״אֵשֶׁת חַיִל עֲטֶרֶת בַּעְלָהּ כו׳״ (משלי יב,ד)

"A woman of valor is the crown of her husband…" (Prov. 12:4). The author quotes a verse that will serve as a motto for the entire teaching. According to kabbalistic writings, this verse is describing the relationship between Malkhut and the sefirot above it. The "woman of valor" is the receptive Malkhut, while "her husband" refers to the sefirot that pour abundance down to her. The verse teaches that Malkhut may also be viewed as above the other sefirot. In that configuration, Malkhut is the coronet, the crown, which bestows upon the other sefirot. Although this configuration is hidden at present, it exists in certain aspects of reality, and in the messianic future it will be the revealed reality in which we will live. There are many facets to the relationship between Malkhut (the "woman of valor") and the other sefirot. In this epistle, Malkhut corresponds to the Oral Torah, in which the halakhot are clarified and studied, whereas the other sefirot ("her husband") correspond to the Written Torah. As will be explained, when we study the halakhot of the Oral Torah, the messianic configuration of the sefirot, in which the "woman of valor is the crown of her husband," already exists.

אִיתָא בַּגְּמָרָא פֶּרֶק ד׳ דִּמְגִילָּה (כח,ב): וּדְאִשְׁתַּמֵּשׁ בְּתָגָא חֳלָף כו׳ זֶה הַמִּשְׁתַּמֵּשׁ בְּמִי שֶׁשּׁוֹנֶה הֲלָכוֹת, כִּתְרָהּ שֶׁל תּוֹרָה כו׳

It says in the Talmud, chapter 4 of Megilla (28b): The teaching in Avot 5 that "a person who makes use of the diadem will pass away…" applies to "a person who allows himself to be served by someone who studies halakhot , which are the crown of the Torah…." The talmudic passage reads, more fully: We learned in a mishna (Avot 1:13): "A person who makes use of the diadem will pass away." Reish Lakish explains: This is a person who [allows himself to be] served by someone who studies halakhot, which are the crown of the Torah. We see from this that the halakhot are called "a diadem" and "the crown of the Torah."

תָּנָא דְּבֵי אֵלִיָּהוּ כָּל הַשּׁוֹנֶה הֲלָכוֹת מוּבְטָח לוֹ כו׳

This talmudic passage continues, "The Academy of Elijah taught: Whoever studies halakhot is assured of a share in the World to Come…" The emphasis in this source is on studying halakhot, rather than other topics of the Torah.

וְצָרִיךְ לְהָבִין, לָמָּה נִקְרְאוּ הַהֲלָכוֹת בְּשֵׁם תָּגָא וְכִתְרָהּ שֶׁל תּוֹרָה?

Now, one must understand: Why are the halakhot referred to as a "diadem" and "the crown of the Torah"? In other words, why does their name imply that they are loftier than every other part of the Torah, like a crown upon the head, when they apparently deal with the lowest matters in the material world of action?

וְגַם לָמָּה הַשּׁוֹנֶה הֲלָכוֹת דַּוְקָא מוּבְטָח לוֹ כו׳, וְלֹא שְׁאָר דִּבְרֵי תוֹרָה?

Also, why is it particularly a person who studies halakhot who is "assured…," and not someone who studies other areas of Torah? There is no difference in the absolute value of the different parts of the Torah: they are all God's wisdom, which is enclothed in different topics and areas. Thus, there is no difference between one verse and another, between "Timna was a concubine" (Gen. 36:12) and "Hear O Israel etc." (Deut. 6:4), because "everything was given from the mouth of the Almighty."

וְכֵן לְהָבִין מַאֲמַר רַבּוֹתֵינוּ ז״ל בְּפֶרֶק י״א דִּמְנָחוֹת (צט,ב): אֲפִילּוּ לֹא שָׁנָה אָדָם אֶלָּא פֶּרֶק אֶחָד שַׁחֲרִית כו׳, יָצָא יְדֵי חוֹבָה

Furthermore, one must understand the statement of our Rabbis in chapter 11 of Menaḥot (99b) that "even if a person only studied one chapter in the morning and one chapter in the evening…, he has fulfilled his obligation to learn Torah." As the Talmud explains, this statement refers to studying a chapter of Mishna, which is essentially a summary of the halakhic decisions of the Oral Torah. Thus, although the commandment to learn Torah applies all day and all night – as the verse states: "This book of the Torah shall not depart from your mouth, and you shall ponder it day and night" (Josh. 1:8) – if a person cannot do that, it is enough if he studies one chapter of Mishna in the day and one at night. The difficulty with this source is as follows:

וְלָמָּה אֵינוֹ יוֹצֵא יְדֵי חוֹבָה בִּשְׁאָר דִּבְרֵי תוֹרָה?

Why doesn't a person fulfill his obligation by studying other parts of the Torah as well? Not only is halakha accorded a status superior to that of other areas of the Torah, and not only is one who studies it granted a greater reward, but it is only when a person studies halakha that he fulfills his obligation to study Torah. This despite the fact that every other area of the Torah is also genuinely Torah. A simple explanation is that halakha, which summarizes how a person must act, is the distillation of the identity of the Torah. It is inclusive in a way that other parts of the Torah are not, because it transmits the central import of the Torah. In the ensuing discussion, this epistle will explain more fully why halakha is called the crown of the Torah, why it is so meaningful for the World to Come, and why it is revealed specifically through the Oral Torah.

אַךְ מוּדַעַת זֹאת מַה שֶּׁכָּתַב הָאֲרִ״י ז״ל, שֶׁכָּל אָדָם מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל צָרִיךְ לָבֹא בְּגִלְגּוּלִים רַבִּים עַד שֶׁיְּקַיֵּים כָּל תַּרְיַ״ג מִצְוֹת הַתּוֹרָה בְּמַחֲשָׁבָה דִּיבּוּר וּמַעֲשֶׂה

But it is well known that the Arizal said that every Jew must undergo many incarnations until he will keep all 613 commandments of the Torah in thought, speech, and deed: An "incarnation" means that the soul returns to this world in another body and lives a different life. The reason for this is as stated here, in order that "he will keep all 613 commandments of the Torah." The reference to "thought, speech, and deed" means that a person utilizes these three garments in which his soul is enclothed, in order to uphold the practical commandments. The soul cannot act in this world without a garment, because it belongs to a higher and more abstract reality. Only when it is clothed in a body and acts upon the body with thought, speech, and deed can it sense this world and act in it. These three garments are not only aspects of the body; they are aspects of the soul itself. The higher, more interior parts of the soul are enclothed in thought, those that turn outward are enclothed in speech, and those that are related to action are enclothed and revealed through deeds. Some commandments are kept principally through one's thought and intent (such as reciting Shema and praying, which one must recite with intent in order to fulfill his obligation). He keeps some commandments through speech (such as studying Torah), while others he observes through action. Alternatively, it can be said that each commandment involves these three garments: The "thought" is a person's intent while performing the commandment; the "speech" is his study of the commandment; and the "deed" is his actual observance of the commandment. At any rate, since the soul can keep the commandments only by being enclothed in these three garments, and since no single incarnation can observe them all (because some commandments relate only to women, others to men alone, yet others solely to priests, and so forth, and also because conditions change, and sometimes the soul fails to do what it was supposed to do), the soul must return to another life in a different body.

לְהַשְׁלִים לְבוּשֵׁי נַפְשׁוֹ, וּלְתַקְּנָם שֶׁלֹּא יְהֵא לְבוּשָׁא דְּחָסְרָא כו׳

"To complete the garments of his soul and to rectify them so that no garment will be missing with respect to any of his limbs. Before a person has kept all 613 commandments, some garments of his soul are unrectified, with others are missing. If the "garments" of a person's thoughts, speech, and actions are not garments of mitzvot, or if those garments of mitzvot are flawed, he must attend to them. If he fails to so in one incarnation, he will have to complete the mission in another. When a garment is missing, it is as though the person is blemished. Without that garment, the spiritual limb with which that garment is associated has no meaning. The soul thinks, feels, and acts only through the garment. If the garment is not there, the soul is incomplete; it lacks a spiritual hand or foot, the ability to love or understand, and so forth.

לְבַד מִצְוֹת הַתְּלוּיוֹת בַּמֶּלֶךְ שֶׁהוּא מוֹצִיא כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל כִּי הוּא כְּלָלוּת כּוּלָּם כו׳

" This is with the exception of the commandments unique to and incumbent upon the king, who fulfills the obligation of all Israel in performing those mitzvot, because he is the totality of them all… An exception to this rule is the unique set of commandments that are incumbent upon a king. This is not only because it is impossible for everyone to be king (for the same applies to those commandments specific to the priests, and the High Priest in particular), but also because the king, as the head of the people, embodies the entire nation of Israel. Accordingly, when he keeps these commandments, it is as though everyone is doing so.

וְהַטַּעַם הוּא, כְּדֵי לְהַלְבִּישׁ כָּל תַּרְיַ״ג בְּחִינוֹת וְכֹחוֹת שֶׁבְּנַפְשׁוֹ אַחַת מֵהֵנָּה לֹא נֶעְדָּרָה כו׳

"The reason that a person must have the garments of all 613 commandments is so that he will clothe all 613 aspects and faculties of his soul, and then not a single one of them will be missing…" If even a single faculty or aspect in a person's soul is unclothed, that constitutes a blemish. A person's limbs and faculties are not a collection of discrete entities but an organic, integrated structure. A blemish in any one of them is a blemish in the whole and in all the other ones.

וּבֵיאוּר עִנְיַן הֶכְרֵחַ וְצוֹרֶךְ לְבוּשִׁים אֵלּוּ מְבוֹאָר בַּזֹּהַר וּמוּבָן לְכָל מַשְׂכִּיל

An explanation of the necessity for and indispensability of these garments is given in the Zohar , and can be understood by every intelligent person. The author of the Tanya returns to the question of why the soul needs these garments. Although the ideas he presents are based on kabbalistic teachings from the Zohar, in essence they are rational, and every intelligent person who understands something about the nature of man and the world of God can comprehend them.

כִּי לִהְיוֹת שֶׁנֶּפֶשׁ רוּחַ וּנְשָׁמָה שֶׁבָּאָדָם הֵן בְּחִינוֹת נִבְרָאִים

It is because the nefesh , ruaḥ , and neshama in man are created entities, Not only is a person's body a created entity, but his soul is as well. This is true not only of the lowly part of his soul – the nefesh, which is enclothed in the body and belongs to the physical world – but even of the higher parts of his soul, the ruaḥ and neshama, which relate to the abstract, spiritual worlds.

