natural ability to see that

all the forces of nature are only “an axe in the hand of the

woodchopper” (and that the material world is only a tool for the

service of Hashem), which leads them to have an exclusive focus on

Hashem – I choose the King.

Having explained these concepts, the Rebbe now returns to the

question from chapter seven: Why does this choice (“I choose the

King”) need to be expressed intellectually (the “wise” man) if it’s an

essential choice made by the soul?

ה היא "ר גם המעלה בזה דבחירת ישראל בהקביש לבא ז"ועפ( יאאלא גם מצד השכל לא רק מצד הרצון דהנשמה שלמעלה מהשכל

כי זה שהשרש דישראל הוא בפנימיות המקיף (, ל סעיף ז"כנ)וכידוע דשרש , הם בחינת פנימי הוא מפני שישראל( פנימיות הרצון)

ישראל עיקר העילוי דבחירת, ולכן, הפנימי הוא בפנימיות המקיףנמשך ( מקיף)ה הוא כשהרצון דהנשמה שלמעלה מהשכל "בהקב

מעצם הנשמה דוקא נמשך ז "שעי(, פנימי)ופועל גם בהשכל


חיצוניות )שלמעלה גם מהרצון שלמעלה מהשכל (, פנימיות המקיף) (.המקיף

As explained above, the Jew’s source is in pnimius ha’makif (referred

to above as “pnimius ha’ratzon” because ratzon is makkif – it’s not

expressed in any specific limb of your body more than another).

Even though pnimius ha’ratzon focuses on the ultimate goal, this

doesn’t mean that it negates the existence of any intermediary.

Rather, it reveals how each thing in existence is only an intermediary

(and not a contradiction) to achieving the ultimate goal. (It reveals

the “pnimius” – ultimate purpose – of each thing.)

Since a Jew is from pnimius ha’makif, this gives him the ability to

reveal the “pnimius” within every aspect of himself (and the world

around him). Therefore, a Jew is able to (and must!) reveal within

himself how his entire being – even his limited intellect – reflects

the reality of “choosing the King.” (In contrast, the perspective of

chitzonius ha’makif would allow the soul to have faith in Hashem

without penetrating every aspect of the Jew’s pnimius.) When a Jew

reveals that every part of his being “chooses” (recognizes) Hashem’s

essence (that there is nothing outside of Him), this also reveals the

essence of the Jew’s soul – which is the essence of every part of the

Jew.

This helps us understand why the Midrash referenced the specific

possuk, “’Hashem is my portion,’ says my soul:”

דחלק (, חלקי דוקא)אמרה נפשי ' חלקי הוי ש"דזהו גם מ, ויש לומרבענין מה טוב חלקנו ומה נעים גורלנו ומה 76כידוע)הוא בחינת פנימי

ה הוא כשהבחירה "והעילוי דבחירת ישראל בהקב(, יפה ירושתנוובאופן שזה פועל , בהבנה והשגה, משכת בפנימיותדהנשמה נ

.ז הוא ההמשכה דפנימיות המקיף"שעי, במחשבה דיבור ומעשה

The Frierdiker Rebbe explains that the phrase from davening,

“ ומה יפה ירושתנו מה טוב חלקנו ומה נעים גורלנו אשרינו ” (How



fortunate are we! How good is our portion, how pleasant is our lot,

and how beautiful our inheritance) refers to three steps in our service

of Hashem. Even though the final step is revealing the essence of our

soul (ומה יפה ירושתנו) which we didn’t earn (it’s an “inheritance”), we

need to reveal it by first working with our limited, revealed abilities

so the essence of the soul is revealed even within (”מה טוב חלקנו“)

our limited abilities (“חלקנו”). We see from here that the term “חלק”

(portion) refers to the Jew’s limited abilities.

Answer to the question posed in chapter seven:

Therefore, the possuk used the combination of “Hashem is my

portion” and “says my soul” to show that the ultimate expression of

the Jew choosing Hashem is when the essential choice of the soul

(“says my soul”) is expressed through his limited intellect (“Hashem is

my portion”). When it is fully expressed through the Jew’s intellect,

this affects his practical thought, speech, and action to show that

every part of the Jew is exclusively focused on “choosing the King” –

which accomplishes the revelation of pnimius ha’makif.

