תשרי כ"ה - אגרת הקודש פרק כה

Perek Chof-Hei—Chapter 25. In this chapter, the Alter Rebbe addresses a statement attributed to the Baal Shem Tov, which had been misunderstood and criticized by some. The chapter serves as a defense and clarification of the Baal Shem Tov's words, showing their deep truth and explaining the proper way to understand them.

The Alter Rebbe opens by saying that in order להבין אמרי בינה—to understand words of wisdom and insight, we need to look at what is written in the book called צוואת ריב"ש—the Testament of the Baal Shem Tov. This sefer is a collection of the Baal Shem Tov's teachings.

He points out that the title is somewhat misleading. Although it is called a צוואה—a testament or will, in truth, it is not actually the Baal Shem Tov's will. The Baal Shem Tov did not leave any formal instructions before his passing. Rather, this sefer is a compilation of his pure sayings, gathered together over time.

The Alter Rebbe continues, explaining that these teachings are simply לקוטי אמרותיו הטהורות—collections of his pure sayings, gathered collection after collection. They are not a formal will or instruction, but rather a record of his holy words.

He notes that those who compiled and transmitted these teachings לא ידעו לכוין הלשון על מתכונתו—did not know how to accurately or precisely translate and convey the language as it was originally intended. However, the intent behind the Baal Shem Tov's words is absolutely true—אמת לאמיתו. Even if the wording may not be exact, the underlying idea is completely correct and faithful to the truth.

To understand this, the Alter Rebbe introduces a teaching of our Sages: כל הכועס כאילו עובד עכו"ם וכו'—anyone who gets angry is considered as if he worships idols. This is a strong statement from Chazal, and the Alter Rebbe brings it as a foundation for the discussion that follows.

He explains that the reason for this statement is מובן ליודעי בינה—understood to those who possess understanding. The explanation is that בעת כעסו נסתלקה ממנו האמונה—at the moment a person is angry, his faith has departed from him.

In other words, when a person becomes angry, it is a sign that he is lacking in emunah—faith in Hashem. The anger itself is evidence that he is not fully conscious of Hashem's presence and involvement in everything that happens.

The Alter Rebbe elaborates: כי אילו היה מאמין שמאת ה' היתה זאת לו - לא היה בכעס כלל—if a person truly believed that what happened to him came from Hashem, he would not be angry at all.

He explains that when someone wrongs us, if we recognize that this event is ultimately from Hashem, there is no room for anger. We do not get angry at Hashem, and if we see the hand of Hashem in everything, we realize that the person who harmed us is only an agent. The anger comes when we forget this and attribute the event solely to the person, rather than to Hashem's will.

However, the Alter Rebbe addresses a possible objection: what about the fact that the person who hurt me has bechirah—free choice? He chose to curse, hit, or damage me, and he is responsible for his actions. The Torah holds him accountable both in human courts (דיני אדם) and in the heavenly court (דיני שמים) for his bad choices.

Nevertheless, על הניזק כבר נגזר מן השמים—for the one who was harmed, it was already decreed from Heaven that this should happen to him. והרבה שלוחים למקום—Hashem has many agents to carry out His will. The person who did the harm will be punished for his choice, but what happened to the victim was destined to happen regardless of which agent carried it out.

This means that even though the perpetrator is responsible for his actions, the event itself was orchestrated by Hashem, and there is no reason for the victim to be angry at the person, since the outcome was decreed from Above.

The Alter Rebbe takes this idea even further. ולא עוד, אלא אפילו בשעה זו ממש שמכהו או מקללו—not only is the event decreed from Heaven in a general sense, but even at the very moment that the person is cursing or hitting him, מתלבש בו כח ה' ורוח פיו ית' המחייהו ומקיימו—the power of Hashem and the spirit of His mouth are vested within the perpetrator, giving him life and existence at that instant.

This means that Hashem is actively giving the person the ability and energy to act at that very moment. The Alter Rebbe emphasizes that, as explained in Shaar HaYichud VeHaEmunah, Hashem continuously recreates and sustains every being at every moment. If Hashem's life-force would depart even for an instant, the person would cease to exist entirely.

Therefore, when someone is harming another, it is Hashem Himself who is giving that person the power to do so at that exact moment. This is the deeper meaning of the verse regarding Shimi ben Geira cursing David HaMelech: כי ה' אמר לו קלל—for Hashem told him to curse. Even though Hashem did not explicitly command Shimi, the fact that Hashem gave him life and the ability to speak at that moment means that, in a sense, Hashem "told" him to do it by empowering him to act.

The Alter Rebbe brings the verse, "כי ה' אמר לו קלל"—"for Hashem said to him, 'Curse'" (Shmuel II 16:10). This is the story of Shimi ben Geira cursing Dovid HaMelech. Dovid's men wanted to punish Shimi for his disrespect, but Dovid stopped them, explaining that Hashem had told Shimi to curse him.

The question arises: והיכן אמר לשמעי?—Where do we find that Hashem actually told Shimi to curse Dovid? There is no explicit command from Hashem to Shimi in the narrative. So what does Dovid mean when he says that Hashem told Shimi to curse?

The Alter Rebbe explains that the answer lies in understanding how Divine providence works. The מחשבה זו שנפלה לשמעי בלבו ומוחו—this thought that entered Shimi's heart and mind, to curse Dovid—ירדה מאת ה'—descended from Hashem. In other words, the very impulse, the idea to curse, was allowed to arise in Shimi because Hashem enabled it.

Furthermore, the רוח פיו המחי' כל צבאם—the spirit of His mouth, which gives life to all the hosts of creation—החיה רוחו של שמעי בשעה שדיבר דברים אלו לדוד—was the force that gave life to Shimi's spirit at the very moment he spoke these words to Dovid. The Alter Rebbe is emphasizing that it is Hashem's life-force that animates every being at every moment, even when a person is doing something negative like cursing Dovid HaMelech.

This means that Hashem's energy is present in everything that happens, even in the actions of someone who chooses to do wrong. The choice is the person's, but the power to act, to speak, to exist at that moment, comes from Hashem.

The Alter Rebbe continues and makes it even clearer: כי אילו נסתלק רוח פיו ית' רגע אחד מרוחו של שמעי לא יכול לדבר מאומה—If the spirit of Hashem's mouth, G‑d forbid, were to depart for even a single moment from Shimi's spirit, he would not be able to say a single word.

This is a fundamental point in Chassidus, and it echoes what the Alter Rebbe teaches in Shaar HaYichud VeHaEmunah: Hashem is constantly creating and sustaining every detail of existence at every instant. If Hashem's life-force would stop for even a moment, creation would revert to nothingness.

So, at the very moment Shimi was cursing Dovid, it was Hashem who was giving him the ability to speak. The negative act was Shimi's choice, but the power to do so was only because Hashem was giving him life at that moment.

In the parenthetical note, the Alter Rebbe clarifies the meaning of the verse: "כי ה' אמר לו" בעת ההיא ממש "קלל" את דוד "ומי יאמר" לו וגו'—"for Hashem said to him"—at that very moment—"curse Dovid," and who can say to Him otherwise?

This means that at the exact time Shimi was cursing Dovid, Hashem was, so to speak, telling him to curse—not by issuing a command, but by providing the life-force and the ability for Shimi to do so. No one can object to Hashem's will, because everything that happens is ultimately enabled by Him, even when a person uses that power for the wrong purpose.

This is the deeper meaning behind Dovid's words and the Baal Shem Tov's teaching: Hashem's presence and energy are found everywhere, even in situations that seem negative, because nothing can exist or act without His constant vitality.