010 —מאמרים מלוקט חלק ד - ד' פ' פינחס, ט"ז תמוז ה'תשל"ה

B"H, Thursday of Parshas Pinchas, 16 Tammuz, 5735.

Ach BeGoral Yechalek Es HaAretz.

The division of the Land of Israel, when the Jewish people conquered the land of Canaan^[1] and transformed it into Eretz Yisrael^[2]—and even while the Jews were still in the desert (before entering the Land), it is said about it, "Eretz asher... Einei Hashem Elokecha bah meireishis hashanah v'ad acharis shanah" ("A land which... the eyes of the L‑rd your G‑d are upon it from the beginning of the year to the end of the year")^[3]—is explained to have been divided by lottery. Additionally, it was by the word of Hashem^[4], and Rashi explains^[5] that this was through ruach hakodesh (Divine inspiration). There was also an aspect in the division of the land of "to the greater you shall give a greater portion and to the lesser a lesser portion"^[6], which is an intellectual matter. The simple meaning of "to the greater you shall give..." is, as Rashi explains^[7], that the tribe with more people received a larger portion, so the portions were not equal, and this division was based on intellect. [Although Ramban disagrees and there are other interpretations of Rashi^[8], Ramban himself explains Rashi's intent as literal. Even according to Ramban and those who interpret Rashi like Ramban, the fact that the verse needs to negate an intellectual division proves that there is some connection to intellect. But the main point here is the simple meaning of the verse and Rashi and Sifri^[9]: that the division was according to the number of people, an intellectual division.] Thus, in the division of the land there were three aspects: by lottery, by ruach hakodesh, and by intellect, which is also understood in the rational soul.

2) The concept of dividing the land by lottery is explained by the Tzemach Tzedek^[10], based on a teaching of the Alter Rebbe^[11] regarding what Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai said: "I do not know by which path they are leading me"^[12]. This is puzzling, for Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai never walked four cubits without Torah and tefillin^[13], and for decades he learned and taught Torah^[14], so why would he be uncertain about his fate? The Alter Rebbe explains that this is due to the essence of the soul, a level above intellect and understanding. Therefore, Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai said, "I do not know..." even though he was involved in Torah, because Torah involvement is related to intellect and understanding, and does not provide proof about the level above intellect. Even this level, since it involves reward and punishment (as implied by his uncertainty), proves that every person has the possibility, ability, and free choice^[15] even regarding this aspect of the soul. That is, there is a type of avodah (service) that affects even the essence of the soul, and through it, one can be as is fitting^[16]. This aspect of the soul, and the avodah associated with it, is called "goral" (lottery)^[17]. Based on this, the Tzemach Tzedek explains the division of the land by lottery.

3) The connection between these three things (the lottery in the soul, in avodah, and in the division of the land) is as follows: Everything in the world exists within the Jewish people^[18], especially those aspects of the world that are particularly connected to Israel. As the Sages say^[19]: When the world was created, the lands were divided, and Eretz Yisrael was chosen, and Israel was chosen as G‑d's portion, so that Israel, who came to My portion, should inherit the land that came to My portion. Therefore, Hashem gave all of the land of Canaan to Avraham and his descendants as an everlasting inheritance^[20]. From this, it is understood that the matters in Eretz Yisrael correspond to those in Israel, and vice versa. Since, regarding Eretz Yisrael, in conquering the land of Canaan and making it Eretz Yisrael, there were three elements—lottery, ruach hakodesh, and intellect (the idea of "to the greater you shall give..." and "to the lesser you shall give...")—it follows that these three elements exist within Israel, i.e., in the spiritual aspect of Israel [and even the idea of greater and lesser, since it exists in the division of the land regarding the body (which is secondary), how much more so does it exist regarding the spiritual, the soul, which is primary]. Since the purpose of Israel is, as the Sages say^[21], "I was created to serve my Creator," it is understood that all three of these elements are also present in the concept of serving the Creator, in avodas Hashem.

