Likkutei Sichos Vol. 30 – Yud-Tes Kislev
1. It is recounted that when the Alter Rebbe was imprisoned, his mentors from the World of Truth — his teacher, the Maggid, and the Baal Shem Tov, of blessed memory — once came to visit him. The Alter Rebbe asked them why he deserved to be sitting in prison and what was being demanded of him. They answered that the accusation against him had intensified because he was saying much Chassidus and revealing it openly, and so on. He then asked them: “And when I leave here — should I stop saying Chassidus?” They replied: “Since you have begun, do not stop; on the contrary, when you leave, you should say even more.” Such is the content of the story.
That is: the Alter Rebbe’s imprisonment below (in the physical world) was a result and outgrowth of the accusation Above regarding the abundance of Chassidus he was teaching and revealing, and so on. Therefore, he was in doubt whether perhaps he should cease this conduct, and to this his mentors instructed him that, on the contrary, “when you leave, you should say even more.”
At first glance, this requires explanation: a similar accusation had already arisen in the time of the Maggid’s leadership, as is known from the story about the accusation then and its cause — that once “a manuscript of Chassidus was found that had ended up in an unworthy place, and an accusation was aroused Above against the Maggid for publicizing matters of the innermost secrets of Torah in such a way that ‘the holy stones are poured out at the head of every street.’ The Alter Rebbe annulled the accusation by offering a parable: a king’s son fell ill with a dangerous illness, for which only one remedy could be found — to take the precious stone set in the king’s crown, upon which the entire value of the crown depends, grind it up and mix it with water, and pour some of this mixture between the lips of the king’s son, hoping that perhaps a single drop would enter his mouth and save his life. So too in our case: the publicizing of the secrets of Torah (the precious stone in the king’s crown) is worthwhile if it will save the life of the king’s son (the Jewish people).”
Accordingly — if already in the days of the Maggid the Alter Rebbe annulled the accusation against revealing Chassidus by explaining that publicizing and spreading Chassidus is an absolute necessity, a matter of saving lives, essential for the survival of the king’s son — how much more so after another stage in the “descent of the generations,” and presumably the (spiritual) state of the king’s son had declined further, it is certainly and absolutely necessary to spread Chassidus (to grind the precious stone in the king’s crown) to save the soul of the king’s son.
So what changed in the time of the Alter Rebbe’s leadership, that once again an accusation was aroused against him for the abundance of Chassidus he revealed — to the point that he himself was in doubt [even though he himself had annulled a similar accusation against the Maggid with the parable of grinding the precious stone in the king’s crown] whether perhaps he should refrain from saying Chassidus, and required an explicit instruction from his mentors that “on the contrary, when you leave, you should say even more”?
2. This will be understood by first explaining the words of the Arizal, that “specifically in these later generations it is permitted and a mitzvah to reveal this wisdom” — even though in earlier generations the wisdom of Kabbalah “was hidden and concealed from all Torah scholars except for a select few, and even then only discreetly and not in public, as stated in the Gemara.”
At first glance: since our Sages taught that “matters which are the secrets of the world (‘the mysteries of the world’) should be kept under your garment,” and according to the law of the Gemara there are several conditions and restrictions regarding the revelation of this wisdom — how was it permitted in later generations “to reveal this wisdom”?
The explanation is as follows — with a preface:
It is understood that the conditions and restrictions on studying the wisdom of truth (Kabbalah) are not because of a prohibition regarding the Torah itself (that this part of Torah must inherently remain hidden), but rather because of a deficiency in the person: since most people are unable to properly grasp these matters, such study could lead to harm (as in “if he is not worthy, it becomes for him…”). But as for the Torah itself, this wisdom is a part of our holy Torah, which belongs to every single Jew — “an inheritance for the congregation of Yaakov” — and every Jew is obligated to study it (just as he is obligated to study the rest of the entire Torah).
Especially according to the words of the Rambam at the end of Mishneh Torah, where he writes: “And at that time… the occupation of the entire world will be solely to know G‑d. Therefore, the Jewish people will be great sages and know hidden matters, and they will attain knowledge of their Creator to the extent of human capacity, as it is said, ‘For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of G‑d as the waters cover the sea.’” It is clear from this that in the days of Moshiach, the occupation of the entire world will be to know G‑d—that is, the (primary) occupation with Torah at that time will not be the study of the revealed laws of Torah that are accessible to us and our children, but rather the knowledge of the Creator, “hidden matters.” And this will be “the occupation of the entire world,” in a manner of “as the waters cover the sea.” It is thus understood that the restrictions of “one does not expound… (even) to an individual unless…” will no longer apply.
At first glance, this seems to contradict the Rambam’s own ruling regarding the conditions and restrictions on the study of these wisdoms (and even in the days of Moshiach, no law of the Torah will be nullified, etc.)! It must therefore be said that the entire prohibition from the outset is only because, in our time, most people are unable to properly grasp these wisdoms, and therefore the Torah established certain conditions for their study. But in the days of Moshiach, when “there will be no hunger, no war, no jealousy or competition,” and each person will be in a state where he can properly delve into these matters, then “the occupation of the entire world will be solely to know G‑d.”
