לקוטי שיחות חלק י״ט - ח״י אלול

Likkutei Sichos Vol. 19 – Chai Elul

1. In the sicha of Chai Elul 5705, the Rebbe, my father-in-law, said: Among Chassidim, there is an old Chassidic saying with two expressions: a) Chai Elul is the day that brought and brings life into Elul. b) Chai Elul gives vitality to the service of "I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine."

From the fact that the Rebbe, my father-in-law, repeated both versions, it is understood that both are valid, and each version has a unique contribution in content relative to the other. Therefore, we need to understand:

After it is said (in the first version) that "Chai Elul... brings life into Elul," this means that it brings life into all matters of Elul, including (the awakening for) all types of service to G‑d during this month. These are alluded to, as discussed several times, in the acronyms of Elul: "Ina le'yado vesamti lecha" (cities of refuge) — Torah (as our Sages say, words of Torah provide refuge); "I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine" — the line of service, prayer (which connects Jews with the Almighty — "I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine"); "Ish l're'eihu umatanot la'evyonim" — acts of kindness; and "Umal Hashem Elokecha et levavcha ve'et levav" — the concept of teshuvah (repentance).

What does the second version add, that "Chai Elul gives vitality to the service of 'I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine,'" which is only one type of service from (the types that are alluded to in the acronyms of) Elul?

2. It can be said that the two versions regarding the impact of Chai Elul correspond to the two virtues of the day: as the birthday of the "two great luminaries": the birthday of the Baal Shem Tov — the founder of general Chassidus, and the birthday of the Alter Rebbe — the founder of Chabad Chassidus.

Chabad Chassidus, although it is a continuation of general Chassidus — bringing down the teachings of Chassidus in a way that they become understandable in wisdom, understanding, and knowledge, the intellect of man — has a unique innovation compared to general Chassidus.

2. The innovation was so significant that it required the founder (and revealer) of Chabad Chassidus — the Alter Rebbe — to be a "new soul," as is known. He is even referred to as "the great luminary" (similar to the Baal Shem Tov).

Similarly, regarding the concept of "I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine": Although this is a specific aspect of the general theme of "Elul," it introduces a fundamental innovation into the whole, and all the services of Elul are thereby elevated to a higher level — akin to the innovation of Chabad Chassidus compared to and within general Chassidus.

This explains the two aforementioned versions regarding Chai Elul:

The fact that Chai Elul is the birthday of the Baal Shem Tov infused a general vitality into Elul, because general Chassidus imparts a general vitality into the service of G‑d, a vitality that encompasses and permeates all types of service.

And because Chai Elul is the birthday of the Alter Rebbe — the founder of the teachings of Chabad Chassidus — it infused vitality into the service of "I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine" (and thereby into all types of service), because the innovation of Chabad Chassidus is particularly connected with this service, as will be explained.

3. The essential difference between general Chassidus (the Baal Shem Tov) and Chabad Chassidus (the Alter Rebbe) was succinctly expressed by the Previous Rebbe in a short saying: The Baal Shem Tov showed how one should serve the Almighty, and the Alter Rebbe showed how one can serve the Almighty.

From the simple wording, it seems to imply that from the teachings of the Baal Shem Tov, one only knows how the service of G‑d should be, but not the path to practically implement this service.

This is puzzling: How is it possible to say that the Baal Shem Tov, G‑d forbid, did not show the way to be an actual servant of G‑d? On the contrary, the Baal Shem Tov established a large number of students and students of students who served G‑d according to the path of Chassidus before the revelation of Chabad Chassidus. And likewise, the students of his students in later generations, even those who did not engage (for whatever reason) in Chabad Chassidus, certainly had (not only the knowledge of how one should serve the Almighty, but also) practical service according to the ways of Chassidus.

So what is the explanation, that specifically the Alter Rebbe showed how one can serve the Almighty?

4. We can understand this by first introducing a concept: Just as we find regarding the teachings of Chassidus that initially it was drawn down in a general manner (general Chassidus) and later it was brought down into intellect (Chabad), we find a similar pattern concerning the entirety of the Torah.

The Almighty gave the Torah — the Written Torah and the "revealed laws for us and our children" of the Oral Torah — along with the principles of the Torah, such as the methods by which the Written Torah is expounded, and similarly regarding the Oral Torah (how to derive and learn from verses and how to engage in the "depth of the reasons for the laws and the dialectics in their reasoning"). Subsequently, through the study of Torah by Jews (according to the principles of the Torah given to Moses at Sinai), many new insights in the Torah are innovated through their effort and intellect, including "endless and limitless new laws."

