The Alter Rebbe begins with an analogy to help us understand the concept of isarusa deletata—an arousal from below. He says, imagine you are sowing seeds or planting a pit in the ground. The stalk that grows from the seed, or the tree and its fruits that grow from the pit, are not the same as the essence of the original seed or pit at all.

He emphasizes that the מהותן ועצמותן—their essence and being—of the seed or pit is completely lost and decomposed in the earth. In other words, what you put into the ground is not what comes out. The seed itself is finished, it rots away, and what grows is something entirely new and different.

This analogy sets the stage for understanding that the results of our actions, especially in spiritual matters, are not just a direct return of what we put in. Rather, what comes out is something far greater and of a different nature than what was originally invested.

The Alter Rebbe continues and explains that it is actually the כח הצומח שבארץ—the power of growth within the earth itself—that brings forth and grows the stalk, the tree, and its fruits.

It's not the seed or the pit itself that produces the new plant or fruit. Rather, the earth contains a unique power, a potential for growth, and it is this inner force of the earth that is responsible for the emergence and development of all plant life.

This point is crucial: the seed is only a trigger, but the real source of growth is the earth's own inherent power. This helps us understand that the results we see are not simply a product of our own efforts, but are drawn from a much deeper, more powerful source.

However, the Alter Rebbe clarifies that the earth does not reveal or bring out its power to the outside—from potential to actuality—unless it is activated by the seed or pit that is sown and decomposes in the ground.

He explains that the הזרע והגרעין שנרקבין בארץ—the seed and the pit that rot in the earth—are necessary for this process. Their entire power is absorbed into the earth's power of growth, and they become completely united with it, losing their independent existence.

This means that while the earth has the potential to produce growth, it requires the input of the seed, which must first lose its own identity and become one with the earth's power. Only then can the earth's potential be actualized and new growth emerge.

Through this process, the earth's power of growth is brought from potential into actuality. The earth then provides vitality and energy to grow a stalk that is similar to the seed that was sown.

But the Alter Rebbe points out that the result is not just a one-to-one exchange. In fact, there is a tremendous increase: from a single seed, you get a stalk with many kernels—בריבוי הרבה מאד בשבולת אחת—a great abundance in just one stalk.

This illustrates that the return is not only different in quality, but also vastly greater in quantity than what was originally invested. The act of sowing triggers a much larger and more abundant outcome.

Similarly, the Alter Rebbe notes that from a single tree, you get many fruits. This is another example of the principle that the outcome far exceeds the initial input.

Just as with the stalk and the seed, here too, the tree produces a multitude of fruits from what began as a single pit or seed. The process is one of multiplication and abundance, not just a simple replacement.

The Alter Rebbe adds another dimension: not only is there an increase in quantity, but the very מהותן ועצמותן—essence and being—of the fruits is on a much higher and more refined level than the essence of the original pit that was planted.

He describes this as מעולה בעילוי רב ועצום למעלה מעלה—tremendously elevated and superior. The fruit that grows is not just more numerous, but it is also of a completely different and higher quality than the seed from which it came.

This teaches us that the results of our efforts, when they are invested properly, are not only multiplied, but are also transformed into something far greater and more elevated than what we started with.

The Alter Rebbe extends this analogy to other types of produce as well. He says the same is true for the fruits of the earth—פירות הארץ—which grow from seeds that are similar to pits, such as squash and similar vegetables.

Even in these cases, you see the same phenomenon: from a single seed, you get a large and substantial vegetable, like a squash, which is far greater than the seed itself. This further illustrates the principle that the outcome is both quantitatively and qualitatively superior to the original input.

What is the reason for all of this? The Alter Rebbe explains that it is because the main source and root of the vitality of the fruits comes from the כח הצומח שבארץ—the power of growth within the earth—which contains the energy for all fruits.

This means that the earth has within it the potential to produce every kind of fruit and plant. The seed only serves as an activator, but the true source of the abundance and the elevated quality of the produce is the earth's own inherent power of growth.

This analogy helps us understand the spiritual dynamic: our actions below serve as the trigger, but the results we receive are drawn from a much deeper, Divine source, and are far greater than what we could produce on our own.

Here the Alter Rebbe explains that the הגרעינין הזרועים בארץ—the seeds that are sown in the ground—are really just a form of אתערותא דלתתא—an arousal from below. In other words, when we plant a seed, what we're actually doing is initiating a process, but the real growth, the real power, comes from somewhere much deeper.

He goes on to say that this is what is called העלאת מ"נ—the elevation of mayin nukvin, the feminine waters, as described in the writings of the Arizal. This is a Kabbalistic term for the spiritual dynamic where our actions below, our efforts, serve as an awakening that draws down a much greater flow from above.

The point is that the seed itself doesn't contain the full power of what will grow. Rather, it acts as a trigger, an initiator, for the earth's inherent power to bring forth life. In the same way, our acts of chesed, our efforts in this world, are not just about what we put in. They are about awakening a much greater divine response, far beyond the measure of what we invested.

So, the Alter Rebbe is teaching us that when we do a mitzvah, when we give tzedakah, it's not just a simple exchange—it's not that we get back exactly what we put in. Instead, our אתערותא דלתתא—our arousal from below—serves to awaken Hashem's infinite kindness, which then flows down in abundance, both in quantity and in quality, far surpassing our original action.