In other words, Hashem’s Lofty Wisdom is essentially too exalted to be knowable to any created being. Only a limited aspect of this Wisdom, its most external aspect, is able to descend into a level that could be understood by mortal man. It is this level that descends into the Torah in our world that we can grasp with our physical brain, and that we can fulfill the Mitzvos containing that Wisdom with our physical body.
For Hashem’s Supernal Wisdom can only be grasped when it becomes invested in physical matters, then, when taking an esrog, for example, since Hashem’s Wisdom is invested in it, it is like one is grasping Hashem’s Chochma-Wisdom Above in Atzilus.
(Bereishis Rabbah 17:7, 44:17. See there Parashas 44. Explained in Etz Chaim Shaar Haklalim, end of ch. 1.)
(See Zohar Hakdama, "Patach Eliyahu," 17a.)
Lessons in Torah Or
Now, drawing down Hashem’s Chochma-Wisdom Above into physical matters is by way of the light of Kesser-Crown.
The Mittler Rebbe explains in Toras Chaim: The Alter Rebbe’s question was: If the Lofty Wisdom of Hashem Above is too exalted to be perceived by any creation, then how did it descend into the Torah we have down here and in physical mitzvos? What caused this Lofty Wisdom to clothe itself in its external dimension to be able to descend into our world?
The Alter Rebbe’s answer is that there is a power even higher than the Lofty Wisdom, that causes it to descend (through its external dimension). This higher power is the level of Keser-Crown. Just as a crown is above the head, so too, this transcendent level of Kesser which is higher than Atzilus enables the Wisdom of Atzilus to descend to our world.
For, even though “The Torah is derived from Chochma” (Zohar II 121a), this is only on a revealed level, but its true source is above even the level of Chochma.
For, the 613 mitzvos of the Torah and the 7 Rabbinic mitzvos form the 620 Pillars of Light. The number “620” is the numerical value of the word “Kesser-Crown,” and the same letters in a different order. Thus, the Mitzvos, which total 620 (including the Rabbinic Mitzvos) are directly connected to “Kesser-Crown,” the level that transcends Atzilus.
This source of the Mitzvos is referred to in the Zohar (III 129a) as “The White Paths of the Gulgalta,”
(Zohar II 220a. See there 85a.)
(Pardes Shaar 8 ch. 3.)
(See Zohar III 220a, 9.)
Lessons in Torah Or
The word “Gulgalta” means skull. Just as the skull encompasses the brain and is higher than the brain, so too there is a level that transcends and encompasses Hashem’s Wisdom in Atzilus. That encompassing level is also called Kesser-Crown, since a crown is also above the head, similar to how the skull encompasses the brain.
This encompassing level is Hashem’s Essential Will. Will is higher than Wisdom, as we see that a person’s wisdom and understanding are affected by what he truly wants. Someone who truly wants something will understand why it makes sense to have it, and the other way around as well.
This essential Will which encompasses Wisdom is referred to as "white” paths, since white signifies something colorless and undefined, like “white light” which contains all colors in potential but visibly is colorless. This “white” intangible level is how the Mitzvos exist in the essential Will of Hashem, which is a Will that is beyond comprehension.
which is the level of Kesser-Crown, which is Malchus of Ein Sof. Malchus is the lowest aspect of any level, it is how one level descends into the level beneath it. The term “Ein Sof” means Infinite, and it refers to the Infinite Light of Hashem. “Malchus of Ein Sof” would mean how the Infinite Light of Hashem descends into the “Hishtalshelus-Order of Spiritual Worlds.”
Specifically, this “Malchus of Ein Sof” is expressed in the higher level of Kesser, called Atik. We explained previously that Atik is the Essential Pleasure of Hashem in our performance of Mitzvos and service of Hashem, which is what “motivated” Him to create the world.
The Essential Pleasure and the Essential Will of Hashem are the two aspects of Kesser-Crown, as they both transcend Atzilus. The Mitzvos are rooted in both of these levels, as they are the essential Will and Pleasure of Hashem.
And by way of Kesser, Chochma is also drawn down.
Therefore, the revelation of Chochma Above, which is invested in the Torah passage of “Kadeish” (Shemos 13:1-10) and written on parchment and placed inside the Tefillin and worn as a mitzvah, for example, is greater than the revelation of Chochma itself in its place Above in Atzilus, because it is drawn down by way of Kesser, which is higher than Chochma.
In order for Hashem’s Chochma of Atzilus to come into the Torah passages in the Tefillin, the level of Kesser needs to be expressed. So, when a Jewish man puts on Tefillin, he actually connects to Hashem’s Chochma on a deeper level than Chochma of Atzilus does, since the Jew is also connecting to Hashem through Kesser which transcends Atzilus.
