וְהִנֵּה כְּשֶׁהָיָה בַּיִת רִאשׁוֹן קַיָּים,

When the First Temple stood, There was a difference between the manifestation of the Divine Presence in the First Temple and in the Second Temple, because the latter was less complete than the former.

שֶׁבּוֹ הָיָה הָאָרוֹן וְהַלּוּחוֹת בְּבֵית קָדְשֵׁי קָדָשִׁים,

which contained the Ark of the Covenant and the tablets in the abode of the Holy of Holies, The First Temple was unique in that it contained the Ark of the Covenant containing the tablets in the Holy of Holies. The physical structure of the Second Temple was more grand and elaborate than that of the First Temple. Yet, it lacked this inner aspect. Thus, the First Temple was perfect both internally and externally. Not only was the building perfect, but all of the details of the Sanctuary were as well.

הָיְתָה הַשְּׁכִינָה, שֶׁהִיא מַלְכוּת דַּאֲצִילוּת, שֶׁהִיא בְּחִינַת גִּילּוּי אוֹר אֵין סוֹף בָּרוּךְ הוּא, שׁוֹרָה שָׁם וּמְלוּבֶּשֶׁת בַּעֲשֶׂרֶת הַדִּבְּרוֹת בְּיֶתֶר שְׂאֵת וְיֶתֶר עָז בְּגִילּוּי רַב וְעָצוּם יוֹתֵר מִגִּילּוּיָהּ בְּהֵיכָלוֹת קָדְשֵׁי הַקֳּדָשִׁים שֶׁלְּמַעְלָה בָּעוֹלָמוֹת עֶלְיוֹנִים.

the Divine Presence, which is Malkhut of Atzilut, which is the level of the manifestation of the light of Ein Sof, blessed be He, would dwell there and be enclothed in the Ten Commandments with especial magnitude and power, in an immensely greater intense revelation than its manifestation in the palaces of the Holy of Holies above in the supernal worlds. When the Temple stood and the Ark of the Covenant and the tablets were in the physical Holy of Holies in this world, the revelation of the Divine Presence in this world was even more perfect than it is in all the higher worlds. The Holy of Holies in the physical Temple contained the highest revelation of the Divine Presence from the highest point of all the worlds, the revelation of the Divine Presence in the Holy of Holies of the world of Atzilut.

כִּי עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדִּבְּרוֹת הֵן כְּלָלוּת הַתּוֹרָה כּוּלָּהּ,

That is because the Ten Commandments comprise the essence of the entire Torah, The Ten Commandments, written on the Tablets of the Covenant, are the essence and soul of the entire Torah. All the commandments, with their respective explanations in the Oral Torah, are alluded to in the words and letters of the Ten Commandments.

דְּנָפְקָא מִגּוֹ חָכְמָה עִילָּאָה, דִּלְעֵילָּא לְעֵילָּא מֵעָלְמָא דְּאִתְגַּלְיָא.

which emerged out of supernal Ḥokhma , which totally transcends the manifest world. The source of the Torah is the supernal Ḥokhma that transcends all the revealed worlds, all existence that can be revealed at all. It not only transcends the lower worlds, but even the highest. Given this, since the Ten Commandments contain the entire Torah, they must contain a revelation that is higher than all revelation that is possible within the higher worlds.

וּכְדֵי לְחָקְקָן בְּלוּחוֹת אֲבָנִים גַּשְׁמִיִּים לֹא יָרְדָה מִמַּדְרֵגָה לְמַדְרֵגָה כְּדֶרֶךְ הִשְׁתַּלְשְׁלוּת הָעוֹלָמוֹת עַד עוֹלָם הַזֶּה הַגַּשְׁמִי.

In order to engrave them on physical tablets of stone, the Divine Presence did not descend from level to level according to the sequential succession of worlds to reach this physical world. The "sequential succession of worlds" is the way that the divine light descends within the worlds, descending and contracting from a higher world to a lower one, until the physical world, the lowest world of all. This sequential descent is the natural process, the way in which life comes into being and all worlds function. The revelation of divine light that descends in this way is in accord with the level of each world and each created being according to each level and its "vessels." This is distinct from the manifestation of the Divine Presence that existed in the Ten Commandments. This revelation was not manifest according to levels and vessels at all, neither in this world nor in the higher worlds.

כִּי עוֹלָם הַזֶּה הַגַּשְׁמִי מִתְנַהֵג בְּהִתְלַבְּשׁוּת הַטֶּבַע הַגַּשְׁמִי,

That is because this physical world operates clothed within the laws of physical nature, Our world is unique not only because it is a physical, material world that can be touched, weighed, and measured. It is also unique in that it operates according to very specific rules that govern everything within it. Accordingly, the more precise definition of our world is: material that operates according to fixed rules. The laws of nature are an intrinsic aspect of the physical nature of our world.

