________

For the achorayim of any one of the sefirot are the external and lower levels within that sefirah, which are capable of descending and extending downward, to become vested in created beings in order to animate them.

כִּי כָּל אֲחוֹרַיִים שֶׁבַּסְּפִירוֹת הֵן מַדְרֵגוֹת הַחִיצוֹנוֹת וְהַתַּחְתּוֹנוֹת בְּמַעֲלָה שֶׁבִּסְפִירָה זוֹ, מַה שֶּׁיּוּכְלוּ לֵירֵד וּלְהִתְפַּשֵּׁט לְמַטָּה לְהִתְלַבֵּשׁ בַּבְּרוּאִים לְהַחֲיוֹתָם;

The aspect of the panim (the “face” or inner dimension) of the sefirah is the sefirah itself as it is united with its Emanator, the blessed Ein Sof, in an absolute union.

וּבְחִינַת הַפָּנִים, הִיא הַסְּפִירָה עַצְמָהּ הַמְיוּחֶדֶת בְּמַאֲצִילָהּ אֵין־סוֹף בָּרוּךְ־הוּא בְּתַכְלִית הַיִּחוּד.

As, for example, the sefirah of chochmah, the sefirah now under discussion: It is united with its Emanator, the blessed Ein Sof, in absolute unity, for the Holy One, blessed be He, and His Wisdom, are One (³⁴as explained above)—evidently in reference to Part I, chs. 2 and 52.

כְּגוֹן דֶּרֶךְ מָשָׁל, סְפִירַת חָכְמָה שֶׁהִיא מְיוּחֶדֶת בְּמַאֲצִילָהּ אֵין־סוֹף בָּרוּךְ־הוּא בְּתַכְלִית הַיִּחוּד, כִּי הַקָּדוֹשׁ־בָּרוּךְ־הוּא וְחָכְמָתוֹ אֶחָד (כְּמוֹ שֶׁנִּתְבָּאֵר לְעֵיל),

But that which radiates and extends from His blessed chochmah to the limited and finite nether beings below,

וּמַה שֶּׁמֵּאִיר וּמִתְפַּשֵּׁט מֵחָכְמָתוֹ יִתְבָּרֵךְ לְמַטָּה בַּתַּחְתּוֹנִים, שֶׁהֵם בַּעֲלֵי גְבוּל וְתַכְלִית,

and becomes vested in them,

וּמִתְלַבֵּשׁ בָּהֶם –

Light that merely “radiates” and “extends” does not necessarily contract according to the limitations of the recipient of the light; it may “radiate” and “extend” in an encompassing manner (makif) and thus not be subject to them. However, when the illumination is “vested” within a receptor, this implies adjustment to its limitations.

Hence, a light that becomes vested within finite created beings cannot possibly be infinite, as would be the case if the actual sefirah as united with its Emanator—and thus as infinite as its Emanator—would descend into created beings. Therefore, the life-giving force which is vested within creation—

is called achorayim: it is the external aspect of the sefirah and not the sefirah itself,

נִקְרָא “אֲחוֹרַיִים”,

and it is also called the aspect of Asiyah within Atzilut.

וְנִקְרָא גַם כֵּן בְּחִינַת “עֲשִׂיָּה שֶׁבַּאֲצִילוּת”.

The external aspect of chochmah—chochmah here being an allusion to the World of Atzilut—is termed the level of Asiyah within Atzilut,³⁵ i.e., that level of Atzilut that is capable of descending below.

The meaning of this will be understood by way of analogy with terrestrial man, whose soul spans five ranks, one lower than the other.

פֵּירוּשׁ, עַל דֶּרֶךְ מָשָׁל, כְּמוֹ שֶׁבָּאָדָם הַתַּחְתּוֹן שֶׁיֵּשׁ בְּנִשְׁמָתוֹ ה’ מַדְרֵגוֹת, זוֹ לְמַטָּה מִזּוֹ,

These are the faculties of the intellect, the emotive attributes, thought, speech, and action, with action the lowest of them all.

