004 —בהעלתך את הנרות

BeHa'aloscha Es HaNeros V'Gomer.

And Rashi explains: When Aharon saw the inauguration of the Nesi'im, he felt distressed that he was not included in the inauguration. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: "By your life, yours is greater than theirs, for you light and prepare the lamps." See also the Midrash. To understand this, and also what is written later: "Shall flocks and cattle be slaughtered for them?"—what is the question? Are there not seventy nations in the world, numbering myriads more than 600,000, and they eat meat and find it? And also, why does it say, "If all the fish of the sea..."—they asked for meat, not fish. The matter will be understood by first explaining the offerings of the Nesi'im, where each Nasi elevated his tribe through his korban.

The matter is that our Sages said: An ignoramus is forbidden to eat meat. That is, because he cannot elevate the meat, etc. From this, it is understood that a person elevates and raises the food, because a person is higher—he is a medaber (speaker), the head of all levels of domem, tzomeach, chai (inanimate, plant, animal), as explained earlier in Parshas Naso on the verse "Ko Sevarchu..." Elsewhere, it seems the opposite: our Sages said (Berachos 40a), the tree from which Adam ate was wheat, for a child does not know to call "father" and "mother" until he tastes grain. Thus, a person receives daas from wheat. Similarly, Rav Nachman said, "Until I ate beef..." The matter is that both are true: they are below the soul of man and above it. For all the flavors of plants and fruits, and the meat of animals and beasts, their root is from the world of Tohu, the world of Nekudim, above Atzilus, called Berudim. The root of all living things is from the chayos of the Merkavah: the face of the lion is the source of animal souls, the face of the ox is the source of beast souls, and the face of the eagle is the source of bird souls. The chayos carry the throne, and on the throne is the likeness of a man, which is the ten sefiros of Atzilus, the world of Tikkun, arranged in the form of a person—248 limbs, 365 sinews, and the structure of the body. Similarly, the soul's light is invested in the body, divided according to the body's structure: in the brain dwells thought, in the mouth speech, in the hands action. This is why it is called Adam: aleph is machshavah (thought), dalet is dibbur (speech), mem is maaseh (action). So too above, the ten sefiros of Atzilus are arranged in this order of Adam, and the indwelling of the light within them is just as the soul is invested in the body. (See more on this in Parshas Emor, maamar "VeNikdashti Besoch Bnei Yisrael.") There are mochin d'katnus and mochin d'gadlus. But other creatures, like animals and beasts, do not have the same body structure as man; their heads are bent and level with their bodies, and so too their spiritual source is arranged differently. (See Zohar Bereishis 19a and 20b.) The chayos of the Merkavah carry the throne, just as animals lift the person riding them, so too they elevate the Adam on the throne above them, to their root in the world of Tohu, above Atzilus. Yet, they are also carried with the throne, meaning they are elevated together with the Adam on the throne. Similarly, a person in this world elevates the meat of the animal, which becomes part of the human's blood and is included in the level of medaber. (See maamar "Ani Yesheinah VeLibi Er" regarding the meaning of "my beloved.") However, the connection of the human soul to the body and the increase in intellect is the aspect of "carrying." (See more on this in maamar "Sheshet Yamim Tochal Matzos.")

2) The meat is from the aspect of gevuros, which is why it is red, and even after its refinement and elevation, it is included in the gevuros of holiness. Through this, enthusiasm and fiery passion are drawn down, because the root of all animals and beasts is from the lion and ox of the Merkavah, which are gevuros, as it says in the Merkavah of Yechezkel: "burning like torches," and the seraphim are "fiery flames." Therefore, animals and beasts that descend from them are also gevuros, and meat is red, etc. See Rabbeinu Bechayei, Parshas Beshalach, on the verse "And Moshe said, in the evening Hashem will give you meat..."—meat corresponds to the attribute of judgment, bread to mercy. This is why our Sages said: An ignoramus is forbidden to eat meat, because he cannot elevate the meat, for from gevurah there is more nurture for the external forces. (See later on the verse "Zos Chukas HaTorah" and in Zohar Parshas Noach 65a, and in Mekor Mayim Chaim in the name of the RaShaSh.) Since he cannot elevate it, the meat brings him down, as explained elsewhere on the verse "VeGilcha Es Rosha." But a Torah scholar, who receives from chochmah, and in chochmah is the refinement, therefore he refines the meat, and then the meat adds enthusiasm. But Moshe Rabbeinu said, "From where shall I have meat?"—meaning he was far above the level of the gevuros of meat, even after their refinement. The enthusiasm and fiery passion of love is still a state of "yesh mi she'ohav" (there is someone who loves), whereas regarding Moshe it says, "Va'anachnu mah"—he is in a state of ayin, ultimate bittul. Even though he too has enthusiasm from gevurah, it is included in bittul and ayin, called gevuros d'abba, unlike the gevuros that come from refining meat, which are gevuros d'eimah or d'zeir anpin, which are "yesh," something felt and tangible. This is a minor matter compared to Moshe's level of mah, ultimate bittul and ayin. (See maamar "VeHayah MiDei Chodesh BeChodsho" regarding "Yavo Kol Basar LeHishtachavos.")