"וְהַלּוּחוֹת – מַעֲשֵׂה אֱלֹהִים הֵמָּה" (שמות לב, טז), "וְהַמִּכְתָּב מִכְתַּב אֱלֹהִים הוּא" (שם) לְמַעְלָה מֵהַטֶּבַע שֶׁל עוֹלָם הַזֶּה הַגַּשְׁמִי,

whereas "the tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God" (Ex. 32:16), beyond the nature of this physical world, In contrast, "The tablets were the work of God" (Ex. 32:16). Even though the tablets were made from physical material, they were not part of the nature of the physical world. The physical world is part of the process of the sequentially descending worlds, the world of cause and effect. The tablets, on the other hand, since they are "the work of God," were not created through the process of sequential succession. They were not formed through geological forces, but directly through "the work of God." Therefore, they did not follow the rules of the physical world. We defined the physical world as having two parameters: material and the laws governing the material. The tablets possessed only one element: material. They were not governed by the rules of the material, however, and thus they were not part of the material world.

הַנִּשְׁפָּע מֵהֶאָרַת הַשְּׁכִינָה שֶׁבְּהֵיכַל קָדְשֵׁי קָדָשִׁים דַּעֲשִׂיָּה, שֶׁמִּמֶּנָּה נִמְשָׁךְ אוֹר וְחַיּוּת לְעוֹלַם הָעֲשִׂיָּה, שֶׁגַּם עוֹלָם הַזֶּה בִּכְלָלוֹ.

which receives its flow from the illumination of the Divine Presence that dwells in the palace of the Holy of Holies of Asiya . From that illumination of the Divine Presence, light and life force are drawn down to the world of Asiya, which includes this world of ours as well. The light from the illumination of the Divine Presence descends from the palace of the Holy of Holies of Asiya level by level. It does so in the spiritual worlds of Asiya until it includes this physical world as well. The animating life force of this world is life force that comes through the descending levels of being, a "natural" path in which there is a fixed, defined connection between each level, between each cause and effect.

אֶלָּא בְּחִינַת חָכְמָה עִילָּאָה דַּאֲצִילוּת, שֶׁהִיא כְּלָלוּת הַתּוֹרָה שֶׁבַּעֲשֶׂרֶת הַדִּבְּרוֹת, נִתְלַבְּשָׁה בְּמַלְכוּת דַּאֲצִילוּת וְדִבְרִיאָה לְבַדָּן.

But the level of supernal Ḥokhma of Atzilut, which comprises the totality of the Torah within the Ten Commandments, became enclothed in Malkhut of Atzilut and Beria alone. The Tablets of the Covenant did not become enclothed in Malkhut of Yetzira and Asiya (as will be explained later) even when they entered the physical world. That is because the tablets did not continuously enclothe themselves through descending levels, level by level, until reaching the physical world within Asiya, the place where the tablets rest in the ark in the Holy Temple.

וְהֵן לְבַדָּן, הַמְיוּחָדוֹת בָּאוֹר אֵין סוֹף שֶׁבְּתוֹכָן, הֵן הַנִּקְרָאוֹת בְּשֵׁם 'שְׁכִינָה' הַשּׁוֹרָה בְּקָדְשֵׁי קָדָשִׁים דְּבַיִת רִאשׁוֹן.

It is they alone, unified with the light of Ein Sof within them, that are referred to as the "Divine Presence" that rested in the Holy of Holies of the First Temple. In the Holy of Holies in the First Temple, there was a revelation that is different from all other realities. The world reveals the divine power that descends from one level to the next until it reaches the level of the world of Asiya, including the physical world within Asiya. This central point of divine revelation in the physical world is the source of all life force and revelation for all creatures in the world, each on its level. In contrast to this, in the Holy of Holies, in the ark and the tablets it contains, there was a skipping (as it were), like a line that breaks through and traverses directly from the most supernal realms to the physical world, skipping the many levels in between. It is a revelation that takes place in the physical world (the tablets and the ark), but without undergoing the processes of constriction and transformation that exist for all other entities in this world. It is a point in this world that has nothing to do with this world at all but is penetrated by the supernal divine world, like a higher type of existence embedded in a material form. This revelation, although it is present in our world, truly belongs to other levels of existence in terms of its relationships to existence and in terms of its meaning.

עַל יְדֵי הִתְלַבְּשׁוּתָהּ בַּעֲשֶׂרֶת הַדִּבְּרוֹת הַחֲקוּקוֹת בַּלּוּחוֹת שֶׁבָּאָרוֹן, בְּנֵס וּמַעֲשֵׂה אֱלֹהִים חַיִּים [הוּא עָלְמָא דְּאִתְכַּסְיָא הַמְקַנֵּן בְּעוֹלָם הַבְּרִיאָה, כַּנּוֹדָע לְיוֹדְעֵי חֵן].

