לְעוֹרֵר אֶת הָאַהֲבָה הַיְּשָׁנָה וְחִבַּת אֶרֶץ הַקֹּדֶשׁ

This letter was written to awaken the old love and affection for the Holy Land, The letter begins by expressing the need to awaken our erstwhile love for the Holy Land, which has perhaps grown old and is currently lying dormant.

לִהְיוֹת בּוֹעֶרֶת כְּרִשְׁפֵּי אֵשׁ מִקֶּרֶב אִישׁ וְלֵב עָמוֹק, כְּאִלּוּ הַיּוֹם מַמָּשׁ נָתַן ה' רוּחוֹ עָלֵינוּ, רוּחַ נְדִיבָה בְּהִתְנַדֵּב עָם, לְמַלֹּאוֹת יָדָם לַה׳ בְּיָד מְלֵאָה וּרְחָבָה,

so that it burns like sparks of fire from within man and the depths of the heart, as though God literally placed His spirit upon us on this very day, a generous spirit, so that the people volunteer to dedicate themselves to God with great generosity When the hasidim decided to help their brothers in the Land of Israel, there was initially great enthusiasm. In the subsequent year and the one after that, their fervor waned, and it became harder to collect the same amounts. The purpose of this letter is to inspire the hasidim, not only to give, but also to feel the same enthusiasm they felt the first time and to an even greater extent.

בְּרִיבּוּי אַחַר רִיבּוּי מִדֵּי שָׁנָה בְּשָׁנָה,

with one increase after another, from year to year, Every year should see an increase of charity over the previous one. The author of the Tanya is asking that they not only refrain from reducing what they had promised to give in advance or what they are accustomed to giving, but rather they should increase the sum. In order to preserve the novelty, one must fashion an experience that somewhat resembles the first time one encountered it by consistently adding something to the previous instance.

הוֹלֵךְ וְעוֹלֶה לְמַעְלָה רֹאשׁ, כְּמִדַּת קֹדֶשׁ הָעֶלְיוֹן,

consistently ascending and rising like the measure of supernal holiness, There is a rabbinical concept that we rise in level in matters of sanctity. The mark of holiness is that one is constantly on the increase. When one is not growing in sanctity, when there is no advancement or ascent, the result is deterioration, which is the opposite of holiness.

הַמֵּאִיר לְאֶרֶץ הַקֹּדֶשׁ, הַמִּתְחַדֵּשׁ וּמִתְרַבֶּה תָּמִיד,

that shines on the Holy Land, which is constantly renewing and increasing, One essential aspect of the attribute of holiness, which is a quality of the Holy Land, of the Land of Israel, is the quality of renewal, constantly increasing and ascending in level. In the case of man, this is expressed through a persistent increase in one's spiritual aspirations, awareness, and devotion. Practically speaking, this can be expressed in constantly augmenting the amount of charity one gives to the inhabitants of the land.

כְּדִכְתִיב: ״תָּמִיד עֵינֵי ה׳ אֱלֹהֶיךָ בָּהּ, מֵרֵשִׁית הַשָּׁנָה וְעַד אַחֲרִית שָׁנָה״ (דברים יא, יב).

as it is written, "A land that the Lord your God seeks; always the eyes of the Lord your God are upon it, from the beginning of the year until the end of the year" (Deut. 11:12). The illumination of the supernal holiness is expressed in this verse, which the author of the Tanya will elucidate below. The verse mentions the special status of the Land of Israel: It is not like other lands, but rather it is "a land that the Lord your God seeks" and "always the eyes of the Lord your God are upon it." It is blessed with a special level of divine providence.

דְּהַאי ״וְעַד אַחֲרִית כו׳״ אֵינוֹ מוּבָן לִכְאוֹרָה, שֶׁהֲרֵי בְּאַחֲרִית שָׁנָה זוֹ מַתְחֶלֶת שָׁנָה שְׁנִיָּה, וְאִם כֵּן הֲוָה לֵיהּ לְמֵימַר ‘לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד׳!