4) The matter is as follows: It is explained in the maamarim of the days of redemption, 12 and 13 Tammuz^[22] (which follow the days of redemption), that within Israel there are three levels: as they are in the state of "ma'ayan ganim" (a spring of gardens), as they are in the state of "be'er mayim chayim" (a well of living waters), and as they reach (through "Ali Be'er Anu Lah") the level of "ve-nozlim min Levanon" (and streams from Lebanon). "Nozlim" is related to "mazal," which is above chochmah and binah, and is the concept of lottery as explained elsewhere^[23]. It is explained that "ma'ayan ganim" refers to souls as they are above, before descending below. Then they are called "bnos Yerushalayim" (daughters of Jerusalem), for Jerusalem indicates the perfection of awe, as Tosafos explains^[24] that Jerusalem is named for yirah (awe) and for shalem (perfection), and therefore we do not put a yud between the lamed and mem in "Yerushalayim." Thus, souls as they are above are called "bnos Yerushalayim" because then they are in perfect awe. "Be'er (mayim chayim)" refers to souls as they descend below and are clothed in physical bodies, like a well found deep in the earth. However, this descent is for the sake of ascent, for through the soul's avodah below, it is elevated to a higher level than before its descent. This is the meaning of "Shechorah ani ve-na'vah bnos Yerushalayim" ("I am black but beautiful, O daughters of Jerusalem")^[25]: Souls that descend below to be clothed in a body and animal soul say to the souls above, called "bnos Yerushalayim," that although "I am black," for by descending to this lowest world, where G‑d's light is most concealed^[26], the soul becomes blackened, lacking light, nevertheless, through this very blackness, "ve-na'vah"—it becomes more beautiful than it was above. Just as water in a well, by passing through the earth's veins that conceal and obscure the water, becomes purified until it becomes "mayim chayim" (living waters), which is a higher level than a spring, as the Mishnah says^[27] that only living waters (not a spring) purify from the three most severe impurities, including corpse impurity, so too with the soul: By descending below and being clothed in a body and animal soul that conceal its light, when it emerges from concealment through the avodah of "chafruha sarim karuha nedivei ha'am" (digging and uncovering the well), which is the removal of the concealment of the body and animal soul, there are two aspects: 1) contemplation, called "sarim"^[28], and 2) the emotions of the heart, called "nedivei ha'am"^[28], through which one turns from evil and does good in practice. Through this, the soul is elevated higher than before its descent, becoming "mayim chayim" (higher than "ma'ayan ganim"), and ultimately reaching "ve-nozlim min Levanon." This is "Shechorah ani ve-na'vah"—through being blackened, one becomes beautiful. The power for the soul in the body to accomplish this comes from its root above. This is the statement to the Jewish people^[29]—"Shechorah ani ve-na'vah bnos Yerushalayim"—that the soul in the body receives help from its source above, called "bnos Yerushalayim."

5) This explains^[30] why the song "Ali Be'er Anu Lah" was sung by Israel at the end of the forty years, even though the well was given to them from the beginning of the forty years (as Rashi explains^[31]). The Jews in the desert, although they were the "generation of knowledge" and, as explained at length in Kabbalah^[32], were of great spiritual stature, souls of the world of thought, even so, they did not attain the elevation of "be'er mayim chayim" and "ve-nozlim min Levanon," for this elevation is achieved specifically through refining physical matters. Therefore, the song "Ali Be'er Anu Lah" was sung by the generation that entered the Land (at the end of forty years, before entering), because Eretz Yisrael represents the refinement of the physical, through which the above elevation is achieved—"Tovah ha'aretz me'od me'od" ("the land is very, very good")^[33]. Since the generation that entered the Land stood with self-sacrifice and desire to enter the good and broad land, especially at the end of forty years when they had all the necessary preparation, and had already conquered^[34] the lands of Sichon and Og, which was the beginning of entering the Land (not just preparation, but actual entry, as the land of Sichon and Og is equal to Eretz Yisrael in many laws^[35]), therefore, at the end of forty years, these miracles occurred, enabling Israel to sing the song "Ali Be'er..."