This was through the Divine Presence becoming enclothed in the Ten Commandments, which were engraved on the tablets miraculously and as a work of the Living God. (This refers to the concealed world that nests in the world of Beria, as is known to those initiated in the esoteric wisdom.) "Living God" indicates the level and sefira of Bina, Understanding, of the world of Atzilut. This concealed world is revealed in the world of Beria. The tablets, the ark, and the cherubs in the Holy of Holies, correspond to the heavenly "chariot," which is also called the "throne of glory." The throne of glory is an aspect of the world of Beria, which is called the "throne" or "chariot" of the world above it, the world of Atzilut. A chariot is nullified to the person riding in it, and it carries him to faraway places. The world of Beria is like a chariot, or a throne, on which the world of Atzilut "sits" in order to illuminate the worlds. This is why the Divine Presence speaks from between the two cherubs atop the ark: The tablets and the ark, which reside in the Holy of Holies, are the site and the means of the revelation of the Divine Presence or, in other words, the revelation of the "concealed world." The Ten Commandments were written in a physical form on a physical material. Matter itself is not inherently deficient. It is merely a form of reality. Therefore, if an object is created by "the finger of God," even if it is physical matter, it nonetheless reflects the divine essence that is beyond all worlds. This is the concept of a miracle. Nature is based on constant balance. Nothing in nature is clear-cut, and anything that is perceived as supernatural, as a miracle, is such because God has intervened and modified the system so that it no longer works according to its internal rules. Instead, it acts in accordance with a different paradigm. Reality is comprised of concepts, rules, and laws. But there is something that cuts through all of reality, since it is not subject to these rules. Almost every game is based around specific rules. The players play as long as balance is maintained and all moves are made in accordance with the rules. In chess, for example, if someone moves the king not in keeping with the rules, the game is over. The same is true with regard to the intervention of "the finger of God." God extends His finger, so to speak, into the reality of this world, and it erases something or writes something new in the most fundamental rules of our reality. It creates a new object that never existed previously. The magicians of Egypt understood this. After observing unusual phenomena and identifying explanations for some of them, they encountered a phenomenon for which they had no explanation. They made their calculations, taking into account all the laws of nature and elements of reality, and it became clear to them that this was something new that was not acting in accordance with the rules. At that point, they said, "It is the finger of God" (Ex. 8:15). God had come into the mechanism, adding additional letters. In a different way, this is also true regarding "the finger of God" that wrote on the tablets. Within the unfolding succession of reality, the progression of cause and effect, an object suddenly appeared from a different level. It did not go through the usual order of succession. No change or distortion had occurred in it, and it conveyed exactly what it was: an "act of the living God." As in a game, from the moment that this entity entered reality, it broke the rules and created new rules, and it was now at the center. Although it is physical and part of reality, it expresses, through its very existence, the transcendent reality, the divine being that is present in the worlds. The place where the tablets are found, which on the one hand is part of the world, and on the other hand expresses the Divine, is the place that enclothes and reveals Malkhut of Atzilut. That is because Malkhut of Atzilut is the gateway from the world of Atzilut into the created worlds. Likewise, although the tablets are made of stone, they are "written with the finger of God."

וּבְבַיִת שֵׁנִי, שֶׁלֹּא הָיָה בּוֹ הָאָרוֹן וְהַלּוּחוֹת, אָמְרוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ ז"ל שֶׁלֹּא הָיְתָה שְׁכִינָה שׁוֹרָה בּוֹ.

In the Second Temple, which did not have the ark and the tablets, the Sages stated that the Divine Presence did not rest there The difference between the First and Second Temples did not relate to the Sanctuary itself, nor to the service that took place there. Rather, the difference lay in the unequivocal manifestation of the Divine Presence within the ark and the tablets that occurred solely in the First Temple (see Yoma 52b).

פֵּירוּשׁ, מַדְרֵגַת שְׁכִינָה שֶׁהָיְתָה שׁוֹרָה בְּבַיִת רִאשׁוֹן, שֶׁלֹּא כְּדֶרֶךְ הִשְׁתַּלְשְׁלוּת הָעוֹלָמוֹת.

meaning, it did not have the same level of Divine Presence that had resided in the First Temple, which did not conform to the sequential succession of worlds. This does not mean that there was no revelation of the Divine Presence whatsoever in the Second Temple. However, the Divine Presence rested in the First Temple in a different way. The "unfolding succession of the worlds" refers to the causal way in which the worlds are structured and operate. In contrast to this, when the Torah was given, a light pierced the realities and rules of all the worlds. This illumination came from a higher level and broke through the "clouds" of worldly reality. It passed through each world, one after another, without stopping, changing, or becoming distorted, until it ultimately reached our world. The tablets in the First Temple were the reality and "testimony" that remained in our world of this illumination. However, the Second Temple did not have the ark or the tablets, and as a result the Divine Presence did not rest there in the same way.

אֶלָּא בְּבַיִת שֵׁנִי הָיְתָה שׁוֹרָה כְּדֶרֶךְ הִשְׁתַּלְשְׁלוּת וְהִתְלַבְּשׁוּת מַלְכוּת דַּאֲצִילוּת בְּמַלְכוּת דִּבְרִיאָה, וְדִבְרִיאָה בְּמַלְכוּת דִּיצִירָה, וְדִיצִירָה בְּהֵיכַל קָדְשֵׁי קָדָשִׁים דַּעֲשִׂיָּה, וְקָדְשֵׁי קָדָשִׁים דַּעֲשִׂיָּה הָיָה מִתְלַבֵּשׁ בְּקָדְשֵׁי קָדָשִׁים שֶׁבְּבֵית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ שֶׁלְּמַטָּה.