It would seem that the meaning of this phrase "until the end of the year" is not clear, since at the end of the year another year begins, and in that case, it should have said "forever." If the eyes of God are "always" on the land, the verse should have said that God's eyes are on it "forever." What is the verse implying with this unusual phrase, "from the beginning of the year until the end of the year"? What is the significance of this break between one year and another, this division of time into distinct units?

אַךְ הָעִנְיָן יוּבַן עַל פִּי מַה שֶּׁכָּתוּב: ״ה׳ בְּחָכְמָה יָסַד אָרֶץ" (משלי ג, יט), שֶׁיְּסוֹד הָאָרֶץ הָעֶלְיוֹנָה הִיא בְּחִינַת 'מְמַלֵּא כָּל עָלְמִין',

Rather, the idea can be understood on the basis of the verse "The Lord founded the earth with wisdom" (Prov. 3:19), that the foundation of the supernal land is an expression of the divine light and life force filling all worlds, According to the teachings of Kabbala, wisdom refers to the sefira of Ḥokhma, while the earth refers to the sefira of Malkhut. The supernal land is the spiritual essence of our material world and thus is also an expression of the divine sefira of Malkhut. It is the sefira of Malkhut that descends from the divine essence of the sefirot into the worlds. The whole of existence and the impact of the sefirot on the worlds, down to the physical earth below, is channeled through the sefira of Malkhut. This sefira does not merely draw down the divine light and life force from above. It actually descends into the worlds to sustain and guide them from within. This is why Malkhut is called "the supernal land" that "fills all worlds." It is the immanent divine life force within all of reality, the earth, bringing it into existence and sustaining it.

וְהַתַּחְתּוֹנָה הִיא ‘אֶרֶץ חֵפֶץ׳ הַמְכוּוֶּנֶת כְּנֶגְדָּהּ מַמָּשׁ,

and the lower land, the Land of Israel, which is called a "desired land," is literally situated opposite the supernal land, The Land of Israel is called "a desired land" and is situated "opposite the supernal land." Of course, this does not refer to a geographic location. The supernal land is not located in a physical place. Rather, the idea is that they resonate with each other: The physical Land of Israel is counterpart to the supernal entity called "land." In light of this, the terms "Divine Presence," "Malkhut," "congregation of Israel" and "Land of Israel" are often used synonymously.

וְנִקְרֵאת עַל שְׁמָהּ ‘אֶרֶץ הַחַיִּים׳,

and it is named after the supernal land, the land of the living. The lower land, the Land of Israel, is named after the supernal land, which is the divine attribute of Malkhut. It is called the land of the living – the land that receives and gives life. There are thus two lands of the living, one above and the other below. Just as the supernal land receives and gives supernal life, as will be explained below, so too the lower land, the Land of Israel, receives and gives life to all the worlds in a direct and real sense.

הִנֵּה הוּא נִמְשָׁךְ מֵהַמְשָׁכַת וְהֶאָרַת "חָכְמָה עִילָּאָה", מְקוֹר הַחַיִּים הָעֶלְיוֹנִים, כְּדִכְתִיב(קהלת ז, יב).

The life force issues forth from the flow and illumination of supernal Ḥokhma , the source of supernal life, as it is written, "Wisdom preserves the life of its possessors…" (Eccles. 7:12). The sefira of Ḥokhma is the first sefira, the loftiest of the ten sefirot. It is the first to receive the divine light and life force from Ein Sof, which encompasses all worlds, and infuses it with the light that fills all worlds, which is an aspect of the supernal land, as the author of the Tanya stated above. Consequently, Ḥokhma is the source of all of existence and life for the worlds.

