תשרי ב' — אגרת הקודש פרק יט

The godly wisdom—that is, the חכמת אלהות—which is enclothed in the 613 mitzvos of the Torah, is referred to as the אחוריים דחכמה—the hind, or external, aspect of Chochmah.

In other words, when we speak about the Torah that Moshe Rabbeinu brought down to us, it means that the level of Chochmah actually descended and became invested within the Torah and its mitzvos. This is not the essence of Chochmah itself, but rather its external dimension—the part that is able to come down and be revealed within the world, as the Alter Rebbe will explain further.

Every time we speak about the אחוריים—the hind or external aspect—of the sefiros, we are referring to the lower and more external levels within each sefirah. These are the aspects that are able to descend and expand downward, to be enclothed within created beings and to give them vitality.

This means that the sefirah itself, in its true essence, is too lofty to descend into creation. Only its external aspect, the אחוריים, is able to extend downward and become involved in giving life to the worlds below.

By contrast, the פנים—the face or inner aspect—of a sefirah is the sefirah itself, as it is completely united with its source, the Ein Sof, blessed be He, in perfect unity.

This is the innermost dimension of the sefirah, which remains bound up with its divine source and does not descend or become enclothed within creation. It is only the external aspect that is able to be revealed below, while the פנים remains above, united with Hashem.

For example, take the sefirah of Chochmah. In its essence, it is completely united with its source, the Ein Sof, blessed be He, in perfect unity. As the Alter Rebbe explained earlier, Hashem and His wisdom are one.

This means that the true level of Chochmah is totally nullified and united with Hashem, and cannot be separated from Him. This is the inner, essential aspect of Chochmah, which remains above and does not descend into creation.

However, that which radiates and extends from Hashem's wisdom downward, to the lower worlds and to created beings—who are finite and limited—and becomes enclothed within them, is called the אחוריים, the hind aspect. This is not the essence of Chochmah itself, but its external dimension.

This aspect is also referred to as the asiyah—the action—within Atzilus. In other words, even within the highest world of Atzilus, there is a level that is considered the 'action' or external expression, which is what descends and becomes revealed below. The Alter Rebbe will soon illustrate this with an analogy from the human soul.

To explain this, the Alter Rebbe gives an analogy from the human being. In the soul, there are five levels, each one lower than the other: the intellect (seichel), the emotions (midos), thought (machshavah), speech (dibur), and action (maaseh). Of these, action is the lowest of all.

This means that the vitality and energy that extends from the soul and becomes invested in the power of action is the most distant from the soul's essence. Action is the furthest removed from the source, compared to the other faculties.

The vitality that extends from the soul and is invested in the power of action is considered as nothing compared to the vitality that extends from the soul and is invested in the power of speech.

In other words, speech is much closer to the soul than action is. The energy that is present in action is a very diminished and distant reflection of the soul's true vitality, relative to what is present in speech.

Even the vitality that is present in speech is considered as nothing compared to the vitality that extends from the soul and is invested in thought, emotions, and intellect.

These higher faculties—intellect and emotions—are much closer to the soul's essence, and the energy that is present in them is far greater than what is found in speech or action. This analogy helps us understand the difference between the inner and outer aspects of the sefiros, and how only the external aspect descends to give life to the worlds below.

In exactly the same way, the Chochmah—the Divine wisdom of Hashem—when it is able to extend from itself and to influence or be clothed within the lower worlds, all of these expressions of Chochmah are considered as nothing compared to the פנים—the inner face, the essence—of Chochmah, which is totally united with the Matzil, the Emanator, blessed be He. In other words, all that comes down to us is only the most external aspect, and relative to the true inner dimension of Chochmah as it is one with Hashem, it is as if it is nothing at all.

This is the meaning of the phrase דכולא קמיה כלא חשיב—that before Him, everything is considered as nothing. The level of Chochmah that is able to descend and be revealed in the lower worlds is so far from the true essence of Chochmah, which remains completely united with Hashem, that it is as if it does not exist in comparison.

Now, the flow and influence that comes to all created beings—all of whom are בעלי גבול ותכלית—that is, they are limited and finite—is considered a tremendous ירידה וצמצום—a descent and contraction, so to speak, relative to the Matzil, the Infinite One, blessed be He.

This means that for Hashem, to bring down His wisdom and energy to the level where it can be received by finite creations, it requires a process of contraction and limitation. The Divine light must be reduced and concealed to such an extent that it can be contained within the boundaries of creation. This is a major descent from the true, infinite level of the Divine.

To illustrate this, the Alter Rebbe gives a human analogy: Just as it is considered a tremendous descent and contraction for a person's intellect—שכל האדם—when it is compressed and limited into some sort of physical, material action, so too is the descent of Divine wisdom into creation.

In other words, when a person takes a lofty intellectual idea and brings it down into a physical act, the idea loses its original depth and subtlety. It becomes something much more external and limited. This is only a faint reflection of the descent that takes place when Hashem's wisdom is brought down into the world of action and physicality.

This is why Moshe Rabbeinu, peace be upon him, who was able to reach up to the level of אחוריים דחכמה—the hind or external aspect of Chochmah—merited that the Torah was given through him. The Torah, as we have it, is described as the נובלות חכמה שלמעלה—the "leftovers" or the external droppings of the supernal Chochmah.

In other words, Moshe Rabbeinu was able to draw down and receive the aspect of Chochmah that could descend into the world, which is only the external, contracted level. This is the level of Chochmah that is able to be clothed within the Torah and mitzvos as they exist in our physical world.

What does this mean? The term נובל ממנה—that which "falls off" or is shed from Chochmah—refers to the level that descends below and becomes clothed in our physical Torah. The main purpose and goal of the Torah is the actual fulfillment of the mitzvos—both the prohibitions and the positive commandments—in real, concrete action.

This is the essence of Torah: not just its intellectual or spiritual content, but its practical application in the world through maaseh, actual deed. The Torah as it exists in our world is the external aspect of Chochmah, brought down so that we can fulfill Hashem's will in tangible ways.

This is expressed in the sayings of our Sages: היום לעשותם—"Today, to do them"—meaning that the mitzvos are for action in this world. And, גדול תלמוד שמביא לידי מעשה—"The greatness of Torah study is that it brings to action." The ultimate purpose of learning is that it should lead to doing.

Furthermore, they say: הלומד שלא לעשות, נוח לו שנהפכה שלייתו וכו'—"One who learns but does not do, it would have been better if his afterbirth had been turned over…" In other words, if a person learns Torah but does not put it into practice, it is as if his entire existence is for naught. The whole point is the deed, the action.

And every person is required to be reincarnated, to להתגלגל, until he fulfills all 613 mitzvos in actual deed, as is known from the Arizal. This means that the soul will return to this world again and again until it has the opportunity to fulfill every single mitzvah in practice.

This further emphasizes that the ultimate purpose of Torah and mitzvos is not just in thought or speech, but in actual action—pe'ul mamash, real, tangible fulfillment of Hashem's will in this physical world.