(מַה שֶּׁכָּתַב לִמְחוּתָּנוֹ, הָרַב הַגָּאוֹן הַמְפוּרְסָם אִישׁ אֱלוֹקִים קְדוֹשׁ ה׳, נֵר יִשְׂרָאֵל, עַמּוּד הַיְּמִנִי, פַּטִּישׂ הֶחָזָק, מוֹרֵנוּ וְרַבֵּנוּ הָרַב לֵוִי יִצְחָק נִשְׁמָתוֹ עֵדֶן, אַב בֵּית דִּין דִּקְהִילַּת קֹדֶשׁ בַּארְדִּיטְשׁוֹב לְנַחֲמוֹ עַל פְּטִירַת בְּנוֹ הָרַב הֶחָסִיד מוֹרֵנוּ וְרַבֵּנוּ הָרַב מֵאִיר נִשְׁמָתוֹ עֵדֶן)

(This is a letter that the author of the Tanya wrote to his relative by marriage, the rabbi, the brilliant Torah scholar, the well-known man of God, a holy man of God, the lamp of Israel, the right pillar, the strong hammer, our teacher and our rabbi, Rabbi Levi Yitzḥak, his soul is in Eden, who was head of the rabbinical court of the holy community of Berditchev, to console him on the passing of his son, the pious rabbi, our teacher and our rabbi, Rabbi Meir, his soul is in heaven.) These honorifics are copied from our Sages' eulogy for Rabban Yoḥanan ben Zakkai (Berakhot 28b), which became the prototype for the encomiums of great sages throughout the ages. Rabbi Levi Yitzḥak had been a close colleague of the author of the Tanya from the time when they were both students of the Maggid of Mezeritch, and they loved, appreciated, and respected each other. When the author of the Tanya was arrested for the first time (in 5559) and before he was taken to prison, he sent a pidyon nefesh (a petitionary note for heavenly assistance with an attached charitable donation) to Rabbi Levi Yitzḥak. Rabbi Levi Yitzḥak had three sons, the oldest of whom was Rabbi Meir. This son, to whom the author of the Tanya refers as "tzaddik," was spiritually accomplished and also apparently a considerable Torah scholar. He authored a book called Keter Torah, some of whose teachings Rabbi Levi Yitzḥak quotes in his Kedushat Levi. His premature death was a source of profound grief for Rabbi Levi Yitzḥak, who loved and valued him. This letter constitutes a kabbalistic and hasidic explanation of a statement of the Sages. It begins by quoting that statement:

לָמָּה נִסְמְכָה פָּרָשַׁת מִרְיָם לְפָרָשַׁת פָּרָה לוֹמַר לְךָ מַה פָּרָה מְכַפֶּרֶת וכו׳

Our Sages ask: " Why is the passage about the passing away of Miriam placed adjacent to the passage about the red heifer? The answer is to tell you that just as the red heifer grants atonement, so does the passing away of the righteous" (Moed Katan 28b; quoted by Rashi on Num. 20:1). The passage in the Torah about Miriam's death (Num. 20:1) immediately follows the passage about the red heifer (Num. 20:19). The talmudic Sages state that these two passages appear together because they share the theme of atonement: Just as the red heifer grants atonement, so too does the passing away of a righteous person. This statement raises a question:

וְצָרִיךְ לְהָבִין לָמָּה נִסְמְכָה דַּוְקָא לְפָרָה אֲדוּמָּה הַנַּעֲשֶׂה חוּץ לְשָׁלֹשׁ מַחֲנוֹת

But the following must be understood: Why was the passage about the passing away of Miriam placed adjacent to, in particular, the passage about the red heifer, which is prepared outside the three camps of the people of Israel? All of the sacrificial offerings grant atonement when they are placed on the altar. The red heifer is not this type of offering, since it is not placed on the altar. In fact, its ceremony is not even performed in the Temple but outside the "three camps," completely removed from holiness and the Sanctuary, a place that is entirely mundane. If the Torah intended to teach that the tzaddik's passing away grants atonement, why was the passage about Miriam's death placed next to the passage about the red heifer?

אֶלָּא דְּחַטָּאת קַרְיָיהּ רַחֲמָנָא [בִּכְתַב יָד הַנּוּסְחָא: הַנַּעֲשֶׂה בַּחוּץ. וּמִן תֵּיבַת ‘לְשָׁלֹשׁ׳ עַד

Although the Compassionate One calls it a "sin offering" [a manuscript version reads, "which is prepared out side,"

תֵּיבַת ‘רַחֲמָנָא׳ לֵיתָא בִּכְתַב יָד]

omitting the section from the phrase "the three" until "the Compassionate One"] In a few places, the Torah refers to the red heifer as a "sin offering," from which our Sages derive that it is like a sin offering in a number of respects, although otherwise it is only considered to be "sacred material for the upkeep of the Sanctuary" and not "sacred material that goes upon the altar." "A manuscript version reads,'which is prepared outside,' omitting'although the Compassionate One calls it a sin offering'": It is possible that these two versions are expressing a difference in emphasis. The statement that the red heifer is burned "outside the three camps" underscores the difference between it and the sin offering. The manuscript version, "which is prepared outside," refers to the sanctification of the waters associated with the red heifer – that is, the addition of the red heifer's ashes to a container of water (which the letter will discuss further on). That does not occur outside the three camps. Still, that may be done outside the Sanctuary, unlike the sin offering.