וְהֶאָרָה וְהַמְשָׁכָה זוֹ הִיא מִתְחַדֶּשֶׁת בְּאוֹר חָדָשׁ מַמָּשׁ בְּכָל שָׁנָה וְשָׁנָה,

This illumination and flow from supernal Ḥokhma is renewed each and every year with an actual new light, While this illumination of light from Ḥokhma to the worlds is constant, because otherwise the worlds would cease to exist, it is not fixed and monotonous. The illumination renews itself regularly, with its most prominent revitalization occurring "each and every year." Every year presents a fresh link between the higher and lower realms, and a new entity is created that did not previously exist. Naturally, the new year also replicates some of the features of the previous year, since there are aspects that are similar between them along with the differences, but in essence each unit of time is its own entity. Consider family relationships. All the children of one set of parents share a bond and resemble each other; the second child is similar in some ways to the first. But they are not the continuation of a single entity. There is always a distinct division between one individual and the next. Similarly, there is a break between the years. They bear a resemblance to each other, but in fact each year is "an actual new light."

כִּי הוּא יִתְבָּרַךְ וְחָכְמָתוֹ אֶחָד בְּתַכְלִית הַיִּחוּד,

for God and His wisdom are one, in absolute unity, In the words of Rambam, "He is the knower, He is the known, and He is the knowledge itself..." (Sefer HaMadda, Hilkhot Yesodei HaTorah 2:10). Since His knowledge constitutes knowledge of Himself, all three aspects of His knowledge – the object of His knowledge, the knowledge He possesses, and He, the knower – are one and the same. Notwithstanding the limitations of this explanation, it conveys the idea that divine wisdom and the divine essence are united in a single essence.

וְנִקְרָא בְּשֵׁם ‘אוֹר אֵין סוֹף בָּרוּךְ הוּא׳, שֶׁאֵין סוֹף וְאֵין קֵץ לְמַעֲלַת וּגְדוּלַּת הָאוֹר וְהַחַיּוּת הַנִּמְשָׁךְ מִמֶּנּוּ יִתְבָּרַךְ וּמֵחָכְמָתוֹ, בְּעִילּוּי אַחַר עִילּוּי עַד אֵין קֵץ וְתַכְלִית, לְרוּם הַמַּעֲלוֹת לְמַעְלָה מַעְלָה.

and the light that issues forth from Ḥokhma is called the light of Ein Sof , blessed be He, since there is no end and no limit to the quality and greatness of the light and life force that issues forth from God and from His wisdom, through one elevation after another, endlessly without limit, at the pinnacle of all heights, above and beyond. The vessel of Ḥokhma is, in a certain sense, the vessel of Ein Sof. Supernal Ḥokhma is not a distinct entity in any respect, but rather is a receptacle for the light and life force of Ein Sof. This is the divine light that comes from high above, an encompassing light that reaches all the way down to the lowest levels of the lowest world of Asiya. It is the illumination that everywhere and in all manners embodies Ein Sof, endlessly giving in quantity and quality, with infinite patience and boundless exaltation. A question then arises concerning the relationship between Ḥokhma and the earth, of which the verse states, "The Lord founded the earth with wisdom [ḥokhma ]." There are two possibilities: Either there is no direct connection between this attribute and the world, because Ḥokhma is indeed entirely inconceivable and does not exist in relation to reality, or there is a connection, in which case reality would be subsumed in the divine light. Though this attribute is indeed lofty, its connection to the earth, to the worlds below, is nevertheless preserved through the mode of "running and returning." The divine light and life force do not descend to the world in a direct, uniform manner, but in the form of pulses, like the life that flows through our veins, in our heartbeats and our breathing, and as is the case for many facets of our existence. The divine beneficence to the worlds pulsates in a similar fashion: Like pulses that come and go, rising up and dying out, from day to day and from year to year.

וּבְכָל שָׁנָה וְשָׁנָה יוֹרֵד וּמֵאִיר מֵחָכְמָה עִילָּאָה אוֹר חָדָשׁ וּמְחוּדָּשׁ, שֶׁלֹּא הָיָה מֵאִיר עֲדַיִין מֵעוֹלָם לָאָרֶץ הָעֶלְיוֹנָה.