This is the meaning of "And Moshe said: Six hundred thousand footmen are the people among whom I am." The 600,000 footmen of the desert generation were his students, also from the aspect of yesod abba, which is bittul. "Among whom I am"—Moshe is the aspect of mah and ayin, as above. "And You said, I will give them meat"—Moshe is speaking with the aspect of Or Ein Sof vested in chochmah, which is Moshe. "Ve'atah"—for chochmah is called "atah" (see Zohar Balak 193b), meaning You, the Or Ein Sof vested in chochmah, will give meat. This cannot be lowered from such a high level, which is chochmah and ayin, the level of Moshe. How can the sustenance that comes through him be meat, which is a low level compared to Moshe, being "yesh" and gevurah? This is the meaning of "Shall flocks and cattle be slaughtered for them?"—since they are from gevurah and require shechitah (see Likkutei Torah Parshas Re'eh and Parshas Shemini), how can they be food for those from yesod abba, ultimate bittul? "If all the fish of the sea..."—fish are higher than flocks and cattle, as they do not require shechitah. Yet, even they are low compared to their level, and it is not possible to find for them, etc. See more on this below.

3) And Hashem said to Moshe: "HaYad Hashem Tiktzar" (Is the hand of Hashem limited?). Although it is true that you are very elevated above the "yesh" of meat, for you are the aspect of mah and bittul, nevertheless, "HaYad Hashem Tiktzar"—a rhetorical question. That is, it is possible to draw down and lower even from the ayin of chochmah, which is very lofty, to be invested and revealed below in the gevuros and yesh of meat, so that even in the yesh of meat, the bittul of chochmah will be revealed. For the hand of Hashem can descend very low. (As explained elsewhere regarding "HaMagbihi Lesheves," that He lowers Himself to see equally in heaven and earth, and similarly regarding "the great hand that Hashem did in Egypt," and in the explanation of "Libi Uvsari Yeranenu El Kel Chai"—that the drawing down of bittul into the heart and flesh, which are physical, is specifically when they rejoice in the living G-d's essence, as explained in maamar "VeErastech Li" and at Matan Torah, the mountains danced, even the haughty mountains, as in Pesachim 118b, and as explained in maamar "SheNitnah Torah Al Har Sinai"—certainly it is even easier for bittul to be drawn into the aspect of meat.) This is the meaning of "And it will be, from month to month, all flesh will come to bow before Me"—the novelty is that even in the aspect of "kol basar," which is gevurah and yesh, the higher bittul will be drawn down. This was the matter of the quail, which were very fat birds, as the Gemara in Yoma 74b says, and the last one is only eaten when mixed due to the abundance of fat, and even more so the higher ones. The matter is that oil is the aspect of chochmah, which is "chacham v'lo b'chochmah yediah" (wise, but not with known wisdom). In this physical world, oil is also the aspect of chochmah, which descends from the higher chochmah. The Torah, which is chochmah ila'ah, is called oil. This is the matter of the quail: the oil, which is chochmah, is drawn and spread into the meat. The meat of the quail is gevurah, and the oil within it is chochmah, the aspect of mah and ayin. Thus, bittul is drawn even into the yesh of meat. This is "HaYad Hashem Tiktzar"—He can draw from the ayin of chochmah ila'ah even into meat, though it is essentially yesh and gevurah. (See Etz Chaim regarding "Ki Yesod Abba Arich"—the influence of bittul.) The quail also comes from the aspect of the eagle in the Merkavah, the source of all bird souls, but from the eagle come all birds not mixed with so much oil—they are only meat, gevurah, and yesh. But the quail is so mixed with oil, meaning that chochmah ila'ah, the aspect of ayin, is drawn into the gevurah of the meat, combining chesed and gevurah, so that within the gevurah of the meat of the quail is drawn the chesed of chochmah to sweeten the gevurah, which is the oil. Like the lighting of the Menorah, where the oil is absorbed into the wick, causing the wick to burn with light—this is also the combination of chesed and gevurah: the oil is chesed/chochmah, the light of the wick is gevurah and enthusiasm, the wick is yesh, included in the light. This is the elevation of the soul in the aspect of ratzo and enthusiasm. But this elevation is through the oil, which is chochmah ila'ah, meaning that bittul of chochmah ila'ah is also drawn into the enthusiasm. (See more on oil and wick in maamar "Ki Atah Neri Hashem" and in maamar "Tanu Rabbanan Mitzvas Ner Chanukah.") This is like the quail, where the oil is spread into the gevurah of the meat.