However, in the later generations, it is a mitzvah to reveal this wisdom (despite the conditions and restrictions, etc.)—and there are two explanations for this:
a) In the manner of what the Rambam writes in the introduction to his Guide for the Perplexed, that the reason he wrote this work, which contains “hidden matters,” is based on the statement “It is a time to act for G‑d; they have voided Your Torah”—meaning, that the situation of the Jewish people being “perplexed” compelled him to reveal “hidden matters” in order to save those who are confused in matters of faith, etc.
Similarly, this applies to the revelation of the inner dimension of Torah in the later generations—that this is in the category of “It is a time to act for G‑d; they have voided Your Torah”: the great spiritual decline of the later generations, the diminished hearts, etc., as well as the general state of the world, where evil in these generations is in a state of great intensification, creates a great necessity to reveal this wisdom, the inner dimension of Torah. This wisdom awakens the inner, hidden powers of the soul, which give a person help and support to overcome the darkness of exile from without and the obstacles from within, to be aroused in love and awe of G‑d, and to serve Him with a whole heart.
b) We find several matters that serve as a preparation for the days of Moshiach, and in the words of the Rambam, “to straighten Israel and prepare their hearts” for the days of Moshiach. All the more so and certainly this must be the case regarding the primary aspect of the days of Moshiach—“The sages and prophets did not yearn for the days of Moshiach… except so that they would be free to engage in Torah and its wisdom,” so that they could occupy themselves with attaining “knowledge of their Creator”—that it is necessary “to straighten Israel and prepare their hearts” for this. And this is accomplished specifically through the revelation of the inner dimension of Torah in the later generations.
3. In accordance with the distinction between these two explanations for the reason for the revelation of the inner dimension of Torah in the later generations, there are also two approaches regarding the manner of its revelation, similar to the two approaches in the revealed part of Torah—Mishnah and Gemara:
a) The revelation of the inner dimension of Torah in a manner where the main thing is knowing the essence of the matter in brief, similar to the language of the Mishnah, which is “a concise statement that encompasses many matters.”
b) The revelation in a manner that is explained and elaborated at length, similar to the extended explanation and discussion in the Gemara, and in the language of the Zohar—“they will derive sustenance from it.”
As explained by the commentators on the Zohar, this means that the matters of the wisdom of G‑dliness are explained and clarified in a way that can be understood and grasped (not merely as one who studies by rote), so that the learning is in the category of “sustenance,” as explained in Tanya: through studying Torah “well, with the deep analysis of one’s intellect, until it is grasped by his mind and united with him and they become one”—it becomes nourishment for the soul.
[It may be said that this can reconcile the words of the Alter Rebbe regarding the study of the wisdom of Kabbalah, which seem at first glance to contradict each other:
Our Sages said—and this is also the halachic ruling—that a person is obligated to divide his study time into three: one third for Scripture, one third for Mishnah, and one third for Talmud. The Alter Rebbe rules in his Laws of Torah Study that “the wisdom of Kabbalah is included in the third for Talmud” (based on the ruling of the Rambam that “the matters called Pardes are included in Gemara”). Yet, in his sefer Likkutei Torah, the Alter Rebbe explains (with a give-and-take in the manner of the revealed part of Torah) that “the study of Zohar and the teachings of the Arizal is included in the third for Scripture,” “for the Zohar is a Midrash on the verses of the Torah, and furthermore, even in the study of the secrets of the Torah, one only grasps the existence of the matter, etc.,” “and this is similar to the study of Scripture, where one recites the names of G‑d even though he does not grasp at all the essence hidden within them… and likewise with the study of Zohar and Eitz Chayim.”
According to the above—that there are two approaches in the study of the inner dimension of Torah—this can be reconciled: If one studies only the essential points of the concepts (similar to the concise statements of the Mishnah), this is included in “Scripture.” However, when one studies with understanding and explanation and in detail, and especially—when the concept is comprehended and grasped by his intellect and they become united, this is like “the third for Talmud,” which is the study of the reasons for the laws, etc., up to the study with deep analysis, to understand one thing from another, and so on.]
It can be said that these two approaches in the manner of study are dependent on the two aforementioned reasons for the revelation of the inner dimension of Torah in the later generations:
According to the reason of “It is a time to act for G‑d”—for the sake of saving lives (spiritually), because of the intensification of darkness and the decline of the generations—it is sufficient to reveal the inner dimension of Torah in the form of essential points and in utmost brevity, for even a “point” of the inner dimension of Torah, “the light within it,” has the power to revive souls (and since this suffices, there is no need to reveal more).
