כ"א חשון – אגרת הקודש פרק כ"ט

The supreme will—רצון העליון—of Hashem is referred to by the sages of truth, meaning the Kabbalists, as כתר עליון—the supreme crown. This is a term used in Kabbalah to describe the highest level, above all the other Sefiros.

Within this כתר עליון, there are תר"ך עמודי אור—620 pillars of light. This number is significant: it represents the 613 mitzvos of the Torah plus the 7 mitzvos d'rabonan, the rabbinic commandments, totaling 620. These pillars are the channels through which the divine will is drawn down.

To understand this, the Alter Rebbe gives an example: Just as in a large, fortified house there are עמודים—pillars—standing upright on the ground, with their tops connected to the ceiling, so too is the structure of the spiritual worlds.

The pillars in a house serve to connect the lowest point, the floor, with the highest point, the ceiling. They are the means by which the entire structure is held together, linking top and bottom. This is the metaphor for how the mitzvos function in the spiritual sense.

In the same way, by way of example, the כתר עליון—the supreme crown, blessed be He—is higher than the level of חכמה—wisdom. The word כתר comes from כותרת, which means a crown or something that encircles.

This crown surrounds and encompasses the intellect of the head, which is the faculties of חב"ד—Chochmah, Binah, and Daas. The crown is above and beyond the intellect, encircling it from above, just as a physical crown sits on top of the head and surrounds it.

This רצון—will—of Hashem is invested in the 613 mitzvos of the Torah and the 7 mitzvos d'rabonan. The majority of these mitzvos are practical commandments, meaning they are fulfilled through physical action.

The will of Hashem is primarily expressed through these actions. The mitzvos are the means by which the divine will is brought into the world, and they are mostly things that we do with our bodies in the physical world.

Even those mitzvos that depend on speech, such as the study of Torah or reciting prayers, are considered actions. The halacha is that עקימת שפתיו הוי מעשה—the mere movement of one's lips is considered an act.

So, even though the mitzvah is performed through speaking, it still counts as a physical deed, because the lips are moving and that is an action in halacha.

Even those mitzvos that depend on thought or on the heart—such as loving Hashem or fearing Hashem—are still given to a physical person in this physical world. The mitzvah is directed to someone who has free choice, who can choose to direct his heart for good or otherwise.

This means that even the most inward mitzvos, which seem to be only about emotion or thought, are still rooted in the physical reality of a person living in this world, who is capable of choosing how to direct his heart and mind.

By contrast, a soul without a body does not need to be commanded in these matters. The mitzvos are not relevant to a disembodied soul, because there is no physical action or free choice in that state.

The entire purpose of mitzvos is for the soul as it is invested in a body, in this world, where there is the possibility of choice and action.

It turns out, then, that the mitzvos are like העמודים—the pillars—standing from the highest heights, which is the רצון העליון—the supreme will of Hashem, all the way down to this material world.

Just as pillars connect the ceiling to the floor, so too the mitzvos connect the highest spiritual levels with the lowest, physical reality. Through the mitzvos, the divine will is drawn down and made manifest in our world, bridging the gap between the infinite and the finite.

The mitzvos are compared to העמודים חלולין—hollow pillars that surround and clothe the soul of a person, whether it is his neshamah, ruach, or nefesh, when he fulfills the mitzvos.

Just as a pillar can encircle and protect, so too, these mitzvos act as a spiritual garment, enveloping the person's soul. This garment is created specifically through the performance of mitzvos in this physical world, by a physical person.

Through these pillars—the mitzvos—the nefesh, ruach, and neshamah of a person ascend upward, all the way to the highest levels. The soul is able to rise and become bound up in the "bundle of life" with Hashem.

This means that the mitzvos serve as the connection, the spiritual conduit, that allows the soul to reach and be united with the highest spiritual realms, ultimately connecting to Hashem Himself.

What does it mean to be "bound in the bundle of life"? It means that the soul becomes מלובשות באור הכתר—enclothed in the light of כתר, which is the supreme will of Hashem.

So, through the mitzvos, the soul is able to be surrounded and united with this highest level, the Ratzon Elyon, the supreme will of Hashem, which is represented by the level of Kesser.

And it is through this garment—the mitzvah—that the soul is able to "gaze upon the pleasantness of Hashem" and to experience radiances that are even higher than the level of Kesser. These are the pnimiyus—the inner dimension—of Kesser, so to speak.

In other words, the mitzvah acts as a garment that allows the soul to receive and enjoy the deepest levels of G‑dliness, even those that are higher than the revealed will, reaching into the inner delight, the tainug, of Hashem.

Now, elsewhere it is explained that the mitzvos are actually the פנימיות רצון העליון—the inner aspect of Hashem's supreme will.

This seems to differ from what is being explained here, where the mitzvos are described as the chitzoniyus—the external aspect—of the will, while the inner aspect is the delight, the tainug.

However, this is a well-known concept among those who are familiar with the wisdom of Kabbalah: there are many, many different levels and gradations within every level of holiness. There are countless levels of "face to face" (inner to inner) and "back to back" (external to external), without end.

So, what is called "inner" or "external" is always relative. In one context, a certain level may be considered "inner," but compared to a higher level, it is "external." There are layers upon layers, and the terms are relative to the level being discussed.

Now, regarding the ז' מצות דרבנן—the seven rabbinic mitzvos—they are not considered independent mitzvos in their own right. The Torah already states, לא תוסף—"do not add"—meaning we are not permitted to add new mitzvos to the Torah's 613.

Therefore, the rabbinic mitzvos are not counted as separate, additional mitzvos beyond the Torah's commandments.

Rather, these rabbinic mitzvos יוצאות ונמשכות ממצות התורה—they emerge from and are drawn out of the Torah's mitzvos, and are included within the count of the 613. Their purpose is to clothe the 613 aspects and powers found within a person's nefesh, ruach, and neshamah.

In other words, the rabbinic mitzvos are not separate entities, but are extensions and expressions of the Torah mitzvos themselves, and they serve to complete the spiritual garments for all the faculties of the soul.