שֶׁהֵן בְּחִינוֹת הַשֵּׂכֶל וְהַמִּדּוֹת וּמַחֲשָׁבָה וְדִבּוּר וּמַעֲשֶׂה, וְהַמַּעֲשֶׂה – הִיא הַתַּחְתּוֹנָה שֶׁבְּכוּלָּם,

I.e., the soul manifests itself in action to a much lesser degree than it does in the other four levels.

For the life-force that extends from the soul and is vested in the faculty of action is as nothing compared to the life-force that extends from it and is vested in the faculty of speech.

שֶׁהַחַיּוּת הַמִּתְפַּשֵּׁט מֵהַנְּשָׁמָה וּמְלוּבָּשׁ בְּכֹחַ הַמַּעֲשֶׂה, הוּא כְּאַיִן לְגַבֵּי הַחַיּוּת הַמִּתְפַּשֵּׁט מִמֶּנָּה וּמְלוּבָּשׁ בְּכֹחַ הַדִּבּוּר,

The latter in turn is as nothing compared to the life-force that extends from [the soul] and is vested in thought, in the emotive attributes, and in the intellect.

שֶׁהוּא כְּאַיִן לְגַבֵּי הַחַיּוּת הַמִּתְפַּשֵּׁט מִמֶּנָּה וּמְלוּבָּשׁ בְּמַחֲשָׁבָה וּמִדּוֹת וְשֵׂכֶל.

The latter three faculties are always united with the soul. Even the faculty of thought, which is merely a “garment” of the soul (i.e., one of its means of expression), is always united with it, and therefore, like the soul itself, always in a manifest state. Speech and action, however, are “garments” that are separate from the soul. Thus, insofar as speech is concerned, there is “A time to speak and a time to refrain from speech,”³⁶ while action is even more distant from the soul than speech.

In a precisely like manner with respect to the Divine chochmah, to the extent that can be diffused from it³⁷ to become vested in all the nether beings:

כֵּן עַל דֶּרֶךְ זֶה מַמָּשׁ – הִיא בְּחִינַת חָכְמָתוֹ יִתְבָּרֵךְ, מַה שֶּׁיּוּכַל לְהִתְפַּשֵּׁט מִמֶּנָּה (לְהַשְׁפִּיעַ) [לְהִתְלַבֵּשׁ] בַּתַּחְתּוֹנִים כּוּלָּם,

Since “You have made them all through chochmah,”³⁸ it follows that this sefirah must be vested in all nether beings. However, this is merely the external level of chochmah.

it³⁹ is as nothing compared to the panim (the inward or frontal aspect) of chochmah, which is at one with the blessed Emanator,

הֵם כְּאַיִן לְגַבֵּי בְּחִינַת פָּנִים הַמְיוּחָד בַּמַּאֲצִיל בָּרוּךְ־הוּא,

for “All that is before Him (i.e., close and united with Him) is esteemed as naught.”⁴⁰

דְּ”כוּלָּא קַמֵּיהּ כְּלָא חֲשִׁיב”,

The life-giving flow to all created beings, which are limited and finite, is regarded as a descent and a contraction, so to speak, with respect to the Emanator, the blessed Ein Sof,

וְהַהַשְׁפָּעָה לְכָל הַנִּבְרָאִים כּוּלָּם שֶׁהֵם בַּעֲלֵי גְבוּל וְתַכְלִית – נֶחְשֶׁבֶת יְרִידָה וְצִמְצוּם כִּבְיָכוֹל לְגַבֵּי הַמַּאֲצִיל אֵין־סוֹף בָּרוּךְ־הוּא,

just as, metaphorically speaking, it would be regarded as a descent and contraction for the intellect of an intelligent person to be contracted to some purely physical and material activity.⁴¹

עַל דֶּרֶךְ מָשָׁל, כְּמוֹ שֶׁנֶּחְשֶׁבֶת יְרִידָה וְצִמְצוּם לְשֵׂכֶל הָאָדָם הַמַּשְׂכִּיל הַמְצוּמְצָם בְּאֵיזֶה עֲשִׂיָּה גַּשְׁמִיּוּת וְחוּמְרִית מַמָּשׁ.

