תשרי כ"א - אגרת הקודש פרק כג

The concept of קביעת שכר—the setting of reward—is that Hashem shines to the soul that seeks Him, through the light of His Torah. The Torah itself is described as מעטה לבושו—literally, His garment, His covering. This means that when a person learns Torah, the light of Hashem that he receives comes through the Torah, which acts as a garment or a covering for that light.

This is why the Torah is called אור—light. The verse says, עוטה אור כשלמה—He wraps Himself in light as with a garment. The Torah is the garment through which Hashem's light is revealed to us. So, when a person learns Torah, he receives a ray of Hashem's light, but it is filtered and limited through the garment of Torah.

The soul itself is limited and finite in all its powers and capacities. Because of this, the light of Hashem that shines within the soul is also limited, contracted, and measured. It is not the infinite light of Hashem in its pure form, but rather a light that is able to be contained and internalized by the soul.

This means that the light of Hashem that a person receives through Torah study is always in a way that is measured and tailored to the soul's own limitations. It is a light that can be grasped and experienced by a finite being.

Because of this, the heart of those who seek Hashem—לב מבקשי ה'—is moved and affected, especially at the time of davening or similar moments. When a person davens, or is engaged in something similar, his heart is filled with joy and excitement. Why? Because the light of Hashem that comes to him is in a way that he can appreciate and feel.

The verse says, "בו ישמח לבם ויגיל אף גילת ורנן"—their hearts will rejoice in Him, and they will be glad and sing. Their souls delight in the pleasantness of Hashem and His light, when it is revealed to them from the garment of Torah. The Torah, as Hashem's garment, allows the light to be revealed in a way that the soul can experience it. The phrase ויצא כברק חצו—His arrow goes out like lightning—means that this light flashes and illuminates the soul, giving it a sense of inspiration and delight.

This is the meaning of קביעת שכר התורה—the fixed reward of Torah. It is a reward that is always set and present in the soul of the person who toils in Torah. When a person works hard in Torah study, he receives this delight and enjoyment, which is the reward that is always available to him through his effort in learning.

However, when we speak about the resting of the Shechinah—ההשראה—this is something entirely different. This is a powerful illumination from the light of Hashem that shines without any limitation or end. Such a light cannot be contained or internalized by a finite soul.

Instead, this infinite light surrounds the person from above, from his head to his feet. It is makif—encompassing and transcendent—rather than pnimi, internalized. The soul cannot grasp it, but it is present and envelops the person completely.

As Chazal say, אכל בי עשרה שכינתא שריא—wherever there are ten Jews together, the Shechinah rests. But this means that the Shechinah is upon them from above, not inside them in an internal way.

This is like the verse says, ויהי נועם ה' עלינו ומעשה ידינו כוננה עלינו—may the pleasantness of Hashem be upon us, and may the work of our hands be established upon us. The pleasantness of Hashem that appeared through our actions—through our involvement in Torah and mitzvos, since Torah and Hashem are one—should rest upon us from above. This is a light that is not internalized, but rather hovers over us, as a result of our Torah and mitzvos, especially when done in a group.

This is because the light of the Shechinah is infinite and without end, and it cannot be internalized within our soul or intellect. Therefore, we do not grasp or comprehend with our minds the pleasantness and sweetness of Hashem's light—the radiance of the Shechinah—that is infinite and rests upon us through our Torah and mitzvos when done in public, with a group.

Since it is not something that can be contained within us, we do not feel or appreciate its sweetness in the same way as the internal light we receive through Torah study. The Shechinah is present, but it is above us, not within us.

And on this, Chazal say, שכר מצוה בהאי עלמא ליכא—there is no reward for a mitzvah in this world. The reason is because it is impossible for the world to receive or grasp this reward while the soul is still in the body.

Only when the soul is divested from the body, after this life, can it truly receive and appreciate the infinite reward of mitzvos. In this world, the true reward is beyond our capacity to experience.

Now, even with all of this, there is still an aspect of chesed—kindness—at play. The Alter Rebbe brings the verse, ולך ה' חסד כי אתה תשלם לאיש כמעשהו—"And to You, Hashem, is kindness, for You repay a person according to his deeds."

This means that even the reward and illumination a person receives for his Torah and mitzvos is not only a matter of strict justice, but also involves Hashem's kindness. The fact that Hashem grants us a light and a connection, even when it is measured and limited according to our actions, is itself an act of chesed. Hashem, in His kindness, allows us to receive a portion of His light, even though, in truth, the soul and its faculties are limited and finite, and could never truly contain the infinite light of Hashem on their own.

So, the verse is emphasizing that the reward is not just a technical, mechanical consequence of our actions, but is also a gift of kindness from Hashem. He gives us the ability to experience and enjoy the light of Torah and mitzvos, even though it is ultimately far beyond what we could ever earn or contain through our own efforts alone.

The Alter Rebbe continues by quoting the Sages: שהקב"ה נותן כח בצדיקים כו'—that Hashem gives strength to the tzaddikim, in a way that is not found by the malachim—the angels.

This means that Hashem empowers the righteous with a special strength and capacity that even the angels do not possess. The tzaddikim are able to receive and contain a certain level of divine light and energy that is unique to them, something that the angels, despite their spiritual stature, do not have access to in the same way.

This distinction highlights the unique relationship that the Jewish people, and especially the tzaddikim, have with Hashem. The soul of a Jew is able to receive a divine strength and illumination that is beyond the reach of even the highest angels. This is a further expression of Hashem's kindness and the special status of the Jewish soul.

The Alter Rebbe now shares a teaching he heard from his own teachers: If a single malach—an angel—were to find itself standing in the presence of ten Jews gathered together, even if they were not speaking words of Torah, the angel would be overcome with an unlimited and boundless awe and fear. This is because of the שכינתא דשריא עלייהו—the Shechinah that rests upon them.

The presence of the Shechinah among ten Jews is so powerful that the angel would be completely nullified out of existence. The awe and fear that would descend upon the angel would be without limit or end, to the point that the angel would lose its own sense of being entirely. This is the effect of the Shechinah that dwells upon a minyan of Jews, even when they are not actively engaged in Torah or mitzvos.

This teaching emphasizes just how great and awesome the power of a Jewish minyan is. The resting of the Shechinah is not just a theoretical concept; it is a real, tangible presence that is so intense that even an angel, a purely spiritual being, cannot withstand it. This illustrates the unique holiness and spiritual potency that exists whenever ten Jews come together, and the extraordinary level of divine revelation that is present in such a gathering.