וְלֹא נִסְמְכָה לְפָרָשַׁת חַטָּאת הַנַּעֲשֶׂה בִּפְנִים עַל גַּבֵּי הַמִּזְבֵּחַ כַּפָּרָה מַמָּשׁ?

Why is the passage about Miriam's passing away not placed, rather, adjacent to the passage about the sin offering, which is prepared within the Sanctuary on the altar – the act that brings about actual atonement? In order to teach that the death of the righteous grants atonement, the Torah should apparently have placed the passage of Miriam's death next to the passage of the sin offering, because what grants atonement is the act of placing the offering upon the altar. It is true that Scripture calls the red heifer a "sin offering" – but it is not truly so. This letter will provide a kabbalistic answer to this question. That is not to imply that there is no straightforward answer. Rather, the author of the Tanya intends to teach something deeper and more particular, which only utilizes this question as its vehicle. The author of the Tanya will begin by presenting a kabbalistic explanation of the offerings overall, and he will then explain the red heifer's superiority to them.

אָמְנָם נוֹדַע מִזּוֹהַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ (חלק א סד,ב) וְהָאֲרִ"י ז״ל סוֹד הַקָּרְבָּנוֹת שֶׁעַל גַּבֵּי הַמִּזְבֵּחַ הֵן בְּחִינַת הַעֲלָאַת ‘מַיִין נוּקְבִין׳

The answer is as follows. The secret meaning of the offerings upon the altar is known from the holy Zohar (1:64b) and the Arizal, which is that these offerings bring about the ascension of the feminine waters "The secret [meaning] of the offerings" refers to their inner effect, that which is hidden from the physical eye. A "secret" is something that is not revealed in the exterior aspect of life and in social relationships. A person's usual way of seeing and thinking cannot show him such a secret. In order for him to see it, someone must explain it to him (reveal it and transmit it). And then, after extended review and contemplation, he too can see it with his own eyes. The secret of the offerings is the raising of the feminine waters. With our eyes of flesh, we see sheep and rams being brought up to the altar. But on the inner, secret level, what is occurring is the raising of the feminine waters. The divine influence in the worlds is compared to water: lower waters and upper waters. The lower waters provide divine influence within entities, maintaining them in a hidden way. Conversely, the upper waters provide abundance and divine kindness from above whenever the Creator reveals Himself and embraces the lower spheres. The lower waters are called "feminine waters," whereas the upper waters are called "masculine waters." The lower waters are comparable to a female, who does not bestow new things but distils and reveals what is in her, what she is. The raising of the feminine waters is not an influence upon that which is above (which would be an analogue to the downward flow of masculine waters). Rather, it is like a person with a request who opens his hand, like someone who wants to know more and opens his mind. This is the opening up of the "husk" of an entity, the "husk" that ordinarily hides the divine flow from that entity. This opening, which shatters and nullifies the concept of lower existence, constitutes the raising of the lower waters. From the moment the cover is removed, the lower waters bond with their supernal root and source. Therefore, "the raising of feminine waters" is the secret aspect of the sacrificial offerings. The offerings represent the elevation of the animal kingdom, the plant kingdom, and all of the elements of this world.

מִנֶּפֶשׁ הַבַּהֲמִית שֶׁבְּנוֹגַהּ

from a person's animal soul, which is in noga , The sacrificial offerings come from kosher animals: oxen, sheep, and so forth. These represent the husk of noga, a husk that contains light that can be elevated. The soul of these animals is their life and spirit, their "lower waters" that rise upward, whereas their body is a covering of physicality and materiality that keeps this life below, separate from the upper waters. The animal's body is slaughtered, burned, and eaten. It is destroyed as an entity in itself. With that, its soul rises. And then the animal soul of the person bringing the offering is offered up and elevated. That also occurs when a person recites the Shema and prays, and more generally whenever he overcomes impediments caused by his animal soul and raises it to its root so that it is absorbed and nullified into his divine soul and into divinity. At that time, everything that relates to the person's animal soul – his body, his food, his clothing and everything he uses, as well as the material aspect of a commandment that he performs, the preparatory materials connected with that commandment, and so forth.

אֶל שָׁרְשָׁן וּמְקוֹרָן הֵן בְּחִינַת ד׳ חַיּוֹת שֶׁבַּמֶּרְכָּבָה הַנּוֹשְׂאוֹת אֶת הַכִּסֵּא – פְּנֵי שׁוֹר וּפְנֵי נֶשֶׁר וכו׳