וְאִי אֶפְשָׁר לְשׁוּם נִבְרָא לְהַשִּׂיג שׁוּם הַשָּׂגָה בַּבּוֹרֵא וְיוֹצֵר הַכֹּל אֵין סוֹף בָּרוּךְ הוּא

and it is impossible for any created entity to attain any comprehension of the Creator and Maker of all, Ein Sof , blessed be He. The definition of creation is existence out of nothingness. A created being is a tangible entity limited by its conception of itself and its environment, whereas the Creator, who stands beyond creation, is "nothingness," and He does not exist within created reality. Therefore, by definition a created being cannot comprehend the Creator. The Creator is the Maker of everything. There is a difference between "Maker" and "Creator." A maker (including a person who makes things in his world) is a being who combines entities – stones, materials, letters – in new permutations. He does not fashion existence out of nothingness, because he uses the materials at his disposal. Nor does he make everything, because there is always something in existence that he did not make. There is only One who is "the Maker of everything," of all that exists: The Creator Himself. Kabbalistic literature calls God Himself "Ein Sof [the Infinite One], blessed be He." The Creator, who is one, created from nothing [ayin ] not only the entire limited creation, but finiteness itself; not only that which exists in time and space, and so forth, but time and space themselves. Accordingly, from the perspective of the worlds, the most far-reaching appellation for God as a Being entirely separate from creation, a designation that negates any limitation at all, any dependence of the Creator on the created, is Ein Sof.

וְגַם אַחֲרֵי אֲשֶׁר הֵאִיר ה׳ מֵאוֹרוֹ יִתְבָּרַךְ, וְהֶאֱצִיל בִּבְחִינַת הִשְׁתַּלְשְׁלוּת מַדְרֵגוֹת רַבּוֹת, מַדְרֵגָה אַחַר מַדְרֵגָה

And even after God, may He be blessed, has illuminated from His light and emanated an unfolding of numerous descending levels, level after level, There can be no conception of the Ein Sof Himself. Moreover, even an illumination from Ein Sof is beyond conception. The fact that, as stated here, this illumination comes "after" means that it has some relationship to the existence of time, which is an integral part of the creation of the world. Consequently, it is no longer Ein Sof Himself, who is entirely separate from creation, but an illumination of Ein Sof upon the created worlds, which relates to them. Yet that illumination is not a creation but an emanation, which is a type of transmission. Although it is immeasurably distant and separate from the Emanator, the illumination is still with Him, in His realm. In relation to Ein Sof, this "world of emanation" is not created, not the creation of existence out of nothingness. Rather, it still partakes of the nature of the Emanator, and is as infinite as He is. Yet this emanation from Ein Sof, from His perspective, is an unmeasurable descent and contraction: A descent to the lowest end imaginable, and again another descent, and yet another and another.

בִּבְחִינוֹת צִמְצוּמִים עֲצוּמִים וּלְבוּשִׁים רַבִּים וַעֲצוּמִים הַיְּדוּעִים לְיוֹדְעֵי חֵן

on the level of immense contractions and numerous, immense garments that are known to those initiated in the esoteric wisdom of Kabbala, This contraction is a type of garment, not a physical garment, which is like a different body in relation to the enclothed light, but a garment that is like a dimmer, more external light. A contraction is a part, and as a part it is surrounded by something that it is not, something whose existence is recognized but whose nature is not known. This is comparable to the exteriority of light that clothes the interior. These supernal levels of the intrinsic contraction of the divine light even before creation, and in a sense even before emanation, are described only in kabbalistic writings, and not even in all of them.

וְנִקְרָאִים בָּאִדְּרָא רַבָּה בְּשֵׁם ‘שְׂעָרוֹת׳ וּכְדִכְתִיב בְּדָנִיֵּאל (ז,ט): ״וּשְׂעַר רֵישֵׁיהּ כַּעֲמַר נְקֵא כו׳״

and they are called in the Idra Rabba "hairs," as written in Daniel (7:9), "And the hair of His head like pure wool…" The Idra Rabba is part of the Zohar (which appears in our editions in Parashat Naso ). "Idra " means "gathering," and it alludes to an occasion when Rabbi Shimon bar Yoḥai gathered his select students and revealed exceptionally lofty secrets to them. In the Idra Rabba, the elevated levels and contractions discussed here are referred to as "hairs." The verse from Daniel refers to a particularly high level of the revelation of the divine (Atik Yomin ). Of course, this "hair" is not something physical but rather a spiritual reality.

אַף עַל פִּי כֵן, לֹא יָכְלָה הַנֶּפֶשׁ אוֹ הָרוּחַ וּנְשָׁמָה, לְמִסְבַּל הָאוֹר

nevertheless, neither nefesh nor ruaḥ and neshama could endure the light.

טוֹב וּמָתוֹק הָאוֹר וכו׳

That is because "the light is good and sweet…" (cf. Eccles. 11:7). Despite all the constrictions, this light is truly divine. Accordingly, the levels of the human soul, which are created entities, could not endure it without breaking apart. They could not remain as they were. They are able to endure this light because what they receive is tailored to their level and they possess something of its nature. Otherwise, if the soul reached a state of awareness of delight and wisdom beyond anything that it itself possesses, it would no longer be able to maintain its awareness and feeling, and it would be extinguished – that is, it would leave its state and be unable to return. This light that the soul cannot endure, in which the soul expires, is the goodness and sweetness of Ein Sof. When all the goodness that a person has recognized and all the sweetness that he has felt are nullified because he has attained even the slightest taste of divine existence, this is termed an extinction of the soul.

כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב (תהלים כז,ד): ״לַחֲזוֹת בְּנוֹעַם ה׳״ לְשׁוֹן נְעִימוּת וַעֲרֵיבוּת וּמְתִיקוּת וְתַעֲנוּג עָצוּם לְאֵין קֵץ

As the verse states (Ps. 27:4): "To behold the goodness of the Lord," a term signifying pleasantness, agreeableness, and sweetness, and intense delight without end. The "goodness of the Lord" is, as will be explained below, the light that was hidden away for the righteous in the messianic future, a light that is so intensely pleasant, agreeable, and sweet that it cannot be endured in this world.

כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב (ישעיה נח,יד): ״אָז תִּתְעַנַּג עַל ה׳״ ״וְהִשְׂבִּיעַ בְּצַחְצָחוֹת כו׳״ (שם פסוק יא), לְשׁוֹן ״צִחֵה צָמָא״ (שם ה,יג) כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב בַּזֹּהַר (חלק ב רי,ב)

As Scripture states (Isa. 58:14): "Then you will delight in the Lord" and "He will satisfy your soul in drought [ tzaḥtzaḥot ]…" (Isa. 11), related to "parched [ tziḥa ] with thirst" (Isa. 5:13), as written in the Zohar (2:210b). "Then," in the messianic future, when all present-day reality will change, when the relationship between God and the world will be different and the existence of the world will no longer consist of divine concealment but of divine revelation, "you will delight in the Lord." This phrase can be read as "you will delight upon the Lord": A delight that is higher than the name of God. The source of every delight that we are familiar with comes from the name of God, with which He brings our world into being and relates to it. In the messianic future, by contrast, the source of delight will come from God Himself, higher than His Name, in the light of Ein Sof that transcends His relationship to the existence of the worlds – from God's own delight, as it were. "He will satisfy [your soul] in drought." Simply understood, this verse is stating that God will satisfy a person when there will be physical thirst in the land. However, the Zohar applies this verse to the revelation of the divine light to the soul, reading tzaḥ as "pure." In other words, the soul in this world, which lacks a revelation of the divine, is thirsty for the revelation of purity, the pure divine light that transcends the limitations of the body and this world, the divine light as in the Garden of Eden, the light of the goodness of the Lord and endless agreeableness and sweetness. This is a thirst for an agreeableness and sweetness that have no end, which will always leave the soul thirsty for even more pleasantness and sweetness.

וְאֵין בְּכֹחָהּ לְקַבֵּל הַנְּעִימוּת וַעֲרֵיבוּת הַצַּחְצָחוֹת, שֶׁלֹּא תֵּצֵא מִנַּרְתְּקָהּ וְתִתְבַּטֵּל מִמְּצִיאוּתָהּ כְּנֵר בַּאֲבוּקָה

The soul does not have the strength to endure the pleasantness and agreeableness of the tzaḥtzaḥot without exiting its sheath and being nullified out of existence, like a flame nullified in a torch, The human soul, which is created and limited, lacks the ability to receive the endless pleasantness and agreeableness of the tzaḥtzaḥot. The soul's "sheath" is the medium through which it experiences, feels, and acts. It is not only the body and life in this world, but the entire manner in which the soul thinks and feels. If the soul were to experience this light that transcends its sheath, it would leave it and cease to exist. When a flame is brought close to a torch, the flame is extinguished. This is an ancient metaphor for the nullification of an entity within a totality that transcends it. Just as the small flame is nullified within the larger flame when the boundaries between them are broken, so too the soul is nullified when it undergoes an experience that breaches its boundaries, when it encounters the realm of the awareness and experience that transcends it, like a drop that encounters the sea and like "a flame nullified in a torch." That is the meaning of the phrase "[the soul] does not have the strength": It does not have the power to maintain its existence, the flow of its consciousness in its reality.

אִם לֹא שֶׁמִּבְּחִינַת אוֹר זֶה עַצְמוֹ תִּשְׁתַּלְשֵׁל וְתִמָּשֵׁךְ מִמֶּנּוּ אֵיזוֹ הֶאָרָה מוּעֶטֶת בְּדֶרֶךְ הִשְׁתַּלְשְׁלוּת, מַדְרֵיגָה אַחַר מַדְרֵגָה בְּצִמְצוּמִים רַבִּים, עַד

were it not for the fact that from this very light some slight illumination will unfold and be drawn forth by way of unfolding, level after level with numerous

שֶׁיִּבָּרֵא מִמֶּנָּה לְבוּשׁ אֶחָד נִבְרָא מֵעֵין מַהוּת אוֹר זֶה לְהַלְבִּישׁ הַנֶּפֶשׁ רוּחַ וּנְשָׁמָה. וְדֶרֶךְ לְבוּשׁ זֶה, שֶׁהוּא מֵעֵין אוֹר זֶה, תּוּכַל לֵיהָנוֹת מִזִּיו אוֹר זֶה וּלְהַשִּׂיגוֹ, וְלֹא תִּתְבַּטֵּל מִמְּצִיאוּתָהּ

contractions, until a single garment will be created from this contracted light, a created entity with something of the nature of this light's essence, with which to clothe the nefesh , ruaḥ , and neshama . And through this garment, which has something of the nature of this light, it will be able to delight in and comprehend the radiance of this light, and will not be nullified out of its existence. The human soul is created and finite, whereas the divine light is infinite, and therefore there is no evident way to join the two. As soon as contact is made between them, either they will not combine or they will do so and the soul will cease to exist. The entire process of reality, as we understand it, is that there will indeed be a connection: People in this world will attain a comprehension of the divine light and delight in it. The author of the Tanya therefore refers solely to this second option: How to safeguard the soul so that with its apprehension and experience of the divine it will remain the same – not precisely the same, since it is now comprehending and experiencing new things, but it will at least remain a created soul that is receiving the divine light, while the divine light will remain divine light. However, these two – the soul and the divine, the created and the infinite – cannot meet either in this world (in which the divine is not revealed) or in the divine existence (which does not have the character of created reality). Therefore, a meeting place is required, a special environment like a garment that is able to contain and express the infinite, divine light on the one hand and the soul on the other. This place, this garment, must partake of the divine, infinite light, because only the infinite can contain infinity, and it must also be a created entity, because it is only in a created place that the soul will not be nullified. To that end, "some slight illumination" is drawn from the divine light, which descends through many contractions until from it, from numberless possibilities, a single possibility is created, a single garment, which still has something of the nature of that divine light's essence. In other words, the divine light itself, not a vessel that receives the light, devolves and descends repeatedly without any admixture and distortion, until finally the created being attains a deep, direct connection with the divine entity, although that created being still belongs to the created world with its parameters and boundaries. By way of analogy, if one wishes to convey to a child information that is beyond his intellect and comprehension, he must carve out a kind of "place" or "garment" where the child and the information can coexist. One must tell a story or describe a situation with which the child can identify. For example, if we wish a child to know that wealthy countries exploit weak countries, we can tell him about a boy who has many toys and another boy who has only one old toy. The metaphor is not a different story, but a superficial rendering of the original content. The metaphor must maintain at least some of the original, higher message without inverting or distorting its meaning. Similarly, in order for a human being, who lives in a created and finite world, to receive an illumination, idea, or feeling from Ein Sof, he must heed the metaphor and story that He is telling him, by entering into it. This takes work, indeed the labor a lifetime, to align all of one's limbs and faculties to those transcendent dynamics. This is a person's performance of the 613 commandments in this world, which reflect their existence above, and that constitutes a "garment."

