כ"ו חשון – אגרת הקודש פרק ל"ב

The Alter Rebbe opens with a blessing, paraphrasing verses from Tanach: ברך ה' חילם, ופועל ידם ירצה—May Hashem bless their strength, and may He accept the work of their hands. He continues: May it be for them a constant favor before Hashem, that Hashem should give and continue to give, strengthening their hearts among the mighty, and that generosity should be established upon generosity.

He is blessing those who are involved in organizing and giving tzedakah, especially those who do so regularly and with a set system. The blessing is that their efforts should be successful and that their hearts should be strong and courageous in this holy work.

The phrase נדיב על נדיבות יקום—benevolence upon benevolence should arise—means that their generosity should not just be a one-time act, but should continue and grow. The Alter Rebbe is emphasizing the greatness of the one who takes action, the גדול המעשה—the one who inspires and organizes others to give tzedakah. In every city and in every group, the one who motivates others is considered as if he himself gave all the tzedakah that results from his efforts.

He concludes this paragraph by stating that such a person’s actions are considered as tzedakah for him as well. The merit of organizing and encouraging others to give is counted as his own tzedakah, and he receives the reward for all the good that comes from his initiative.

Regarding the one who actually gives tzedakah, it is written: צדקתו עומדת לעד—his righteousness stands forever. The Alter Rebbe points out that the word עומדת—stands—is in the feminine form. This is significant: it means that the person who gives tzedakah because he was inspired or pushed by someone else is considered a recipient, not the initiator.

Even though his pure heart was aroused to give by the influence of the גדול המעשה—the one who motivates others—nevertheless, his tzedakah is still considered to stand forever. The feminine form, עומדת, hints to the idea of being a recipient, as opposed to the masculine form, which would indicate an initiator or giver.

The Alter Rebbe is teaching that even when a person gives tzedakah only because someone else encouraged him, his act of tzedakah is still eternal and lasting. The merit and spiritual effect of his giving remain forever, despite the fact that he was not the one who initiated the act on his own.

What does this mean? The Alter Rebbe explains that every act of tzedakah and kindness that the Jewish people perform in this world, when it comes from the generosity of their pure hearts, is alive and endures in this physical world until the time of the Resurrection—the era of תחיית המתים.

In other words, the spiritual energy and effect of the tzedakah and chesed that a Jew does are not temporary. They remain present and effective in this world, even if their full impact is not yet revealed. These acts continue to exist and have an effect all the way until the time when the dead will be resurrected, at which point their true spiritual power will be revealed.

This teaches us that the mitzvos we do, especially tzedakah and chesed, are not fleeting. Their influence is lasting, and they remain alive in the world, waiting for the time when their inner light will be openly revealed.

At the time of תחיית המתים—the Resurrection—there will be a revelation of G‑dliness and the infinite light of the אור אין סוף ברוך הוא—the blessed Infinite Light, specifically from the level known as סובב כל עלמין—that which surrounds all worlds, in this physical world.

This is a time when the hidden spiritual energy that was invested in the mitzvos, especially tzedakah, will become openly revealed. The Alter Rebbe notes that this idea was explained at length in a letter he wrote the previous year. There, he elaborated on how the ultimate revelation of G‑dliness will take place in the physical world, and the acts of tzedakah we do now are the vessels for that future revelation.

In order for the אור אין סוף ברוך הוא—the Infinite Light of Hashem—to be revealed, there must be a vessel and a dwelling place for it, just as the body is a vessel for the soul. The Alter Rebbe uses the analogy: just as a body holds and expresses the soul, so too, our actions create a place for the Divine light to be revealed.

He brings a verse: הלא כה דברי כאש—"Behold, My words are like fire." Fire cannot illuminate or exist in this world unless it is grasped and clothed in a wick. Without a wick, the fire would not remain; it would disappear. Similarly, the Divine light needs a vessel in which to be held and revealed in this world.

This analogy teaches that the mitzvos, and specifically acts of tzedakah, are like the wick that holds the Divine fire. Only when the Infinite Light is "grasped" by the mitzvah can it be present and shine in the physical world. This is explained elsewhere in Chassidus as well.

So what is the body and vessel for Hashem’s light? It is the attribute of kindness and the generosity of the heart—מדת החסד ונדיבת הלב. When a person gives and bestows life to someone who lacks, he is creating a vessel for the Divine light.

By giving tzedakah and sharing with others, a person becomes a channel for G‑dliness to enter the world. The act of giving is the wick that holds the Divine fire. Through this, the Infinite Light is able to be present and revealed in the world, because the act of kindness provides the necessary vessel for it.