This explains one of the interpretations of the saying of our Sages, "Everything that a seasoned student will innovate was already given to Moses at Sinai." At first glance, this seems contradictory: If "everything was given to Moses at Sinai," then how can there be any innovation today, and why do we say "will innovate"?

Additionally, it is not understood: How is it possible to say that Moses learned the entire Torah with all the innovations of every seasoned student until the end of all generations in such a short time? Especially since this also includes the innovation of "a new Torah will come forth from Me," the Torah of Mashiach, which will be in great abundance.

4. One of the explanations for this, as mentioned earlier, is that Moses our teacher received the Written Torah and the Oral Torah with all the principles of the Torah, including how to derive many details from them — in the manner of peshat, remez, drush, and sod. The seasoned student studies and extracts the specific details of the debates and dialectics, etc., until reaching the specific law from the general principle. Therefore, it is considered an innovation (since Moses did not actually study the specific matter, and in the words of our Sages, Moses "did not know" the "heaps upon heaps of laws" that Rabbi Akiva expounded).

However, since all innovations in Torah must be built upon the principles that Moses received at Sinai, it follows that "everything was given to Moses at Sinai" — everything was already included (at least in a concealed manner) in the Torah as it was with Moses.

Nevertheless, the fact that the seasoned student

5. The seasoned student works with his intellect to reveal a particular aspect of the Oral Torah (according to the principles of the Torah), thereby creating an innovation in Torah. This becomes a fundamental aspect of Torah study, and furthermore, it is an obligation upon "every Jewish person" — not only to learn what is already written in books, etc., but also to "innovate... both in laws and in narratives, both in the revealed and in the hidden aspects." Moreover, every Jew has a portion in the Torah that they must innovate, upon which the completeness of their soul depends.

Similarly, this applies to the concept of Chassidus Chabad (bringing Chassidus into intellect), that although it appears to be a detail of general Chassidus, it nonetheless achieves a significant innovation and a fundamental innovation in Chassidus.

6. Why is the study of the seasoned student indeed called an "innovation"? It is true that Moses did not actually study every matter and law in a detailed manner — but a true innovation does not only mean that the matter was not previously revealed in practice, but also that it did not even exist potentially. And since the specific law was included (concealed) in the Torah as Moses learned it — which is why it is said, as mentioned earlier, "everything was given to Moses at Sinai" — how can it still be called an innovation?

The explanation for this, possibly, is that the designation of "innovation" is not so much due to the object, the matter being studied (as if the matter is something new that did not exist before), but primarily due to the subject — the person studying it.

7. The aspect of the Oral Torah as it is included in the Torah given at Sinai is so concealed that, as mentioned earlier, even Moses, who knew all the general principles and methods of deriving specifics from the general, did not know what they would say.

And the revelation of these specifics is an accomplishment that belongs entirely to the seasoned student. Therefore, it is called an innovation of the seasoned student.

Since he has achieved the revelation of the matter through his own effort, by exerting his intellect, it is, from his perspective, a truly new concept.

This is also one of the reasons why the completeness of the soul depends on the concept of "innovating a new idea" in Torah:

The true nature of intellect is that the intellectual concept becomes grasped and comprehended by the person, not because someone else (whom he trusts) assures him that the concept is such, but because he, through his own intellectual power and understanding, comprehends it. Therefore, the completeness of intellect is in the concept of "innovation," which shows that he has arrived at the intellectual concept entirely through his own effort.

And since the ultimate purpose of Torah study is that the intellect of man should unite with the wisdom of the Divine in a "wondrous unity," therefore, the completeness of the soul (which must be achieved through Torah study) is accomplished through the person's innovation in Torah.

8. This is also the difference in how the Torah was given from Above and how it is subsequently studied by Jews:

"A good teaching I have given you," the giving of the Torah, the Giver of the Torah — the main emphasis is on the aspect of giving, the giving from Above;

to the extent that in this giving, as we see with a teacher and student here below, when the teacher's intellect shines with its full breadth, depth, and length, he teaches the student — in the language of the Sages — in a "short way," giving the student the summary, the essence of the intellect without details. The essence indeed includes all the details of the intellect, but they are not recognizable there as an independent existence.