וְכִמְשַׁל הָרוֹאֶה בַּשֶּׁמֶשׁ דֶּרֶךְ עֲשָׁשִׁית זַכָּה וּמְאִירָה וכו׳

This is analogous to a person who looks at the sun through a relatively clear and bright lantern glass…, Here the author of the Tanya speaks in terms of a garment that has something of the nature of the light, by using a physical analogy. Our eyes cannot look at the sun, because if they were to see the sun one would go blind. However, one can place a barrier between the eye and sun; neither an entirely opaque barrier, because then what he would see would no longer be the light of the sun, nor an absolutely transparent one, because then the eye would not be able to see. Rather, it must be as though he is looking through a transparent glass (which is in some ways like the light), but which is tinted, so that a portion of the light itself will pass through.

וּכְמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב: ״וַיָּבֹא מֹשֶׁה בְּתוֹךְ הֶעָנָן וַיַּעַל כו׳״ (שמות כד,יח) שֶׁנִּתְלַבֵּשׁ בֶּעָנָן, וְעָלָה וְרָאָה דֶּרֶךְ הֶעָנָן וכו׳, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתַב בַּזֹּהַר חֵלֶק ב׳ דַּף ר״י וְרכ״ט

and as the verse states, "Moses entered into the midst of the cloud and went up to the mountaintop" (Ex. 24:18). That is, he was clothed in the cloud, and he ascended and saw by way of the cloud…, as written in the Zohar, 2:210 and 229. The "cloud" that Moses entered in order to ascend to God is the "garment" referred to here, through which the soul can attain the light of God. Moses was enclothed in the cloud, and he rose in this garment up to Mount Sinai, and via the cloud he attained the divine revelations. Even Moses, who surpassed every other human being, whose body was purified to the ultimate degree, could not receive those revelations without a garment. The function of this garment is not only to help the weak and limited. Its function is essential for each created being, at all times and on every level. No matter how high one may be, he necessarily remains a created being that receives infinite, divine light – and for that purpose he needs a garment.

וְהִנֵּה אוֹר זֶה, הַגָּנוּז לַצַּדִּיקִים לֶעָתִיד לָבוֹא, הַנִּקְרָא בְּשֵׁם: ‘נוֹעַם ה׳׳ וְ׳צַחְצָחוֹת׳ לְהִתְעַנֵּג עַל ה׳

Now this light, which is hidden for the righteous in the future time, is called "the pleasantness of God" and the " tzaḥtzaḥot " to delight in God. The light that the soul attains within this garment is set aside for the righteous in the messianic future, the time of the resurrection of the dead. It is called "the pleasantness of God" and tzaḥtzaḥot, for its pleasantness and delight are infinite. Therefore, it is never sated, and the soul constantly thirsts for more. As stated, the phrase "to delight in God" literally means "to delight upon God": To connect oneself to the supernal delight, the interiority of Keter that is above the Name of God, and to receive from that level.

וְד׳ מְאוֹת עָלְמִין דְּכִסּוּפִין דְּמִתְעַנְּגֵי בְּהוֹן צַדִּיקַיָּיא כו׳ כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב: ״אַרְבַּע מֵאוֹת שֶׁקֶל כֶּסֶף כו׳״ (בראשית כג,טז)

And it is called "the four hundred worlds of yearning [ kissufin ]" in which the righteous delight... As the verse states: "Four hundred shekels of silver [ kesef ]" (Gen. 23:16). These four hundred worlds of yearning are four hundred forms of delight in and yearning for the light of Ein Sof, which the tzaddikim will attain in the messianic future (Zohar 1:123b; Idra Zuta 288a and elsewhere; see also Torah Or 16a and elsewhere), each one in keeping with his measure and service. These constantly yearn and rise. The Hebrew word for "silver," kesef, is related to the word for "yearning," kissufin. The four hundred silver shekels that Abraham (who exemplifies the trait of kindness and abundant generosity) paid to Ephron for the Cave of Makhpela are the supernal illumination of these four hundred worlds of yearning. The source of this illumination is in Atika Kaddisha, the interiority of Keter, the intrinsic divine delight that draws forth to the essence of a person's soul, which will be revealed in the righteous in the messianic future. These shekels are said to be "ready currency" (Gen. 23:16) because they pass directly from the divine essence above the worlds and the created beings, from the level that encompasses all worlds. For now, they are drawn down to Ephron in order to effect spiritual refinements so that they may later be brought out from him with an added blessing. At present, they are not in the world as "worlds of yearning" but as silver shekels. When they will be refined and elevated, they will be turned into a "garment" that can receive the four hundred worlds of yearning. In the meantime however, they have descended even further, into the husks, becoming the four hundred men of Esau (Gen. 32:7). In the future, when all the refinements will have been completed and the universal reward will be revealed, the four hundred levels will be revealed as supernal worlds of yearning, as the four hundred types of yearning in which the righteous will take delight.

הִנֵּה יֵשׁ בּוֹ מַעֲלוֹת וּמַדְרֵגוֹת רַבּוֹת מְאֹד, גָּבוֹהַּ מֵעַל גָּבוֹהַּ

This light has a very great many qualities and levels, rising ever higher. This light is much higher than our words and concepts, not just by one level but by a great many levels. "High" is what we comprehend as high; "ever higher" surpasses by many levels even the highest that we can comprehend. Nevertheless, when we say that this light has many qualities and levels, we mean that there is a bond between the higher and lower; the two are not separate. The existence of all these levels testifies to the fact that they are a single continuum.

אַךְ הֶאָרָה מוּעֶטֶת הַיּוֹרֶדֶת מַדְרֵגָה אַחַר מַדְרֵגָה לִבְרוֹא לְבוּשׁ זֶה הִיא מִבְּחִינַת מַדְרֵגָה הָאַחֲרוֹנָה שֶׁבְּאוֹר זֶה

But the minute illumination that descends level after level to create this garment belongs to the lowest level of this light. Just as there are levels that rise ever higher, so are there are levels that descend ever lower. The exalted light descends, level after level, until it creates the garment that can receive and contain the light even at its highest level. What is this garment that is so high and yet also a created entity, both light and a garment (a vessel)? This question is central to the epistle. The answer is that the garment that can contain this supernal light cannot be something different from the light. It must be comprised of the light itself. Therefore, the descent of this light is not a descent of lights into vessels, with the light being revealed below by means of something else, but a descent of the light itself.

וְנִקְרֵאת בְּשֵׁם מַדְרֵגָה הַחִיצוֹנָה וַאֲחוֹרַיִים דֶּרֶךְ מָשָׁל

Metaphorically speaking, it is called the external level and that which is the back side [aḥorayim ], The descent of the light is the transition of interiority to exteriority and to the back side. Regarding the light itself, if there is no reference to where it is shining, one cannot speak of high and low. However, it is possible, with care, to speak about the inner and outer. High and low relate to location: a world, a "vessel," whereas inner and outer relate to the light itself: When it relates to its source, it is inner, whereas in reference to the vessel, to the place which it is illuminating, it is exterior.

כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב בַּזֹּהַר דַּף ר״ח עַמּוּד ב (עַיֵּין בְּסֵפֶר מִקְדַּשׁ מֶלֶךְ) וְר״י עַמּוּד ב: וּמַה דְּאִשְׁתָּאַר כו׳

as stated in the Zohar 208b (see Sefer Mikdash Melekh ) and 210b: "And that which remains..." The Zohar refers to garments of the soul in the upper and lower Gardens of Eden. A person's performance of the mitzvot creates garments of the lower Garden of Eden, and his intent in performing the mitzvot, as well as his Torah study and prayer, creates garments of the upper Garden of Eden. The Zohar explains (this is stated more explicitly in Mikdash Melekh ) that the essence of a unification that a person forms here below, by performing the mitzvot with the intent of the heart, occurs in the supernal reality of the world of Atzilut. Nevertheless, something of this unification affects the person here below as well. That is to say, when a person performs a mitzva – particularly, when the faculties of his soul and thought and the intent of his heart are involved – he performs a "supernal unification," a kind of line of unification that runs from his deed and thought to the highest heights, higher than all worlds, to the realm of God Himself. The unification that occurs above (in relation to which everything else is nullified and insignificant) is meaningful for all worlds. Yet some aspect of this remains with this individual in his state below. It becomes his garment and the path along which he can rise in order to be influenced by that supernal unification and light.

וְהִנֵּה כְּמוֹ שֶׁבְּנִשְׁמַת הָאָדָם יֵשׁ בָּהּ כֹּחַ הַתַּעֲנוּג, שֶׁמִּתְעַנֶּגֶת מִמַּה שֶּׁיֵּשׁ לָהּ עֹנֶג מִמֶּנּוּ

And this is in keeping with the soul of man possessing the faculty of delight, delighting in what it finds delightful, This is referring to the divine light. The way for a person to understand something of the divine light is first of all to contemplate these concepts as they apply to his soul. This faculty of delight is the innermost expression of the soul. This is signified by the way the soul receives delight from the attributes associated with all of the sefirot: from kindness and love (ḥesed ); from strengthening and restraint (gevura ); from vanquishing (netzaḥ ); from splendor (hod ); and from communication (yesod ). The delight is not limited to any one faculty or attribute, but rather it is found in them all. This delight is thus the interiority of the entirety of the soul. It is revealed in every aspect and faculty manifested by the soul, and accordingly it expresses the essence of the soul.

