תשרי כ"ז - אגרת הקודש פרק כה

The Alter Rebbe begins by explaining that it is well known to those who are versed in the inner wisdom—those who know the secrets of the Torah—that the דבר ה'—the word of Hashem—is referred to as שכינה—the Divine Presence—in the language of our sages. In the language of the Zohar, it is also called אימא תתאה—the lower mother—and מטרוניתא—the queen.

He points out that especially at the beginning of Parshas Va'eira, the Zohar uses these terms to describe this level. Why is it called Shekhinah? Because the Shekhinah is the aspect of G‑dliness that actually rests and becomes invested within creation in order to give it life. This is the part of the Divine that descends and dwells within the worlds, vitalizing all created beings.

In the language of the Kabbalists, this same level is called מלכות—Malchus, or kingship. The reason for this is based on the phrase דבר מלך שלטון—the word of the king is law. A king rules and leads his kingdom through his speech; his authority is expressed through his words and commands, not through direct action.

This is why Malchus is associated with speech—the king's power is in his ability to issue decrees and instructions. The Alter Rebbe notes that there are other reasons for this association as well, which are known to those who are familiar with the deeper secrets of Kabbalah.

The Alter Rebbe continues and says that it is well known that there are different levels and gradations of מלכות—Malchus—in each of the worlds. There is the Malchus of Atzilus, the Malchus of Briah, and so on through the lower worlds.

Each world has its own aspect of Malchus, and as the Divine energy descends from world to world, it is through the Malchus of each world that the next level of creation is brought into being.

What does it mean, specifically, the מלכות דאצילות—Malchus of Atzilus? The Alter Rebbe explains that this is the דבר ה'—the word of Hashem—that gives life and brings into existence the great souls, those souls that are from the level of Atzilus itself.

These are not ordinary souls, but rather those that are rooted in the highest world, Atzilus, and are created and sustained by the Divine speech at that lofty level.

For example, the soul of Adam HaRishon is described in the Torah as having been created by Hashem blowing into his nostrils—ויפח באפיו כו'. This was a direct infusion of Divine life from the highest source.

Similarly, the souls of the Avos—the Patriarchs—and the prophets, and others like them, are also considered to be from this exalted level. Their souls are rooted in Atzilus, and their spiritual stature reflects this origin.

(The Alter Rebbe elaborates that these great souls were truly a merkava—a chariot—for Hashem. This means they were completely nullified to G‑d, with no sense of independent existence at all.

Just as a chariot has no will of its own and is entirely directed by the one who drives it, so too these souls were totally subjugated to the Divine will. Their entire being was devoted to serving Hashem, without any personal agenda or self-identity.)

The sages express this idea with the phrase: שכינה מדברת מתוך גרונו—the Shekhinah spoke from the throat of Moshe. This means that when Moshe Rabbeinu spoke, it was not his own words, but the Divine Presence itself speaking through him.

He was so completely nullified to Hashem that his own self was not present in his speech; it was purely the word of G‑d being expressed through his voice.

The same is true for all the prophets and those who possessed Ruach HaKodesh—Divine inspiration. The voice and the Divine speech from above would actually become invested in their voice and their speech.

As the Arizal explains, it was not merely that they conveyed a message from Hashem, but that the Divine Presence itself was speaking through their very words and voices. This is the unique quality of those who are truly nullified to G‑dliness, as their entire being becomes a vehicle for the Divine.

Now, when we speak about מלכות דבריאה—the Malchus of the world of Beriah, what does that mean? The Alter Rebbe explains that this refers to the דבר ה'—the word of Hashem—which gives life and brings into being the souls and the angels that are found in the world of Beriah.

However, the level of these souls and angels is not on the same level as those of אצילות—Atzilus. The souls in Atzilus, as we discussed, are completely nullified and have no sense of self at all; they are like a chariot, a merkava, to Hashem. But the souls and angels in Beriah, while still holy and spiritual, do not reach that same level of total bittul and closeness to G‑dliness.

This distinction is important: the מלכות דבריאה is the channel through which Hashem's word creates and sustains the beings of Beriah, but their greatness and their connection to G‑dliness is not as elevated as those in Atzilus. The further down the chain of worlds, the less direct and the less absolute the nullification to Hashem becomes.

Moving further, the מלכות דעשיה—the Malchus of the world of Asiyah—refers to the דבר ה'—the word of Hashem—that gives life and brings into existence our physical world as a whole.

This includes everything in our world, all the way down to the most basic elements: the יסוד העפר והמים אשר מתחת לארץ—the foundation of earth and water that is beneath the ground. In other words, even the lowest, most material aspects of creation, the dust and the water under the earth, all receive their existence and vitality from the דבר ה' as it is manifest through Malchus of Asiyah.

The Alter Rebbe points out that this is the general process: as the Divine energy descends through the worlds, it becomes more concealed and more limited, until it gives life to even the most physical and mundane aspects of our universe. Yet, even these lowest creations are continuously dependent on the word of Hashem for their existence at every moment.