Rather, in the Second Temple, the Divine Presence rested according to the sequential succession and enclothement of Malkhut of Atzilut within Malkhut of Beria, and Malkhut of Beria within Malkhut of Yetzira, and Malkhut of Yetzira was invested in the palace of the Holy of Holies of Asiya, and the Holy of Holies of Asiya was enclothed within the Holy of Holies of the Temple below. In the Second Temple, the Divine Presence rested in accordance with the unfolding succession of the worlds. Malkhut of Atzilut is the manifestation of the Divine Presence. It is enclothed in Malkhut of Beria. Malkhut of Beria is enclothed in Malkhut of Yetzira, and Malkhut of Yetzira is enclothed in the Palace of the Holy of Holies of Asiya, which refers to Ḥokhma, Bina, and Da'at (Wisdom, Understanding, and Knowledge) of the spiritual world of Asiya. The Holy of Holies of Asiya was enclothed in the Holy of Holies in the Temple in our material world.

וְשָׁרְתָה בּוֹ הַשְּׁכִינָה, מַלְכוּת דִּיצִירָה הַמְלוּבֶּשֶׁת בְּקָדְשֵׁי קָדָשִׁים דַּעֲשִׂיָּה.

Thus , the Divine Presence rested there as Malkhut of Yetzira enclothed within the Holy of Holies of Asiya. Consequently, the Divine Presence rested in the Second Temple in a manifest state, without the covering and garment of Malkhut of Asiya. As stated, the resting of the Divine Presence refers to the manifestation of the divine power that gives existence and life to a certain place, time, or soul. Thus, in the Second Temple too, as in the first, the Divine Presence rested within the Holy of Holies.

וְלָכֵן לֹא הָיָה רַשַּׁאי שׁוּם אָדָם לִיכָּנֵס שָׁם, לְבַד כֹּהֵן גָּדוֹל בְּיוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים.

That is why no one was permitted to enter the Holy of Holies except for the High Priest on Yom Kippur. In the Second Temple, the holiness and light of the Holy of Holies were not the same as in the First Temple. Nevertheless, the Holy of Holies was still a Holy of Holies, and it was treated with the same restrictions regarding holiness and separation. The difference is that in the First Temple, the illumination within the Holy of Holies was on a higher level. It was higher even than the illumination of holiness in the spiritual worlds of Asiya and Yetzira. Therefore, not only with regard to our world but also with regard to the higher worlds, the First Temple was deemed to be of especial holiness, and likewise it was seen as the resting place of the Divine Presence. In contrast, in the Second Temple, the holy illumination pertained to our world only. It was a "Holy of Holies" with regard to our world, although not with regard to the higher worlds. This is similar to the human brain. As stated above, the brain is the locus of a person's life, where all of his faculties are to be found. The illumination of life in a person's brain relates to his individual essence, and constitutes the core of his essence, before that essence is broken down and sent to the various body parts and faculties. This is the individual's "Holy of Holies." Sometimes, however, a person receives illumination of a higher realm. At that moment, his brain is not only the locus of his own existence, his own "Holy of Holies." Rather, it is a "Holy of Holies" that is at the center of higher and vaster realms that transcend the boundaries of his private world.

וּמִשֶּׁחָרַב בֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ אֵין לוֹ לְהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא בְּעוֹלָמוֹ אֶלָּא ד' אַמּוֹת שֶׁל הֲלָכָה בִּלְבָד (ברכות ח, א),

Since the day the Second Temple was destroyed, the only place the Holy One, Blessed be He, has in His world is the four cubits within which the study of halakha is undertaken (Berakhot 8a). The Temple was the heart of the material world. There, the soul of the world shone in a revealed state, just as a person's soul shines in a revealed state within his brain. Once the Temple was destroyed, there was no longer a specific physical place for the revelation of the Divine Presence. Four cubits is the measure of personal space as defined in halakha for various purposes, and it is therefore the measure that defines something as a space. "Four cubits of halakha " is thus metaphorically any place in the physical world where halakha applies. There, the word of God, which is the Divine Presence, is manifest. This is because halakha is the manifestation and essence of the word of God, which is the divine will and wisdom. It is the Divine Presence as it is revealed in the Torah. At present, the world's "Holy of Holies," the place where consciousness on our plane reaches its peak, is the "four cubits of halakha."

וַאֲפִילּוּ אֶחָד שֶׁיּוֹשֵׁב וְעוֹסֵק בַּתּוֹרָה – שְׁכִינָה עִמּוֹ, כִּדְאִיתָא בִּבְרָכוֹת פֶּרֶק קַמָּא [ו, א]).

Therefore, "even when just one person sits and engages in Torah study, the Divine Presence is with him," as taught in the first chapter of Berakhot (6a). The resting of the Divine Presence in the four cubits of halakha does not depend on the presence of the Temple structure. It does not even require a quorum of ten Jews. All it requires is the study of, and engagement with, the halakha written in the Torah.