Since this ma’amar was said on the Rebbe’s 69th birthday when the

Rebbe started saying the 70th kapitel of Tehillim (corresponding to the

Rebbe’s 70th year), the Rebbe connects this concept to the first possuk

from his kapitel:

For the conductor; of David, to

make mention.

יר ח לדוד להזכ :למנצ

למנצח לדוד 77פ"ש במדרש תהלים עה"שר זה עם מלק ויש( יבלו צאן וכעס עליהם גירש את הצאן והתיר ' משל למלך שהי, להזכיר

אחר זמן כנס הצאן ובנה את הדיר , את הדיר והעביר את הרועהאמר הרועה הרי הצאן מכונסות והדיר בנוי ואני , ולרועה לא הזכיר



כי אלקים יושיע ציון 78כך אמר דוד למעלה מן המזמור. איני נזכרוישבו שם וירשוה וזרע עבדיו , הרי הדיר בנוי, ויבנה ערי יהודה

, ואני איני נזכר, הרי הצאן מכונסות, ינחלוה ואוהבי שמו ישכנו בה .לכך למנצח לדוד להזכיר

The Midrash brings an analogy to explain this possuk:

“There was once a king who became angry with his flock and sent

away the sheep, took down the fence around their pen, and fired the

shepherd. A while later [when he calmed down], he brought in the

sheep and put the fence back up, but he did not remember the

shepherd. The shepherd said, “The flock is restored and the pen is

rebuilt, but I am not remembered.”

So too, Dovid HaMelech is reacting to what was written in the

preceding kapitel. It said: “When Hashem saves Zion, and builds the

cities of Yehudah…”, so the sheeps’ pen is rebuilt. Then it says “…and

they dwell there and take possession of it. And the seed of His

servants inherit it, and those who love His name dwell therein,” so

the sheep will be brought in. But I [the shepherd] am not mentioned!

Therefore it says: “Of David, to make mention. Hashem, to save me.”

The Rebbe asks a question on this Midrash:

ולא היו )הרי זה שכנס הצאן לאחרי שכעס עליהם , וצריך להביןולמה לא , הוא מפני שנתעורר שוב הרצון אליהם( מרוצים לפניו

.וצריך לבקשה מיוחדת על זה, להרועה( מעצמו)הזכיר

If the king sent the sheep away because he was angry with them and

no longer had a desire for them, he must have brought them back in

because his desire for them was reawakened. If his desire was

reawakened for the sheep, why wasn’t it reawakened for the

shepherd – which therefore forced the shepherd to ask on his own?



' ואפשר שהמשכת הרצון יהי, דרצון הוא מקיף, והענין הואע השפעה "דרועה הו, נזכר' וזהו שבקש דוד שהרועה יהי. בחיצוניות

וכל זמן שלא ישנה (. החילוק בין רועים לנסיכים 79כידוע)פנימית כי המשכת המקיף עצמו . חסר העיקר(, הרועה)ההשפעה פנימית

.ושרש הפנימי הוא מפנימיות המקיף, היא מחיצוניות המקיף

As explained in the previous section, ratzon (will) is makif. Therefore,

it’s possible for ratzon to be expressed in an external way and not in a

way of pnimius. [Editor’s note: This is similar to how someone might

have emunah (faith), but since emunah is makkif, it’s possible that his

emunah isn’t expressed in a way of pnimius – through his practical

actions.]

In Torah Ohr, the Alter Rebbe explains the difference between “the

seven shepherds” and “the eight anointed ones”, which refer to

different types of tzadikim. The shepherds interact with the Jews in a

way of pnimius (interacting with them according to the needs of each

one), while the “anointed ones” affect them in a way of makif (they

inspires them through their yiras shomayim but do not interact with

them according to their own individual levels).

Based on this explanation that a “shepherd” represents pnimius, the

analogy that the “shepherd was not mentioned” means that

Hashem’s will was awakened for the “sheep” (chitzonius, makif), but

was not yet expressed in a way of pnimius (shepherd). Since the

ultimate purpose of creation is for everything to be expressed in a

way of pnimius, this meant that the main point was missing – there

was a revelation of chitzonius ha’makif, but not pnimius ha’makif.