Each and every year a new, renewed light descends and radiates from supernal Ḥokhma , one that has never yet shone, to the supernal land, On Rosh HaShana every year a new light arrives, one that never existed before and will never return. This is the pulse of the divine beneficence, which comes in fixed, disparate portions, each of which is a new entity with respect to the others. These pulses have diverse rhythms. Some consist of immense rhythms of a thousand years, while others are tiny, lasting mere moments. But the most significant rhythm, around which our lives are structured, is that of the year. Each year is like a heartbeat, and the body lives from one pulse to the next, which passes only to be replaced by another. The phrase "from the beginning of the year until the end of the year" thus expresses the essence of a year that has a beginning and an end, of the pulse of a life that starts and finishes. The new year is not merely a date written in the calendar, but a revelation, an actual change in reality that is no longer the same as it was. The former existence is no longer, and what will be in the new year is an entity that was not there before.

כִּי אוֹר כָּל שָׁנָה וְשָׁנָה מִסְתַּלֵּק לְשָׁרְשׁוֹ בְּכָל עֶרֶב רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה, כְּשֶׁהַחֹדֶשׁ מִתְכַּסֶּה בּוֹ.

for the light of each and every year withdraws to its source on every Rosh HaShana eve, when the new moon is covered and hidden. Rosh HaShana is the only festival that falls on Rosh Ḥodesh, the day of the new moon, when the new moon is hidden from sight. This is not coincidental but conveys the essence of this day. Rosh HaShana, the beginning of the new year, is a time when all is hidden. The previous year has vanished and expired, like a person who has run out of oxygen. Without new blood or a fresh source of life, his life will come to an end. This metaphor represents the eve of Rosh HaShana, when the previous year has faded away, returning to the primal source, and no longer has a relationship with our reality.

וְאַחַר כָּךְ, עַל יְדֵי תְּקִיעַת שׁוֹפָר וְהַתְּפִלּוֹת, נִמְשָׁךְ אוֹר חָדָשׁ עֶלְיוֹן

Subsequently, on Rosh HaShana itself, through the shofar blasts and the prayers, a new supernal light issues forth The prayers of Rosh HaShana and the sounding of the shofar accompany the birth of a new time period, heralding, awakening, and even directing it.

מִבְּחִינָה עֶלְיוֹנָה יוֹתֵר, שֶׁבְּמַדְרֵגַת חָכְמָה עִילָּאָה,

from a higher aspect in the level of supernal Ḥokhma Before Rosh HaShana, the new year is in a potential state, at the highest level of Ḥokhma, offering loftier and greater possibilities than the previous years. This is because time increasingly progresses and accumulates, so that each new year has greater potential than the previous ones.

לְהָאִיר לָ׳אָרֶץ עֶלְיוֹנָה׳ וְלַדָּרִים עָלֶיהָ, הֵם כָּל הָעוֹלָמוֹת הָעֶלְיוֹנִים וְהַתַּחְתּוֹנִים הַמְקַבְּלִים חַיּוּתָם מִמֶּנָּה,

to illuminate the supernal land and those who dwell in it, which are all the higher and lower worlds that receive their vitality from it, The supernal land is a reservoir of life that encompasses all the worlds. Just as we receive our physical life, directly or indirectly, from the earth, the material, lower realm, so too, in a more complex and wider scope, all the worlds sprout from the essence of divine Malkhut, which is the supernal land.

דְּהַיְינוּ, מִן הָאוֹר אֵין סוֹף בָּרוּךְ הוּא וְחָכְמָתוֹ הַמְלוּבָּשׁ בָּהּ, כְּדִכְתִיב: ״כִּי עִמְּךָ מְקוֹר חַיִּים בְּאוֹרְךָ נִרְאֶה אוֹר״ (תהלים לו, י), דְּהַיְינוּ אוֹר הַמֵּאִיר מֵחָכְמָה עִילָּאָה מְקוֹר הַחַיִּים

that is, from the light of Ein Sof , blessed be He, and His wisdom, which is enclothed in it, as it is written, "For the source of life is with You; through Your light we see light" (Ps. 36:10). This refers to the light that shines forth from supernal Ḥokhma , the source of life The supernal land, or Malkhut, does not bestow the life force from itself but from the light of Ein Sof that is enclothed in it, whose origin is high above, in the source of all life. Accordingly, the light that is renewed on Rosh HaShana is not a continuation and development of the previous year, of a light that already descended into the world and is enclothed within it (whether in potential or actuality). Rather, it is an entirely new light that emerges from the primal source, the source of life.