to their root and their source – that being the four ḥayot on the heavenly chariot that carry the throne: the face of the ox, the face of the eagle… The life-providing root of animals is the ḥayot – the "animals" – on the heavenly chariot described in the book of Ezekiel (1:10). The chariot (the throne, the ḥayot that carry it, and so forth) is a visual representation of the supernal structure upon which God, who creates and guides the created worlds, "rides," as it were. It is an instrument and model for the creation of His world. Every detail in the created world receives its form and characteristics from the form and characteristics of the tool by which it was made. This chariot does not belong to the world of Atzilut but to the world below it, that of Beria, the level of the supernal pattern by which creation was given shape. Everything that exists in our world has its supernal, spiritual root and source in the chariot. The ḥayot described there are supernal angels that are the root and source of every animal and human being in this world. The ox is the source of domesticated animals, the lion is the source of wild animals, the eagle is the source of birds, and so forth. A sacrificial offering raises an animal to its root in the angel of the chariot. In contrast to the earthly animal, the "animal" angel of the chariot feels itself subsumed in the divinity that acts upon it. It is like a chariot in relation to its rider – comparable to a person's limb, which does not have its own existence, will, and intelligence, but which is like a tool for him to utilize. The elevation of a person's animalistic aspect in his service of God, whether he is bringing an offering upon the altar or is engaged in something spiritual in his personal service, involves the elevation of these lowly, particularized forms and their bonding to the transcendent structure of the chariot's ḥayot. The goal of this service is to nullify, in one way or another – by slaughtering and burning the offering or by subjugating and nullifying oneself – one's animalistic being, and in that way to see and recognize that one's animal nature is only a particular projection of the nature of the supernal chariot.

וְעַל יְדֵי זֶה נִמְשָׁכִים וְיוֹרְדִים מַיִין דְּכוּרִין מִבְּחִינַת אָדָם שֶׁעַל הַכִּסֵּא, הַנִּקְרָא בְּשֵׁם מַלְכָּא וז״א

As a result of this raising of the feminine waters, the masculine waters are drawn forth and descend from the level of the "person upon the throne" (see Ezek. 1:26), which is also called the King and Zeir Anpin . The elevation of the lower waters from the worlds causes – like water that reflects a person's face (see Prov. 27:19) – a descent of the upper waters from above, from the level of Zeir Anpin in Atzilut (which is called the King), down to Malkhut, and to the worlds. There are ḥayot that carry the throne, there is the throne, and upon the throne is "an image like the visage of a man" (Ezek. 1:26). The ḥayot of the chariot are, as stated earlier, the roots above of domestic animals, wild animals, and earthly existence. The "person upon the throne" is the image of the supernal, divine "man": that is to say, the structure of the sefirot of the world of Atzilut (that is, Zeir Anpin within Atzilut ). The throne exists between the ḥayot and the supernal man upon it. It both separates them and connects them. That is to say, it is between Beria and the infinite divine (and it is thus also called the world of Beria ). It separates them to keep everything from becoming infinity, and it connects them by transmitting the divine life force downward to the worlds, which those worlds need, and transmitting to the Divine the awareness and yearning of the creatures below. The elevation of the feminine waters annuls the separation that had existed previously. From now on, not only do the lower waters rise and nullify the separateness of their existence, but the upper waters pour down. The ascent is like removing a screen so that one sees that there is something above: that there are upper waters, the light of Ein Sof. And the masculine waters descend of their own accord to be down here, no longer above but below, in a unity. In the context of the sacrificial offerings, this unification occurs when the offering is brought onto the altar, and fire descends from above and consumes it. In prayer, the altar is the heart. With a person's contemplation of God and service of Him, he raises his animal aspect and earthly nature to the love of God that he arouses in his heart. And then God's great love (His vast love) descends, completely eradicating the animal nature that the person had elevated. The author of the Tanya has explained the concept of the offerings brought on the altar so that he may now proceed to discuss that which is on a higher level: the red heifer, which has a connection with the death of tzaddikim.

אָכֵן בִּשְׂרֵיפַת הַפָּרָה אֲדוּמָּה, הִנֵּה עַל יְדֵי הַשְׁלָכַת עֵץ אֶרֶז וְאֵזוֹב וכו׳ וּנְתִינַת מַיִם חַיִּים אֶל הָאֵפֶר נִקְרָא בְּשֵׁם ‘קִידּוּשׁ מֵי חַטָּאת׳ בַּמִּשְׁנָה וְהִיא בְּחִינַת קֹדֶשׁ הָעֶלְיוֹן הַנִּקְרָא בְּשֵׁם ‘טַלָּא דִּבְדוֹלְחָא׳

Indeed, with the burning of the red heifer – in particular, as a result of the casting of the cedar wood and hyssop into its ashes etc., and the placing of living, running water into the ashes (see Num. 19:27) – a process that the Mishna calls "sanctification of the purifying waters," which is the level of the supernal sanctity called "dew of crystal," The entire purpose of the ceremony of the red heifer is to attain the purifying waters that are sprinkled on people rendered impure by contact with the dead. There were two stages in the preparation of the purifying waters. The first stage was the burning of the red heifer, which took place on the Mount of Olives outside Jerusalem. Cedar wood and hyssop were then thrown onto the burning carcass, and afterward the ashes were kept. In the second stage, water was drawn from a wellspring into a vessel, and these ashes were mixed into it. This stage was called the "sanctification of the purifying waters," for which the author of the Tanya offers a kabbalistic explanation. The spiritual root of the waters into which the ashes of the heifer were placed was on a level of supernal holiness transcending and separate from the world and the speaking soul. The Zohar calls this level "dew of the crystal." Dew indicates a very high level of spiritual influence, higher than rain. Rain expresses an influence from above that comes in response to an awakening from below, connecting to and relating to that awakening. It is comparable to giving a person something after he has requested it, which is within the parameters of what he requested. Dew, on the other hand, is a flow and giving that is not a response to an awakening or request from below. It is not dependent on such a request and preparation, neither in its essence (therefore, it is constant, unlike rain), nor in its quality. It can therefore possess an abundance and quality beyond the limited concepts of the recipients. And the highest level of dew is the "dew of crystal." This crystal stone is of a supernal color that transcends all colors and includes them all. This was also the level of the manna: "Its appearance is like the appearance of crystal" (Num. 11:7). That was the bread that was given to Israel from heaven, unlike bread from the earth, which must be plowed, planted, reaped, and so forth. Indeed, this influence of the dew of crystal has meaning below as well, in a more occluded way, in the manner of a ruling and decree from above, but in an entirely clear way, which is impossible without existence below. When the purifying waters are sanctified, the ashes and water meet. The ashes represent the very lowest and the water represents the very highest. It is precisely in this way that the supernal flow is drawn through all existence. Only the very highest can descend to the very lowest, to absolute darkness, to death, in order to purify it from the impurity of the dead – and, in the future, to revive the dead.

כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב בַּזּוֹהַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ (חלק ג מט,א), שֶׁהִיא בְּחִינַת חָכְמָה עִילָּאָה וּמוֹחָא סְתִימָאָה דא״א

which the holy Zohar (3:49a) states is the supernal wisdom and "sealed brain" of Arikh Anpin, The "sealed brain" of Arikh Anpin is in Keter. Sanctity is the level of Ḥokhma, the beginning of the soul and of the influence of Godliness upon the world. The transcendent light of Ein Sof is clothed in it. Therefore, Ḥokhma reveals and presents the separate and holy Ein Sof to the other sefirot below Ḥokhma, to the entire world. And "supernal sanctity" is the level of Ḥokhma that is higher than Ḥokhma. It is the Ḥokhma in Keter (Arikh Anpin ), which is called the "sealed brain." It is the hidden Ḥokhma that cannot be related to from below. It is only a hidden source, not dependent on and not limited to Ḥokhma in Atzilut.

וַעֲלָהּ אִיתְּמַר בְּדוּכְתֵּי טוּבָא בַּזּוֹהַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ ‘בְּחָכְמָה אִתְבְּרִירוּ׳

and regarding which the holy Zohar states in many places that "with wisdom – Ḥokhma – they are refined (birurim )" – The work of refining is achieved essentially by means of wisdom, Ḥokhma. Here the author of the Tanya is saying that the statement of the Zohar, "with wisdom – Ḥokhma – they are refined," refers essentially to the hidden Ḥokhma (the "sealed brain") in Keter. It is true that revealed wisdom, that being the Ḥokhma in Atzilut, also refines. But as will soon be explained, refining the darkness that has no light (the impure "husk") and no wisdom (life force) requires the hidden Ḥokhma in supernal Keter, the dew of crystal, which descends to the depths even when there is no awakening from below.

וְאִתְהַפְּכָא חֲשׁוֹכָא לִנְהוֹרָא

"darkness is transformed into light" – This refining transforms darkness into light. There is nothing that is literally darkness: there is only light that is not seen. The refining arranges things into an order: it matches up a person who sees with what he sees, so that his eyes are not closed and nor is the object hidden. Existence is filled with entities (comparable to letters of the alphabet); as long as we do not see the connection between them – the structure, the intelligence within everything – then what we see only conceals and confuses. But when we see the structure and meaning (and that in particular is the power of the illumination of Ḥokhma ), everything that had been hidden communicates, reveals, shines more and more light. And that is the refining that transforms the darkness to light. Regarding the expression "darkness is transformed into light," it has been noted that the author of the Tanya is being precise in his language: not only is the darkness "subdued," but it is "transformed." "Subduing" and "transforming" are key terms in Hasidism. In general, they relate to a person's service of God – whether he only subdues his evil traits but does not transform them to good or whether he transforms those traits. Presumably, by using the term "transformed," the author of the Tanya means that the darkness is not only subdued. That is because when the refining Ḥokhma is on a level that is related to the world and soul that it is refining, the refining is not absolute, because the overall situation cannot change. A person may know that a situation is dark and should not exist, but the darkness is not transformed to light. Having this knowledge, the person can either act in accordance with his natural inclination or in opposition to it – the latter would be a "subduing" of his inclination. Only when the power of the refining comes from above – that is, from the hidden Ḥokhma in Keter – can darkness be transformed into light.

דְּהַיְינוּ עוֹלָם הַתִּיקּוּן, שֶׁנִּתְבָּרֵר וְנִתְתַּקֵּן עַל יְדֵי מוֹחָא סְתִימָאָה דא״א מֵעוֹלָם הַתֹּהוּ וּשְׁבִירַת הַכֵּלִים שֶׁנָּפְלוּ בבי״ע וכו׳ כַּנּוֹדָע

that is to say, it is transformed into the world of rectification, which is refined and rectified by the "sealed brain" of Arikh Anpin out of the world of chaos – tohu – and the shattering of the vessels, which had fallen into the worlds of Beria , Yetzira , Asiya… , as is known. The existence of the broken world of tohu and its fragments that fell to the created worlds is rectified by hidden Ḥokhma in Keter. The rectified existence is called the "world of rectification." The rectification of the world of tohu and of the shattering of the vessels are among the most central and most discussed topics in the Kabbala of the Arizal, as well as in Hasidism. Therefore, the author of the Tanya here notes, "As is known."