כְּמוֹ מֵהַשְׂכָּלַת שֵׂכֶל חָדָשׁ וּכְהַאי גַּוְונָא

as when it experiences a new intellectual insight, and the like, With regard to all of the sefirot and their associated faculties as experienced in the soul, when an attribute is revealed, the soul experiences delight. The author of the Tanya provides the example of the delight that a person feels when he attains a new understanding, a new intellectual insight. Each person speaks from experience, and the author certainly had experiences of this kind. There may, however, be several more specific reasons for his use of this particular example. First, the intellect is the initial faculty of the soul, in contrast to the attributes, which receive from the intellect before they manifest as attributes. Therefore, the delight that accompanies an intellectual insight is delight in its initial and abstract form, like one that is drawn directly from its supernal locus, transcending all the faculties of the soul. Furthermore, in the attributes the delight is so completely enclothed in the nature of each attribute that it is impossible to distinguish it from the attribute, whereas the delight that accompanies the intellect appears as a distinct, "emotional" experience separate from the intellect. The intellect has its own identity, and the delight likewise has its own identity. Here the author of the Tanya wishes to speak about the delight in and of itself, as the inner expression of the soul, which is on a higher level than all the soul's sensing of itself through its attributes and its actions.

וּבְחִינַת חִיצוֹנִיּוּת וַאֲחוֹרַיִים שֶׁל כֹּחַ וּבְחִינַת הַתַּעֲנוּג שֶׁבָּהּ, הִיא בְּחִינַת כֹּחַ הָרָצוֹן שֶׁבָּהּ

and the exterior and the back side aspect of the soul's power and delight is its power of will. Like delight, the faculty of will is a single, encompassing faculty that expresses the essence of the soul. However, unlike delight, which expresses the essence of the soul in and of itself, the will expresses the relationship of the essence of the soul toward the outside, to that which it desires.

שֶׁהוּא רוֹצֶה מַה שֶּׁהוּא רוֹצֶה, דְּהַיְינוּ דָּבָר שֶׁאֵינוֹ צַעַר, שֶׁהַצַּעַר הֵיפֶךְ הַתַּעֲנוּג

That means that the will wants what it wants; that is, something that is not painful, because pain is the opposite of delight, A person's will does not necessarily want everything that provides delight, because "delight" is only an expression of the soul, and the will, like the delight, is also an expression of the essence of the soul (not an expression of an expression). For this reason, the author of the Tanya does not state that the will wants delight. Instead, he uses an expression of negation: The will wants something that is not painful (because pain is the opposite of delight).

וְכָכָה עַל דֶּרֶךְ מָשָׁל בְּאוֹר אֵין סוֹף בָּרוּךְ הוּא גַּם כֵּן כִּבְיָכוֹל הָרָצוֹן הָעֶלְיוֹן בָּרוּךְ הוּא הִיא בְּחִינַת חִיצוֹנִיּוֹת וַאֲחוֹרַיִים לִבְחִינַת ‘עֹנֶג הָעֶלְיוֹן׳ וְ׳נוֹעַם ה׳׳ וְ׳צַחְצָחוֹת׳ וְ׳עָלְמִין דְּכִסּוּפִין׳ הַנִּזְכָּר לְעֵיל

and the same, metaphorically speaking, applies, as it were, to the light of Ein Sof , blessed be He, as well. The blessed supernal will is the external and the back side aspect of the aforementioned aspect of supernal delight, the "pleasantness of God," " tzaḥtzaḥot ," and "the worlds of yearning." This "supernal will" is not only supernal with respect to man. It is the will of God Himself. In other words, it is not the will that is revealed in the worlds God created, in the framework, manner, and intellect in which they act and develop. Rather, it goes beyond all that. It is, as it were, God's intrinsic will, that which He Himself wants. This is what the author of the Tanya is referring to here, a will that is "external" only in relation to the supernal delight, which he has already discussed in this epistle. Yet as always, there is a difference between the metaphor and its reference. Not everything that the metaphor is applied to finds expression in the metaphor itself, and not every detail in the metaphor aligns with that which it comes to clarify. (This is particularly true of metaphors that relate to Ein Sof, because a perfect metaphor for the Infinite One cannot be found within the finite worlds.) The author of the Tanya proceeds to discuss these differences:

הֲגַם שֶׁהֵם מְיוּחָדִים בְּתַכְלִית הַיִּחוּד, שֶׁהוּא יִתְבָּרַךְ וּרְצוֹנוֹ אֶחָד, וְלֹא כִּרְצוֹן הָאָדָם חַס וְשָׁלוֹם, לָא מִינֵּיהּ וְלָא מִקְצָתֵיהּ וְאֵין דִּמְיוֹן בֵּינֵיהֶם כְּלָל

Although the supernal delight and supernal will are united in an absolute unity, since He, may He be blessed, and His will are one, which is not in the least like the will of a human being, Heaven forbid, and there is no comparison between them at all, The supernal will and the supernal delight are entirely united in God, because God and His will are one. That is not in the least like the will of a human being. A person's will is not absolutely united with him in the manner that the supernal will is united with God. There is no similarity at all between the metaphor and that which it refers to, between the human will and the divine will. First, there is a difference in the order of magnitude. God's traits are immeasurably greater in scope and depth. Moreover, there is an intrinsic difference, which is that God's attributes – and these certainly include His supernal will and delight – are united in Him, and accordingly they are united in each other. Conversely, a person's will relates to something outside of himself. A person wants something that he lacks or at the very least is not manifest in him. This is almost the definition of a person's will, because if he had that object, he would not want it. In contrast, in regard to God it is impossible to speak of anything outside Him, of anything that is not in Him (and "there is no other than God"). As stated with regard to knowledge, He, His knowledge, and what He knows are all one. The same applies to will and delight: He, His will, and what He wants are all absolutely one. There is no difference between Him and His will, and there is no difference between the will and the delight, between the inner and the outer. Any difference exists only from our perspective, in the way that we can comprehend these matters. The oneness that exists above, between the divine will and the delight, is accorded a special meaning in this epistle. The epistle discusses the garment that can receive the light of the divine delight, the pleasantness of God, and tzaḥtzaḥot, and so forth. That garment must share the nature of this light. In other words, the garment must be an extension of the inner delight; not an enclothing of the delight in something else, but its enclothing in another aspect of the delight. This can happen only through the unification of the attributes of will and delight, as is the case in the divine. In the human soul, while there is a closeness, there is no actual unity. In the human soul, the will is the back side of delight, but the will is also an autonomous entity. Therefore, it does not enclothe and receive the delight in itself, as it is, but only in something else. That is not true of the divine will in the Torah and the commandments. Therefore, the author of the Tanya emphasizes here that there is nothing but the divine will, which is the back side of the divine delight.

אַף עַל פִּי כֵן, דִּבְּרָה תּוֹרָה כִּלְשׁוֹן בְּנֵי אָדָם, לְשַׁכֵּךְ הָאֹזֶן מַה שֶּׁיְּכוֹלָה לִשְׁמוֹעַ

the Torah nevertheless speaks in the language of men to attune the ear to what it is able to hear Despite the intrinsic difference between human will and delight and divine will and delight, the Torah uses language appropriate to human beings, utilizing concepts of will and delight as they exist among human beings so that we can relate to them. All of the words are those utilized in the language of human experience; we have no others. We cannot hear and absorb speech that cannot be verbalized. Yet this is still communication, because one's comprehension is not limited to words alone. Furthermore, even within the human realm, words have different levels of meaning. Someone who understands words on one level might not grasp them on a more abstract level. In that sense, the words and language that we use and understand here on earth are not necessarily different from those used to describe heavenly matters. Consequently, it can be said that these words are not only "human language" but "divine language" as well. The difficulty therefore essentially lies in attaining a higher understanding of the words that are being used.

בְּמָשָׁל וּמְלִיצָה מִנִּשְׁמַת הָאָדָם הַכְּלוּלָה מִכֹּחַ הַתַּעֲנוּג וְהָרָצוֹן וְהַחָכְמָה וְהַבִּינָה וכו׳

with metaphor and oratory relating to the soul of the human being, which is comprised of the faculty of delight, will, wisdom, and understanding... The meaning as grasped in our soul is a metaphor for that how they are to be understood with respect to the divine. Like the divine nature and light, the human soul is comprised of delight, will, wisdom, and so forth. We comprehend the divine faculties with them and by means of them.

וְכַנִּרְאֶה בְּחוּשׁ שֶׁכְּשֶׁאָדָם מַשְׂכִּיל אֵיזֶה שֵׂכֶל חָדָשׁ נִפְלָא אֲזַי בְּאוֹתָהּ רֶגַע עַל כָּל פָּנִים נוֹלָד לוֹ תַּעֲנוּג נִפְלָא בְּשִׂכְלוֹ

And as seen in actuality, when a person comprehends some wonderful new intellectual insight, a wonderful delight is born in his intellect at that moment, at any rate. We feel what occurs in our soul without having to learn about it from a book or from another person. However, at times it is necessary for ideas to be explained for us, and that is what the author of the Tanya does here. When one attains a new insight, it is akin to a bolt of lightning, separate from the awareness that he had earlier possessed. Together with the new insight, a delight is born as well. At this initial stage, when a new understanding has arrived only as far as the intellect and not reached the attributes of the soul, the delight is also yet to be felt by the attributes of the soul, but rather it stands alone. It does not yet possess its own presence in the soul's faculties and structure. It is not in a relational state with the person, but it accompanies him. It is like a silhouette and background that appears with his new insight. In a sense, the insight itself reveals the delight. Since a constant delight is not a delight, the revelation of the delight at this stage is only momentary.

מִכְּלָל שֶׁהַתַּעֲנוּג הוּא לְמַעְלָה מַעְלָה מִבְּחִינַת הַשֵּׂכֶל וְהַחָכְמָה, רַק שֶׁמְּלוּבָּשׁ בִּבְחִינַת שֵׂכֶל וְחָכְמָה

This delight is much higher than the level of intellect and Ḥokhma . However, it is clothed in the level of intellect and Ḥokhma . The delight is revealed together with Ḥokhma [wisdom], which is the initial level of the soul. This indicates that the source of the delight is higher than Ḥokhma, and indeed higher than all of the soul's faculties. Since, as explained, this delight relates to a reality that transcends all of the soul's faculties, to the essence of the soul, higher than all of the soul's parameters and illuminations, the delight possesses no vessel of its own in the soul. Thus, the delight is revealed together with and in the garment of Ḥokhma, and subsequently in all the faculties of the soul.

וּכְשֶׁהָאָדָם מַרְגִּישׁ הַשֵּׂכֶל וְחָכְמָה, דְּהַיְינוּ שֶׁמַּשִּׂיגָהּ וּמְבִינָהּ הֵיטֵב, אֲזַי מַרְגִּישׁ גַּם כֵּן בְּחִינַת הַתַּעֲנוּג הַמְלוּבָּשׁ בַּחָכְמָה

And so, when a person feels that intellect and Ḥokhma – that is, when he comprehends it and understands it well – then he also senses the aspect of delight clothed in Ḥokhma . Intellect descends from Ḥokhma to Bina and from there to all of the other faculties of the soul, at which point a person feels the delight that is clothed in Ḥokhma. The delight is born when Ḥokhma becomes manifest. However, like Ḥokhma itself, the delight is still not felt by the soul. It is only when a person understands and knows the Ḥokhma that the delight grows, expands, and settles in the soul and its senses. Just as Bina alone is the mother that brings forth the attributes and emotions in the soul, so too the delight is truly felt only in Bina.