Our original question on this Midrash was: If his desire was

reawakened for the sheep, why wasn’t it reawakened for the

shepherd – forcing him to submit a special request to be returned?

This answer (that the shepherd represents pnimius) implies that

Hashem’s desire can be reawakened for the Jews without revealing



Himself to them in a way of pnimius. The Rebbe challenges this

assumption:

והאיך שייך לומר , והגם שכשהצאן מכונסות נותנים להם כל צרכיהם , שאין להם רועה

How is it possible that the “sheep were gathered in” (Hashem

reawakened His desire for the Jews), which implies that they were

given everything that “sheep” need, and they weren’t given a

shepherd (a revelation in a way of pnimius)?

The Rebbe answers:

,79י הרועה הוא לימוד התורה"דההמשכה פנימית שע, יש לומרנמצא ,80ומכיון שהתורה דעכשיו היא הבל לגבי תורתו של משיח

(.פנימיות)שחסר עדיין אמיתית הענין דרועה

Even though Hashem reawakened His desire for the Jews and gave

them everything they needed, the pnimius He gave them was not the

ultimate expression of pnimius. As explained by the Alter Rebbe in

the ma’amar referenced above, the shepherd affects the Jews in a

way of pnimius by teaching them Torah – which they are able to

logically understand, enabling it to enter their pnimius.

However, since the level of Torah that is taught before the coming of

Moshiach is considered as “nothing in comparison to the Torah of

Moshiach,” the teaching of the “pre-Moshiach Torah” isn’t the

ultimate expression of bringing the highest revelation (the Torah of

Moshiach) into pnimius (logical understanding).

According this is explanation, Dovid is requesting a revelation of the

“Torah of Moshiach” in a way of pnimius.

The Rebbe now questions the assumption that this possuk refers to

“pre-Moshiach Torah”:




והגם שהמדובר כאן הוא לאחרי שאלקים יושיע ציון ויבנה ערי ,בגאולה העתידה' שזה יהי' יהודה וגו

The pesukim from the previous kapitel refer to the time “When

Hashem saves Zion, and builds the cities of Yehudah,” which clearly

refers to the times of Moshiach. If so, how is it possible that the

“shepherd was not mentioned” (the ultimate level of the Torah of

Moshiach was not revealed to the Jews in a way of pnimius)?

ס "תידה הוא הגילוי דעצמות אואבגאולה הע' הרי עיקר הגילוי שיהי(, דוד מלכא משיחא)וזו היתה בקשתו של דוד , שלמעלה מהשגה

הבנת והשגת התורה , גם הענין דרועה' שיהי, י בקשתו נעשה זה"וע .בתכלית השלימות

The main revelation of the times of Moshiach will be a revelation of

Hashem’s essence which is above our understanding. [This parallels

the revelation of the soul’s essential choice which is above

understanding.] Dovid HaMelech’s request for Hashem to

“remember the shepherd” was asking for this level (which is

completely above understanding) to be revealed in a way of pnimius

– that we will be able to understand the Torah of Moshiach in a way

of logical understanding – pnimius. [This parallels the way that the

soul’s essential choice is revealed within the logical appreciation of G-

dliness, “the king’s role is permanent.”]

We now return to the original question from the beginning of the

ma’amar:

Question One:

If “the only praise of the Jews is that they choose Hashem to be their

G-d,” why did the nasi from the tribe of Asher bring a korban that

represented how Hashem chose the Jews from among all the

nations?


First, the Rebbe explains the connection between Hashem choosing

the Jews and the Jews choosing Him:

ל יש לבאר הקשר והשייכות דבחירת ישראל "כל הנ פ"וע( יגבישראל להיות ה "דבחירת הקב, ה בישראל"ה ובחירת הקב"בהקב

ולא שהם )ה הוא בישראל "שרצונו הפנימי דהקב, לו לעם סגולההוא השרש והנתינת כח לבחירת ישראל (, אמצעי לענין אחר

ה הוא מפני "ל בארוכה דזה שישראל בוחרים בהקב"כנ, ה"בהקב .ששרשם הוא בפנימיות הרצון

The fact that Hashem chose the Jews to be His special nation means

that He has an “essential” desire for them (they are not a means to

accomplishing any other goal – pnimius ha’ratzon). Because the Jews

come from pnimius ha’ratzon, this is what enables them to “choose

Hashem” (overriding their mind’s self-interest and revealing their

soul’s essential desire for Hashem within their intellect – showing that

every part of their being is an intermediary to “choosing the King”).