וְלָזֹאת מְטַהֶרֶת טוּמְאַת הַמֵּת, אַף שֶׁהוּא אֲבִי אֲבוֹת וכו׳ וּלְמַטָּה מַטָּה מִנּוֹגַהּ

That is what the red heifer does. It purifies a person from the impurity of contact with the dead, even though a corpse is the ultimate impurity, and much, much lower than noga . The red heifer brings about refining and rectification, continuing from the hidden Ḥokhma in Keter. It can thus even purify a person from the impurity of contact with the dead, which is the most severe level of impurity. All impurity is connected in some way to death, the absence of life. Therefore, a corpse itself is the primal source, the root, of all impure existence. The husk is the source of impurity. And just as there are two levels of the husk – the husk of noga and below it the impure husks – so too there are two levels of impurity: regular impurity and the severe, ultimate impurity of a corpse. The husk of noga, as its name indicates, is a husk that possesses light (noga ); thus, the impurity related to it is a scarcity, not an absolute absence, of life force. That is not the case regarding the impure husks and the corresponding impurity of a corpse, where there is not only a diminution of light but its absolute concealment. It is a husk that has no light; it is impurity that has absolutely no life force. Here the author of the Tanya states that only hidden Ḥokhma in Keter can rectify this level of impurity and husk. Until now, this letter has been discussing the atonement effected by the red heifer in contrast to the atonement effected by the offerings placed on the altar. Further on, the author of the Tanya will explain how this is connected to the death of the tzaddikim. The Midrash infers this connection from the fact that the biblical passages about Miriam and the red heifer are adjacent to each other. But the inner aspect of the Torah does not stop there. The Kabbala, and in particular Hasidism, seeks those inner connections and reasons, that inner aspect of the Torah.

וְהִנֵּה מוּדַעַת זֹאת דְּאַבָּא יוֹנֵק מִמַּזָּל הַשְּׁמִינִי

It is known that Abba draws its sustenance from the "eighth mazal ." "Abba " is the term for Ḥokhma in Atzilut. This supernal Ḥokhma in Atzilut (which is the initial stage of the world of Atzilut, which receives its vitality from that which is above Atzilut ) draws its vitality, its content, from the "eighth mazal." But that mazal is not the source of this influence: it only acts to transmit it from hidden Ḥokhma in Keter to Ḥokhma in Atzilut. That (as was explained earlier) is drawn down by the purifying water of the red heifer. And (as will be explained below) that is also what occurs upon a tzaddik's histalkut.

הוּא תִּיקּוּן ״נוֹצֵר חֶסֶד״, ״נוֹצֵר״ אוֹתִיּוֹת רָצוֹן

That eighth mazal is the rectifying factor called notzer ḥesed , "and preserves kindness." The word notzer is composed of the letters of ratzon , "will, favor." In keeping with the names of the traits of compassion mentioned in Scripture (Ex. 34:6–7), the eighth rectifying factor is called notzer ḥesed, "preserves kindness." The letters of the word notzer, "preserves," may be rearranged to spell ratzon, which means "will" or "favor." The names of the divine attributes in Scripture have, in addition to their straightforward meaning, a kabbalistic meaning. That is because they come from a supernal and hidden place (namely hidden Ḥokhma ). One way of revealing such a hidden meaning is to rearrange the letters. Ratzon is the supernal power of the soul, higher than all its other powers. In terms of the sefirot, it is Keter, which transcends all the other sefirot. Thus, the rectifying factor notzer has the letters of ratzon, because it draws down hidden Ḥokhma in Keter to the worlds.

וְהִיא ‘עֵת רָצוֹן׳ הַמִּתְגַּלֶּה וּמֵאִיר בִּבְחִינַת גִּילּוּי מִלְמַעְלָה לְמַטָּה בְּעֵת פְּטִירַת צַדִּיקֵי עֶלְיוֹן

That refers to "a time of favor," which is revealed and shines – as a revelation from above to below – at the time of the passing away of supernal tzaddikim, That drawing forth of this ratzon from sealed Ḥokhma is "a time of favor." This is a time when the supernal ratzon is revealed. That is not only a time on the calendar, but a state of being that is created from the blending of particular factors, such as prayer with clinging to God and dedication, which is called "a time of favor" and which creates a reality – in the dimension of time, at any rate – of the revelation of the supernal will (as was explained earlier). And this applies especially at the time that a tzaddik passes away. One may easily understand that focused prayer or a good deed – in particular, if it is performed with total dedication – creates a time of favor. But why should the death of a tzaddik do so? In order to understand the meaning of a tzaddik's death, one must understand the meaning of his life. There is no part of a tzaddik's life that does not participate in completing the expression of his divine soul. His passing away is the refining of his life, the moment at which his entire life joins with a single summarizing line of holiness, a line that illuminates the worlds even more than it did when he was alive.