(וְכַנּוֹדָע לְיוֹדְעֵי חֵ״ן, שֶׁבְּכָל רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה הִיא הַ׳נְסִירָה׳ וּמְקַבֶּלֶת מוֹחִין חֲדָשִׁים עֶלְיוֹנִים יוֹתֵר כו׳).

(and as is known to those initiated in the esoteric wisdom of Kabbala, on every Rosh HaShana the nesira , a cutting or separation, takes place, and it receives newer, loftier moḥin , and so on). According to the teachings of Kabbala, the nesira is one of the main themes of Rosh HaShana. On the most basic level, nesira is a description of the creation of the woman. Man and woman were originally created as one being, back-to-back, and the creation of woman was in actuality a separation of the woman from the man so that she became a distinct entity. In broader terms, it refers to the separation of Malkhut from the divine essence, as it were, so that it becomes a distinct essence with its own moḥin, its own consciousness, as it were. This separation is the beginning and foundation of the creation and existence of all worlds, which arise and receive their life from Malkhut.

וּבִפְרָטֵי פְּרָטִיּוּת כֵּן הוּא בְּכָל יוֹם וְיוֹם.

On a more specific level, the same is the case each and every day. Just as the year manifests in large units of time, so too it unfolds in small units: "In His goodness, He continually renews the work of creation every day" (Yotzer Or blessing). Every day sees a total renewal of existence from the source of life. Each day is a new time and a fresh world that did not exist before, with all that this implies. Like the judgment that the whole world faces on Rosh HaShana, so too it stands in judgment every day, to determine whether a new day is justified.

נִמְשָׁכִין מוֹחִין עֶלְיוֹנִים יוֹתֵר בְּכָל תְּפִלַּת הַשַּׁחַר,

Loftier moḥin are drawn down during each morning prayer service, The drawing down of the moḥin refers to the fresh vitality of the new day, which is superior and more developed than the previous one, as explained above. If a person does not corrupt his ways, he will merit a new revelation every day, as he ascends from one level to the next, day by day. These moḥin of the nascent day are drawn down to the world and to one's soul during the morning service, through both the special qualities of the time and by virtue of the prayer he offers at that hour.

וְאֵינָן מוֹחִין הָרִאשׁוֹנִים שֶׁנִּסְתַּלְּקוּ אַחַר הַתְּפִלָּה, רַק גְּבוֹהִין יוֹתֵר.

and they are not the original moḥin that were withdrawn after the prayer of the day before, but loftier ones. As a rule, the world should grow and become progressively better day by day. Every day it should receive a loftier and greater illumination. What it does with this illumination is the world's own affair, because it can also ruin it. Yet the day itself is always loftier than the previous one.

וְדֶרֶךְ כְּלָל, בִּכְלָלוּת הָעוֹלָם, בְּשִׁית אַלְפֵי שְׁנִין, כֵּן הוּא בְּכָל רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה וְרֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה.

In general, with regard to the world as a whole, over the course of the six thousand years of its existence, this is the case on each and every Rosh HaShana. The broadest cycle of the world's existence will endure for six thousand years. In keeping with the cycle of the seven days of the week and the seven years of the sabbatical year cycle, the largest cycle is that of six thousand years and the seventh millennium. During the course of those six thousand years, every Rosh HaShana is also a time of renewal.