פֵּירוּשׁ 'שְׁכִינָה עִמּוֹ'

This means that "the Divine Presence is with him" We have already discussed the resting of the Divine Presence in the First Temple, in the ark and the tablets, and in the Second Temple. Now, we must clarify what is meant by the resting of the Divine Presence within the four cubits of halakha. On what level and in what way does that take place?

כְּדֶרֶךְ הִשְׁתַּלְשְׁלוּת וְהִתְלַבְּשׁוּת: מַלְכוּת דַּאֲצִילוּת בְּמַלְכוּת דִּבְרִיאָה וִיצִירָה וַעֲשִׂיָּה.

according to the sequential succession and enclothement of Malkhut of Atzilut within Malkhut of Beria and subsequently within Malkhut of Beria, Malkhut of Yetzira , and Malkhut of Asiya. The resting of the Divine Presence in the four cubits of halakha takes place through enclothement in Malkhut of Asiya (an enclothing that did not occur even in the Second Temple). The Divine Presence that rests with a person who engages in Torah study is therefore not the revelation of a higher world that occurs by means of a leap into our realm by a totally distinct essence, which is how the Divine Presence was revealed in the Temple. Rather, the Divine Presence is with the person, and its revelation and illumination pertain to this world with its particular scope and nature. In other words, the Divine Presence is enclothed within the rules, laws, and boundaries of our innately physical realm.

כִּי תרי"ג מִצְוֹת הַתּוֹרָה, רוּבָּן כְּכוּלָּן הֵן מִצְוֹת מַעֲשִׂיּוֹת.

That is because virtually all of the 613 mitzvot of the Torah are mitzvot performed with physical action. The 613 mitzvot are all the commandments contained in the Torah, both positive and negative. All are concerned with physical action and the realm of physical action.

וְגַם הַתְּלוּיוֹת בְּדִבּוּר וּמַחֲשָׁבָה, כְּמוֹ: תַּלְמוּד תּוֹרָה, וּבִרְכַּת הַמָּזוֹן, וּקְרִיאַת שְׁמַע, וּתְפִלָּה, הָא קַיְימָא לָן דְּהִרְהוּר לָאו כְּדִבּוּר דָּמֵי, וְאֵינוֹ יוֹצֵא יְדֵי חוֹבָתוֹ בְּהִרְהוּר וְכַוָּונָה לְבַד עַד שֶׁיּוֹצִיא בִּשְׂפָתָיו,

Even regarding the mitzvot contingent on speech and thought – such as Torah study, Grace after Meals, reciting the Shema, and prayer – we have an established principle, that contemplation of the mitzva is not tantamount to speech, and one does not fulfill his obligation in these mitzvot with contemplation and intent alone, but only when he pronounces the words with his lips. Some mitzvot are not performed with actions, but with speech and thought; one must say something, and understand, and feel what one says. Torah study is ostensibly a mitzva of comprehension, and the essence of prayer is a person's internal connection to God. Nevertheless, the obligation to carry out these mitzvot is not fulfilled through thought or intent alone.

וְקַיְימָא לָן דַּעֲקִימַת שְׂפָתָיו הָוֵי מַעֲשֶׂה.

And we have an established principle that the moving of one's lips is considered an action. Speech, in which the words are expressed with the lips, is considered an action. It is not as discernible as other actions, but it is still an action and it belongs in the physical realm of Asiya. Essentially, the mitzvot in the Torah all involve action, and consequently they belong especially to the world of Asiya, and specifically to the realm of physical action.

וְתרי"ג מִצְוֹת הַתּוֹרָה עִם שֶׁבַע מִצְוֹת דְּרַבָּנָן בְּגִימַטְרִיָּא כֶּתֶר,

The 613 mitzvot of the Torah together with the seven mitzvot instituted by the Rabbis have the numeric value of 620, which is equal to the numeric value of Keter (crown), It is generally agreed upon that there are 613 mitzvot in the Torah. In addition, there are seven mitzvot that were established by the Sages. Added together, these make 620, which is the gematriya of the word Keter. In addition to the elucidations, ordinances, and safeguards that the Sages appended to the mitzvot written in the Torah, they established these seven mitzvot, which are separate from the 613 Torah commandments.

שֶׁהוּא רָצוֹן הָעֶלְיוֹן בָּרוּךְ הוּא

which is God's supernal will The number 620 alludes to the sefira of Keter, which corresponds to God's supernal will, just as the sefira of Ḥokhma is His wisdom, and so forth. A physical crown that is placed on a person's head is external to the person and encircles his physical being. Likewise, God's supernal will appearing in each person is separate from the person and encompasses his spiritual being: his mind and attributes. It does not come from his inner faculties. The supernal will is not the will that comes from the intellect, when a person wants what he intellectually understands he should want. Rather, he directly comprehends what it is that he really should want. The mitzvot express God's primary, supernal will: what He wants of His world and what He wants to happen in the world. Therefore, the term that encompasses all the mitzvot, both those that are written in the Torah and those that are rabbinic, is Keter.

