Continuation of Chapter 44

ואהבה רבה וגדולה מזו, והיא מסותרת גם כן בכל נפש מישראל בירושה מאבותינו, היא מה שכתוב ברעיא מהימנא: כברא דאשתדל בתר אבוי ואימיה, דרחים לון יתיר מגרמיה ונפשיה ורוחיה כו׳

A greater and more intense love than this (i.e., than the love which results from realizing that G‑d is one’s true soul and life), a love which is likewise concealed in every soul of Israel as an inheritance from our ancestors, is that which is defined in Ra‘aya Mehemna,10 in description of Moses’ divine service: “Like a son who strives for the sake of his father and mother, whom he loves even more than his own body, soul and spirit,… sacrificing his life for his father and mother in order to redeem them from captivity.”

This manner of service is not limited to Moses alone: it is within the province of every Jew,

כי הלא אב אחד לכולנו

for11 “have we not all one Father?”

Just as Moses possessed this love because G‑d is his Father, so, too, every Jew can possess this love, for G‑d is equally our Father.

This level of love is more selfless than that described by the phrase, “My soul, I desire You.” For love which results from realizing that G‑d is one’s true life will only be as intense as a person’s desire for life itself. It will not demand total self-sacrifice, which is the opposite of life. The love of a child for his parent, however, is not limited to his love for life; his parents‘ lives take precedence over his own, and he is ready to give his very life in order to save theirs.

ואף כי מי הוא זה ואיזהו אשר ערב לבו לגשת להשיג אפילו חלק אחד מני אלף ממדרגת אהבת רעיא מהימנא

And although one may ask, who is the man and where is he, who would dare presume in his heart to approach and attain even a thousandth part of the degree of love felt by Moses, “The Faithful Shepherd,”

How, then, do we say that every Jew can feel the same love of G‑d that Moses felt?

מכל מקום הרי אפס קצהו ושמץ מנהו מרב טובו ואורו מאיר לכללות ישראל בכל דור ודור, כמו שכתוב בתיקונים: דאתפשטותיה בכל דרא ודרא, לאנהרא לון וכו׳

nevertheless a minute portion and particle of his great goodness and light illumines the community of Israel in each generation, as it is stated in the Tikkunim,12 that “an emanation from him Moses is present in every generation,”…13 “To illumine them.”

Since this luminous particle is found in all Jews in all generations, it thus becomes possible for every Jew — through Moses‘ goodness and light — to feel the love that he possesses as an inheritance from the Patriarchs in a manner similar to that of Moses.14

רק שהארה זו היא בבחינת הסתר והעלם גדול בנפשות כל בית ישראל, ולהוציא אהבה זו המסותרת מההעלם וההסתר אל הגילוי, להיות בהתגלות לבו ומוחו, לא נפלאת ולא רחוקה היא, אלא קרוב הדבר מאד בפיך ובלבבך

Only, the glow from Moses‘ soul is present in the souls of all Israel in a manner of great obscurity and concealment. But to bring forth this hidden love from its latency and concealment to a state ofrevelation, so that it will be manifest in his heart and mind, is15 “not beyond reach, nor is it afar off, but it is very close to you, in your mouth and heart.”

דהיינו להיות רגיל על לשונו וקולו לעורר כוונת לבו ומוחו

That is to say, it should be habitual with his tongue and voice to arouse the intention of his heart and mind, for16 “the sound of one’s voice arouses the devout concentration” of heart and mind,

להעמיק מחשבתו בחיי החיים, אין סוף ברוך הוא, כי הוא אבינו ממש האמיתי ומקור חיינו, ולעורר אליו האהבה כאהבת הבן אל האב

so as to immerse his thought in the Life of life, the blessed Ein Sof, for He is literally our true Father and the Source of our life, and to awaken our love for Him like the love of a son for his father.

וכשירגיל עצמו כן תמיד, הרי ההרגל נעשה טבע

And when one accustoms himself to this continually, habit will become nature.

FOOTNOTES

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10. Zohar III, 281a.

11. Malachi 2:10.

12. Tikkun 69, 112a; 114a.

13. Cf. Zohar III, 216b; 273a.

14. The Rebbe responds to a question that may very well arise: It was previously explained that the love every Jew has for G‑d is an inheritance from the Patriarchs. Here, however, we learn that it is because Moses possessed such a love for G‑d, and there is an emanation of him present in every Jew in each generation.

The discrepancy cannot be explained by saying that since this love is concealed in the heart, it is Moses‘ emanation that enables a Jew to reveal it, for the revelation of love (which is about to be spoken of) is unconnected with the emanation from Moses.

The Rebbe explains: While it is indeed true that this love is an inheritance from the Patriarchs, yet the manner and intensity of this love is received from Moses. We need the emanation from Moses in order to ensure that the love be like the love of a child for his parents, a love so strong that the child is totally nullified to them and is ready to give his very life for them. For such was the manner of divine service and the love of Moses, and a minute particle of this love was transmitted by him to all Jews.

A wise man who by nature is drawn to the attribute of kindness, severity, or mercy will find that his wisdom enables him to achieve these traits in a wise manner. So, too, when one accomplishes self-abnegation it will enhance his natural attribute of love for G‑d, so that it will be felt in a manner of self-nullification.

Moses, whose essence was Daat and self-nullification, loved G‑d with these traits. And as a “faithful shepherd” he emanated these traits to all of Jewry as well.

This is why — the Rebbe says — the Alter Rebbe also quotes the beginning of the text in the Zohar, namely, “Like a son who strives for the sake of his father and mother,” which describes the manner of service, instead of beginning only with the continuation of the sentence in the Zohar, that speaks of the love itself — “whom he loves etc”. Devarim 30:11, 14.

15. Cf. Devarim 30:11, 14.

16. Shnei Luchot HaBrit