Now, in the Divine realm, the concept of “Face”

וְהִנֵּה, לְמַעְלָה, בְּחִינַת “פָּנִים“

the physical and the spiritual worlds—

הוּא הָרָצוֹן וְהַחֵשֶׁק, אֲשֶׁר אָבִינוּ שֶׁבַּשָּׁמַיִם מַשְׁפִּיעַ לְבָנָיו כָּל טוּב עוֹלָמִים וְחַיֵּי נֶפֶשׁ וְגוּף,

[all of this He bestows] out of love and willingness, out of inner desire and delight, through the Torah of Life, which is His blessed Will, that He gave unto us.

בְּאַהֲבָה וְרָצוֹן, חֲשִׁיקָה וַחֲפִיצָה, עַל־יְדֵי תּוֹרַת חַיִּים שֶׁהִיא רְצוֹנוֹ יִתְבָּרֵךְ אֲשֶׁר נָתַן לָנוּ,

The present passage is based on the body language that typically accompanies a gift.

As explained earlier in the Tanya (ch. 22), one gives a gift to a good friend face to face: the giver’s eyes rest on the face of the recipient. Through his very stance, the giver thus expresses the fact that his gift stems from his “face” (panim) and innermost core (pnimiyut). When, however, one gives something to an enemy, he averts his face. This simply gives outward expression to his real aversion: the gift is not prompted by any inner desire but by some external factor.

In our context, then, G‑d’s loving willingness in showering us with His gifts is described by the metaphor of “Face.”

in the 

כְּמוֹ שֶׁאוֹמְרִים: “כִּי בְאוֹר פָּנֶיךָ נָתַתָּ לָּנוּ תּוֹרַת חַיִּים כוּ’”

(and through which)

לַעֲשׂוֹת בָּהּ רְצוֹנוֹ,

And of this, it is written, “For in the light of the King’s Face there is life, and His will….”²²

וְעַל זֶה נֶאֱמַר: “בְּאוֹר פְּנֵי מֶלֶךְ חַיִּים, וּרְצוֹנוֹ כוּ’”.

To the heathens, however, He grants the life of their bodies²³ without willingness, pleasure, and delight.

מַה־שֶּׁאֵין־כֵּן לְעוֹבְדֵי גִלּוּלִים, מַשְׁפִּיעַ חַיֵּי גוּפָם שֶׁלֹּא בְּרָצוֹן וַחֲשִׁיקָה וַחֲפִיצָה,

(“other gods”)

לְכָךְ נִקְרָאִים “אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים”, שֶׁיּוֹנְקִים מִבְּחִינַת “אֲחוֹרַיִים”.

To continue the above metaphor: The Divine “reluctance” to grant life-force to the heathens—i.e., the so-called external level of Divine desire—is here described by a term that is the opposite of the “Face,” which expressed G‑d’s innermost will.

i.e., man’s innermost desires,

וְכָךְ הוּא בָּאָדָם, הָרָצוֹן וְהַחֵשֶׁק הוּא בְּחִינַת “פָּנִים”,

Thus, turning to G‑d “face to Face” means that a man accepts willingly and with inner desire whatever is apportioned to him from the supernal face, from G‑d’s innermost desire. In our context, this refers to a willing acceptance of G‑d’s admonishments as expressed in physical suffering.

If one does not accept [this suffering] with love and willingness, it is as if he turns his neck and back [on G‑d], heaven forfend.

וְאִם אֵינוֹ מְקַבֵּל בְּאַהֲבָה וְרָצוֹן כְּאִלּוּ הוֹפֵךְ עוֹרֶף וְאָחוֹר, חַס וְשָׁלוֹם.

The suggested advice to enable one to accept [it] with love is G‑d’s counsel through the mouth of our Sages, of blessed memory—“to examine one’s conduct.”²⁴

וְעֵצָה הַיְּעוּצָה לְקַבֵּל בְּאַהֲבָה, הִיא עֲצַת ה’ בְּפִי חֲכָמֵינוּ־זִכְרוֹנָם־לִבְרָכָה: “לְפַשְׁפֵּשׁ בְּמַעֲשָׂיו”,

The Gemara says that “if one sees afflictions befalling him, he should examine his deeds” and repent.

He will find sins that require scouring by means of suffering. He will then clearly see G‑d’s great love toward him, which “upsets the natural order of [Divine] conduct,”

וְיִמְצָא לוֹ עֲוֹנוֹת הַצְּרִיכִין מֵירוּק יִסּוּרִים, וְיִרְאֶה לָעַיִן גּוֹדֶל אַהֲבָתוֹ אֵלָיו, הַמְקַלְקֶלֶת הַשּׁוּרָה,

as in the simile of a great and awesome king who, out of his immense²⁵ love for his only son, personally washes off the filth from him.