4) This is the meaning of "Yours is greater than theirs"—greater than the korbanos of the Nesi'im. For the korban is called "eating of the altar"—just as through eating, the meat is refined and enthusiasm is born, so too the eating of the altar, but on a much higher level. (As explained elsewhere.) Therefore, our Sages said: Since the Beis HaMikdash was destroyed, a person's table atones for him. This was the matter of the korbanos of the Nesi'im: each Nasi elevated his tribe through his korban, drawing into his tribe the aspect of ratzo and enthusiasm through the korban, called the eating of the altar. But the aspect of Aharon, who lights and prepares the Menorah, is greater than the above korbanos. For the Menorah is the aspect of malchus of Atzilus, and the twelve tribes are the Merkavah of malchus, called the twelve oxen—three facing north, etc.—and the sea is upon them above. The sea is malchus of Atzilus, above them. (Therefore, the Nesi'im offered twelve oxen for an olah, as explained that there the tribes ascended, and this ascent is like the chayos carrying the throne.) Aharon, who lit the Menorah, did so for all twelve tribes included in malchus, influencing them with this elevation, so that every Jew would have this elevation. This elevation is also gevurah and fiery passion. Aharon himself is chesed, but to Knesses Yisrael he influenced gevurah, for he is the "shushvina d'matrinisa" (escort of the bride), raising Knesses Yisrael to the Holy King, and this is through gevurah, which is elevation. This is the matter of elevating the lamps, but these gevurah are not in the state of yesh like the elevation from refining meat, which is yesh. Rather, they are in the state of ayin and bittul, for they are mixed with oil, wick, and light. Although the refinement and elevation of the wick is gevurah of yesh, through the oil absorbed in it, which is chochmah ila'ah, bittul and ayin, the elevation and gevurah become ayin and bittul. Therefore, it is greater than the korbanos of the Nesi'im, called the eating of the altar, where the elevation comes from refining meat, and the gevurah is still yesh mi she'ohav. The twelve oxen are in the world of Beriah, and Imma nests in the throne, and the gevurah that comes from the heart in Binah when it nests in Beriah is yesh. But Aharon, in lighting the Menorah, drew into malchus, which is the Menorah, also from Abba, for "Abba yesad brata"—chochmah is ayin and bittul. Therefore, although he influenced it with gevurah of Imma as well, to effect elevation (this is the matter of shushvina d'matrinisa), the gevurah is not yesh like the elevation from Binah alone, which nests in the throne in the korbanos of the Nesi'im, but rather ayin and bittul through the revelation of chochmah ila'ah, Abba, which nests in Atzilus, influencing it with both Abba and Imma together. This is the matter of oil and light.

(See Likkutei Torah, Parshas BeHa'aloscha, maamar "Mitzvas Hadlakas Neiros," and also in Likkutei Torah, Parshas Vayeira, regarding "Ki Arnon Gvul Moav..." until "BeChochmah Yasad Eretz.")

It turns out that Aharon is an intermediary between the Nesi'im and Moshe Rabbeinu. Moshe is the aspect of mah and ayin, ultimate bittul, called "shushvina d'malka"—higher than Zeir Anpin, called malka, for he is the escort of the king, drawing down from above to below. The Nesi'im are the aspect of elevation from below to above, from the world of Beriah, in gevurah and fiery passion, from Binah nesting in Beriah, which is yesh. Aharon is called "shushvina d'matrinisa," raising all the souls of Israel, and since he raises them, he must be above them, influencing them with both Abba and Imma, so that the elevation is in ayin and bittul. Thus, he is an intermediary between the Nesi'im and Moshe: on one side, like the Nesi'im, he raises Knesses Yisrael from below to above, unlike Moshe, who draws down the revelation of Or Ein Sof from above to below.