The Alter Rebbe brings a teaching from the תיקונים (Tikkunei Zohar): "וכמה גופין תקינת לון, ואתקריאו בתיקונא: דא חסד - דרועא ימינא"—Hashem established many bodies, and in the Tikkunim they are called: this is chesed, the right arm. The right arm represents kindness, and it is the vessel for the Divine light.

He adds that the entire body is included in the right side. In other words, although the right arm is singled out as the attribute of chesed, all the limbs and all the mitzvos a person does are included in this, and all become vessels for the Divine light.

The Alter Rebbe also quotes the liturgist (the פייט) who wrote: לבושו צדקה—His garment is tzedakah. This is from the Rosh Hashanah prayers. The general garment in which Hashem dresses, so to speak, is tzedakah. Through acts of tzedakah, we create a garment for the Divine presence to be revealed in the world.

Here the Alter Rebbe brings the words of our Sages: אין הצדקה משתלמת אלא לפי חסד שבה—charity is only rewarded according to the kindness within it. This is based on the verse, זרעו לכם לצדקה, קצרו לפי חסד—sow for yourselves for charity, reap according to kindness.

He explains that just as the act of reaping reveals the growth that was hidden in the earth from the time of sowing, so too, the reward and revelation of tzedakah is according to the inner kindness that was invested in it. The actual benefit, the tangible result, comes out at the time of the 'harvest'—when the hidden power of growth in the ground is finally revealed through the act of cutting the grain.

In the same way, the true effect of tzedakah is not always immediately visible. The kindness and generosity that a person puts into his giving is what determines the ultimate reward and revelation that will come from it.

Likewise, the tzedakah and chesed—the charity and kindness—that the Jewish people perform during the time of exile is hidden and concealed until the time of the Resurrection, זמן התחיה. Only then will the light of the Ein Sof, the Infinite One, be revealed and shine in this physical world.

He brings the concept of ואיהו וגרמוהי חד—He and His vessels are one. This refers to the ten vessels of Atzilus, the highest spiritual world, which are completely unified with the Infinite Light. If this is true even for the vessels of Atzilus, how much more so is it true regarding the Infinite Light of Hashem that surrounds all worlds, which is even higher than Atzilus.

The point is that the true revelation of what is accomplished through tzedakah and chesed is hidden for now, but will be fully revealed in the time to come, when the Infinite Light will shine openly in the physical world.

For this reason, tzedakah is referred to in the feminine form. The verse says, צדקתו עומדת לעד—his righteousness stands forever. The word עומדת is feminine, indicating that tzedakah receives an illumination from the Infinite Light that surrounds all worlds, which is then clothed within it in this physical world at the time of the Resurrection.

This feminine aspect reflects the idea that tzedakah is a recipient—it receives the Divine light. The act of giving tzedakah draws down a spiritual energy, but its full revelation is hidden until the time when it will be manifest in the world.

However, when it comes to צדק לפניו יהלך—"righteousness goes before Him"—this is a masculine form. This refers to the quality of kindness that is awakened in a person's heart by himself, not because someone else pushed him, but through his own initiative.

This awakening comes through arousing love for Hashem during the recitation of the Shema, striving to cleave to Him, and being ready to give over one's soul in the declaration of "Echad"—the oneness of G‑d—and "with all your might" (בכל מאדך) in its literal sense. This is a self-generated devotion, not dependent on external encouragement.

Through this אתערותא דלתתא—isarusa d'letata, an arousal from below, there is a corresponding אתערותא דלעילא—an arousal from above. As it says, "Just as water reflects a face to a face, so too is the heart of man to man." When a person stirs himself to love and serve Hashem, this evokes a response from above.

This brings down the Infinite Light, Or Ein Sof, that surrounds all worlds, drawing it down lower and lower into this physical world, and in a revealed way at the time of the Resurrection. As explained at length in last year's letter, this is the ultimate effect of a person's own initiative in serving Hashem through tzedakah and chesed.

This is the meaning of the verse לפניו יהלך—"before Him it goes." The person leads and draws down the Supreme Face, the innermost aspect of G‑dliness, from above Atzilus all the way down to the world of Asiyah, the world of action.

In other words, when a person gives tzedakah from his own initiative, he is not merely a recipient of Divine light, but actually leads and draws down the innermost Divine illumination from the highest spiritual levels into this world.

At this point, the Alter Rebbe concludes the letter, saying that now is the time to be brief. He blesses them that all good should never be lacking from them: הטיבה ה' לטובים, ולישרים בלבותם—May Hashem do good to those who are good, and to those who are upright in their hearts.

He adds, כנפש תדרשנו—as my soul seeks you, expressing his heartfelt blessing and connection to those who give tzedakah and those who are upright in their intentions, even if they are not always able to give as much as they wish.