וְלָכֵן נִקְרֵאת בְּחִינַת בִּינָה בְּשֵׁם עוֹלָם הַבָּא בַּזּוֹהַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ שֶׁהִיא בְּחִינַת הִתְגַּלּוּת הַחָכְמָה עִם הַתַּעֲנוּג הַמְלוּבָּשׁ בָּהּ שֶׁמַּשִּׂיגִים הַצַּדִּיקִים בְּגַן עֵדֶן וּמַשְׂכִּילִים בִּפְנִימִיּוּת הַתּוֹרָה

Therefore, the aspect of Bina is called "the World to Come" by the holy Zohar because it is the aspect of the manifestation of Ḥokhma together with the delight clothed in it, which the righteous in the Garden of Eden comprehend and apprehend in the inner aspect of the Torah. The "World to Come" is a broad term that includes the reality that will exist after our present reality (the world of the resurrection and so forth). Here the term is used in a more restricted sense: The manifest state of Ḥokhma together with the delight enclothed in it that the righteous attain in the Garden of Eden. Ḥokhma in itself is not a world; it is a point without length and breadth. The world and "palace" in which Ḥokhma is revealed and settled is Bina. Therefore, Bina is the "World to Come" (Zohar 3:82b (Likkutei Hagahot LeTanya ) and 158b), the place where Ḥokhma, together with its accompanying delight, is revealed. What do the righteous do in the Garden of Eden? They gain insights into the interiority of the Torah. The body and this world do not exist there. Therefore, there is nothing to do there. All they can do is think about what they did in this world. The contemplation of supernal matters is in essence thinking about them as they are in the Torah; in other words, to engage with the supernal Torah, the inner being of the Torah, which is the Torah that is enclothed not in this world but in the upper worlds, for each person in keeping with the level of the Garden of Eden where his soul is situated.

דְּאוֹרַיְיתָא מֵחָכְמָה נָפְקָא וְאוֹרַיְיתָא וקב״ה כּוֹלָּא חַד

That is because Torah emerges from Ḥokhma , and Torah and the Holy One, blessed be He, are entirely one. The statement that the Torah emerges from Ḥokhma means that the Torah is higher than Ḥokhma, and it merely emerges to be revealed to the worlds via the vessel and expression of Ḥokhma. This explains the earlier statement about how the metaphor of the human soul is applied to God. The Torah itself, which is higher than Ḥokhma and any relationship to the worlds, is on the level of God's intrinsic delight, as it were, united with God at the most essential point that one can contemplate. The special quality of the Torah, above and beyond all created beings, is that it does not have a "back side" aspect, but it is completely interiority, in every form and aspect by which it manifests. We who receive the Torah relate to matters as having "front and back." However, the Torah itself, from the level of will and wisdom down to actual deed, is interiority. That is the meaning of the saying that the Torah and God are entirely one: It means that the light of the Torah even on its external level is the light of intrinsic divine delight. Later, the author of the Tanya will explain the nature of the external illumination that reaches us, and how it becomes a garment for the soul to receive the interiority.

וְהִנֵּה רָצוֹן הָעֶלְיוֹן בָּרוּךְ הוּא מְכוּנֶּה וְנִקְרָא בְּפִי חַכְמֵי הָאֱמֶת בְּשֵׁם 'כֶּתֶר עֶלְיוֹן' וּבוֹ תר״ך עַמּוּדֵי אוֹר וכו׳

And the blessed supernal will is termed and referred to by the sages of the Kabbala as "supernal crown" [Keter Elyon ]. In it are 620 pillars of light... The human will is a supernal faculty, higher than all of the other faculties and incorporating all of them. In the realm of divinity, the will is Keter, which transcends all of the other sefirot, encompassing and incorporating them all. In Hebrew numeration, the number 620 consists of the letters that spell the word Keter. The will is related to the nature of Keter. In addition, there are 620 commandments (613 Torah commandments and seven rabbinic commandments), and thus the nature of Keter is connected to the practical commandments, which are like "pillars of light" (see Pardes Rimmonim, Sha'ar 8, chap. 3). What is the meaning of the idea that the commandments are like pillars of light?

פֵּירוּשׁ, דֶּרֶךְ מָשָׁל, כְּמוֹ שֶׁיֵּשׁ עַמּוּדִים בְּבֵית חוֹמָה גָּדוֹל נִצָּבִים בָּאָרֶץ וְרֹאשָׁם מְחוּבָּר בַּתִּקְרָה, כָּכָה מַמָּשׁ עַל דֶּרֶךְ מָשָׁל, כֶּתֶר עֶלְיוֹן בָּרוּךְ הוּא

That means, by analogy, that just as there are pillars in a large building standing on the ground, with each pillar's head connected to the ceiling, the blessed supernal crown is exactly the same, metaphorically speaking. Supernal Keter is like those pillars that connect the ceiling to the floor. These pillars are the commandments, which are the supernal will that transcends all the sefirot, all faculties, existences, and parameters, like a ceiling above a house. They descend to the floor, because they are the practical commandments that express the supernal will in the material world of deed, which is lower than all of the other worlds, like a floor.

הוּא לְמַעְלָה מִבְּחִינַת מַדְרֵגַת הַחָכְמָה, וְהוּא מִלְּשׁוֹן כּוֹתֶרֶת, שֶׁהוּא מַכְתִּיר וּמַקִּיף עַל הַמּוֹחִין שֶׁבָּרֹאשׁ, שֶׁהֵם בְּחִינַת חב״ד

Keter transcends the level of wisdom. The word Keter is related to koteret, a coronal "capital," because Keter crowns and encompasses the intellect in the head, which are the faculties of Ḥokhma , Bina, and Da'at . Keter is higher than Ḥokhma and all of the other sefirot. Its superiority to Ḥokhma is not like Ḥokhma's superiority to Bina, and so forth. Rather, it can be described as a capital that crowns, surrounds, and encompasses the entirety of Ḥokhma and all the other sefirot. In this sense, Keter is not only above all the sefirot but it is below them as well, like a pillar that stands on the floor and rises up to support the ceiling. In this sense, Keter does not have its own content, unlike Ḥokhma and Bina. Its content, as far as it is possible to speak of such a thing, is like that of the will (and delight), which, as explained above at length, does not relate intrinsically to any content, faculty, and direction in the soul (something that is fully exhausted by the ten sefirot; Keter does not count as one of the sefirot ), but which can enclothe itself in and accompany each of them.

וְרָצוֹן זֶה נִתְלַבֵּשׁ בְּתַרְיָ״ג מִצְוֹת הַתּוֹרָה וז׳ מִצְוֹת דְּרַבָּנָן, שֶׁרוּבָּם כְּכוּלָּם הֵן מִצְוֹת מַעֲשִׂיּוֹת

And this supernal will is clothed in the 613 commandments of the Torah and the seven rabbinical commandments, almost all of which are practical commandments, In itself, this supernal will merely passes through the upper worlds, but it does not remain there and it is not enclothed there. As it passes through them, it receives form, direction, and parameters, its "how" and "what," but it remains the same will, the same supernal light, descending lower and lower. Only at the lowest point of all the levels, in this material world of action, is it enclothed, halted, and fulfills the purpose of its descent through all of the worlds. That is related to the expression: "The final action was first in thought." On the level of action, which is the lowest of all levels, is embedded the beginning of thought, that is, the supernal will, which precedes thought. These are the commandments, which are the 613 commandments of the Torah plus the seven rabbinical commandments. Together they equal 620, the numerical value of the word Keter, which expresses the connection between the highest and the lowest. Here delight, will, and the halakhot are connected. The will, which is the exteriority of the delight, is revealed through the halakhot of the Torah in this world, and the interiority of this comprehension is the interiority of the Torah that reveals the intrinsic supernal delight, the pleasantness of God, and so forth, in the Garden of Eden. Together, they are the sefira of Keter that surrounds and connects all of the extremities of reality, from the supernal Ḥokhma down to the world of action.

וְגַם הַתְּלוּיוֹת בְּדִבּוּר, הָא קַיְימָא לָן דַּעֲקִימַת שְׂפָתָיו הָוֵי מַעֲשֶׂה

and even those dependent on speech, because we have a principle that the movement of the lips is a deed (Sanhedrin 65a), This also applies to the commandments that are dependent on speech, such as reciting blessings and studying Torah, which are not practical commandments in the usual sense, because we implement them through speech alone. However, due to the movement of the lips and the five articulations of the mouth to produce the consonants, even speech is considered a deed.

וְגַם הַתְּלוּיוֹת בְּמַחֲשָׁבָה אוֹ בַּלֵּב, הֲרֵי הַמִּצְוָה נִיתְּנָה לָאָדָם הַגַּשְׁמִי שֶׁבָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה דַּוְקָא

and even those that are dependent on thought or those that are performed in the heart. That is because each commandment is given to the physical human being precisely in this world, The more spiritual commandments – those that we perform even without speech, commandments that are dependent on thought or the feeling of the heart, such as the commandment to believe in God, to love God, and to fear God – are also considered "practical commandments," because it is given to a physical person in this physical world. We give charity with the hand, we speak words with our mouth, we think with the physical brain, and we feel with the heart. The soul acts, thinks, and feels through the body. It has no other way to express and reveal itself. Even an act that has no apparent connection whatsoever to the world and the physical body, such as love and abstract thought, cannot avoid relating to the world and the physical body. At the very least, the physical realm must be prevented from disturbing or distorting that thought, until the abstract thinking is utilizing the relationship to the body and world to the point that the body and world are nullified by the thought.

שֶׁהוּא בַּעַל בְּחִירָה לְהַטּוֹת לְבָבוֹ לְטוֹב וכו'. מַה שֶּׁאֵין כֵּן הַנְּשָׁמָה בְּלֹא גּוּף אֵין צָרִיךְ לְצַוֹּתָהּ עַל זֶה

because he has the free will to turn his heart to good…, which is not the case with the soul without a body. There is no need to command it regarding this. The pure soul, before its descent to the body, does not have free will. Certainly, it does not have free will with regard to an act, because it has no body with which to act. Yet even in the spiritual realm, it has no free will – that is, as to whether or not to love God and fear Him, and so forth. One's free will depends on the fact that he has options, whereas the pure soul does not have the option not to love and fear God. If there is no free will, no commandments apply either. The supernal will in the commandment is not only the will that the commandment be performed. It is that the person will perform it not only because he desires the outcome or because he does not desire another outcome, but because God commanded it. Only then does the commandment serve as a bond between the highest and the lowest, between God and man below, and all parts of reality from top to bottom.

וְנִמְצָא שֶׁהַמִּצְוֹת הֵן עַל דֶּרֶךְ מָשָׁל כְּמוֹ הָעַמּוּדִים, נִצָּבִים מֵרוּם הַמַּעֲלוֹת, הוּא רָצוֹן הָעֶלְיוֹן בָּרוּךְ הוּא, עַד הָאָרֶץ הַלֵּזוּ הַחוֹמְרִית

Thus, the commandments are, metaphorically speaking, like pillars that stand from the highest height – which is the blessed supernal will – and reach to this material world. Every commandment is like a pillar that connects the highest to the lowest, the supernal will that gives the commandment to the earth below, where the commandment is performed. The comparison of a commandment to a pillar indicates that there is something that connects each end of an unending number of levels separating the two extremities of reality to the other. It is not a passage from one level to another, and from there to yet another, of devolution from one world to another. Rather, there is one entity that is the same below as above. This entity is the commandment.

