כ' חשון – אגרת הקודש פרק כ"ט

This great light that is hidden away for the tzaddikim in the World to Come is referred to by several names. It is called נועם ה' — the sweetness of Hashem, and also צחצחות — radiant brilliance or pure delight. Another term is להתענג על ה' — to delight in Hashem. The Zohar describes it as ד' מאות עלמין דכסופין דמתענגי בהון צדיקייא — four hundred worlds of yearning in which the tzaddikim delight.

All of these expressions point to the same idea: the immense, sublime pleasure and yearning that the tzaddikim experience in the World to Come. The Alter Rebbe connects this to the verse about Avraham giving ארבע מאות שקל כסף — four hundred silver shekels, which alludes to these four hundred worlds of yearning. The word כסף — silver, also means longing or desire (kisufim), and this is the root of the tzaddikim's delight in Gan Eden.

However, it is important to understand that within this great light, there are many levels and steps—gavoya me'al gavoya, higher and higher, one above the next. The pleasure and yearning of the tzaddikim is not a single, uniform experience, but rather a progression of ever-increasing delight and spiritual elevation.

Yet, the soul cannot receive this overwhelming light directly, for it would be too intense. Instead, a small ray of this light descends, step by step, from one level to the next, in order to create a garment for the soul. This garment allows the soul to enjoy the light without being overwhelmed by it.

This ray comes from the last and lowest level of the great light, which is called the מדרגה החיצונה ואחוריים — the external and "back" aspect of the light, so to speak. It is only a faint reflection of the true delight, but it is precisely this aspect that forms the garment for the soul in Gan Eden.

The Zohar (II, 208b — see Sefer Mikdash Melech there — and 210b) discusses this idea, stating that whatever is left over from the light becomes the garment for the soul. To understand this, consider the human soul: within it is the power of pleasure—the ability to experience delight from things that bring it joy, such as grasping a new concept or any other enjoyable experience.

This faculty of pleasure is a profound force within the soul, enabling it to be deeply satisfied and uplifted by what it finds pleasurable. For example, when a person understands a new idea, it brings a unique and powerful sense of enjoyment.

But what is the external aspect—the חיצוניות ואחוריים — of this power of pleasure in the soul? It is the faculty of will — רצון. The will is what drives a person to desire what he desires. In other words, a person wants something that is not painful, because pain is the opposite of pleasure.

So, the pleasure is the inner core, while the will is the outer expression. The will is what emerges outwardly: "I want this." But why do I want it? Because it gives me pleasure. The will is the external manifestation of the inner delight.

Similarly, when a person does not want something, it is because that thing causes him pain, which is the opposite of pleasure. Thus, the dynamic of wanting and not wanting is an expression of what brings pleasure or pain, and this is called the external aspect of pleasure.

In the same way, by way of analogy, this is true in the infinite light of Hashem. The רצון העליון — the Supreme Will of Hashem—is considered the external and "back" aspect relative to the delight of above: the ענג העליון, the נועם ה', the צחצחות, and the עלמין דכסופין — all the levels of delight and yearning described above.

So, when we say that the garment for the soul comes from the external aspect of delight, it means that it is drawn from the רצון העליון — the Supreme Will. This is the outermost aspect of Hashem's delight, which becomes the garment for the soul to receive the inner pleasure.

Even so, it is crucial to understand that in the case of Hashem, He and His will are absolutely one. There is no separation at all between Hashem and His will. Hashem's will is not something apart from Him; it is completely united with His essence.

This is not like the will of a human being, G‑d forbid, where the will is something distinct from the person—neither from him nor even a part of him. There is truly no comparison at all between the will of a person and the רצון העליון — the Supreme Will of Hashem.

Nevertheless, the Torah speaks in the language of people, in order to make it possible for the ear to hear and the mind to grasp. The Torah uses parable and metaphor, drawing from the human soul, which itself contains faculties of pleasure, will, wisdom, understanding, and so on.

By using these analogies, the Torah enables us to relate to and understand, in some measure, the sublime realities of the Divine, even though in truth, the comparison is only superficial. The inner workings of the soul serve as a model for us to contemplate the spiritual dynamics above.

We can observe this phenomenon very clearly in our own experience. When a person grasps some new and wondrous idea—when he understands something novel and profound—at that very moment, he experiences a remarkable sense of תענוג — delight—within his intellect.

This means that the act of intellectual discovery is not just a dry, mechanical process. There is a deep pleasure that arises in the mind when it encounters a new insight. The delight is not external to the understanding; it is born within the very moment of comprehension.

So, whenever someone truly understands something new, there is an immediate and unique pleasure that is felt in the intellect itself. This is something we can all relate to: the joy of learning, the excitement of a fresh idea, the satisfaction that comes with intellectual achievement.

From this, we see a fundamental principle: התענוג — delight or pleasure—is actually far higher than the level of intellect and wisdom. Intellect and wisdom are great, but the delight that is experienced through them is on an even higher plane.

However, this delight does not exist in isolation. Rather, it is enclothed — מלובש — within the intellect and wisdom. In other words, the pleasure is not floating above the mind; it is invested within the intellectual process itself.

This means that while the intellect is the vessel, the delight is the inner content. The pleasure is what animates and gives depth to the intellectual experience, making it more than just a cold calculation or analysis.

When a person truly feels the intellect and wisdom—meaning, when he comprehends and understands something thoroughly and deeply—then he also feels the aspect of התענוג — delight—that is enclothed within that wisdom.

It is not enough to simply know something on a superficial level. The real experience of delight comes when one internalizes and fully grasps the idea. At that point, the pleasure that was hidden within the intellect becomes revealed and felt.

This teaches us that the joy of understanding is not separate from the understanding itself. The more deeply one comprehends, the more the delight emerges from within the wisdom.

This is why, in the holy Zohar, the level of בינה — understanding—is referred to as the World to Come (עולם הבא). What does this mean? בינה represents the revelation of חכמה — wisdom—together with the delight that is enclothed within it.

In Gan Eden, the righteous experience this: they grasp and comprehend the inner dimension of Torah, which is the revelation of wisdom with its inner delight. The pleasure that is hidden in wisdom becomes manifest in understanding, and this is the spiritual reward of the righteous in the World to Come.

So, the level of בינה is not just about intellectual comprehension; it is about the revelation and experience of the delight that is within wisdom. This is the deep, inner pleasure that the righteous attain in Gan Eden, as they delve into the inner secrets of Torah.

All of this is because אורייתא מחכמה נפקא — the Torah emerges from wisdom. The Torah is rooted in the highest level of divine wisdom, and from there it descends and is revealed to us.

Furthermore, אורייתא וקב"ה כולא חד — the Torah and the Holy One, blessed be He, are entirely one. There is no separation between the Torah and Hashem; they are united in the deepest possible way.

This means that when a person learns Torah and grasps its inner meaning, he is connecting directly to the divine wisdom and delight, and ultimately to Hashem Himself. The unity of Torah and Hashem is the foundation for all the spiritual pleasure and revelation that the righteous experience in the World to Come.