לקוטי שיחות חלק ל״ה - לך לך א

Parshas Lech Lecha

1. The Sages taught: "The Holy One, blessed be He, acquired five acquisitions (kinyanim) in His world, and these are they: Torah — one acquisition; heaven and earth — one acquisition; Avraham — one acquisition; Yisrael — one acquisition; the Beis HaMikdash — one acquisition."

This requires understanding: From the wording of the Baraisa, "The Holy One, blessed be He, acquired five acquisitions in His world," it is understood that the world as a whole is not G‑d's acquisition. But this is not understood: since He, blessed be He, created everything, everything is His and in His domain, as it is written, "The earth and its fullness are G‑d's, the world and those who dwell in it, for He founded it etc." (and similarly in other places); and as Rashi explains on the verse "Possessor of heaven and earth" [which is cited later in the Baraisa as the proof for "Avraham — one acquisition": "as it is written, 'And he blessed him and said: Blessed be Avram to G‑d Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth'"] — "by making them, He acquired them to be His."

It also requires clarification (as the commentators have noted):

a) Since heaven and earth, which comprise the world as a whole, are G‑d's acquisition — what thing "in His world" is not included in this acquisition?

b) Why are heaven and earth not counted as two acquisitions?

c) As proof that heaven and earth are one acquisition, the verse "The heavens are My throne and the earth is My footstool etc." is cited (and afterwards an additional proof is brought from the verse "How manifold are [Your works]… the earth is full of Your possessions," in which "heaven" is not mentioned) — but seemingly the Baraisa should have brought an explicit proof from the verse "Possessor of heaven and earth"?

d) Why is Avraham counted as an "acquisition" of his own, and not included in the "acquisition" of "Yisrael" (after all, the beginning of the Jewish people is Avraham our father, the first of the three Avos)?

e) In the verse cited as proof regarding Avraham, "And he blessed him and said: Blessed be Avram to G‑d Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth," it is not mentioned that Avraham is called an "acquisition" (but rather that Avraham is "possessor of heaven and earth").

f) What is the precision in saying "one acquisition" with each of the acquisitions — "Torah… heaven and earth — one acquisition; Avraham — one acquisition etc." — rather than "second acquisition, third, etc."? Moreover — why does the Tanna add these words "one acquisition" at all, rather than stating briefly: "Five acquisitions… in His world, and these are they: Torah, heaven and earth, Avraham, Yisrael and the Beis HaMikdash"?

2. The commentators explain that the Tanna's intent with the term "acquisition" here is not that these things are in G‑d's ownership and domain — for this applies to all created beings — but rather a deeper concept in the definition of "acquisition." That is: these things are not merely like a person's property, which is a thing unto itself that is in his ownership and with which he can do as he pleases; rather, their very existence is the "domain" of G‑d, for the entire matter of these things is that they "serve His G‑dliness, blessed be He."

This also resolves the precise wording of the Baraisa, "The Holy One, blessed be He, acquired five acquisitions in His world" — for seemingly the word "in His world" is superfluous. Furthermore — he specifies "in His world," whereas seemingly he should have said "in the world."

But by this the Tanna emphasizes that his intent here is a deeper level in the definition of "acquisition": although the world as a whole is "His world," G‑d's acquisition and property (since He, blessed be He, created everything), nevertheless it is not comparable to these five things, which are acquired by Him, blessed be He, in a special manner, beyond His acquisition of the entire world.

For the entire world, even as it is recognizable in it that it is "His world," G‑d's acquisition, is so in a manner that it is an existence unto itself which is in G‑d's domain and ownership (and therefore the title olam, "world," applies to it, from the word he'elem, concealment — for since it is a separate existence, it is a concealment and hiding of G‑dliness); whereas these five "acquisitions" are not a matter of a separate "existence," but their existence and essence is the revelation of G‑dliness, and from the outset they are entirely one with the Holy One, blessed be He: the Torah is G‑d's wisdom and will; the souls of Israel (with Avraham at their head) are "truly a part of G‑d above"; and the Beis HaMikdash is the place of His rest, blessed be He — "Make Me a Sanctuary and I will dwell within them."

Accordingly it is understood why, as proof for "heaven and earth — one acquisition," the Baraisa does not cite the verse "Possessor of heaven and earth" but rather "Thus [says G‑d]: The heavens are My throne and the earth is My footstool." For "Possessor of heaven and earth" means (as above) that "by making them, He acquired them to be His," which has no bearing on the definition of "acquisition" explained here. Therefore he cites "The heavens are My throne and the earth is My footstool," which does not refer to heaven and earth in general, but to this particular aspect of them — that through them there is a revelation of G‑dliness in the world: the heavens are G‑d's throne, and the earth — His footstool.