הַמְלוּבָּשׁ בְּחָכְמָתוֹ יִתְבָּרַךְ,

enclothed in His wisdom, God's primary, supernal will is revealed within our world when that will is enclothed in His wisdom. We know His will, what He desires and how He desires it, because it is enclothed in a comprehensible way in the Written and Oral Torah, which stem from His supernal wisdom.

הַמְיוּחָדוֹת בְּאוֹר אֵין סוֹף בָּרוּךְ הוּא בְּתַכְלִית הַיִּחוּד.

both unified in the light of Ein Sof, blessed be He, in an absolute union. God's will and wisdom are totally unified in the light of Ein Sof. As stated earlier, wisdom is totally subsumed in the divine light. Thus the light of the wisdom within the Torah is essentially the light of Ein Sof Himself. It is the light of the indefinable, limitless, supernal essence that penetrates our world.

וְ"ה' בְּחָכְמָה יָסַד אָרֶץ" (משלי ג, יט), הִיא תּוֹרָה שֶׁבְּעַל פֶּה דְּנָפְקָא מֵחָכְמָה עִילָּאָה,

The verse states, "The Lord founded the earth with wisdom" (Proverbs 3:19), in which "earth" refers to the Oral Torah, which emerged from supernal Ḥokhma, The above does not refer only to the Written Torah, but also to the Oral Torah. The verse mentioned here reflects the special connection, which is expressed in several ways, between wisdom and the earth, between the sefira of Ḥokhma and the sefira of Malkhut. The earth symbolizes the Divine Presence, the aspect of divine speech, which is the Oral Torah. The Oral Torah signifies the spoken word: the expression of the Torah and of divine wisdom in the world of action. The Oral Torah applies the Written Torah, which is abstract and general, to the details of worldly reality. This physical realization of the Torah in the world is directly and uniquely linked to supernal Ḥokhma.

כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב בַּזֹּהַר (חלק ג רנו, ב): דְּאַבָּא יָסַד בְּרַתָּא.

as the Zohar (3:256b) states: "The father founded the daughter." This is another expression of the connection between Ḥokhma and Malkhut. The Zohar compares this connection to the special bond that exists between a father and a daughter. Ḥokhma is like the "father," and the earth, which is the aspect of Malkhut, is like the "daughter." As applied here, there is a special connection between the Oral Torah, which is expressed through physical speech with one's mouth, which is like the "daughter," and the supernal source of the Torah in supernal Ḥokhma, which is like the "father." Accordingly, the initial source of divine Ḥokhma reveals itself on earth within the Oral Torah. Thus, the four cubits of halakha are where God reveals His supernal will within the reality of this lower realm. This revelation occurred in the Holy of Holies in the First Temple, on a level far beyond that of the worlds. Subsequently, it also appeared, to a lesser degree, in the Second Temple. And since the destruction of the Second Temple, it is manifest in the only "place" in this world where divine holiness is found with no distortions or constrictions, the place where the Torah (Ḥokhma ) reveals itself on earth: within the four cubits of halakha.

וְזֶה שֶׁאָמַר הַיָּנוֹקָא: דִּנְהוֹרָא עִילָּאָה דְּאַדְלִיק עַל רֵישֵׁיהּ, הִיא שְׁכִינְתָּא, אִצְטְרִיךְ לְמִשְׁחָא (זוהר ח"ג, קפז, א).

This explains what the child said: that "the supernal light kindled upon the Jew's head, namely, the Divine Presence, requires oil" (Zohar 3:187a) Here, the author of the Tanya returns to the explanation that he began in chapter 51 regarding that which is written in chapter 35. The quote from the Zohar cited here continues, "That is because a person's body is the wick, and the light shines upward. [Concerning this], King Solomon cried out, saying,'May the oil on your head not be lacking' (Eccles. 9:8), because the light upon [a person's] head requires oil – namely, good deeds." The human being is the lamp of God, which shines God's light onto the world. As it is written, "The spirit of man is the lamp of the Lord" (Prov. 20:27). The body and the vital soul are the wick, and the flame is the light of the Divine Presence, which is the light of the person's divine soul. Thus there is a wick and a flame. However, oil is also necessary so that the wick is not burned up and the light can continue to shine.

פֵּירוּשׁ, לְהִתְלַבֵּשׁ בְּחָכְמָה הַנִּקְרֵאת "שֶׁמֶן מִשְׁחַת קֹדֶשׁ" (שמות ל, כה), כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב בַּזֹּהַר.

meaning, oil alludes to being enclothed in wisdom , which is referred to by the Zohar (3:34) as "oil of sacred anointment" (Ex. 30:25). Oil is the symbol of wisdom.

וְאִינּוּן עוּבְדִין טָבִין הֵן תַּרְיָ"ג מִצְוֹת, הַנִּמְשָׁכוֹת מֵחָכְמָתוֹ יִתְבָּרַךְ

This oil is identified by the child as "good deeds," the 613 mitzvot, which are derived from God's wisdom Good deeds are the expression of supernal Ḥokhma, the "oil," in a person's life and actions. True good deeds are the mitzvot. The mitzvot are derived from the supernal Ḥokhma of the world of Atzilut, which is entirely subsumed in the Divine.