9. However, after the giving (including the giving from the teacher to the student), the main focus is on the understanding, comprehension, and absorption of the matters of Torah within the person receiving, the learner. In order for an intellectual concept to be absorbed by a person, he must grasp and understand every detail of the intellect. It is specifically through grasping each detail independently that the summary and essence of the intellect are absorbed in him properly and completely. For example, to understand a Mishnah (which is in a "short way") in depth and completely, it is necessary to study and understand and absorb (through analysis — which then becomes his Torah) all the detailed laws and discussions, etc., which are in the Beraisa, the Talmudic discussions, etc., on the Mishnah.

7. Similarly, we can explain the difference between general Chassidus and Chabad Chassidus:

The revelation of general Chassidus through the Baal Shem Tov is (the main emphasis here) as it comes from Above — from the Holy One, blessed be He, and the righteous who resemble their Creator. Therefore, one of the main emphases of general Chassidus is on the concept of faith — "the righteous shall live by his faith" — which is not something achieved by the person, but it comes from Above, including from father (teacher) to son (student) — "believers, the children of believers" — and the person is a recipient.

Through the Alter Rebbe bringing Chassidus into Chabad (the intellect of man), the possibility (and consequently — the requirement) was given for the matters of Chassidus to be understood (until) absorbed in a person through his own effort; when a Jew strives to understand the inner dimension of the Torah, the Torah of Chassidus, until it becomes settled in him (in addition to faith, also) from his intellectual comprehension, then there comes the advantage that the vitality in the service of G‑d that comes to him through this is an achievement of the person serving, something he has innovated through his own toil.

[And therefore, the matter — the empowerment to "innovate" and achieve in service according to Chassidus through one's own effort — had to be revealed specifically through a new soul.]

8. This is also what my revered father-in-law, the Rebbe, said: that the Baal Shem Tov showed how one should serve the Almighty, and the Alter Rebbe showed how one can serve the Almighty:

8. The difference between "how one should" and "how one can" is: in "how one should," the emphasis is on the aspect of how (one should do it because) it is demanded from Above and comes from Above; "how one can" emphasizes the human capability in the matter, what one can achieve through one's own power.

It is obvious and simple that general Chassidus has accomplished actual service according to the ways of Chassidus, and even more so — the vitality of general Chassidus permeates the person, reaching into all specific services — his prayer, learning, the performance of mitzvos, until "all your deeds" — all are done in a very elevated manner, with a new vitality.

However, since this is a vitality that comes from Above — from faith — it is a general vitality, which encompasses and permeates all the particulars of the person equally; it does not emphasize the specific content of each detail in the service of G‑d, but rather they are all parts and details of one generality.

As seen in the matter of faith, the vitality it brings into the details of the service of G‑d is not due to the specific content of each service, but because the person as a whole lives with his faith, he lives with his faith, therefore (automatically) all his matters are done with vitality and pleasure.

The Alter Rebbe demonstrated how one can serve the Almighty — how a person has the ability to create vitality in the service of G‑d through his own power, by also toiling with his intellect to understand the inner dimension of the Torah; consequently, it is in such a manner that in each specific service a new vitality, a novelty, is achieved, due to the new depth he has in the specific content of the service.

9. Based on all the above, we will understand the two aforementioned versions regarding the vitality that the 18th of Elul brings into the service of Elul:

From the perspective of general Chassidus, a general vitality is brought into Elul — into all types of service (as mentioned above, sections 1-2) — in such a manner that the specific services do not stand out as separate matters.

In simple words: in the self-accounting that a Jew makes during the month of Elul, from the above perspective — he primarily thinks about his general state in the service of G‑d. He indeed must make a detailed account of what has transpired in each detail of his service of G‑d — otherwise, it will not be a proper account — but what concerns him (primarily) is the common aspect and the overall sum of his state, whether he is properly connected to the Almighty or, G‑d forbid, not properly.

The Alter Rebbe accomplished the matter of service (in Chassidus) through one's own power, bringing vitality into the service of "I am my Beloved's and my Beloved is mine" — which the order (first "I am my Beloved's" and then "my Beloved is mine") — indicates the service that begins with an arousal from below, and the closeness of the Almighty to him ("my Beloved is mine") is achieved to a greater and greater extent because it comes through his service, his "you have toiled," which he accomplishes within himself (through his own power) the "I am my Beloved's."

And this brings a new vitality into all types of services of the month of Elul, so that they are all done in a manner of "I am my Beloved's" — service through one's own power.

9. (From the talk of Shabbat Parshat Tavo, 18th of Elul, 5730)