[And therefore they are counted as "one acquisition," for in this respect — that they are a means for the revelation of G‑d in the world — the two of them together are one matter, like a chair and a footstool in the plain sense, through both of which together a person sits in his place at rest, etc.]

It may be said that this is also what the Tanna alludes to by adding "one acquisition" after each acquisition — to indicate that the purpose of these acquisitions is to reveal the "One," the Oneness of G‑d [similar to the explanation of the Previous Rebbe on the wording of the Haggadah, "one wise, one wicked, etc.," that in each of the four sons there is the "One"].

3. However, this is not a sufficient explanation, for from the Tanna's wording, "The Holy One, blessed be He, acquired five acquisitions" (not "The Holy One, blessed be He, has five acquisitions"), it is implied that the fact that these five things are G‑d's acquisition comes about through an action and an innovation, as if they were at first (as it were) in another domain and G‑d acquires them — whereas according to the above, on the contrary, precisely these five things are from the outset entirely one with the Holy One, blessed be He?

It appears to me that this will be understood by first noting the precise wording of the Baraisa, "The Holy One, blessed be He, acquired five acquisitions in His world," which emphasizes that it refers here to these five things as they exist in the world. That is, the fact that they are G‑d's "acquisition" is not only as they are above the world [as our Sages say that Torah, Israel and the Beis HaMikdash are among the things that preceded the world; and also the fact that heaven and earth are "My throne… and My footstool" is as they are above the other created beings]; rather, even as they have descended and become enclothed in the physicality of the world, they remain in their principal distinction — that they are G‑d's "acquisition."

Accordingly, the great superiority of these five things over the other created beings will be understood — for which reason only they are called by the name "acquisition":

"Acquisition" denotes the transfer of an object, as it is, from one domain to another. That is, no change is made in the object itself; only that it leaves the domain of the seller for the domain of the buyer — "for at first the merchandise was lying in a box with the seller, and through the acquisition it came… to the buyer."

As is also explained regarding the four expressions "Blessed is He Who made you… Who formed you… Who created you… Who acquired you": the three expressions "Who made you," "Who formed you" and "Who created you" denote the coming into being of the created being and its creation ex nihilo, and refer to the worlds, which are an existence (yesh) and "the coming into being of a new thing"; whereas the expression "Who acquired you" denotes something that comes from concealment into revelation (akin to a change of domain), but not "the coming into being of a new thing."

In our case:

Although the entire world is G‑d's acquisition, since He is the Creator of the world, nevertheless this is not recognizable in the world in and of itself; and in order that it be recognizable in the world that it is G‑d's "world," there must be a change in the substance of the world. For only through the nullification of the world's selfhood, the refinement of its materiality and its elevation upward, is it possible to recognize in worldly matters that their existence is "the truth of His existence" (that they exist only from the truth of His existence). Just as their existence is in the category of creation, formation and making — the coming into being of a new thing — so too, conversely, their union with G‑d is through a change and innovation in their existence, transforming them from "something" (yesh) into "nothing" (ayin) — and therefore the definition and title "acquisition" does not apply to them.

These five things, however, are called "acquisition," because the manner of their union with G‑d is only in the category of "acquisition" — a transfer from domain to domain without any change (and certainly without any innovation) in their substance: these things, just as they are, are in G‑d's domain, because their entire matter and definition is the revelation of G‑dliness.

And this is the novelty the Tanna teaches, "The Holy One, blessed be He, acquired five acquisitions in His world": the fact that these things are an "acquisition" (in which there is no change of substance, but only a transfer from domain to domain) applies (also) as they have descended and become enclothed in the world. For the other created beings, which are brought into being ex nihilo, their elevation to holiness, so that it be recognizable in them that they are acquired by G‑d, is through a change of substance (as above) — the breaking and nullification of materiality and the refinement of physicality etc.; whereas these five things, even as they are enclothed in the physicality of the world, are nothing more than an "acquisition": their union with the Holy One, blessed be He, requires no change of substance.

Accordingly, the precise wording of the Tanna, "The Holy One, blessed be He, acquired five acquisitions in His world" (and not "the Holy One, blessed be He, has"), is resolved. For this matter — that enclothement in the physicality of the world does not effect a change in the essence and distinction of these things as G‑dly things — does not come about automatically (on the contrary, according to the nature of things such an enclothement ought to effect a change); rather, it is a special action from Above to "acquire" these things.

4. Explaining the matter in detail:

"Torah — one acquisition": Although the Torah "descended… from level to level… until it became enclothed in physical things and the matters of this world," and likewise the Torah became enclothed in false claims etc., this descent and enclothement does not, G‑d forbid, detract from its essential distinction — that it is G‑d's wisdom and will; and no change of substance (a nullification of the "physicality" in which the Torah is enclothed) is needed for its union with the Holy One, blessed be He.

