As Rebbe Nachman implies, all of the details regarding the revelation of the greatness of Hashem and the imprint of this revelation are clearly defined in holy words of Dovid HaMelech in chapter 135 of Tehillim. Thus, we will now explore the entire chapter:
י יְ הֹוָֽ ה:
בְ דֵ
ה הַֽ֜ לְ ל֗ וּ ע
ֵ ֣ם יְ הֹוָ
לְ לוּיָ֨הּ | הַֽ֖ לְ לוּ אֶ ת־ש
הַ
The sefarim hakedoshim explain that the words “halleluka and hallu” represent a unification of the Sefiros of Chachmah and Binah, which awakens our mochin. This relates to the experience of expanded consciousness (mochin) that comes from attaching ourselves to the Oneness of Hashem with emunah. But in order that we shouldn’t think that this avodah is only for great tzaddikim, Dovid HaMelech finishes the verse saying, “Praise [Hashem], servants of Hashem!” Notice that he did not use the term “children of Hashem,” which would refer to those who are very close to the Creator and have a deep understanding of Him. Rather, he mentions “servants of Hashem” to teach us that even a simple Jew on the lower of a “servant” can receive a spark of the Infinite Light through tefillah, as we explained previously.
ֵ ֣ית אֱ לֹהֵֽ ינוּ:
ת ב
ְ֜ חַ צְ ר֗ ו
ה ב
ְ בֵ ֣ית יְ הֹוָ
מְ דִ ים ב
ֶ עֹ
ש
In order to receive this light, the servants have to stand in their place and search for Hashem. They have to do what they can to be mevatel themselves to His Oneness according to their level, and not give up. If we don’t run away from Hashem and we stay in His courtyard, we will receive the spark.
ים:
ִֽ
ִ֣י נָ ע
כ
ְ מ֗ ו
ה זַ מְּ ר֥ וּ לִ֜ ש
ב יְ הֹוָ
ִ י־ט֣ ו
הַֽ לְ לוּיָ הּ כ
The goodness in this verse refers to the “great goodness” of the light of Hashem that He has hidden away for the tzaddikim, which we can taste through the avodah of this sichah. Through this, our hearts are inspired to “sing in [honor of Hashem’s] Name” – and we taste the incredible “sweetness” that is revealed after experiencing the spark.
:
ָ תֽ ו
הּ יִ֜ שְׂ רָ אֵ֗ ל לִ סְ גֻ ל
יָ
ָ חַ ֣ר ל֣ ו
קֹ֗ ב ב
ִֽ י־יַֽ ע
כ
The name Yisroel is a segulah, which means that the closeness between Am Yisroel and Hashem is something that is beyond explanation. It is a great spark that can’t be talked about. Nonetheless, “Yaakov was chosen by Hashem.” In other words, Hashem wants us to live most of the time in the aspect of “Yaakov,” a name which represents the lower level of daas that we use to go about our everyday activities. This refers to the avodah of making vessels to retain the imprint of Hashem’s greatness even when we work, eat, do mitzvos, and so on. The spark of the Infinite Light is not an experience that we can have all the time. However, we can take an imprint of that revelation – an aspect of Yaakov – which can illuminate our emunah even when we’re doing very mundane tasks in this world.
ָ ל־אֱ לֹהִֽ ים:
ַֽ אֲ דֹנֵ֗ ינוּ מִ כ
ה ו
ל יְ הֹוָ
ִֽ י־גָ ד֣ ו
תִּ י כ
ְ י אֲ נִ֣י יָ דַ ע
כ
Dovid HaMelech says, “I know that the segulah of Yisroel is very far from aspect of Yaakov. It is something that is beyond words!” This verse relates to the beginning of the chapter – the mochin of “halleluka hallu“.
First, this verse mentions the Name Havaya, which represents the higher Sefiros, and then Name Adnus, which represents Malchus. The Name of Havaya refers to the greatness of Hashem in all the upper spiritual realms, while the Name of Adnus refers Hashems power over all the angels who carry out the laws of nature. These two Names hint to the two aspects of Hashem’s light that Rebbe Nachman mentions in this sichah: illumination and spark. The Illumination is a more practical understanding in our hearts that comes from the aspect of Adnus, while the spark is a higher revelation that flashes into our minds from the aspect of Havaya.