Yet, on the other side, he is like Moshe, for this elevation is through drawing down chochmah, which is bittul and ayin, and specifically through this drawing down is the elevation. This is the meaning of "Yours is greater than theirs."

(See similarly on the verse "Lehakriv Li Bemoado," that the weekday prayers are drawn from Shabbos through the intermediacy of the festivals, which are the intermediary aspect, the mochin of Imma, which connect and draw the light of mochin of Abba into the middos. See also Be'er HaZohar, beginning of Parshas Vayetzei, on the verse "Vayetzei Yaakov MiBe'er Sheva..." This is also close to what was explained earlier in the first discourse on "BeHa'aloscha," about the difference between the lower love (Ahavas Rabbah) that Aharon influences and the higher love (Ahavas Olam). The lower love comes from the aspect of sight, which is chochmah, and from this comes the lower love, where the gevurah and fiery passion are not just to quench one's own thirsty soul (which is yesh mi she'ohav), but the love is so that the glory of Hashem will be revealed below as above. The sweetening of these gevurah and the revelation below as above is the aspect of Moshe, shushvina d'malka, as explained elsewhere on the verse "Moshe Yedaber..." etc.)

5) To further explain the matter of the quail: it is explained later that birds come from the aspect of keruvim. (See maamar on "Shemen Turak Shemecha..." about "Alamos Ahevucha"—that because Torah, which is oil, is very high, it can descend even to the level of alamos, those whose hearts are sealed, so that "Libi Uvsari Yeranenu..." as above. Also, "slav" (quail) comes from the word "shalvah" (tranquility), as the Gemara in Yoma 74b says: "Tzaddikim eat it in tranquility." The meaning of tranquility is as explained in Iggeres HaKodesh regarding "the work of tzedakah will be peace and security," and this is the aspect of "Ohel bal yitzan bal yisa yisadotav lanetzach" (see maamar "Shuvah Yisrael Ad..."). This is because the oil and bittul come from a very high place, chochmah ila'ah, which is all calm and found, as explained in Zohar Parshas Naso 128b. This is the meaning of "And it was in the evening, the quail rose... and in the morning there was a layer of dew..."—there is a connection between the two. Similarly, in Tehillim 105: "He asked and the quail came, and bread from heaven He satisfied them." See Zohar Lech Lecha 88a on "K'Shemen HaTov... K'Tal Chermon..."—oil and dew are the same. In Ma'areches HaAlef, section Shin, it is explained that the root of meat is from the name Elokim, and the quail is from the two names Havayah and Elokim. This can be explained based on what was said above.

With this, we can understand the story of Rabbah bar Bar Chanah (Bava Basra 73b) about the geese whose feathers fell off from their fat, and streams of oil flowed beneath them. I said, "We have a share with you in the World to Come." This means that in the future, chochmah ila'ah will be drawn and revealed even below, into the yesh, which is the meaning of "Kol basar yavo lehishtachavos" as above. In Targum Sheni on Megillas Esther, on the verse "Yeshno am echad" in Haman's slander, it says that on Erev Yom Kippur, the geese and ducks are covered and eat and drink, etc. The reason it says geese specifically is because they hint at the spreading and revelation of chochmah ila'ah even below. As our Sages said in Berachos 57a: "One who sees a goose in a dream should expect wisdom, as it says, 'Chochmos bachutz taronah' (Wisdom cries out in the street)." The word "chochmos" is plural, meaning that through the revelation of chochmah ila'ah in chochmah tata'ah, it is also drawn into the outside. (See on "Chochmos bachutz" in Parshas Yisro, on "Zachor es yom haShabbos lekadsho.")

