י"א אלול – אגרת הקודש פרק י"ב

The Alter Rebbe begins this section by quoting the verse: והיה מעשה הצדקה—"and the act of tzedokah." He is emphasizing the specific term מעשה—the act, as opposed to עבודה—service or labor. This distinction is crucial for understanding the different levels of tzedokah and their effects.

On one hand, there is a kind of tzedokah that comes naturally to a person, out of his innate compassion. This is called מעשה הצדקה, the act of tzedokah. On the other hand, there is a higher level, where a person must work on himself, overcoming his nature—this is called עבודת הצדקה, the service of tzedokah.

The Alter Rebbe explains that even when tzedokah is only at the level of מעשה—just the act, not the deeper service—nevertheless, through אתערותא דלתתא—isarusa d'letata, the arousal from below, a person can awaken a corresponding אתערותא דלעילא—an arousal from above.

By performing tzedokah, even just as an act, one draws down a revelation of the infinite light of the Blessed One, Or Ein Sof, in a powerful and abundant way—בהארה רבה והשפעה עצומה—a great illumination and a tremendous flow. This brings about שלום במרומיו—peace in the supernal realms, and also בפמליא של מטה—in the lower courts, meaning the spiritual worlds below, such as Briah, Gan Eden, and the various heavenly chambers.

This means that even a simple act of tzedokah has a cosmic effect, bringing harmony and unity both above and below, and helping to clarify and separate the good from the bad in the spiritual realms.

However, the Alter Rebbe points out that in our physical world—בעוה"ז השפל, this lowly world—the effects of this peace and the separation of good from evil are not openly revealed.

We do not see the full impact of this clarification and the removal of evil until the time of the ultimate redemption—the end of Golus. During the period of exile, as mentioned earlier, the world remains in a state where the separation is not complete and the peace is not fully manifest.

Yet, there is an exception when it comes to the "small world," which is the human being himself—עולם קטן הוא האדם. Within a person, there are special times when this peace and separation can be experienced.

The Alter Rebbe identifies this time as בכל עת מצוא—"at every time when He is found," which the sages interpret as referring to tefillah, the time of prayer. During davening, a person can reach a state where the good within him is clarified and separated from the bad, and he experiences a personal peace and connection to Hashem.

The Alter Rebbe brings a verse to support this idea: בצדק אחזה פניך—"With righteousness I will behold Your face." This means that through tzedokah, especially when combined with tefillah, a person can merit a revelation of G‑dliness, to "see" the face of Hashem, so to speak.

This is the personal experience of peace and clarity that comes during davening, when the soul is elevated and the mixture of good and bad is temporarily resolved.

However, the Alter Rebbe cautions that this state is not permanent. After davening, יוכל להיות הרע חוזר וניעור בקל—the evil can easily reawaken and become mixed again with the good.

As a person goes about his day and enters the "darkness of this world"—בחשכת עוה"ז—the clarity and separation achieved during prayer can dissipate, and the struggle between good and bad resumes. This is the limitation of tzedokah when it is only at the level of מעשה, the simple act.

But when tzedokah is performed as an עבודה—a true service, it reaches a much higher level. The Alter Rebbe describes how precious and elevated this is: מאשר יקרה וגדלה מעלתה במאד מאד—its value and greatness are exceedingly high.

This is because the person is מבטל טבעו ורצונו הגופני—nullifying his own nature and physical desires for the sake of the supreme will of Hashem. He is practicing אתכפיא ס"א—subduing the other side, the sitra achra. This self-overcoming transforms the act of tzedokah into a true avodah, a service that fundamentally changes the person and his spiritual state.

When a person reaches this level, the יקרא דקוב"ה—the glory of the Holy One, blessed be He, is elevated and revealed. This is the advantage of "light that comes from darkness"—יתרון האור מן החשך—as is well known.

Because the person has struggled with and overcome his own darkness, the resulting light is much greater. The transformation achieved through avoydesatzdokah is deeper and more lasting, and the separation between good and bad becomes much more permanent. The bad does not easily return on its own; only if a person actively brings it back does it reawaken. This is the unique power of tzedokah performed as avodah.

Therefore, when a person gives tzedokah not just as a natural act of compassion, but as an avoydesatzdokah—a service that requires effort and self-overcoming—the effect is much more lasting. The רע—the negative within him—cannot so easily reawaken on its own. It doesn't just spring back up by itself after being subdued through this kind of avoydeh.

However, the Alter Rebbe points out that a person always retains free choice. Even after such a deep avoydeh, it is still possible for the person himself to reawaken and draw down that negativity again, G‑d forbid. But the key point is that it won't happen automatically or easily; it would require a conscious act on the person's part. The default state, after avoydesatzdokah, is that the negative is quieted and separated.

This is the meaning of the verse: השקט ובטח עד עולם—"It will be tranquil and secure forever." The tranquility described here refers to the state achieved through avoydesatzdokah, where the inner turmoil and mixture of good and bad are settled, and the person experiences a lasting peace within himself.

The word השקט—tranquility—comes from the expression שוקט על שמריו, which refers to wine that rests undisturbed on its sediments. In this analogy, the שמרים—the dregs or sediments—have completely separated from the wine and have sunk to the very bottom. The wine above is left perfectly clear and pure.

This imagery is used to illustrate the state of a person after avoydesatzdokah: just as the wine is refined and transparent once the sediments have settled, so too does the person become spiritually clear and refined when the negative elements are separated out and no longer mix with the good.

In the same way, when it comes to avoydesatzdokah, the שמרים—the sediments—represent the mixture of negativity within a person's soul. Through the process of avoydeh, this mixture is gradually clarified and separated, little by little.

Eventually, the negative elements fall away to their source and root, leaving the person's inner self purified and elevated. This is not an instant transformation, but a gradual process of refinement, just as the wine becomes clear as the sediments slowly settle out.

This is also alluded to in the verse: ותשליך במצולות ים כל חטאתם—"You will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea." The idea is that the negative within a person is not just subdued temporarily, but is ultimately cast away, removed from the person's inner experience, as a result of sustained avoydesatzdokah.