כְּדֵי לֶאֱחוֹז אוֹר הַשְּׁכִינָה בַּפְּתִילָה, הִיא נֶפֶשׁ הַחִיּוּנִית שֶׁבַּגּוּף, הַנִּקְרֵאת פְּתִילָה עַל דֶּרֶךְ מָשָׁל.

in order to enable the light of the Divine Presence to cling to the wick, which symbolizes the vital soul within the body. The vital soul is figuratively referred to as a wick. The oil of "the spirit of man, [which] is the lamp of the Lord," enables the light of the Divine Presence to cling to the wick. The wick is the vital soul within the body.

כִּי כְּמוֹ שֶׁבַּנֵּר הַגַּשְׁמִי הָאוֹר מֵאִיר עַל יְדֵי כִּלְיוֹן וּשְׂרֵיפַת הַפְּתִילָה, הַנֶּהְפֶּכֶת לְאֵשׁ, כָּךְ אוֹר הַשְּׁכִינָה שׁוֹרֶה עַל נֶפֶשׁ הָאֱלֹהִית עַל יְדֵי כִּלְיוֹן נֶפֶשׁ הַבַּהֲמִית,

That is because, just as the light of a physical candle shines via the consumption and combustion of the wick, which is transformed into fire, so too the light of the Divine Presence rests on the divine soul through the consumption of the animal soul, For a physical lamp to emit light, something must burn: the wick. Likewise, for the divine soul to shine, the animal soul, which is the person's essence as a physical entity, must burn. This refers to the destruction of a person's connection to, and desire for, physical matters.

וְהִתְהַפְּכוּתָהּ מֵחֲשׁוֹכָא לִנְהוֹרָא וּמִמְּרִירוּ לְמִתְקָא,

and through its transformation from darkness to light and from bitterness to sweetness. Of course, we cannot, nor do we want to, completely annihilate the animal soul, for it is what sustains our existence as human beings, as a soul within a body. Rather, this is referring to the destruction of the aspect of the animal soul that conceals the Divine. The vital soul, which sustains a person's physical side, conceals and darkens the divine light. By concealing the meaning and inner essence of life, it expresses life's bitter and difficult aspects. Thus the desired destruction of the vital soul, or animal soul, occurs not through annihilation, but via the transformation of the veil of darkness into light, and the transformation of bitterness into the sweetness that is present in the essence of all things.

בַּצַּדִּיקִים,

This is what occurs in the righteous As was stated at the beginning of the Tanya (see chaps. 10–12), the essential transformation of the nature of the animal soul from darkness to light and from bitterness to sweetness is the work of the tzaddik. Only the tzaddik, as he is defined by the author of the Tanya, can accomplish this fundamental transformation of matter and of the vital soul. Even though the vital soul remains an animal soul, its desires and urges are completely changed. It no longer desires physical objects per se. Rather, all it yearns for is holiness.

אוֹ לְפָחוֹת עַל יְדֵי כִּלְיוֹן לְבוּשֶׁיהָ, שֶׁהֵן: מַחְשָׁבָה דִּבּוּר וּמַעֲשֶׂה, וְהִתְהַפְּכוּתָן מֵחֹשֶׁךְ הַקְּלִיפּוֹת לְאוֹר ה' אֵין סוֹף בָּרוּךְ הוּא,

or at least through the consumption of the garments of the animal soul, which are thought, speech, and action, and their transformation from the darkness of the kelippot into the light of God, Ein Sof, blessed be He, Someone who is not a tzaddik but is on the level of a beinoni, a person who cannot change the essence of his animal soul, can with hard work reach a point where his actual life is a life of holiness. A person's actual way of living affects his soul's garments, and the work of the beinoni is, at the very least, to destroy these garments. When the beinoni destroys the animal soul's garments in all their forms of expression, and he instead reveals only his divine soul and enclothes it in his thought, speech, and action, he takes his life as he is living it out of the realm of the kelippa and transforms it into holiness. The animal soul of the beinoni does not change its essence. However, when it is engaged only in matters of divine service, whether directly or indirectly, its garments of thought, speech, and action are eliminated and consumed. While it is true that the beinoni acts only on the manifestations of his animal soul, in this case his animal soul is fundamentally no longer the same as it had been previously. Its external part has been consumed, and it transforms the darkness of the kelippot into the light of God. The difference between the tzaddik and the beinoni is that in the case of the tzaddik, there is a complete reversal of the soul's inner essence, while for the beinoni only the soul's external manifestations experience reversal.