עוֹבְדֵי ה׳ בְּאַהֲבָה בִּמְסִירַת נַפְשָׁם לה׳ בְּחַיֵּיהֶם עַרְבִית וְשַׁחֲרִית בִּקְרִיאַת שְׁמַע

those who serve God with love, with the self-sacrifice of their soul to God in their lifetime, evening and morning, with the recitation of the Shema , The tzaddik's life is one of uninterrupted service of God with love and dedication. That dedication exists in all parts of his life, but it is refined in an eruption of revelation when he recites the Shema, morning and evening. Regarding one's dedication in reciting the Shema, there are two principal levels in serving God and relating to Him, both of them referred to in the Shema. Sometimes a person attains only one of them, and sometimes both. One is referred to in the first verse of the Shema, in the word "one," as a person contemplates and feels as deeply as possible that God is one and there is no other, that everything – including himself – is absolutely nullified within the divine oneness. This level is called "supernal unification." And the other is referred to by the phrase "with all your soul" – meaning, even if He takes your soul. That is in general a dedication that emerges out of a person's awareness of living and existing in the world. This level is called "lower unification" or "nullification of being."

שֶׁעַל יְדֵי זֶה הָיוּ מַעֲלִים מַיִין נוּקְבִין לאו״א בִּקְרִיאַת שְׁמַע כַּיָּדוּעַ

by means of which they would raise the feminine waters to Abba and Imma with their recitation of the Shema , as is known. The tzaddikim would raise the feminine waters to Abba and Ima by dedicating their soul to God as they recited the Shema. The elevation of feminine waters is essentially the elevation of the divine life force within the lower entities – the holy sparks held captive in those entities – to be absorbed into and united with the divine holiness that transcends them. An individual experiences that as the utter dedication of his soul. That is to say, when he nullifies his sense of separateness from the Divine, which is felt whenever he relates to every element in his life, and he commits to God the life force that he receives from that element, he is dedicating his soul to God; he is integrating himself and uniting himself with the Divine. The tzaddikim elevate the feminine waters to the level of Abba and Ima (which are Ḥokhma and Bina ). In general, when an ordinary person raises the feminine waters, where do they rise to? They rise to where his thought and intent are found. When a person performs a mitzva and a good deed, he relates to some parameter of existence that he is rectifying or wants to rectify: an existence of light contained in vessels. That is the case even when he does so with the dedication of his soul. In the terminology of the Kabbala, he raises the feminine waters to Zeir and Nukva, which are the "attributes." These are the levels in the world of Atzilut that are the "body" of Atzilut and that relate to the created worlds. That is in contrast to Abba and Ima, which are the head of Atzilut, and which relate to that which is above them. Therefore, when a person performs a mitzva while thinking about and relating to something this-worldly, he raises the feminine waters to Zeir and Nukva. But when a person recites the Shema and dedicates his soul with a movement of nullification of his own parameters, his thought and his intent relate literally to Ein Sof, who transcends the parameters of the worlds. In the language of the Kabbala, he raises the feminine waters to Abba and Ima. And the light that is consequently drawn down to Ḥokhma of Atzilut (for the sake of the unification of Ḥokhma and Bina ) is a new light that is drawn to the worlds from Ein Sof, who transcends the worlds.

(וְכֵן בְּתַלְמוּד תּוֹרָה, דְּמֵחָכְמָה נָפְקָא)

(And the same applies to their Torah study, which emerges from Ḥokhma .) Here the author of the Tanya adds that the feminine waters are raised to Abba and Ima (that is, to Ḥokhma and Bina in Atzilut ) not only when a person recites the Shema but also when he studies Torah. The Torah "emerges from Ḥokhma ": that is to say, it emerges from its root above the worlds to enter the worlds on the level of Ḥokhma of Atzilut. Therefore, when a person in this world studies Torah, he is connecting, via a level of wisdom within himself, to the supernal Ḥokhma, which itself receives from above itself: from the hidden Ḥokhma. In this way, he raises the feminine waters to Ḥokhma from every part of his soul and body and from every part of the world that he brings into partnership with this study.

וְעַל יְדֵי זֶה הָיוּ נִמְשָׁכִים וְיוֹרְדִים בְּחִינַת 'מַיִין דְּכוּרִין' מִתִּיקּוּן 'וְנוֹצֵר חֶסֶד'

As a result of this, the masculine waters were drawn forth and descended from the rectifying factor of "and preserves kindness." "As a result of" the dedication of the soul of the tzaddikim, "the male waters were drawn forth and descended from the rectifying factor of'and preserves kindness.'" The rising feminine waters prompt the masculine waters to descend. When the feminine waters rise to Abba and Ima, they cause the masculine waters above them to descend to them. In particular, Abba draws down sustenance from the eighth mazal, which is the rectifying factor of "and preserves kindness." The feminine waters do more than initiate the descent of something that had previously existed. They generate something new. This may be compared to a student who asks his teacher a challenging question. He inspires the teacher to produce an answer that is not only beyond the mind of the student but that was also beyond the mind of the teacher, something new that had transcended both of them. Similarly, a woman who arouses a man arouses something new in him that was not revealed to him, something that now includes and unites them both.