ת:
ַמִּ֗ ים וְ כָ ל־תְּ הֹמֽ ו
ַ֜ י
רֶ ץ ב
יִ ם וּבָ אָ
ָ מַ
ַ שּ
ה ב
֫ שָׂ
ה ע
ץ יְ הֹוָ
ֶ ר־חָ פֵ
ֹ֚ ל אֲ ש
כ
This verse is very far from what came before. At the same time, however, the last word of the previous verse “elohim,” which refers to the angels who carry out the laws of nature, includes all of these things that come afterward. This is where we make an imprint of the spark through which we can be close to Hashem even after the light goes away.
In other words, after the amazing revelation of “I knew that Hashem is great,” Dovid HaMelech says that he can make an imprint of this light that will stay with him. The first way that he mentions to make this imprint is through the wonders of this world – the Heavens and the Earth, the seas and all the depths. In these things it is possible to see the greatness of the Creator with our own eyes, through which we can hold onto the taste of the Infinite Light. But it is only after we experience the revelation of “I knew” that the miracles of Creation awaken our hearts to feel love and awe of Hashem.
ים לַ מָּ טָ ֣ר
ְ רָ קִ
רֶ ץ ב
ה הָ֫ אָ
לֶ ֣ה נְ שִׂ אִ ים֘ מִ קְ צֵ
מַֽ ע
תָֽ יו:
צְ רו
צֵ א ר֜֗ וּחַ מֵ אֽ ו
ה מ֥ ו
שָׂ
ע
Another way we can make the “imprint” is through the unbelievable wonders of the weather: the power of the winds, the awesome collections of clouds, the brilliant flash of lightning bolts, the rain – a complete picture. Like the Rambam and Baal Shem state, we should contemplate these amazing things in order to find new inspiration to serve Hashem.
ְ הֵ מָֽ ה:
ד־ב
יִ ם מֵֽ֜ אָ דָ ֗ ם ע
רֵ ֣ י מִ צְ רָ
כו
ָ ה ב
ֶֽ הִ כ
ש
Next, Dovid HaMelech mentions the miracles that Hashem did for us when He H’ took us out of Egypt. Hashem killed the firstborn of Egypt, which represents the wicked people and the hiddenness of the material world (dinim) that try to stop us from receiving the shefa of mochin and prevent us from living with the imprint of this mochin in our daily lives.
בָ דָֽ יו:
ְ֜ פַ רְ עֹ֗ ה וּבְ כָ ל־ע
יִ ם ב
כֵ ֣כִ י מִ צְ רָ
תו
תֹ֣ ת וּ֖מֹֽ פְ תִ ים ב
ָ לַ֚ ח או
ש
This verse refers to the Ten Plagues. Yetzias Mitzrayim is the main understanding of the greatness of Hashem that we can speak about. It was the time when Hashem’s Divine Providence was most revealed. Thus, it is a fantastic vessel for us to hold onto the spark of the Infinite Light.
ה זִ כְ רְ ךָ֥ לְ דֹֽ ר־וָ דֹֽ ר:
ם יְ֜ הֹוָ
לָ
ִ מְ ךָ֣ לְ עו
יְ הֹוָ ה ש
There is a similar verse in the Torah, except that it is expressed in the first person (Shemos 3:15): “This is My Nameשמי) ) for eternity, and this is My Remembrance (זכרי) from generation to generation.” On this verse, the Zohar HaKadosh reveals that the wordשמי has the numerical value of 365 when you add the first two letters of Hashem’s Name (yud and hey), while the word זכרי equals 248 when you add the last two letters of Hashem's Name (vav and hey). This refers to the 365 prohibitions and 248 positive commandments in the Torah.
These mitzvos are the main vessels for the spark of the Infinite Light of Hashem, since each mitzvah is a physical act that is an expression of Hashem’s will. Thus, one of the best ways for us to hold onto the illumination of Hashem’s greatness is to do a mitzvah right afterwards with the new chiyus and mochin that we received from the illumination. In addition, we can capture the spark of light by learning the holy sefarim of the tzaddikim that explain the deeper meaning of the mitzvos. Through this, we ourselves become a Merkava for H’ through the tzimtzumim of the Torah.
In truth, this idea is in every single Torah in Likutei Mohoran, and every tefillah in Likutei Tefillos, since they are all vessels for the illumination of the Infinite Light, but without the experiencing this light, there is not way for us to understand it. This is why Reb Nosson chose this sichah to be the opening sichah of this holy sefer.