Therefore, a Unification Above is affected through mitzvos performed specifically with physical objects,
The term “Unification Above” means: The Sefiros of Atzilus are spiritually Above the created words. When two Sefiros unite with each other, (generally speaking, either Chochma with Bina or Ze’eir Anpin with Malchus,) on a deeper level than they usually are united, this is a called a “Unification Above.”
This deeper level of connection between the Sefiros (either of Chochma with Bina or Ze’eir Anpin with Malchus) is dependent on the service of Hashem from the person below in this physical world.
such as through tzedakah, which effects a Unification Above in the world of Atzilus,
Through giving tzedakah-charity to the poor in this world, this has a ripple affect back to the cosmic source of the poor person and the person giving, as they exist in the levels of Ze’eir Anpin and Malchus. Ze’eir Anpin, the level of Hashem’s Emotive Attributes of Kindness and Severity, are the level that is “giving,” and Malchus, the level of Speech and Creation is “receiving” the additional flow of Hashem’s Light and Power from Ze’eir Anpin, corresponding to the poor person receiving life-sustaining funds from his benefactor.
Lessons in Torah Or
which is a higher revelation of Hashem than that of Gan Eden, the place of delight for the souls, which is in the world of Beriah. whereas, Malchus of Atzilus is the ‘Atik-Transcendent Source’ of Beriah,
Malchus of Atzilus is much higher than Beriah, it is its source, but only after it descends into the created worlds can it be a direct source for creation. As it exists in Atzilus it is too lofty be directly invested in creation, it is only a “Transcendent Source.” It is on this lofty level that Malchus receives an even greater revelation of Hashem through Ze’eir Anpin in connection with the mitzvah of Tzedaka. Thus, this revelation far surpasses any revelation to the souls in Gan Eden which is only in the World of Beriah.
This revelation in Malchus through the mitzvah of Tzedaka is referred to as: “that from ‘קֶדֶצ-righteousness’ becomes ‘צְדָקָה-charity,’ and the letter ד' becomes a letter ה'.”
The word ‘קֶדֶצ-righteousness’ is a reference to the level of Malchus, Hashem’s Kingship, which is built on righteous and correct judgement. However, when Malchus receives a greater revelation of Hashem’s Kindness (through Ze’eir Anpin), then this strict and righteous judgement turns into ‘צְדָקָה-charity,’ meaning that Hashem is more merciful in running His Kingdom and charitably grants people the chance to correct their mistakes and thereby be judged favorably.
When this happens then Malchus changes its name from from ‘קֶדֶצ-righteousness’ to ‘צְדָקָה-charity,’ which is the same word with an additional letter ה'. This ה' represents that Malchus has received a deeper revelation of Hashem from Ze’eir Anpin.
(See Lekutei Amarim 35:2. See also Lekutei Amarim 38:4.)
Lessons in Torah Or
We see this in the difference between the letter ד' and ה'. The letter ד' is written דלת which is similar to the word ‘דלית-it doesn’t have,’ referring to Malchus without this greater revelation, like the poor man who is lacking. The letter ה' is shaped like the ד' but with the addition of a small ו' in the bottom left corner. This small ו' represents the additional flow of Light and Life-force from the ו'=6 Attributes of Ze’eir Anpin.
This is similar to what is written in the Zohar (II, 38b), “as long as it (Malchus) does not receive from the masculine aspect (Ze’eir Anpin) it is called a [‘נַעֲרָ-girl’ without the letter ה', and when it receives the masculine aspect, it is called a ‘נַעֲרָה-girl’ with the letter ה'] ...”
In Parshas Ki Seitzei when discussing the laws involving an unmarried girl, it uses the word ‘נַעֲרָה -girl’ but in is written ‘נַעֲרָ ’ without the letter ה' at the end. When spelled like this it can be read ‘נַעֲר-boy,’ since a girl who never had relations is like a boy in the sense that, at the moment, she is not able to bear children, just as a boy cannot become pregnant. However, after the girl has relations, she is called ‘נַעֲרָה ’ with a ה', representing that she now has the (immediate) ability to become pregnant. This ability is due to what she received from her first relations.
The reason this is connected to the letter ה' is similar to what was explained above: When Malchus, which is like ד', receives from the ו=six attributes of Ze’eir Anpin, it becomes a ה', since that flow from Ze’eir Anpin becomes the small ו' in the bottom left corner of the ה'.
Since a woman/girl corresponds to Malchus and a man to Ze’eir Anpin, that is why before relations she is called ‘נַעֲרָ -girl’ without the letter ה', and after she has relations, she is called ‘נַעֲרָה-girl’ with the letter ה'.
(Zohar II, Bo 38b: “It is written (Devarim 22:23): ‘If there be a נערה betulah,’ it is written נער, why? Because as long as she has not received from the male, she is called נער, when she receives from the male, she is called נערה.”)
Since the general rule is that, usually, a woman does not become pregnant from her first relations, only from the second time she has relations.