וְהֵם הֵם הַמְאִירִים בִּבְחִינַת גִּילּוּי בִּפְטִירָתָם כַּנּוֹדַע שֶׁכָּל עֲמַל הָאָדָם שֶׁעָמְלָה נַפְשׁוֹ בְּחַיָּיו לְמַעְלָה, בִּבְחִינַת הֶעְלֵם וְהֶסְתֵּר, מִתְגַּלֶּה וּמֵאִיר בִּבְחִינַת גִּילּוּי מִלְמַעְלָה לְמַטָּה בְּעֵת פְּטִירָתוֹ

These masculine waters from the rectifying factor of "and preserves kindness" shine in a revealed way when the tzaddikim pass away. As is known, the entire toil of a person, the toil of his soul when he is alive that exists above in a hidden and concealed way, is revealed and shines in a revealed way from above to below when he passes away. When the tzaddik passes away and the limitations of his body and this-worldly life are removed, all of the spiritual abundance that had gathered above because of him and had been concealed is now revealed. The elicitation of the masculine waters transcends that which a person unveils with the elevation of the feminine waters. That is to say, the spiritual abundance descends from a level that transcends everything that he himself could have uncovered in himself and shared with others in his lifetime. Therefore, it cannot be revealed while he is alive in this world and in his body. It is stored on a hidden, supernal plane, where it increases from day to day as he dedicates his soul to the service of God. At that time, only a minor illumination is revealed. But his passing away results in its complete revelation. A question remains. In order for that illumination to be revealed in this world, it requires a vessel that can contain it. If even the tzaddik had been unable to function as a vessel for this in his lifetime, how will other people be able to do so after he has passed away? To answer this, the author of the Tanya adds:

וְהִנֵּה עַל יְדֵי גִּילּוּי הֶאָרַת תִּיקּוּן ‘וְנוֹצֵר חֶסֶד׳ בִּפְטִירָתָן

In consequence of the revelation of the illumination of the rectifying factor of "and preserves kindness" when tzaddikim pass away, God's kindness shines from world to world upon those who fear Him, Because this illumination is so elevated, coming from the rectifying factor of "and preserves kindness," the place of supernal will that transcends supernal Ḥokhma of Atzilut and all parameters of the worlds, it shines from the highest world to the lowest.

וּפוֹעֵל יְשׁוּעוֹת בְּקֶרֶב הָאָרֶץ לְכַפֵּר עַל עֲוֹן הַדּוֹר

and brings about "deliverance in the midst of the land" to grant atonement for the sin of the generation, This tremendous illumination brings about "deliverance in the midst of the land" – in our world – that is not commensurate with the level and capability of this world itself. That is to say, it saves a person, wherever he may be, from his deeds and thoughts, from what he deserves or does not deserve, as these are determined by the order of the world and even by the judgment of the Torah. This illumination, which comes from the supernal mazalot, from the thirteen traits of compassion, transcends Ḥokhma and the intellect that determine all of the structures of the world. Therefore, it can grant atonement for the generation's sin that has violated the structures of the world.

אַף גַּם עַל הַזְּדוֹנוֹת שֶׁהֵן מג׳ קְלִיפּוֹת הַטְּמֵאוֹת שֶׁלְּמַטָּה מִנּוֹגַהּ

even for intentional sins that are of the three impure husks below noga . The "sin of the generation" for which the tzaddik's passing away provides atonement includes not only the subtle sins of great, pious men and the errors of a simple Jew, but even actual sins that people have performed intentionally against God's express will.

לְפִי שֶׁמַּזָּל דְּ׳נוֹצֵר׳ מִמּוֹחָא סְתִימָאָה דא״א מְקוֹר הַבֵּירוּרִים

That is because the mazal of "preserves kindness" is drawn from the "sealed brain" of Arikh Anpin , which is the source of the refinings, The "sealed brain" is Ḥokhma in Arikh Anpin, which is Keter. That "sealed brain" is the source of revealed Ḥokhma that exists in Atzilut. Unlike revealed Ḥokhma in Atzilut, which is Ḥokhma within its own vessel, illuminating and revealed, it is a higher, hidden level, and it constitutes the roots of the revealed Ḥokhma. Like the will, it is a sort of inclination of the soul itself toward the direction of Ḥokhma, etc. (as explained above). This supernal will, which together with the hidden Ḥokhma penetrates into our world, can grant atonement even for intentional sins and can reach lower than the husk of noga. Just as hidden Ḥokhma is the source of revealed Ḥokhma, so is it the source of the refinings that revealed Ḥokhma brings about ("with wisdom – Ḥokhma – they are refined"). Here the author of the Tanya is speaking about the source of the refinings. Thus, the text here is not only speaking about refinings that affect the husk of noga and human errors, and which are generated by revealed Ḥokhma. When revealed Ḥokhma sees matters as they need to be – meaning, as they truly are – then good is refined from evil and the sparks of holiness from among the husks. But the letter here is speaking of a refining that reaches down to a level lower than noga, to intentional sins that exist in the realm of the three impure husks. That requires the power of the source of refinings, which is in hidden Ḥokhma. The power to refine in the source of revealed Ḥokhma is the light of Ein Sof in Ḥokhma, to which holiness clings and from which the husk flees. This is not only an intellectual refining, which distinguishes between good and evil, but an intrinsic refining. The essence of the soul is revealed, and as a result of the uncovering of the light of Ein Sof in the soul, matters are refined automatically. It is the source of the revealed intellect's ability to refine. The intellect, which distinguishes, sees, compares, weighs, and knows, receives its power to make determinations – between pure and impure, between husk and holiness, and so forth – from the transcendent source, from the source of the refinings, which exists in hidden Ḥokhma.