6) The above-mentioned song came through the journeys of the Jewish people (as it says before, "from there they traveled and camped... therefore it is said..."^[36]). This is similar to the general concept that Torah and mitzvos are achieved specifically through movement, as it says at Matan Torah^[37]: "And Hashem descended upon Mount Sinai" (the movement of Hashem), and "to Moshe He said, 'Ascend to Hashem'" (the movement of the Jews). Similarly, in the avodah of every Jew, the beginning is "Lech lecha me'artzecha..."—leaving one's nature, habit, and coarseness (as explained at length in Hemshech 5666^[38]), and through this, "I will bless you... and you shall be a blessing... and all the families of the earth shall be blessed through you." The same applies to the revelation of the future redemption, when "all the families of the earth shall be blessed through you" will be revealed in ultimate perfection, as it says^[39]: "Then I will turn to the peoples a pure language..." The revelation of the future redemption comes specifically through the preceding exile^[40]. Just as the song "Ali Be'er..." (at the beginning of entering the Land) came through the journeys, so too the song "Shiru LaHashem Shir Chadash" (Tehillim 96, the psalm of the Baal HaGeulah, begun on 12 Tammuz^[41]) refers to the song of the future redemption [therefore it says "shir chadash" in the masculine, because the future redemption is complete and eternal, with no exile after it^[42]], and this comes specifically through the preceding exile. Exile is a result of the sin of the Tree of Knowledge^[43], and before that, the diminishing of the moon^[44], which was a descent with a purpose (as explained by the Mitteler Rebbe^[45] at length regarding "Nora Alilah al Bnei Adam"^[46]), so that through the descent there would be the ultimate ascent and perfection in Israel, and thus in all of creation, beginning with this lowest world. Like the analogy of a lever^[47]: To lift a house, one must place the lever under the lowest part, and by lifting the lowest part, the entire house is raised. Similarly, by elevating this lowest world, all worlds are elevated, and in an incomparable way, as explained in the hemshech of Yud Shevat^[48], that "below without limit" is connected to "above without end."

7) According to the above, we can understand the statement of the Baal HaGeulah^[49] that only the body went into exile, not the soul. At first glance, the Gemara^[50] says that exile confuses understanding, and certainly the ability to reach halachic conclusions, so exile would seem to affect the soul as well. One explanation is based on the Gemara in Eruvin^[51]: Since it says "by the word of Hashem they camped and by the word of Hashem they traveled," it is as if their place was fixed. Since the encampment was by Hashem's word, even though it was temporary, it is considered permanent. Similarly, the time of exile, since it is by Hashem's word^[52], the avodah of Torah and mitzvos^[53] during exile is also with permanence and eternity. This is not just a decree, but can also be explained intellectually in the G‑dly soul, as explained in Tanya^[54]: The unity achieved through Torah study and mitzvah observance is eternal, and this eternal unity above is also present below^[55]. This can also be explained in the intellect of the animal soul [the purpose of Torah study is that through the intellect of the G‑dly soul, the intellect of the animal soul is also united in wondrous unity^[56]], for since the ultimate purpose of descent is for ascent, it is clear that the One who causes the descent is the master over both the descent and the ascent^[57], and so the descent for the sake of ascent is in ultimate perfection, meaning every detail of the descent is only for the ascent. Since He is the essence of good and it is the nature of good to do good^[59], it is understood that the reason for such a great descent is because it is the only way to reach such a great ascent. Through this contemplation, even the animal soul attains tranquility, and then not only is the G‑dly soul not in exile, but even the animal soul is not in exile, for all its faculties, including intellect, are in their ultimate perfection, so that even in exile, one can understand and grasp Torah, even to the point of reaching halachic conclusions, because even the animal soul is at peace.

8) Even if one has not reached the above level, because the idea that the descent into this lowest world, especially in the era of Ikvesa D'Meshicha (the footsteps of Moshiach), is only for the sake of ascent and is not a true descent^[61], has not yet been absorbed intellectually, nevertheless, since one desires and yearns to be at that level, by that very desire, one is already there, as the Baal Shem Tov said^[62]: "Where a person's thought and will are, there he is." However, since there are external matters that disturb and conceal, the advice is that one should not stand to pray except with a serious mind^[63]. Prayer is connection [as it is said, "Would that a person pray all day"^[64], meaning that the entire day should be with such connection as during prayer, "know before Whom you stand"^[65]], and the preparation is seriousness, for through seriousness, disturbances are nullified. Especially according to the Maggid^[66], who explains that seriousness means the weight of the "head of all heads," a feeling that comes through contemplation that the soul is a "chelek Eloka mima'al" (a part of G‑d above) [the Maggid uses the phrase "chelek Eloka mima'al"^[67] without the word "mamash" (literally). Here we see the innovation of the Alter Rebbe in Tanya^[68], which is the written Torah of Chabad Chassidus^[69]], through this, all concealments are nullified, and immediately one's thought is revealed [and there he is, as above], for in thought, one is at the level of ascent. This thought is primarily in the aspect of the soul above intellect and understanding, for this thought is the essence of man, as it says in Tikunei Zohar^[70]: "He is Adam, thought, thought He thought, He is Adam, thought." From the aspect of the soul above intellect, this is then drawn into one's intellect, so that even the intellect absorbs the explanation that since "by the word of Hashem they camped," it is as if it is fixed, and this is then drawn into action as well.