הַמְלוּבָּשׁ וּמְיוּחָד בְּמַחֲשָׁבָה דִּבּוּר וּמַעֲשֶׂה שֶׁל תרי"ג מִצְוֹת הַתּוֹרָה בַּבֵּינוֹנִים.

which is enclothed in and united with the thought, speech, and actions of the 613 mitzvot of the Torah. This is what occurs in the beinoni . When the beinoni fulfills the Torah and the mitzvot, he can "burn" the animal soul's garments even when the animal soul itself is not burned. He can bring about their transformation from darkness to the light of the Infinite One, even when the essence of the animal soul itself is unchanged. That is because the light of the Infinite One is enclothed in and united with the thought, speech, and action of the 613 mitzvot of the Torah. That is what occurs in the beinoni. The beinoni can change his behavior and "burn" all the thoughts, speech, and actions that are not performed for God. Instead, he can turn them into thoughts, speech, and actions in which God Himself is enclothed and with which He is united. Through the beinoni's destruction of the animal soul's garments and his fulfillment of the 613 mitzvot in thought, speech, and action, the light of the Divine Presence rests upon him and holds fast in him. As the verse states, "The spirit of man is the lamp of the Lord."

כִּי עַל יְדֵי הִתְהַפְּכוּת נֶפֶשׁ הַבַּהֲמִית, הַבָּאָה מִקְּלִיפַּת נוֹגַהּ מֵחֲשׁוֹכָא לִנְהוֹרָא וכו',

That is because through the transformation of the animal soul, which stems from the kelippat noga (glowing husk), from darkness to light and so forth, As explained previously, the animal soul within a Jew is affiliated with kelippat noga, which is defined as the dimension of the mundane, the realm between holiness and kelippa. As long as nothing is done to elevate the animal soul, it belongs to the kelippa, which dims and conceals light. However, when a person performs one of the 613 Torah commandments with his animal soul through his thought, speech, or action, the animal soul is transformed from darkness to light. This does not require the transformation of the animal soul's inner essence, because even on its deepest, most essential level, it is not utterly evil. When the animal soul expresses itself with holiness, when it acts with holiness, it reveals its inner essence as purely holiness. Thereafter, it no longer dims the divine being within itself but rather shines the divine being upon the world.

נַעֲשֶׂה בְּחִינַת הַעֲלָאַת 'מַיִין נוּקְבִין',

the elevation of the mayim nukvin is brought about, The elevation of the kelippa, at least of a person's own kelippa, from below toward the source of all holiness, constitutes the elevation of mayim nukvin. Mayim nukvin is water that does not flow downward like physical water, which descends from above and bestows life below. Mayim nukvin already exists below. It is hidden deep within the earth, within materiality and physical reality. Mayim nukvin can, however, ascend – not alone, but by means of a human being and his thoughts, speech, and actions. When this water emerges from the earth and rises, it causes a corresponding awakening above and an even stronger drawing down of holy light (referred to as mayim dukhrin ).

לְהַמְשִׁיךְ אוֹר הַשְּׁכִינָה, הִיא בְּחִינַת גִּילּוּי אוֹר אֵין סוֹף בָּרוּךְ הוּא, עַל נַפְשׁוֹ הָאֱלֹהִית שֶׁבַּמּוֹחִין שֶׁבְּרֹאשׁוֹ.

engendering the flow of the Divine Presence's light, which represents the manifestation of the light of Ein Sof, blessed be He, on the person's divine soul in the brain in his head. The supernal light of holiness, the light of the Divine Presence, is impelled to rest upon a person from above as a result of the elevation of the mayim nukvin, the burning of the concealing kelippa, the awakening of holiness from below. The soul that receives this illumination of supernal holiness is the divine soul, which dwells (as was explained in chapter 9) in the individual's brain. From there, it extends to his whole being, which is completely transformed into "the spirit of man, [which] is the lamp of the Lord." The author of the Tanya has thus explained the statement of the child in the Zohar regarding "the supernal light kindled upon his head." In order to shine, this light, the light of the Divine Presence upon one's head, requires oil. That oil refers to good deeds, the mitzvot that a person performs in the lower world with his body and his animal soul. With that, the individual transforms the darkness of kelippat noga into light. This means that he burns and destroys the aspect of kelippa and darkness that was previously manifest in his body and his animal soul, and he illuminates the aspect of holiness that was concealed in them.

וּבָזֶה יוּבָן הֵיטֵב מַה שֶּׁכָּתוּב: "כִּי ה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ אֵשׁ אוֹכְלָה הוּא" (דברים ד, כד), וּכְמוֹ שֶׁנִּתְבָּאֵר בְּמָקוֹם אַחֵר.

This explanation enables a clear understanding of the verse, "For the Lord your God is a consuming fire" (Deut. 4:24), and as explained elsewhere. "The Lord your God" is like "a consuming fire," which must perpetually consume something in order to exist. Thus, for God to be "your God," something within you needs to be burnt. In other words, the process of connecting to God within our reality is like the process of burning, of fire consuming and destroying the substance and exterior of a being in the midst of a process of a deep connection with it.

נִשְׁלַם חֵלֶק רִאשׁוֹן בְּעֶזְרַת ה' יִתְבָּרַךְ וְיִתְעַלֶּה.

This concludes the first section of Tanya , with God's help, may He be blessed and exalted.