However, when the revelation of the inner dimension of Torah is in order “to straighten Israel and prepare their hearts” for the revelation of the inner dimension of Torah that will be “at that time”—since then there will be complete comprehension in the knowledge of G‑d, “according to the capacity of man,” and even “as the waters cover the sea,” it is understood that the preparation for this in the later generations must also be in this manner specifically.
4. According to all the above, we can now well understand the aforementioned story about the accusation regarding the fact that the Alter Rebbe spoke Chassidus at great length, etc.:
The innovation in the manner of the revelation of Chassidus by the Alter Rebbe, compared to the Baal Shem Tov, the Maggid, and their disciples, is evident simply when one studies the Chassidus that has been revealed to us: The concepts of Chassidus revealed by the Baal Shem Tov, the Maggid, and their disciples are in the form of “points” and in brief, similar to the language of the Mishnah, which is concise; whereas the explanation of these concepts in the Chassidus of Chabad, as revealed by the Alter Rebbe, is in the manner of “expansion” and discussion, so that in his maamarim and teachings of Chassidus, he explained the concepts of Chassidus in a way of understanding and comprehension, as its name implies—“Chassidus Chabad.”
This change in the manner of the revelation of the teachings of Chassidus can be said to be what caused the new accusation against the Alter Rebbe, even after the accusation against the Maggid had been nullified through the explanation of the parable of grinding the precious stone from the king’s crown to save the life of the king’s son.
To explain this further:
In the Alter Rebbe’s parable about saving the life of the king’s son by grinding the precious stone from the king’s crown, the emphasis is on the necessity that at least “one drop” should enter the mouth of the king’s son, and that this drop will save his life.
Its parallel in the analogue is—the revelation of Chassidus (the inner dimension of Torah, the most precious stone in the king’s crown) at least in the form of a point (“one drop”), as above, that even a single point of the inner dimension of Torah has the power to revive the king’s son.
And the proof for this is—the revelation of Chassidus in the form of a point, by the Baal Shem Tov, the Maggid, their disciples, and the disciples of their disciples in their generations—was effective and accomplished the revival of the king’s son, and produced G‑d-fearing and wholesome Jews by the thousands and tens of thousands, etc.
But when the Alter Rebbe began to reveal the teachings of Chassidus (not only in the form of a point, “one drop,” but) in a manner of expansion, through the teachings of Chabad—then a new accusation was aroused Above. For the revelation of Chassidus in a manner of expansion, with understanding and comprehension as in the teachings of Chabad, is not (seemingly) something absolutely necessary for the saving of the king’s son’s life.
It can be said that this is the reason why a doubt arose in the Alter Rebbe—perhaps he should cease revealing Chassidus in such a manner. And to this, his Rebbeim instructed him that through his mesiras nefesh and his imprisonment, he accomplished Above that he would be able to continue revealing Chassidus in a manner of expansion, and “on the contrary, when you go out, you should say even more”—in order “to straighten Israel and prepare their hearts” for the revelation of “the secret of its reasons and the hidden mysteries” of Torah that will be revealed with the coming of Moshiach, until “the earth will be filled with the knowledge of G‑d as the waters cover the sea.”
5. And action is the main thing:
After the Baal Shem Tov and the Maggid gave the directive to the Alter Rebbe—not only should he not, G‑d forbid, stop saying words of Chassidus, but on the contrary, he should increase even more—it is understood that this is a directive to every single Jew, that one must prepare oneself for “that time” when “the occupation of the entire world will be solely to know G‑d”—through the study of the inner dimension of Torah specifically in a manner of understanding and comprehension.
From this it is understood that even someone who, in his own opinion, the study of the inner dimension of Torah, and especially in the manner of “Chabad” (study in depth, with understanding and comprehension, “to be nourished by it”), is not absolutely necessary to revive his soul—for in his view, his spiritual life is not in danger, G‑d forbid, and it is enough and sufficient for him to study the revealed part of Torah, and to learn words of mussar and the teachings of Chassidus of the Baal Shem Tov and the Maggid and their disciples and the disciples of their disciples, in order to overcome the doubled and redoubled darkness of ikvesa diMeshicha—how can he exempt himself from this study, when there is a clear halachic ruling, practical law, in the revealed Torah (in the laws of Torah study of the “Rav,” the Alter Rebbe) that every soul of Israel is obligated to study the entire Torah, “both the simple meaning of the laws and their allusions, the homiletics and the secrets” (and moreover, as he writes elsewhere, that every soul of Israel is obligated “to originate new insights, whether in halachah or in aggadah, whether in the revealed or in the hidden”)?
And through “your wellsprings will spread outward”—the publicizing and spreading of the wellsprings of Chassidus, in every place, until they reach even the outside—we will merit very soon (as Moshiach promised the Baal Shem Tov) that “this Master, King Moshiach, will come,” and then the prophecy will be fulfilled: “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of G‑d as the waters cover the sea,” speedily in our days, literally.
(From the talks of Motzaei Shabbos Parshas Mikeitz and Motzaei Zos Chanukah, 5746)