9) Similarly, in the general concept of avodah, there are three modes^[71]: Avodah regarding turning from evil and doing good in practice, where action is primary, as in "to the greater you shall give..." and "to the lesser you shall give..."—each person's avodah is according to his portion in the world, which he must affect in both turning from evil and doing good. Higher is avodah through ruach hakodesh, which includes two aspects. As is known, ruach hakodesh is the aspect of malchus, the tenth sefirah, and sometimes it is explained (in the maamar "U'Shaavtem"^[72] from the Rebbe Rashab) that ruach hakodesh is the aspect of chochmah, from which ruach hakodesh of malchus is drawn [like the explanation of "Reishis"—chochmah and malchus both being called "reishis"]. Thus, ruach hakodesh includes all ten sefiros, meaning that ruach hakodesh includes all the intermediate levels between chochmah and malchus in the soul. Higher still is the avodah of goral (lottery), which also has two aspects, as the Tzemach Tzedek explains^[73]: two explanations of goral^[74]: 1) emunah (faith), 2) bittul (self-nullification) above intellect. These two are opposites: emunah is mainly in malchus, the lowest level, and bittul above intellect is from the essence of the soul, above intellect. Through this emunah or bittul, there is no longer any doubt about which path one is being led; it is clear that one is being led to all good, to the ultimate perfection of good, and to "your world you shall see in your lifetime"^[75], when the level of "Ach BeGoral Yechalek Es HaAretz" is revealed below, the soul in a body.

10) Just as in the division of Eretz Yisrael at the first entry, there were these three elements ("Ach BeGoral Yechalek Es HaAretz," by the word of Hashem through ruach hakodesh, and "to the greater you shall give..."), and through these three, the land was divided so that each person had his vine and fig tree, and the Jews were at peace, "each under his vine and fig tree"^[76], so too it will be now through our actions and avodah, and even more so than then, since there has been a much greater descent in the era before Moshiach, especially the imprisonment and exile of general souls, the leaders of Israel, and especially the imprisonment and exile of the leader of our generation (before 12-13 Tammuz). Through his redemption, which was not only for him but for all who love our holy Torah, observe mitzvos, and all who are called by the name Israel^[77], this redemption is a close preparation and channel for the general redemption of all Jews everywhere, when there will again be the conquest of Eretz Yisrael, and "I will give peace in the land... and I will lead you upright," through the three modes of avodah: goral, ruach hakodesh, and "to the greater you shall give..." The main thing and the foundation is through a firm and self-sacrificing decision, as the Baal HaSimcha said^[78]: The essence of mesirus nefesh is the decision "azoi un nit andersh" (so and not otherwise), and when a Jew says he decides so, it makes no difference what his situation was a moment before, and as the Rambam rules^[79]: As soon as one says "I want," his true will is revealed, that every Jew wants to fulfill the will of the Creator and do all he can to fulfill the Creator's will. Through this, the Creator's will (who is the essence of good and whose nature is to do good) will also be fulfilled, to bring every Jew out of exile wherever he is, in a manner of "and you will be gathered one by one, O children of Israel"^[80], which shows the great love and individual Divine Providence for every Jew^[81], and He will lead us upright to our land^[82] very soon^[83] with the coming of Moshiach Tzidkeinu.

Summary

This maamar explores how the division of Eretz Yisrael reflects three modes—goral (lottery), ruach hakodesh (Divine inspiration), and seichel (intellect)—and how these correspond to levels in the soul and in avodas Hashem. The Rebbe teaches that through these modes, we prepare for the ultimate redemption, when every Jew will be gathered and experience true spiritual fulfillment.