וְהֵן עַל דֶּרֶךְ מָשָׁל כְּמוֹ הָעַמּוּדִים חֲלוּלִין שֶׁמַּקִּיפִין וּמַלְבִּישִׁין נִשְׁמַת הָאָדָם אוֹ רוּחוֹ אוֹ נַפְשׁוֹ כְּשֶׁמְּקַיֵּים הַמִּצְוֹת

Metaphorically speaking, the commandments are like hollow pillars that encompass and clothe the neshama of the person or his ruaḥ or his nefesh when he keeps the commandments. Here other facets of this metaphor are revealed. Besides the fact that the pillars form a connection, they are also hollow. That means that they encompass an expanse that can contain a person's neshama, ruaḥ, or nefesh. This encompassing does not link the parts in a manner involving comprehension or through any other causal connection. Rather, it is like a space, palace, or garment in which all of the parts and levels are found together. The mention of the levels of the soul – "neshama of the person or his ruaḥ or his nefesh " – serves to emphasize each one separately. This means that the enclothing is not only general, but it relates to one's actions when performing a mitzva. For example, when he acts through his intellect to study a halakha, he enclothes the level of neshama; when he acts through the power of the attributes to inspire himself to act with love and fear, he enclothes the level of ruaḥ; and when he acts with the powers of the nefesh that are directed to an act – meaning, the way in which he will act and the performance of that act – he enclothes the level of nefesh.

וְדֶרֶךְ עַמּוּדִים אֵלּוּ עוֹלִין הנר״ן שֶׁלּוֹ עַד רוּם הַמַּעֲלוֹת לִצְרוֹר בִּצְרוֹר הַחַיִּים אֶת ה'

Through these pillars, his nefesh , ruaḥ, and neshama rise to the highest height, to be bound "in the bond of life with the Lord" (I Sam. 25:29). The pillars are the commandments that enclothe the nefesh, ruaḥ, or neshama of the person performing them. The commandments bring the nefesh, ruaḥ, or neshama to this level that encompasses them. This is the level of the will in the soul, which is now united with the supernal, divine will. This level, in which the essence of the soul is united with the essence of the divine, is called "the bond of life" because all the souls that have ever existed and that will ever exist are joined together there. This is truly "with the Lord" Himself.

פֵּירוּשׁ, לִהְיוֹת צְרוּרוֹת וּמְלוּבָּשׁוֹת בְּאוֹר הַכֶּתֶר, הוּא רָצוֹן הָעֶלְיוֹן בָּרוּךְ הוּא

That means that the souls are bound and clothed in the light of Keter , which is the blessed supernal will, "The bond of life" is not another location to where the soul moves, as it were, so that it is no longer in its original place. Rather, it is in a way the essential root of the soul with which the soul rises and unites. Therefore, when the soul performs the commandment, it remains where it is, and at the same time it is incorporated into its own supernal will, which is in turn incorporated into the light of Keter, the supernal divine will. This is the commandment that the person performs.

וְעַל יְדֵי לְבוּשׁ זֶה יוּכְלוּ לַחֲזוֹת בְּ'נוֹעַם ה'' וְ׳צַחְצָחוֹת׳, שֶׁלְּמַעְלָה מִמַּעֲלַת הַכֶּתֶר, וְהֵן פְּנִימִיּוּתוֹ עַל דֶּרֶךְ מָשָׁל

and by means of this garment, they can gaze upon "the pleasantness of God" and the tzaḥtzaḥot , which are higher than the level of Keter , and which are Keter's inner being, metaphorically speaking. By means of this garment, comprised of the mitzva and the supernal will, souls can gaze upon the "pleasantness of God" and tzaḥtzaḥot, which are the light of the divine delight, and which is higher than Keter. This garment is the will and exteriority of Keter, whereas the pleasantness of God etc., are the interiority of Keter. As in the earlier metaphor, the soul's inner light is the essential delight, while the supernal will is external to it. That is the answer to the question posed at the beginning of the epistle: Why does the soul need the garments of the commandments? Why is it that by means of the garment of the commandments in particular the soul can gaze upon the pleasantness of God and the supernal delight? The answer of the author of the Tanya here is that the garment comprised of the commandments is the garment composed of the supernal will, which is the exteriority of delight, while the exteriority is the vessel through which the interiority is transmitted. It is impossible to transmit the interior itself. A person cannot communicate his personal inner feeling to someone else. However, if there is an exterior garment that matches that interiority, it can be transferred. This is the nature of the garment of the commandments. God transfers a commandment to us and in it is enclothed the supernal delight, "the pleasantness of God," and the tzaḥtzaḥot, which in this manner are transmitted to our soul. The author of the Tanya now comments parenthetically on the statement that the commandments are a garment for the supernal delight.

(וַהֲגַם שֶׁנִּתְבָּאֵר בְּמָקוֹם אַחֵר שֶׁהַמִּצְוֹת הֵן פְּנִימִיּוּת רָצוֹן הָעֶלְיוֹן בָּרוּךְ הוּא,

(Although it is explained elsewhere that the commandments are the inner being of the blessed supernal will, those initiated in the esoteric wisdom of Kabbala know the multiplicity of aspects and levels present in every aspect and level of the levels of holiness. There are many aspects of "face to face" and many aspects of "back side to back side" without end…) It is stated elsewhere that the commandments are the interiority of the supernal will. This apparently contradicts the statement here that they are the externality of Keter. However, it is not a real contradiction, because there are many aspects and levels within the realm of holiness. Each aspect and level is comprised of other levels. For instance, every level has a front and back, and the front itself has a front and back, and so on and so forth. Thus, in this epistle, the author of the Tanya is describing an aspect in which the commandments are the external expression of the inner light, and therefore they constitute the garment through which the soul can receive that inner light. The other sources, by contrast, are coming from a different perspective, one in which the commandments reveal the interiority of the divine will, in contrast to the exteriority of the will that creates and sustains the worlds, the exterior framework that enables the realization of the inner will through the performance of the commandments.

וְהִנֵּה ז׳ מִצְוֹת דְּרַבָּנָן אֵינָן נֶחְשָׁבוֹת מִצְוֹת בִּפְנֵי עַצְמָן

And the seven rabbinical commandments are not considered commandments in themselves, Initially, the author of the Tanya spoke of a garment made of the 613 commandments that enclothes the 613 aspects and faculties of the human soul. Subsequently however, in reference to Keter, he spoke about 620 commandments (the numerical value of the word Keter ). If so, which of these figures is the correct one for the present discussion? Moreover, how is it possible for rabbinical commandments to be counted together with the Torah commandments?

שֶׁהֲרֵי כְּבָר נֶאֱמַר: ״לֹא תוֹסֵף" (דברים יג,א) אֶלָּא הֵן יוֹצְאוֹת וְנִמְשָׁכוֹת מִמִּצְוֹת הַתּוֹרָה וּכְלוּלוֹת בָּהֶן בְּמִסְפַּר תַּרְיָ"ג לְהַלְבִּישׁ תַּרְיָ"ג בְּחִינוֹת וְכֹחוֹת שֶׁבְּנֶפֶשׁ רוּחַ נְשָׁמָה הָאָדָם

because it has already been said, "You shall not add" (Deut. 13:1). But the explanation is that the rabbinical commandments are derived from and issue from the commandments of the Torah and are included in them, in the sum of 613, to enclothe the 613 aspects and powers in a person's nefesh , ruaḥ, and neshama , The Torah states: "All this matter that I command you…you shall not add to it and you shall not subtract from it" (Deut. 13:1). This verse prohibits making additions to the words of the Torah. However, the seven rabbinical commandments are not considered additions to the commandments of the Torah, because they are extensions of them, for they elaborate on and develop them. Therefore, they are included in the sum total of the 613 commandments, which means that there are in fact no more than the 613 commandments of the Torah. Even those rabbinical commandments that appear to be separate commandments are actually drawn from the Torah's command to heed the words of the prophets and sages in each generation: "Him you shall heed" (Deut. 18:15). The number 613 is important because it expresses the unique connection between the Torah and the soul. Just as the soul's 613 aspects and faculties relate to the corresponding 613 limbs of the body, so too the Torah relates to the soul. Thus, there is an intrinsic connection that joins together the Torah, soul, and body at their roots. If the number was not identical, the connection (even if it was temporarily intense) would be merely partial, existing only in a particular aspect and for a certain purpose. But when the entire framework is identical, the connection is whole, and the interiors of Torah, soul, and body are totally identical, albeit revealed in a different form and on a different level.

וְזֶה שֶׁכָּתוּב בַּזּוֹהַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ פָּרָשַׁת פְּקוּדֵי (דַּף רכ״ט עַמּוּד ב), דְּאִינּוּן עוּבְדִין טָבִין דְּעָבֵיד בַּר נַשׁ מָשְׁכֵי מִנְּהוֹרָא דְּזִיוָּוא עִילָּאָה לְבוּשָׁא כו׳ וְחָמֵי כו׳ בְּנוֹעַם ה׳ וכו׳

and this is the meaning of the statement in the holy Zohar , Parashat Pekudei (229b), that "the good deeds that a person performs elicit a garment from the light of supernal radiance… and he beholds… the pleasantness of God…" This statement, which discusses the garment that allows the soul to gaze upon the pleasantness of God, was mentioned at the beginning of this epistle. Here the author of the Tanya quotes its continuation, which clarifies the nature of the garment: It consists of the "good deeds," the commandments that a person performs. These, as explained, are extensions of the light of the supernal will that enclothe him in a garment that will enable him to see and experience the inner being of the supernal light, which is the pleasantness of God etc. Later, the author will clarify whether those are merely garments of deeds, such as the deed of a commandment, or garments on a spiritual level as well. Just as in a person's life in this world there are additional, spiritual levels of thought and feeling that are on a higher plane than the materiality of this world, so too, in the World to Come (the Garden of Eden) there are relatively high levels that function as garments to which the soul can rise and at which it can receive the significance and delight that are revealed on those levels.

וַהֲגַם דְּהָתָם מַיְירֵי בְּגַן עֵדֶן הַתַּחְתּוֹן, שֶׁהַלְּבוּשִׁים שָׁם הֵם מִמִּצְוֹת מַעֲשִׂיּוֹת מַמָּשׁ

Although there the Zohar is speaking about the lower Garden of Eden, where the garments derive from the actual practical mitzvot, The garments that are made from the deeds of the commandments belong to the level of the lower Garden of Eden. The lower Garden of Eden parallels the world of Yetzira, which relates directly to the world of Asiya below it, including our physical world. Accordingly, the garments for the neshama that relate to the lower Garden of Eden are the garments made from the performance of the mitzvot.