וְזֶהוּ שֶׁכָּתוּב: ״תָּמִיד עֵינֵי ה׳ אֱלֹהֶיךָ בָּהּ״ (דברים יא, יב), שֶׁהָעֵינַיִם הֵם כִּינּוּיִם לְהַמְשָׁכַת וְהֶאָרַת אוֹר הַחָכְמָה, שֶׁלָּכֵן נִקְרְאוּ חֲכָמִים "עֵינֵי הָעֵדָה",

This is the meaning of the verse cited above, "Always the eyes of the Lord your God are upon it" (Deut. 11:12), that the eyes represent the drawing down and illumination of the light of Ḥokhma , since it is for this reason that sages are called the "eyes of the congregation," In Hebrew, expressions involving sight invariably refer to intellectually grasping a matter, to thought and awareness. (Similarly, in English one regularly says "I see what you mean" to convey understanding.) Specifically, the eyes and the sense of sight represent Ḥokhma. Just as the eyes are the body's means of sight, so too the wisdom of a sage "sees" on behalf of the congregation, and they are therefore called the "eyes of the congregation." It is sages who must perceive and understand matters, and they draw down the light of Ḥokhma to our level of reality.

וַאֲוִירָא דְּאֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל מַחְכִּים.

and this is also the meaning of the teaching that the air of the Land of Israel makes one wise. Since "the eyes of the Lord your God are upon it" refers to the illumination of divine wisdom that shines on the Land of Israel, the land itself takes on the essence of Ḥokhma that provides wisdom to its inhabitants, and from there to the entire world. This is in line with the talmudic teaching that "the Land of Israel was created first, and the rest of the entire world was created afterward.… The Land of Israel is watered by the Holy One, blessed be He, Himself, while the rest of the entire world is watered through an intermediary…" (Ta'anit 10a). The key point here is that the Land of Israel contains the illumination of divine wisdom itself. Just as all the other sefirot and forces receive light and vitality from Ḥokhma, the other lands receive from the Land of Israel.

וְהֶאָרָה וְהַמְשָׁכָה זוֹ אַף שֶׁהִיא תְּמִידִית, אַף עַל פִּי כֵן אֵינָהּ בִּבְחִינָה וּמַדְרֵגָה אַחַת לְבַדָּהּ מִימֵי עוֹלָם, אֶלָּא שֶׁבְּכָל שָׁנָה וְשָׁנָה הוּא אוֹר חָדָשׁ עֶלְיוֹן,

This illumination and flow of divine light and life force, although it is constant, is nevertheless not only on one single level since time immemorial. Rather, each and every year there is a new supernal light, "Always the eyes of the Lord your God are upon it," but the gaze is different each time. Each year there is a fresh look that takes a different form and that should be better and finer than the previous one.

כִּי הָאוֹר שֶׁנִּתְחַדֵּשׁ וְהֵאִיר בְּרֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה זֶה הוּא מִסְתַּלֵּק בְּעֶרֶב רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה הַבָּאָה לְשָׁרְשׁוֹ.

because the light that was renewed and illuminated this Rosh HaShana withdraws to its source on the eve of the next Rosh HaShana. This is the meaning of the verse cited above: "Always the eyes of the Lord your God are upon it, from the beginning of the year until the end of the year" alone. The end of the year is the conclusion of a unit of time, of a unit of life and the unique vitality of that year. It is as though the year is dead, since it no longer has any vitalizing influence in the world. The vigor of the previous year departs from the world, returning to its source and root above. Its specific flow and illumination were meant for that year alone and do not carry over to the ensuing year. No year passes along anything to the next. Each year starts over from scratch, with no former assets available for use.

וְלָכֵן כְּתִיב ״מֵרֵשִׁית״ חָסֵר א׳, רוֹמֵז עַל הִסְתַּלְּקוּת הָאוֹר שֶׁמִּסְתַּלֵּק בְּלֵיל רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה עַד אַחַר הַתְּקִיעוֹת,

Therefore, the word mereshit in the verse is written without an alef , alluding to the withdrawal of the light that withdraws on the night of Rosh HaShana until after the shofar blasts, Without the letter alef, the word mereshit alludes to the word rash, which means pauper. The beginning of the year is thus the poverty of the year. On the night of Rosh HaShana, from the start of the festival until the sounding of the shofar, the world is in a state of hibernation, without vitality, or in kabbalistic terminology, in a deep sleep. It preserves only the external husk of vitality but does not receive an inner life force until the new time is born, which occurs after the shofar has been sounded. "Until after the blasts" means until the following morning. The shofar blasts are blasts heralding the new king, the arrival of the new time.