And similarly with the other "acquisitions":

"Yisrael — one acquisition": Even as the Jewish soul has descended to this world and become enclothed in a human body, whereby it has become (somewhat) physical relative to its distinction and spirituality before its enclothement in the body (for otherwise it would have no connection to being enclothed in and animating a human body) — even in this state it is "truly a part of G‑d above."

This simply resolves why, regarding Israel, the Tanna was not content with citing the verse "Until [Your people] pass over… this people that You have acquired" (in which it is explicit that Israel are an "acquisition"), but adds, "and it says: To the holy ones who are in the earth etc." For the verse "Until [Your people] pass over" refers to the time when Israel were in the desert, where they were not (so much) occupied with physical matters; whereas the verse "To the holy ones who are in the earth" alludes to the service of Israel in the land specifically — that even when they are occupied with earthly matters, "they are… holy ones."

And likewise with the Beis HaMikdash: the fact that it is a physical house, built of physical materials etc., does not detract from the resting of the Shechinah in the Sanctuary, and G‑d is present and revealed there with His entire Essence.

It may further be said that not only is the holiness of the Sanctuary itself not diminished by being enclothed in a physical house, but also the holiness that spreads from it to the entire world — as our Sages say, "I do not need its light etc.; it is a testimony to all the inhabitants of the world that the Shechinah rests among Israel" — is in the category of "acquisition": it has not changed from its essence and distinction by spreading outward.

This is why, regarding the Beis HaMikdash too, he cites two verses: "The foundation of Your dwelling which You, G‑d, have made etc.; and it says: And He brought them to His holy border, this mountain which His right hand acquired." The first verse, "The foundation of Your dwelling etc.," speaks of the holiness of the Sanctuary itself; and the second verse, "And He brought them to His holy border, this mountain which His right hand acquired," refers to the spreading of the Sanctuary's holiness outward — to the entire Temple Mount ("this mountain"), and even to the entire Land of Israel, which is called "His holy border" (because of the holiness of the Sanctuary within it).

And similarly with "heaven and earth — one acquisition": G‑d's "acquisition" is not only in the spiritual heaven and earth (in that they are "My throne… and My footstool"), but this extends also to the physical heaven and earth. For in them there are matters of the revelation of G‑dliness (which is above nature): for example, that the hosts of heaven are "as strong as on the day they were created," which eternity is a revelation of the power of the Infinite; and likewise the power of growth in the earth, which is a revelation of the power of the Infinite, for only His power and ability can bring into being something from nothing.

Therefore here too the Tanna was not content with citing the verse "The heavens are My throne and the earth is My footstool," but adds a second proof, "and it says: How manifold [are Your works]… the earth is full of Your possessions" — for even into this lowly earth the "acquisition" of heaven and earth extends.

5. According to the above, we can also explain why Avraham is counted here as an "acquisition" of his own and is not included in the general "acquisition" of "Yisrael," and why the verse "And he blessed him… Possessor of heaven and earth" is cited as proof:

It is explained in the Midrash that Avraham is called "possessor of heaven and earth" because Avraham made G‑d known among the creatures, whereby "he made heaven and earth acquired by the Holy One, blessed be He"; and therefore G‑d said to him, "I account it to you as if you were My partner in the creation of the world" (as if Avraham were "possessor of heaven and earth"). That is to say, Avraham's mission is to reveal G‑d's Oneness within the world itself — that the creatures should recognize G‑d.

Therefore Avraham is specified as an "acquisition" of his own. For "Yisrael — one acquisition" refers to the soul of every Jew, which even in its descent to this world and its enclothement in a physical body is G‑d's "acquisition," as explained above at length; but "Avraham — one acquisition" is by virtue of his effect upon the world, as emphasized by the verse cited as proof, that Avraham is called "possessor of heaven and earth." For the fact that Avraham was able to bring about the recognition of G‑dliness among the creatures even before the Giving of the Torah shows the wondrous greatness of Avraham and the manner of his union with his Creator, "G‑d Most High" — to the extent that not only was he not affected by the entire world — "the entire world on one side and he on the other side" — but moreover, "Avraham was one": he drew "G‑d is One" into the earth as well, by bringing about the recognition of G‑dliness in the creatures themselves — "possessor of heaven and earth."

(From talks of Shabbos Parshas Balak and Shabbos Parshas Re'eh, 5737; the maamar beginning Chamishah Kinyanim, 5712)

Key Lesson

Torah, the Jewish soul and the Beis HaMikdash are G‑d's "acquisitions": even when enclothed in the physical world they remain wholly G‑dly, and their bond with G‑d needs no transformation of their substance. A Jew busy with earthly matters is therefore still "a holy one" and a part of G‑d above, just as he is. Avraham adds a further dimension — he drew G‑d's Oneness into the world itself by making G‑d known to others, and every Jew, as his heir, is called upon to do the same.