Moses our Master, peace to him, who apprehended as high as the level [of Divinity] called the hindmost aspect of chochmah, therefore merited that the Torah was given through him—

וְלָכֵן מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּינוּ עָלָיו־הַשָּׁלוֹם, שֶׁהִשִּׂיג עַד אֲחוֹרַיִים דְּחָכְמָה, זָכָה שֶׁתִּנָּתֵן עַל יָדוֹ הַתּוֹרָה,

the Torah being the novlot, the withered vestige, of supernal chochmah,

שֶׁהִיא “נוֹבְלוֹת חָכְמָה שֶׁלְּמַעְלָה”,

i.e., that which is sloughed off from it and descends below, and becomes vested in our physical Torah.⁴²

פֵּירוּשׁ, מַה שֶּׁנּוֹבֵל מִמֶּנָּה וְיוֹרֵד לְמַטָּה וּמִתְלַבֵּשׁ בְּתוֹרָה גַשְׁמִיּוּת שֶׁלָּנוּ,

For [the Torah’s] core and ultimate object is the observance of the prohibitory and positive commandments, in actual deed and performance,

שֶׁעִיקָּרָהּ וְתַכְלִיתָהּ הוּא קִיּוּם הַמִּצְוֹת לֹא תַעֲשֶׂה וַעֲשֵׂה בְּפוֹעַל וּמַעֲשֶׂה מַמָּשׁ,

in the spirit of the verse, “To do them this day,”⁴³ and, more specifically, in the spirit of the comment of our Sages on this phrase: “They are to be done today and not tomorrow”⁴⁴—in this world and not in the World to Come.

כַּמַּאֲמָר: “הַיּוֹם לַעֲשׂוֹתָם”,

Our Sages likewise taught, “The study of the Torah is greater [than the observance of the commandments] because it leads to [their] performance.”⁴⁵

וְ”גָדוֹל תַּלְמוּד שֶׁמֵּבִיא לִידֵי מַעֲשֶׂה”,

Similarly, “As to he who learns with the intent of not doing, it would have been better for him if his afterbirth had turned over….”⁴⁶

וְ”הַלּוֹמֵד שֶׁלֹּא לַעֲשׂוֹת נוֹחַ לוֹ שֶׁנֶּהֶפְכָה שִׁלְיָיתוֹ וְכוּ’”,

I.e., better had he never been born.

Indeed, every individual needs to become reincarnated until he has actually observed all the 613 commandments, as is known from R. Yitzchak Luria, of blessed memory.⁴⁷

וְכָל אָדָם מוּכְרָח לְהִתְגַּלְגֵּל עַד שֶׁיְּקַיֵּים כָּל הַתַּרְיַ”ג מִצְוֹת בְּפוֹעַל מַמָּשׁ, כַּנּוֹדָע מֵהָאֲרִיזַ”ל:

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FOOTNOTES

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34. Parentheses appear in the original text.

35. Note by the Rebbe: “So it is written in the editions that I have seen. It would seem, however, that the text should have stated ‘Asiyah of chochmah.’ Possibly, however, since the Alter Rebbe is speaking here of the difference between the finite and the infinite—the Torah at the level of Beriah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah, as compared to the Torah at the level of Atzilut (where תורתך—‘Your Torah’ refers to the Torah of Atzilut while שלמדתנו—‘that You have taught us’ refers to the Torah of Beriah)—he therefore stresses ‘of Atzilut.’ “As to the relevance of this subject to our text: The infinity of the World of Atzilut lies in its correspondence to the sefirah of chochmah (i.e., the letter yud of the Four-Letter Name) while the Worlds of Beriah-Yetzirah-Asiyah correspond to the other [lower] sefirot.”

36. See Ecclesiastes 3:7.

37. In the original Heb. text, parentheses around the word להשפיע indicate that it should be substituted by the bracketed word להתלבש.

38. Psalms 104:24.

39. Heb. text emended according to the Glosses and Emendations of the Rebbe.

40. Zohar I, 11b.

41. Heb. text emended according to the Glosses and Emendations of the Rebbe.

42. Heb. text emended according to the Glosses and Emendations of the Rebbe.

43. Deuteronomy 7:11.

44. Eruvin 22a.

45. Kiddushin 40b.

46. Vayikra Rabbah 35:7 (See below, Epistle 20).

47. See the Alter Rebbe’s Shulchan Aruch, Hilchot Talmud Torah 1:4, and the sources cited in the glosses there.