שֶׁיּוֹרֵד אוֹר חָדָשׁ, עֶלְיוֹן יוֹתֵר, שֶׁלֹּא הָיָה מֵאִיר עֲדַיִין מִימֵי עוֹלָם אוֹר עֶלְיוֹן כָּזֶה.

when a new, loftier light descends, a lofty light that has never yet illuminated the world from time immemorial. The new light that now descends is not merely a change. It must be a loftier light, which, although new, aligns with the natural order and direction of life. This direction is one of constant ascension and elevation, even if this is not always evident.

וְהוּא מִתְלַבֵּשׁ וּמִסְתַּתֵּר בְּ׳אֶרֶץ הַחַיִּים׳ שֶׁלְּמַעְלָה, וְשֶׁלְּמַטָּה לְהַחֲיוֹת אֶת כָּל הָעוֹלָמוֹת כָּל מֶשֶׁךְ שָׁנָה זוֹ.

This light enclothes and conceals itself in the land of the living above and below to sustain all the worlds throughout the duration of this year. The new vitality, which comes from Ein Sof by means of the gaze of Ḥokhma, passes through the land of the living as through a conductor, within a mediating essence. We do not receive the light directly into our consciousness and senses, but only after it has been hidden and enclothed in the "land of the living above," which is Malkhut of Atzilut, "and below," in the Land of Israel. Each and every year the world suckles all life and blessing by way of the supernal land directly to the lower land, which is the Land of Israel, and from there they spread throughout the entire world.

אַךְ גִּילּוּיוֹ מֵהַהֶסְתֵּר הַזֶּה תָּלוּי בְּמַעֲשֵׂה הַתַּחְתּוֹנִים

But its manifestation from this concealment depends on the deeds of the lower creations This new illumination, the likes of which have never been seen before, a light that is loftier than anything that previously existed, is still concealed on Rosh HaShana, secured as if in a safe. All the instructions have been issued from above. Everything is ready for a new and superior year, one that has never transpired before. In order for it to be extracted from the safe and to have a real effect on the lower realm, action from below is required. The renewal and change from above can be absorbed only if there is a similar renewal and change below.

וּזְכוּתָם וּתְשׁוּבָתָם בַּעֲשֶׂרֶת יְמֵי תְּשׁוּבָה,

and their merits and repentance during the Ten Days of Repentance, These merits and repentance prepare one's soul and the world to receive the illumination of the new year. This is the essential work of the Ten Days of Repentance, the period from Rosh HaShana to Yom Kippur. This repentance and purification toward change and renewal on the part of man below renders him fit to participate in the process of overall renewal that comes from above during this time of the year. There is a structure and order to reality, with its natural, physical, and spiritual processes that proceed methodically, step by step. These include the mechanisms through which one who has performed a mitzva receives a reward and one who has committed a sin is punished. All those transgressions enclothe and conceal the new light, but repentance stands in counterpart to them. Repentance is the attempt to breach the spiritual infrastructure that declares, "The soul that sins, it will die" (Ezek. 18:4). That "repentance preceded the world" implies that repentance is not part of the structure and order of the world. Instead, it was implanted within the world to provide the possibility of breaking those rules. The laws do not cease to exist; they continue to maintain the world's operation, the existence of reality. But the repentance that illuminates through them and beyond them reveals a new light the likes of which have never been present before, as well as the new world that is now created through its power.

וְדַי לַמֵּבִין.

and this is sufficient explanation for one who understands. The letter concludes with the terse comment "And [this is] sufficient [explanation] for one who understands." Despite the relatively lengthy discussion of this matter, its purpose was not to discuss Rosh HaShana. The ideas are clarified briefly and in a manner that those who are familiar with the background and the necessary preliminaries will comprehend them.