At the beginning of the ma’amar, the Alter Rebbe writes in Tanya that

Hashem chose the Jew’s physical body. Here, the Rebbe

(parenthetically) explains the significance of this aspect of Hashem’s

choice:

, מזה נמשך להם הכח, דזה שהבחירה בישראל הוא בהגוף, ויש לומר]ז נרגש בהם "שעי, הגילוי דפנימיות הרצון' ים הגשמיים יהישגם בענינ

'[.שגם הגשמיות הוא בשביל עבודת ה

The fact that Hashem chose (essentially desired – pnimius ha’ratzon)

the physical body of the Jew gave the Jew the ability to reveal

Hashem’s ultimate will within the physical world and recognize that

the only purpose of the physical world is for it to be used in the

service of Hashem.

The Rebbe now explains why the nasi from the tribe of Asher brought

a korban that represented how Hashem chose the Jews from among


all the nations even though the praise of the Jews is that they choose

Hashem:

ז יש לבאר זה שהקרבנות של אשר היו על שם הבחירה שבחר "ועפאף שאין אישורן של ישראל אלא על שבחרו , ה בישראל"הקב

לא זה שיש בהם מצד )כי עיקר העילוי דישראל הוא , ה"בהקבמה שפועלים )ובזה דוקא , י עבודתם"זה שפועלים ע( אלא, למעלה

אלא שבכדי , ה"הוא עיקר הנחת רוח והתענוג דהקב( י עבודתם"עי ההמשכה והגילוי דבחירת "להם הנתינת כח על זה הוא ע' שיהידנוסף . י הקרבנות שהקריב אשר"וגילוי זה נמשך ע, ה בישראל"הקב

י "הנה ע, א מישראל מצד שרשו בפנימיות הרצון"להכח שבכ .זה בגילוי יותרנמשך כח , הקרבנות דאשר

Ultimately, the true praise of the Jews – and the main satisfaction that

Hashem gets from the Jews – is what they accomplish through their

own efforts. This is why it says that “the only praise of the Jews is that

they chose Hashem to be their G-d” – the main accomplishment of

the Jews is revealing their souls’ essential choice for Hashem within

their limited capabilities through their own efforts.

However, their capability to accomplish this (bring the makif into

pnimi) is from the fact that Hashem chose them (Hashem’s ultimate

desire is for the Jews, pnimius ha’ratzon). Even though every Jew

automatically has this potential because he comes from pnimius

ha’ratzon, the nasi of the tribe of Asher brought his korban in order to

accomplish an even greater revelation of this choice.

This ability was brought into an even greater level of revelation

through the Alter Rebbe:

, ר הזקן איך וויל מער ניט אז דיך אליין"י שאמר אדמו"ויש לומר דע א"לכאו( עוד יותר)ניתן הכח , צ"י הצ"ובפרט לאחרי שנתפרסם זה ע

דהגם שיש לו ריבוי , ובפרט לההולכים בעקבותיו ובדרכיו, מישראלשכל הרצונות שלו יהיו בלא לב , ב"ועד לרצונות שמצד נה, רצונות

דירה ' להשלים כוונת העצמות לעשות לו ית' ועיקר רצונו יהי, ולבר הזקן שלא רצה מער ניט "אצל אדמו' ומעין שהי ד"ע) בתחתונים


בכדי לעשות את ( בעיקר' )ם רצונו בגשמיות יהיוג(, אז דיך אליין .הגשמיות כלי לאלקות

When the Alter Rebbe would say “I only want You alone,” and

especially after the Tzemach Tzedek publicized this, this revealed the

ability for every single Jew to “choose Hashem” to an even greater

degree than before – especially for those who follow in the Alter

Rebbe’s ways.