אֲבָל בְּגַן עֵדֶן הָעֶלְיוֹן הַלְּבוּשִׁים הֵם מֵרְעוּתָא וְכַוָּונָה דְּלִבָּא בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא וּצְלוֹתָא כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב בַּזֹּהַר שָׁם (דַּף ר״י)

but in the upper Garden of Eden the garments are derived from the will and intent of the heart in Torah and prayer, as written in the Zohar there (210). The upper Garden of Eden relates to the higher levels of the worlds and souls, that is, to Beria, which has no direct connection to the world of action. There, the garments come from the will and intent of a person's heart in Torah and prayer. The soul's garments that relate to the upper Garden of Eden are fashioned not from one's deeds but from his feelings and understanding. That is to say, the garments are made from the supernal will itself, not as that will manifests itself in one's deed but as it manifests itself in the intent behind his deed and the intent itself within the person's mind and heart. The difficulty here is that the Zohar is now apparently speaking of a previously unmentioned level of garments, one that is not connected to the level of deed. This is in contrast to the Zohar's earlier statement that the garments are made from the level of deeds, like a garment for the spiritual faculties of the soul. In other words, the garment and the vessels for the divine and infinite will, which transcend human feelings and understanding, are made precisely from what we do not understand and feel. If so, how is one to understand the statement here that the garments of the soul in the upper Garden of Eden are made from the will and intent of the heart?

הֲרֵי הַכַּוָּונָה הִיא כַּוָּונַת עָסְקוֹ בַּתּוֹרָה לִשְׁמָהּ מֵאַהֲבַת ה׳, וּמִצְוַת תַּלְמוּד תּוֹרָה הִיא גַּם כֵּן מִכְּלַל מִצְוֹת מַעֲשִׂיּוֹת, דַּעֲקִימַת שְׂפָתָיו הָוֵי מַעֲשֶה,

This intent is a person's intent as he engages in learning the Torah for its own sake out of love for God. And the commandment of Torah study is also one of the practical commandments, because "the movement of the lips is a deed." But thought is not similar to speech, and a person does not fulfill his obligation to learn Torah with thought only. And the same applies to prayer, The garments are made from more than just a person's intent and feeling in Torah and prayer. Although the will of the heart is revealed in his feeling – in love and in fear – this feeling cannot remain abstract. It must be related to something that a person thinks about and expresses in speech. If he does not articulate the words of Torah or prayer, he does not fulfill his obligation (for it is only by connecting the speech to deed that he maintains the connection between above and below; otherwise, he does not create the "garment"). Therefore, the garments created by the heart's will and intent do not negate the aspect of deed; rather they add to it a revelation on the levels of the soul.

וּמַה גַּם כִּי מַעֲלַת הַכַּוָּונָה עַל הַדִּבּוּר וּמַעֲשֶׂה אֵינָהּ מִצַּד עַצְמָהּ כו׳, אֶלָּא מִצַּד הֶאָרַת רָצוֹן הָעֶלְיוֹן כו׳, כְּמוֹ שֶׁנִּתְבָּאֵר בְּלִקּוּטֵי אֲמָרִים חֵלֶק א׳ פֶּרֶק ל״ח בַּאֲרִיכוּת, עַיֵּין שָׁם

and also because the superiority of intent over speech and deed is not due to intent's intrinsic merits, and so on, but because it comes from the illumination of the supernal will, and so on, as explained in Likkutei Amarim volume 1, chapter 38, at length; see there. From the aspect of the infinite divine, the spiritual is not superior to the physical, nor is intent superior to speech. Their superiority derives from the supernal will's illumination. This observation applies not only here but also more generally to the relationship between deed and intent. After explaining the central and vital place of deeds in the service of God, including the words of Torah and prayer, as well as the importance of intent, the author of the Tanya provides a metaphor that is key to understanding the relationship between deed and intent: Prayer without intent is like a body without a soul. The "body" of prayer, like the physical body, is the essence of its existence, while the "soul" is the vitality that is enclothed and revealed in it. Speech and deed are the "body"; the intent of the heart is the soul. Thus, the intent of the heart has no meaning without the "body" of the deed, through which the intent is revealed. "Body" and "soul" have no actuality apart from each other. The difference between them is only with respect to the revelation and illumination of the supernal will (in the terms of the Tanya in in Likkutei Amarim 1:38, the contraction and expansion of the illumination). The supernal will is implemented through a person's deed, and the more intent he has, the more the intent shines and is revealed. The loftier a person's intent – the more refined his feeling and awareness – the higher and clearer the revelation of the supernal will, and the more separated from matters of this world. Now the author of the Tanya will proceed to speak about the part of the Torah that relates to deed: Studying the halakhot of the Oral Torah, which is called "the crown of Torah," the topic with which he began this epistle. He will thereby explain the overall value of the Oral Torah, and the relationship between it and the Written Torah.

וְהִנֵּה מוּדַעַת זֹאת, כִּי הִנֵּה רָצוֹן הָעֶלְיוֹן בָּרוּךְ הוּא הַמְלוּבָּשׁ בְּתַרְיָ״ג מִצְוֹת שֶׁבַּתּוֹרָה שֶׁבִּכְתָב, הוּא מוּפְלָא וּמְכוּסֶּה טָמִיר וְנֶעֱלָם

And it is known that the blessed supernal will, which is clothed in the 613 commandments in the Written Torah, is hidden and covered, cloaked and obscured. The Written Torah does not reveal the supernal will. It only reveals the fact that there are practical commandments through which God reveals His will to us. However, their precise nature and how we perform them in all their details and in various circumstances remain concealed. To put it another way, the Written Torah reveals the spoken word of God speaks, while what that communicates to us on all levels and in all senses is contained in the Oral Torah.

וְאֵינוֹ מִתְגַּלֶּה אֶלָּא בַּתּוֹרָה שֶׁבְּעַל פֶּה

And it is revealed only in the Oral Torah, That which is hidden in the Written Torah is revealed in the Oral Torah. The Oral Torah is a tradition that passes from generation to generation, from one person to another, from mouth to mouth. It consists of things that cannot be written or even formulated: How we are to understand matters, how we are to think about them, how we are to relate to them. Only living people who see each other, who recognize each other, who think together, can communicate to each other such matters that lie beyond words. This is the Oral Torah. It is not only that the Written Torah often does not provide sufficient information, or that one cannot understand something, or that a specific circumstance is left undescribed. Rather, the Written Torah in general is not designed to teach practical halakha. The parameters of the halakhot – how we perform them, all of the minutest details – remain obscure, unexplained, and unknowable. The Written Torah merely alludes to these matters, which must be elucidated by the Oral Torah. The Written Torah be understood only in light of the Oral Torah. Therefore, as the author of the Tanya says in this epistle, it is precisely the Oral Torah that transmits the level of Keter, that which is hidden, which cannot be expressed in the supernal, eternal words of the Written Torah. For that which cannot be taught from above to below can be taught from below to above. Only we here, who continue to study the Oral Torah, can successfully transmit onward, from mouth to mouth, that which all of the supernal worlds do not know. The author of the Tanya proceeds to present an example of this:

כְּמוֹ מִצְוַת תְּפִילִּין עַל דֶּרֶךְ מָשָׁל, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר בַּתּוֹרָה שֶׁבִּכְתָב: ״וּקְשַׁרְתָּם לְאוֹת עַל יָדֶךָ וְהָיוּ לְטוֹטָפוֹת בֵּין עֵינֶיךָ״ (דברים ו,ח). וְהוּא מַאֲמָר סָתוּם וְנֶעֱלָם, שֶׁלֹּא פֵּירֵשׁ הַכָּתוּב אֵיךְ וּמַה לִּקְשׁוֹר וּמַהוּ ״טוֹטָפוֹת״ וְהֵיכָן הוּא ״בֵּין עֵינֶיךָ״ וְ״עַל יָדֶךָ״ עַד שֶׁפֵּירְשָׁה תּוֹרָה שֶׁבְּעַל פֶּה: שֶׁצָּרִיךְ לִקְשׁוֹר בַּיִת אֶחָד עַל הַיָּד וד' בָּתִּים עַל הָרֹאשׁ וּבְתוֹכָם ד' פָּרָשִׁיּוֹת וְהַבָּתִּים יִהְיוּ מֵעוֹר מְעוּבָּד וּמְרוּבָּעִים דַּוְקָא וּמְקוּשָּׁרִים בִּרְצוּעוֹת שֶׁל עוֹר שְׁחוֹרוֹת דַּוְקָא וְכָל שְׁאָר פְּרָטֵי הִלְכוֹת עֲשִׂיַּית הַתְּפִילִּין שֶׁנֶּאֶמְרוּ בְּעַל פֶּה

like the commandment of tefillin , for instance, as it says in the Written Torah, "You shall bind them as a sign on your arm, and they shall be for ornaments between your eyes" (Deut. 6:8). That is a hidden and concealed statement, because Scripture did not explain how and what to bind, nor what "ornaments" are, nor the locations indicated by "between your eyes" and "on your arm," until the Oral Torah explained that one must bind one box on the arm and four boxes on the head, containing four passages, and the boxes are to be of processed leather, and specifically square, and tied with straps of leather, which must be black, and all of the other details of the halakhot of making tefillin , which were communicated orally. The Oral Torah exposes what has been hidden. It expands upon that which was contained in a few words in the Written Torah. This example illustrates how the Oral Torah not only explains each word but how it provides a plethora of information for which there is no obvious allusion in the Written Torah. Only by knowing all the information contained by the Oral Torah can we unwrap the meaning of the words in the Written Torah.

וְ״עַל יָדֶךָ״ הִיא הַזְּרוֹעַ דַּוְקָא וְלֹא כַּף הַיָּד, וּ״בֵּין עֵינֶיךָ״ זֶה קָדְקוֹד וְלֹא הַמֵּצַח

And "on your arm" is specifically the upper arm and not the palm of the hand, and "between your eyes" is the mid-frontal skull and not the forehead. Although elsewhere the phrases "on your arm" and "between your eyes" are read literally, the Oral Torah reveals that this is not the case here. Thus, the Oral Torah reveals not only the logic and cohesiveness of the words, but also the absence of logic in certain cases, which could not have been understood in the correct manner if their meaning had not been revealed by the Oral Torah.

וְכֵן כָּל מִצְוֹת שֶׁבַּתּוֹרָה, בֵּין מִצְוֹת עֲשֵׂה בֵּין מִצְוֹת לֹא תַעֲשֶׂה, אֵינָן גְּלוּיוֹת וִידוּעוֹת וּמְפוֹרָשׁוֹת אֶלָּא עַל יְדֵי תּוֹרָה שֶׁבְּעַל פֶּה כְּמִצְוַת לֹא תַעֲשֶׂה שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר בְּשַׁבָּת: ״לֹא תַעֲשֶׂה מְלָאכָה״ (דברים ה,יג. שמות כ,י), וְלֹא פֵּירֵשׁ מַה הִיא מְלָאכָה, וּבַתּוֹרָה שֶׁבְּעַל פֶּה נִתְפָּרֵשׁ שֶׁהֵן ל״ט מְלָאכוֹת הַיְּדוּעוֹת, וְלֹא

And likewise all of the commandments in the Torah, whether the positive commandments or the negative commandments, are only revealed, known, and explained through the Oral Torah. For instance, the negative commandment is stated regarding Shabbat, "You shall not perform any labor" (Deut. 5:14; Ex. 20:10). Here, the verse did not explain what constitutes labor. The Oral Torah explains that this refers to the thirty-nine known types of labor, not to moving stones and heavy beams. After presenting an example of a positive commandment – tefillin – the author of the Tanya now provides an example of a negative commandment – work on the Sabbath. An understanding derived from the Written Torah alone – "so that you may rest…" – might be that this refers to moving stones and heavy beams, and the like. However, the teachings of the Oral Torah are not always in keeping with our intellect and understanding. If that were the case, perhaps we would not need the Oral Torah. We would simply read the Written Torah and be able to infer the rest. Yet in actual fact, not only does the Written Torah lack sufficient information, even what it does convey is not always aligned with what we learn is the halakha from the Oral Torah.