וְאִתְהַפְּכָא חֲשׁוֹכָא דִּשְׁבִירַת הַכֵּלִים לִנְהוֹרָא דְּעוֹלָם הַתִּיקּוּן

and the darkness of the shattering of the vessels is transformed into the light of the world of rectification. That is the purpose of the refining. This deep refining is brought about through the purifying waters of the red heifer and the passing away of the tzaddikim. It is the fundamental refining of the roots of evil and concealment, which are embedded in the shattering of the vessels. That shattering occurred, in a sense, even before the world was created, before man was created in it, and before he sinned. That shattering of the vessels cannot be explained in terms of the logic of the world and its wisdom, but only in terms of the roots prior to its existence. The rectification that now occurs not only affects the darkness of the shattered vessels, by diminishing or illuminating it. Rather, it transforms the darkness itself into light. Light now comes from where darkness had come, This light that comes from the dark is the light of the world of rectification. The shattering of the vessels brought darkness into this world. Our work only removes the dark, so that the world can at best return in specific ways to the reality prior to the shattering of the vessels. But the transformation of the dark to light is the refining of the purpose of everything. Certainly, the entire descent wasn't only for the sake of returning to the starting point. Rather, it was in order to reveal the ascent within the descent itself: to reveal the light in the dark and the rectification in the tohu, the chaos. Only when that which was dark is transformed to light and that which was hidden is revealed is the full meaning of the rectification, which is higher than the dark and the light, revealed. Until this point, the author of the Tanya has discussed the depth of the rectification and atonement that are brought about either via the red heifer or, in a more abstract and encompassing way, by the histalkut of the tzaddikim.

מַה שֶּׁאֵין כֵּן בַּקָּרְבָּנוֹת שֶׁעַל גַּבֵּי הַמִּזְבֵּחַ שֶׁאֵינָן מְכַפְּרִים אֶלָּא עַל הַשְּׁגָגוֹת, שֶׁהֵן מֵהִתְגַּבְּרוּת נֶפֶשׁ הַבַּהֲמִית שֶׁמִּנּוֹגַהּ, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב בְּלִקּוּטֵי תּוֹרָה פָּרָשַׁת וַיִּקְרָא

That is not the case with the offerings brought upon the altar. They atone only for people's unwitting sins, which result from the strengthening of the animal soul, which comes from noga , as is written in the Arizal's Likkutei Torah , Parashat Vayikra . For instance, the sin offering only atones for unwitting transgressions. These sins result from the strengthening of the animal soul, which comes from the husk of noga and not from the impure husks, which are below noga. A person sins unwittingly not because he intended to do so, but because he was forgetful, he was not paying attention. At that time, his animal soul gained ascendancy over his divine soul. As explained in Likkutei Amarim (chap. 9 and elsewhere), these two souls battle constantly within a person for control of the "small city" – the person's body, senses, thoughts, and so forth. When the divine soul gains strength, when it is the one that thinks, feels, recognizes, and so forth, the person is not forgetful and his mind is not distracted. But when the animal soul gains strength and the person is living on the plane of the life and activity of this world, he is liable to cease paying attention. An unwitting transgression may be rectified by the offerings on the altar. That is to say, there is a way of rectifying such a sin in accordance with the Torah. There is no need to go outside the Torah, to arouse that which is beyond the laws of the Torah, as it were, because the Torah itself, which delineates the sin, provides the way to rectify it. The unwitting sin is the husk of noga, the husk that possesses light, which makes it possible for the Torah to grant atonement for it. In contrast, the law of the Torah does not provide a way to rectify intentional sins, forbidden acts. It is true that there is repentance, which penetrates beyond everything that is written in the Torah, beyond both unwitting and intentional acts, and that nothing supersedes repentance. But a person must engage in repentance from below to above. Here, however, the text is speaking about another facet, one that is not personal: of rectification and atonement for the "sin of the generation" – something that the tzaddik performs on behalf of the people of his generation, similar to an illumination that comes from above and similar to the red heifer, which after all is also a commandment written in the Torah.

וְלָכֵן נִסְמְכָה לְפָרָשַׁת פָּרָה דַּוְקָא מַה פָּרָה וכו׳ וּבַיַּלְקוּט פָּרָשַׁת שְׁמִינִי הִגִּיהַּ

Therefore, the passage about Miriam's death is placed adjacent to the passage of the heifer specifically. As the Midrash says, "Just as the heifer grants atonement…" And Yalkut , Parashat Shemini , revises the text from "the heifer grants atonement" to "the waters of purification grant atonement…" The passage in the Torah about the death of Miriam, which indicates that the death of a tzaddik grants atonement for an intentional sin and a forbidden act, which derives from the three impure husks, is placed adjacent to the passage of the red heifer, which purifies a person from the impurity that comes from contact with a corpse, which too comes from the three impure husks. In the language of the Talmud: "Just as the heifer grants atonement, so too the death of the tzaddikim grants atonement…." "Yalkut, Parashat Shemini, revises" the text from "the heifer grants atonement" to "the waters of purification" grant atonement. Why does the author of the Tanya cite this textual variant? One may say that his intent is to transfer the emphasis from the heifer and its ashes to the water – which is to say, from the elevation to the drawing down. As explained earlier, the aspect of the red heifer ceremony that is similar to the passing away of the tzaddik is not the elevation from below but the drawing down from above – not the heifer that is burned to ash but the waters that grant purification to those made impure by contact with the dead. The function of the waters is similar to the drawing down of masculine waters from the mazal, the rectifying factor, of "and preserves kindness," which is drawn down when the tzaddik passes away to grant atonement for the sin of the generation.