כִּמְשַׁל מֶלֶךְ גָּדוֹל וְנוֹרָא הָרוֹחֵץ בִּכְבוֹדוֹ וּבְעַצְמוֹ צוֹאַת בְּנוֹ יְחִידוֹ, מֵרוֹב אַהֲבָתוֹ,

As it is written,²⁶ “When G‑d will wash off the filth from the daughters of Zion…with a spirit of justice²⁷….”²⁸

כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב: “אִם רָחַץ ה’ צוֹאַת בְּנוֹת צִיּוֹן כוּ’, בְּרוּחַ מִשְׁפָּט כוּ’”.

When one becomes aware of G‑d’s great love for him, a love that is expressed by scouring him with the cleansing agent of suffering:

Then, “as in water face reflects face,”²⁹

וְ”כַמַּיִם הַפָּנִים אֶל פָּנִים”,

The verse goes on to say, “…so is the heart of man to man.” And the same is true of the heart of mortal man to Supernal Man:

for those who find themselves in this world, the lowest of all worlds.

תִּתְעוֹרֵר הָאַהֲבָה בְּלֵב כָּל מַשְׂכִּיל וּמֵבִין יְקַר מַהוּת אַהֲבַת ה’ אֶל הַתַּחְתּוֹנִים,

both spiritual and material,

אֲשֶׁר הִיא יְקָרָה וְטוֹבָה מִכָּל חַיֵּי הָעוֹלָמִים כּוּלָּם,

(

כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב: “מַה יָּקָר חַסְדְּךָ וְכוּ’”,

[It is likewise written,] “For Your chesed is better than life….”³¹

“כִּי טוֹב חַסְדְּךָ מֵחַיִּים כוּ’”,

The motivating nucleus of chesed is love. Thus, it is written, “I have loved you with an everlasting love and have therefore drawn down chesed upon you.”³²

For chesed, which is a manifestation of love,

כִּי הַחֶסֶד שֶׁהוּא בְּחִינַת אַהֲבָה,

is the Fountainhead of life that is present in all the worlds; as it is said in the Amidah, “He sustains life through chesed.”³³

הוּא חַיֵּי הַחַיִּים שֶׁבְּכָל הָעוֹלָמוֹת, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאוֹמְרִים: “מְכַלְכֵּל חַיִּים בְּחֶסֶד”.

Chesed and love are thus the sustaining life-force of all living beings.

i.e., when one realizes G‑d’s great love for him that finds expression in afflictions, and when this in turn arouses a love within him so that he will better receive G‑d’s love, then:

וְאָז,

of a kind that the naked eye can clearly and palpably perceive as good,

“גַּם ה’ יִתֵּן הַטּוֹב”,

(the innermost dimension of Divinity)

וְיָאֵר פָּנָיו אֵלָיו,

with a manifest love, which had earlier been garbed and hidden in a manifest rebuke,

בִּבְחִינַת אַהֲבָה מְגוּלָּה, אֲשֶׁר הָיְתָה תְּחִלָּה מְלוּבֶּשֶׁת וּמְסוּתֶּרֶת בְּתוֹכָחָה מְגוּלָּה,

The overt admonition that stems from G‑d’s hidden love will then be transformed into a revealed love.

and the expressions of Divine severity (the gevurot) will be sweetened at their source,

וְיִתְמַתְּקוּ הַגְּבוּרוֹת בְּשָׁרְשָׁן,

Within their source, these expressions of Divine severity are ultimately benevolent; as they descend to the world below, they become manifest in the form of suffering. The gevurot, then, will be sweetened at their source,

and thereby, these expressions of Divine severity will become nullified forevermore.³⁵

וְיִתְבַּטְּלוּ הַדִּינִין נֶצַח סֶלָה וָעֶד:

____

FOOTNOTES

_________

​2​0. Sefer Hasichot 5704, p. 15.

​2​1. Liturgy, Amidah (Siddur Tehillat Hashem, p. 60; Annotated Edition, p. 53).

​2​2. Proverbs 16:15.

​2​3. Note by the Rebbe: “This requires further examination, for seemingly, this also applies to the life-force of their souls. See Tanya, ch. 22, and end of ch. 3.”

​2​4. Berachot 5a.

​2​5. Note by the Rebbe: “A point awaiting clarification: In the analogue, the Alter Rebbe writes ‘great’ (a qualitative term?) while in the analogy, he writes ‘immense’ (a quantitative term?).”

​2​6. Isaiah 4:4.

​2​7. Note by the Rebbe: “Cf. Shaar Hakollel on the Yehi Ratzon recited at the burning of chametz.”

​2​8. See Rashi on the verse.

​2​9. Cf. Proverbs 27:19.

​3​0. Psalms 36:8.

​3​1.  Ibid. 63:4.

​3​2.  Jeremiah 31:2.

​3​3.  Liturgy, Amidah (Siddur Tehillat Hashem, p. 51; Annotated Edition, p. 46).

​​3​4.  Cf. Numbers 6:25.

​​3​5.  See Likkutei Sichot, vol. 1, p. 284, for the three instances where the Tanya provides advice for suffering: Part I, ch. 26, Iggeret Hakodesh, Epistle 11, and here.