This is also what is said in Perek Shirah: The wild goose that roams the desert, when it sees Israel studying Torah, says a song: "Kol koreh bamidbar panu derech Hashem" (A voice calls in the desert: Prepare the way of Hashem)—meaning the voice is the drawing down, the "kol Yaakov," which is drawn into the desert and wasteland, this world, to prepare the way of Hashem, as explained in maamar "VeYadata Hayom" and in maamar "V'Lo Avah." This is the same idea as "chochmos bachutz"—that it should be drawn even into the desert and wasteland, through a drawing down from above the order of hishtalshelus, from the aspect of "shemen mishchas kodesh" (holy anointing oil). This is hinted at in the story of Rabbah bar Bar Chanah, that the geese were very fat, with a mixture and inclusion of oil. But the main revelation of the inner chochmah ila'ah is through the greatest mixture and inclusion of oil within them, as explained above. This is as it says in Zohar Parshas Tzav 34a: "Oil dwells within chochmah ila'ah," and therefore it is drawn and spreads even lower, so that even the physical yesh is nullified. The more the revelation from chochmah ila'ah, the greater the bittul.

As it says in Zohar Idra D'Naso 131b, on the verse "Chochmos bachutz taronah," when it is drawn from the hidden brain of Arich Anpin, etc. See more there, and in Parshas Va'eschanan 262a, Parshas Toldos 141b, and Parshas Acharei 78a. See elsewhere regarding "U'ma'ayan mibais Hashem yetzei v'hishkah es nachal haShittim." See also Ra'aya Mehemna, Parshas Naso, on "Avna lemisqal beh da yud..." Also, geese are somewhat similar to quail, as it says about quail, "Vayagaz selavim min hayam" (He brought quail from the sea), and about geese, our Sages said (Pesachim 57a): "Our geese are like waterfowl," which also hints at "U'malah haaretz deah es Hashem kamayim layam mechasim" (The earth will be filled with knowledge of Hashem as water covers the sea). Also, geese are white, which hints at the root of chochmah, and therefore Rava called Rav Papa and Rav Huna bar Yehoshua "kaki chivrei" (white geese) (see Kesubos 85a, Gittin 73a).

But he said this about them as a criticism, that they did not intend for the truth, because although geese hint at "chochmos bachutz," nevertheless, physical geese are not yet rectified, for they are from what fell in the breaking of the vessels, like other birds and animals.

In the explanation of "until their feathers fell off," Rashi explains: their feathers fall off from the abundance of fat. See Rashi (Chullin 56b) regarding feathers, and Tashbetz 161.

It can be explained that now the drawing down from chochmah ila'ah comes through contractions, in the aspect of hair, but in the future, there will be a revelation of the essence of chochmah ila'ah without contractions, and this is "their feathers fell off." See Or Torah from the Maggid on the verse "U'machatz pa'atei Moav..."

It can also be explained based on what is written elsewhere on the verse "And there was a voice above the firmament... when they stood, they let down their wings"—meaning that the voice, which is the drawing down, comes from a very high place, above the parsa, which is called the firmament, as it says, "Let there be a firmament... and it will separate..." Through this drawing down from above the firmament, bittul is drawn into them. This is "when they stood"—the aspect of silent prayer, then "they let down their wings," meaning awe and love, which are wings, for awe and love, ratzo and shov, are still "yesh mi she'ohav," but bittul is above this, as explained above regarding "Va'anachnu mah" of Moshe, which is above fiery passion. When bittul is drawn into them through the voice and drawing down, then "they let down their wings," and awe and love are included in this bittul. (See more on this in Parshas Yisro, maamar "V'chol ha'am ro'im es hakolos.") Similarly, here, since the matter of the geese hints at "chochmos bachutz taronah..."—the voice and drawing down is from the hidden brain above the firmament, as explained in Zohar Toldos, and through this, all flesh will come to the aspect of bowing and bittul.

From this also comes "their feathers fell off"—the aspect of awe and love, called wings, and it is from their fat, for the oil is the drawing down of chochmah ila'ah, the revelation of the higher bittul. See more on this aggadah in Sefer Avodas HaKodesh, part 2, chapter 43, where he explains that the two geese are one that raises its leg, etc.—they are chochmah ila'ah and chochmah tata'ah, called the wisdom of Shlomo, and this is the meaning of "chochmos bachutz"—chochmos in the plural, as explained above. See Maharsha, brought in Ein Yaakov there, who also notes the connection between the geese and the quail.

Summary

This maamar teaches that Aharon's lighting of the Menorah represents a higher spiritual elevation than the korbanos of the Nesi'im, as it draws down the quality of bittul and chochmah even into the physical world. The process of refining and elevating the material, whether through korbanos or eating, is ultimately completed by infusing it with the light of chochmah, leading to true unity with G-d.