Part 2
Now, the Mishna is compared to a “city” and the בָּר יְיתָּא-Beraisa is compared to a “field,” since the root of the word בָּרַ יְיתָּא is “ב ר-outside,” meaning outside of the city.
Seemingly, the city is on a much higher level than the field, since people live specifically in the city and not in the field. So too, it would seem that the Mishna is much higher than the Beraisa.
However, let’s look at the following: Which of these [two, the field or the city], is providing sustenance for people? It is the field (that is outside of the city) from which grain is brought [to provide bread for people]!
So too, it is the Beraisa that “gives life” to the Mishna, and explains the halacha [Torah laws] in detail how the mitzvos should actually be fulfilled.
Like our Sages say, (Sota 22a) “Those who only teach Mishanyos destroy the world,” since they render decisions of halacha based on a superficial reading of the Mishna itself, without the commentary of the Beraisa (or Gemara).
The Alter Rebbe has explained the difference between the Mishna and the Beraisa, and the advantage that the Beraisa, the “field,” has in ‘sustaining’ us with detailed Torah laws, (ie. that the physical field gives grain, which is used to make bread, which, in turn, sustains one’s very life).
Now he will return to explain the verse quoted at the beginning of the maamar, describing how Yitzchok went out to ‘talk’ in the ‘field’ before evening:
This is the meaning of the verse, (Bereishis 24:63) “And Yitzchok went out ‘לָּש וּחַ-to talk’ in the field.” This word, ‘לָּש וּחַ,’ is an expression of speech and ‘וְש ִיחָּה-talking,’ but it is also an expression of ‘היָּחְ ש-bending over' downwards, as in the phrase, (Yeshaya 2:11) “‘וְש ח-and He will bend down’ the arrogance of man,” and in the phrase, (ibid. 25:11) “Just as the ‘שַׁחֶה-swimmer’ spreads out his hands to swim,” a swimmer is bent over on his stomach in order to swim.
We see from this that the word ‘לָּש וּחַ-to talk,’ mentioned regarding Yitzchok, can mean either, 1- to talk, or 2- to bend down.
Our verse continues, “He went out לָּש וּחַ in the field,” which is outside of the city. This is similar to the Beraisa, which is outside of the Mishna, like the field is outside of the city.
The verse continues, “‘לִפְנו ת-before’ night,” meaning that Yitzchok bent down to a level ‘outside’ of holiness in order ‘לְפ נ ו ת-to clear out’ the spiritual night and darkness.
The word ‘לִּפְנוֹת-before’ is the same letters as ‘לְפַנּוֹת-to clear out’ or remove.
Based on the above, we can translate the verse as follows:
And Yitzchok went out לָּש וּחַ - to bend himself down to the level of בַּש ָּּדֶה-in the ‘field,’ a place outside of the city where people live, (referring even to dealing with people or things in an unholy situation) לִּפְנוֹת עָּרֶ ב-in order to clear out and remove the spiritual darkness from that place.
The Descent of Torah into Darkness
The Alter Rebbe will elaborate on this process as it applies to Torah study:
The idea behind this is that the Torah descends to address spiritual darkness, like the saying of our Sages, (Sanhedrin 24a) “What is the verse referring to when it says, (Eicha 3:6) ‘He [Hashem] caused me [the Jewish People] to dwell in darkness?’ This is a reference to the Talmud Bavli [Babylonian Talmud],” in which the Torah descends to deal even with false claims.
We mentioned earlier in the maamar that the Torah addresses how to deal with situations where two people are arguing and one of them is definitely lying. For example, two people claim full ownership of the same object. The fact that the Torah deals with such lowly matters is a great descent from its lofty source in Hashem’s Wisdom.
Why is this so [that it must descend so far down]? In order to clear out the spiritual ‘night’ and darkness so that it should become transformed into light, like it says, (Zecharya 14:7) “At the time of night, it should become light.”
An analogy for this: If someone wants to clean out a place, he first needs to go into that place in order to clean it out. However, the intention is not that he should remain in that empty, cleaned out place. Rather, after he cleans it out, he fills it up with whatever should actually be there.
So too, the fact that the Torah descended to become invested in a place of spiritual darkness, into false claims or the like, is in order to clear out that spiritual darkness, and to ‘transform the darkness into light.’
So too, regarding the involvement in Torah study, the intention [of the study of the Talmud Bavli, which includes Beraisos or similar styles of learning], is to push away the spiritual darkness of the questions that conceal our understanding of the Torah laws according to their ultimate, true meaning, and to find the truth, to reveal the True Will of Hashem.
This is the meaning of, “And Yitzchok went out to bend down to the level of the field...:” The clearing out of the spiritual ‘night’ and darkness, and its transformation, is through the aspect of “Yitzchok,” which refers to awe and fear of Hashem.
Like it says, (Pirkei Avos 3:17) “If there is no fear [of Hashem] then there is no wisdom.”