וְכַיּוֹצֵא בָּהֶן הֵן כָּל הַמִּצְוֹת, בֵּין מִצְוֹת עֲשֵׂה בֵּין מִצְוֹת לֹא תַעֲשֶׂה, הֵן סְתוּמוֹת וְלֹא מְפוֹרָשׁוֹת וּגְלוּיוֹת וִידוּעוֹת אֶלָּא עַל יְדֵי תּוֹרָה שֶׁבְּעַל פֶּה

And similar to these, all of the commandments, whether positive commandments or negative commandments, are hidden and are only explained, revealed, and known by means of the Oral Torah. The author of the Tanya points out that this pertains to both the positive and the negative commandments. There is an intrinsic difference between the revelation of the supernal will through the positive commandments and that revelation through the negative commandments. In the positive commandments the supernal will is revealed in the form of specific thing that expresses the supernal will below: A person should do such-and-such in such-and-such a manner. In the negative commandments, it seems that there is no specific revelation of what the supernal will is, but at most what it is not. Yet the Oral Torah reveals this as well: A garment that is not of deed but of non-deed, which can reveal to the soul even that which lies beyond all levels and parameters. This can also serve as a garment of light for the entirely concealed delight.

וּמִשּׁוּם הָכֵי כְּתִיב עַל תּוֹרָה שֶׁבְּעַל פֶּה: ״אַל תִּטּוֹשׁ תּוֹרַת אִמֶּךָ״ (משלי א,ח), כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב בַּזֹּהַר

And therefore the verse states concerning the Oral Torah, "Do not forsake the teaching of your mother" (Prov. 1:8), as is written in the Zohar . "Hear, my son, the admonition of your father, and do not forsake the teaching of your mother." The Zohar states that the written Torah is "the admonition of your father," while the Oral Torah is "the teaching of your mother." The relationship between them is analogous to that of a father and mother.

מִשּׁוּם שֶׁעַל דֶּרֶךְ מָשָׁל, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּל אֶבְרֵי הַוָּלָד כְּלוּלִים בְּטִיפַּת הָאָב בְּהֶעְלֵם גָּדוֹל, וְהָאֵם מוֹצִיאַתּוּ לִידֵי גִּילּוּי בְּלֵידָתָהּ וָלָד שָׁלֵם בִּרְמָ״ח אֵבָרִים וּשְׁסָ״ה גִּידִים, כָּכָה מַמָּשׁ כָּל רְמָ"ח מִצְוֹת עֲשֵׂה וּשְׁסָ"ה מִצְוֹת לֹא תַעֲשֶׂה בָּאִים מֵהַהֶעְלֵם אֶל הַגִּילּוּי בַּתּוֹרָה שֶׁבְּעַל פֶּה

That is because, metaphorically speaking, just as all of the child's organs are incorporated in the father's drop of semen in a state of extreme concealment, and the mother causes it to emerge to a state of manifestation when she gives birth to an infant who is complete with 248 limbs and 365 sinews, so too exactly, all of the 248 positive commandments and 365 negative commandments pass from concealment to manifestation in the Oral Torah, The father provides a drop, a single seed that contains the root and hint of everything that the child will become. The drop does not look like the child, it does not have the distribution of limbs like a child; it is merely a drop. Accordingly, it is analogous to the Written Torah and the commandments as they are written in it. The mother receives the drop from the father, which she develops and grows immeasurably, such that when it is born it has the form of an entire human being with all its limbs. Similarly, in the Oral Torah each commandment is constructed and attains completion in all of its details. In every "birth" – in each halakhic ruling in the summation of the Oral Torah – a complete form is achieved, with all the details and particulars of the "drop" of the commandment that is transmitted in the Written Torah.

וְרֵישֵׁיהּ דִּקְרָא ״שְׁמַע בְּנִי מוּסַר אָבִיךָ״, קָאֵי אַתּוֹרָה שֶׁבִּכְתָב דְּנָפְקָא מֵחָכְמָה עִילָּאָה, הַנִּקְרֵאת בְּשֵׁם ‘אָב׳

whereas the beginning of the verse: "Hear, my son, the admonition of your father," refers to the Written Torah, which emerges from supernal wisdom, which is called "father." The Written Torah is called "father" not only in relation to the Oral Torah, which is called "mother," but also because it emerges from Ḥokhma, which is itself called "father." Just as Ḥokhma is the initial level, the highest of the sefirot, so too the Written Torah is the initial level, prior to all other levels of the revelation of the Torah, as it brings the initial kernel of the divine revelation into everything that will subsequently develop into our world. Furthermore, just as Keter, which is not counted as one of the sefirot but encompasses them, is above Ḥokhma, so too that which can be called the "spirit of the Torah," the presence of the Torah as it is beyond the revelation in the letters of the worlds, exists above the Written Torah. This "spirit of the Torah" is revealed in the Oral Torah and the halakhot.

וְזֶה שֶׁכָּתוּב: ״אֵשֶׁת חַיִל עֲטֶרֶת בַּעְלָהּ״ (משלי יב,יד) כִּי הַתּוֹרָה שֶׁבְּעַל פֶּה הַנִּקְרֵאת 'אֵשֶׁת חַיִל', הַמּוֹלִידָה וּמַעֲמֶדֶת חַיָּילוֹת הַרְבֵּה

And thus the verse states, "A woman of valor is the crown of her husband" (Prov. 12:14), because the Oral Torah is called "a woman of valor," who gives birth to and establishes many legions. Here the author of the Tanya repeats the verse quoted at the beginning of the epistle. Now we can understand who the woman of valor is and why she is called a crown. The woman of valor is the Oral Torah, which reveals to us down below the supernal will, which is Keter, higher than the Written Torah (the "husband" of the Oral Torah). The Hebrew word for "valor," ḥayil, is related to ḥayal, "soldier." The Oral Torah is called a woman of valor because it engenders and raises many legions of soldiers who, directed from above, descend to battlefields in remote locations, where the divine source cannot be seen, to take arms against numerous "troops" that are cut off from holiness and the divine revelation and will. These legions are a person's performance of the practical commandments in the physical world.

כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב: ״וַעֲלָמוֹת אֵין מִסְפָּר״ (שיר השירים ו,ב),

As the verse states, "And young women without number" (Song 6:8). Do not read alamot , "young women,"

אֵלּוּ הֲלָכוֹת דְּלֵית לוֹן חוּשְׁבָּנָא, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב בַּתִּיקּוּנִים (הקדמת תיקוני זהר [יד,ב])

but olamot , "worlds" (see Shir HaShirim Rabba 10:12; Avoda Zara 35b). These worlds are the halakhot that are without number, as written in the Tikkunim (Introduction to Tikkunei Zohar 14b). Every halakha is like a world in and of itself. Just as there is no end to the worlds, so too there is no end to all of the details of halakhic decisions. Although there are a finite number of commandments in the Torah, the halakhot in the Oral Torah are infinite. Each application of a commandment in the world of action, in a certain situation and at a particular time, is a distinct halakha, and these are innumerable.

וְכוּלָּן הֵן בְּחִינַת גִּילּוּי רָצוֹן הָעֶלְיוֹן בָּרוּךְ הוּא, הַנֶּעֱלָם בַּתּוֹרָה שֶׁבִּכְתָב

And these halakhot are all an aspect of a revelation of the blessed supernal will, which is concealed in the Written Torah. Each halakhic decision, in every detail of a commandment and in each of its encounters with reality and other commandments, is a unique revelation of the supernal will, which was concealed in the Written Torah.

וְרָצוֹן הָעֶלְיוֹן בָּרוּךְ הוּא – הוּא לְמַעְלָה מַעְלָה מִמַּעֲלַת חָכְמָה עִילָּאָה, וּכְמוֹ כֶּתֶר וַעֲטָרָה שֶׁעַל הַמּוֹחִין שֶׁבָּרֹאשׁ, לָכֵן נִקְרְאוּ הַהֲלָכוֹת בְּשֵׁם ‘תָּגָא׳ וְ׳כִתְרָהּ שֶׁל תּוֹרָה׳

And the blessed supernal will is much higher than the level of supernal wisdom, and it is like a crown and coronet over the intellect in the head. Therefore, the halakhot are called a "diadem" and "the crown of the Torah," The supernal will, which the halakhot express, is higher than the supernal wisdom, which is the Written Torah. The supernal will is like a crown upon the supernal wisdom. Thus, at the end of the epistle the question that was posed at its beginning receives its answer. Why are the halakhot called "the crown of the Torah"? If you say it is because the halakhot are an expression of the supernal will, apparently everything in the world is an expression of the supernal will. The answer is that since the revelation of the supernal will in the halakhot does not pass through Ḥokhma (and all the levels of descent), the halakhot themselves, as they are here below, can be described as a revelation of the supernal will and of the crown, Keter, themselves. For beyond all of the noble justifications, material and spiritual, for performing the commandments, there is in fact one reason alone: Because God commands us to do so.

וְהַשּׁוֹנֶה הֲלָכוֹת מוּבְטָח לוֹ שֶׁהוּא בֶּן עוֹלָם הַבָּא (מגילה כח,ב) עַל יְדֵי הִתְלַבְּשׁוּת נֶפֶשׁ רוּחַ נְשָׁמָה שֶׁלּוֹ בָּרָצוֹן הָעֶלְיוֹן בָּרוּךְ הוּא, כַּנִּזְכָּר לְעֵיל

and "whoever studies halakhot is assured of a share in the World to Come" (Megilla 28b), as a result of enclothing his nefesh , ruaḥ, and neshama in the blessed supernal will, as mentioned above. This addresses the second question posed at the beginning of the epistle: Why is one who studies halakhot assured of a share in the World to Come, rather than other areas of Torah? The answer is that this is because his nefesh, ruaḥ, and neshama are enclothed in the supernal will within the halakhot. The Hebrew for "is assured of a share in the World to Come" can be read as "is in the World to Come": He is already there and experiencing it. As stated earlier, our created soul cannot endure the World to Come. In order to be in the World to Come, to experience it and attain the revelation of the divine light and the infinite delight there, the soul must be enclothed in a garment that resembles that light, which is the garment of the commandments. Therefore, a person who attains these garments while alive in this world, one who engages in this aspect of the Torah that reveals the supernal will – the halakhot – is "in the World to Come."