Despite the fact that a Jew might have many desires (even desires

that come from his animal soul), when he makes his highest priority

achieving Hashem’s essential desire to make a dirah b’tachtonim

(choosing the King) he weakens the intensity of these other desires

by putting them in perspective. Similarly, he is capable of mainly

desiring material things as “tools” for use in the service of Hashem.

Even though every Jew can’t achieve the level of the Alter Rebbe

completely, he is able to primarily adopt the Alter Rebbe’s desire for

“I only want You alone!”

Maintaining this focus on achieving Hashem’s ultimate goal for

creation “motivates” Hashem to give us more of the physical things

we need:

ר "וכמאמר אדמ, ז יומשך לו גם ריבוי השפעה בגשמיות"ועיאז דער אויבערשטער גיט אידן גשמיות און אידן מאכן פון די 81הזקן

ה נותן לישראל ריבוי "דכשהקב, דמזה מובן, גשמיות רוחניות, ת וריבוי באיכותריבוי בכמו, גשמיות עושים ישראל ריבוי רוחניות

, ה"ועד שמתקשרים ומתאחדים בהקב, ועד לתכלית השלימות .82ה כולא חד"וקוב( אורייתא)ישראל

The Alter Rebbe once said (and the Rebbe quotes it in HaYom Yom),

“Hashem gives the Jews gashmius (material things) and the Jews make

them into ruchnius (spirituality).” Therefore, when Jews maintain their

focus on using the physical world for its intended purpose, this




“motivates” Hashem to give us all our material needs in order to

accomplish His goal. The more gashmius He gives us, the greater and

better quality ruchnius we are able to produce.

This accomplishment of Hashem’s ultimate purpose reveals our unity

with Hashem Himself, as the Zohar says, “The Jews (the Torah) and

Hashem are one.”

The Rebbe concludes:

וזה , בימי ההכנה לזמן חירותנו, וכל זה נעשה מתוך שמחה וטוב לבבי "גאולה האמיתית והשלימה ע, מביא גם את זמן חירותנו בפועל

.בקרוב ממש, משיח צדקנו

“And all this should be done with joy and gladness of heart during the

[upcoming] days of preparation for the ‘Time of our Freedom’

[Pesach, which is a few days after Yud Alef Nissan, when this ma’amar

was said], and this will bring us to the time of our actual freedom –

the complete and true geula through Moshiach tzidkeinu, may it be

soon!”


Footnotes from Original Hebrew Text

.צ שם"שרש מצות התפלה להצ. א ואילך"סע, ת תזריע כ"לקו( 72

.א, ברכות יז( 73

.ת שם"ה הלשון בלקו"כ( 74

לא מפני )מ הוא "דזה שטעו שצריך לחלוק כבוד להכו, ז בתחלתו"ע' ם הל"ראה רמב( 75

חלק להם " ה"שהקב מפני( אלא, כמובא לעיל'", טיבותא לשקיי" ד"שצריך להודות להם ע

שהסיבה לטעות זו היא , ואולי יש לומר". ל-רצון הא"הוא ( שיחלקו להם כבוד)ושזה " כבוד

.נרגש שזהו הרצון הפנימי( ע"כמו שהוא מקור לאוה)כי בחיצוניות הרצון

.מ"ובכ. ת"ש'ה אשרנו ה"ראה סד( 76

.*תהלים מזמור ע( 77

.סוף מזמור סט( 78

.ד ואילך, א מקץ לג"תו( 79

.א, ב"כ שם פ"ועיין ג. ח, א"ר פי"קה (80

יטל תהלים המתאים למספר שנותיו "ע( * ח "ק מו"מכתב כ)פ המנהג לומר הקאפ

א "צ ח"ר מוהריי"ק אדמו"קודש כ-אגרות .ד אמירת תהלים"נדפס בקובץ מכתבים ע ,ר"אדמו

לומר ( א"לתש)א ניסן שנה זו "התחילו בי –( ואילך 1' א ניסן ע"מ י"סה .ע נג"י ס"ח.לא' ע

.מזמור ע שבתהלים

ת "ש'מ ה"סה(. רסה' ב ע"צ ח"ר מוהריי"ק אדמו"קודש כ-אגרות)כז טבת " היום יום"ראה ( 81

.עח' ע( ו"הוצאת תשמ)

א, ג עג"ראה זח( 82

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