אלול כ"ט – אגרת הקודש פרק יט

The Alter Rebbe opens this chapter by quoting the verse, עוטה אור כשלמה—He wraps Himself in light as with a garment. This is a posuk from Tehillim that we say in Barchi Nafshi on Rosh Chodesh. The idea here is that Hashem's light is described as being wrapped like a garment, כשלמה—like a cloak or a covering.

In Kabbalah, this verse is understood as a reference to the light of Torah, which is also described as being "dressed" or "wrapped". The Torah is Hashem's wisdom, but it is clothed in a way that makes it accessible to us. This concept of light being wrapped as a garment will be developed further as the chapter continues.

The Alter Rebbe now brings from the Likkutei Torah of the Arizal, specifically from Parshas Ki Sisa and Parshas Vayikra. There, the Arizal writes that the level of comprehension—השגה—that Moshe Rabbeinu reached was not in the inner dimension—פנימיות—of the supreme Chochmah, known as אבא דאצילות—the father, or Chochmah, of Atzilus.

And certainly, Moshe did not reach the level of Keser, which is even higher than Chochmah. Keser is called אריך אנפין—the long face, representing the most transcendent aspect of Atzilus. So, Moshe Rabbeinu's prophetic grasp did not penetrate to the innermost core of Chochmah, nor to the even loftier level of Keser.

Rather, Moshe's comprehension was in the back—אחוריים—of Chochmah. This means the external aspect, not the inner core. This external aspect of Chochmah is enclothed within Binah, and from there it becomes invested in the seven lower Sefiros, which are called ז"א—Ze'er Anpin, the small face.

This is referred to as the secret of the Torah—סוד התורה. The Torah, as it is revealed to us, comes from this level: the external aspect of Chochmah as it is dressed in Binah and then in Ze'er Anpin. Moshe Rabbeinu, who gave us the Torah, grasped it at this level. The Torah's wisdom, as it is accessible to us, is the external aspect of Chochmah, not its innermost point.

This external light of Chochmah, as it is invested in Ze'er Anpin, continues to spread and extend all the way down to the end of the four lowest Sefiros, which are Netzach, Hod, Yesod, and Malchus—abbreviated as נהי"מ.

So, the flow of divine wisdom descends through the Sefiros, reaching even the lowest levels within Atzilus. This is the path through which Moshe Rabbeinu's prophetic grasp extended: from the external Chochmah, through Binah, into Ze'er Anpin, and down to the lowest four Sefiros.

It is specifically in these lowest four Sefiros—נהי"מ, Netzach, Hod, Yesod, and Malchus—that Moshe Rabbeinu's prophecy attained a level of inner comprehension—פנימיות. In other words, while in the higher Sefiros Moshe could only grasp the external aspect, in these lower Sefiros he was able to reach their inner dimension.

This means that the depth of Moshe's prophetic experience, the true pnimiyus, was only in the lowest four Sefiros. Above that, his grasp was only external, but here, in Netzach, Hod, Yesod, and Malchus, he could access the inner core.

However, above the level of נהי"מ—Netzach, Hod, Yesod, and Malchus—Moshe Rabbeinu had no access to the inner dimension—פנימיות. His grasp there was only in the external aspect—אחוריים—of Chochmah, as it is enclothed in Binah and then further enclothed and extended into the inner aspect of נהי"מ.

This is referred to as the נובלות חכמה שלמעלה—the "droppings" or "remnants" of the supernal Chochmah. The Torah, as it is revealed to us, is called נובלות חכמה, meaning it is only a small portion or a residue of the true, infinite Chochmah above. This level is associated with ז"א—Ze'er Anpin, the lower Sefiros, which is where the Torah is rooted as it descends to us.

This is alluded to in the verse, וראית את אחורי ופני לא יראו—"You shall see My back, but My face shall not be seen." This was Hashem's response to Moshe Rabbeinu when he asked to see Hashem's glory. The face—פנים—represents the inner dimension, the true essence, which is inaccessible. The back—אחוריים—is the external aspect, which Moshe was permitted to perceive.

This analogy helps us understand the distinction: Moshe could only access the external, not the innermost, levels of divine wisdom. The "face" remains hidden, while the "back" is what is revealed to even the greatest prophet.

The Alter Rebbe here references what is written in שער הנבואה—the Gate of Prophecy, chapter one. He points us to look there for a deeper discussion of these levels of prophecy and spiritual perception. This is a classic source in the writings of the Arizal, where he elaborates on the distinctions between the inner and outer aspects of the Sefiros, and the limitations of Moshe Rabbeinu's prophetic grasp.

The mention of שער הנבואה is significant, because it is there that the Arizal lays out the framework for understanding how prophecy operates within the world of Atzilus, and how even the greatest prophets, including Moshe Rabbeinu, have their reach defined by these spiritual boundaries. The Alter Rebbe is grounding his explanation in these foundational Kabbalistic texts, inviting us to study them for a fuller appreciation of the subject.

At this point, the Alter Rebbe raises a powerful question: ולכאורה יש להפליא—seemingly, this is astonishing. How can it be that Moshe Rabbeinu, the greatest of all prophets, was limited in his grasp to only the external or lower aspects of the Sefiros, as described above?

He brings the well-known verse, ולא קם נביא עוד בישראל כמשה—"No prophet has arisen in Israel like Moshe." This is a foundational principle in Torah, that Moshe's prophecy was unique and unparalleled. The Torah itself testifies that no one reached his level. So how could it be that anyone after him, even the Arizal, could attain a higher perception or understanding than Moshe Rabbeinu?

This question is not just a technicality; it challenges our entire understanding of spiritual attainment and the hierarchy of revelation. If Moshe was the greatest, how can later sages or Kabbalists claim to have reached higher levels, especially in the inner dimensions of the Sefiros?

The Alter Rebbe continues and sharpens the question: How could the Arizal have achieved more than Moshe Rabbeinu? The Arizal expounded on many deep mystical teachings—דרש כמה דרושים בבחי' פנימיות—he explained numerous discourses in the realm of the inner dimension, even concerning levels and Sefiros that are far above חכמה and כתר דאצילות—the Chochmah and Kesser of Atzilus.

In other words, the Arizal was able to describe and analyze spiritual realities that, according to the earlier sources, were beyond even Moshe Rabbeinu's prophetic grasp. This seems to contradict the principle that Moshe's prophecy was the highest possible. How is it possible that the Arizal, or any later sage, could reach or reveal levels that Moshe himself did not attain?

This question sets the stage for the Alter Rebbe's deeper explanation, which will clarify the difference between the nature of prophecy—nevuah—and the intellectual grasp or comprehension—השגה—of spiritual concepts. The answer will revolve around the distinction between actually seeing or experiencing a level (as in prophecy), versus understanding it intellectually, even if from afar.