Part 4
In the beginning of the maamar, the Alter Rebbe quoted a verse from Shir Hashirim (8:7) that describes the Divine soul’s love for Hashem. The first half of the verse said, “Many waters cannot extinguish the [soul’s] love [for Hashem] and rivers cannot drown it.” The Alter Rebbe explained this to mean that the many flowing distractions of pursuing a livelihood cannot extinguish the love of the soul for Hashem. When a Jew comes to pray, he puts aside all the distractions and reconnects to Hashem. Thus, the soul reaches an even deeper level of love for Hashem than it had prior to coming into this world.
The second half of the verse says, as follows:
“If one were to give all of the wealth of his house out of the soul’s love for Hashem, he [Hashem and his Divine Court] would ridicule him!” (Shir HaShirim 8:7)
Rashi explains this verse, as follows: Even if the nations of world would try to convince a Jew to give up his love for Hashem by offering him tremendous physical wealth, the Jew would never give up his love and connection to Hashem! In fact, Hashem and His Divine Court of angels would ridicule anyone who would try to convince the Jewish People to exchange their belief in Hashem, G-d forbid, in return for material wealth.
The Alter Rebbe will explain this verse on a deeper mystical level:
Previously, we explained on the first half of the verse that the “many waters” that cannot extinguish the love that the Divine soul has for Hashem refers to the worries about livelihood.
The “rivers” that cannot wash away that love are referring to the thoughts regarding physical matters, which are called “rivers that are constantly flowing.”
This is not the case with regular “waters,” which do not constantly flow, but are gathered and remain in one place. Meaning that the river of thoughts about material matters are even more disturbing than the fact that a person must pursue a livelihood.
Nonetheless, all these “cannot extinguish the love” of the Divine soul for Hashem. Just the opposite; specifically, because of these factors and through these challenges, one will come to a much greater love of Hashem, to the level of loving Hashem “with all [one’s] might, as explained before.
Regarding this level of love of Hashem, the verse continues, “If a person will give all the wealth of his house from this love, they will ridicule him.”
The “wealth of His house” refers to the wisdom of the Torah, which are the explanations and deeper meanings behind the Mitzvos, which derive from Hashem’s Wisdom.
Like it says, (Bereishis 2:10) “A river flows from Eden to water the Garden.” Now, this level called “Eden,” is referring to Hashem’s Chochma-Wisdom that is called “Eden.” The word “עֵּדֶן-Eden” means “עִּידו ן-enjoyment,” and refers to the level of Hashem’s Wisdom in the World of Atzilus. Within that Wisdom, Hashem’s enjoyment is manifested. This is similar to the enjoyment felt when one’s mind is enlightened by a new flash of insight that is innovated in some area of study or thought.
“From there flows a river,” which is a flow of Divine Wisdom. It flows forth “to water the ג ָּן-Garden,” which is a reference to the “ג ''ן-53” Parshios of the Torah. This “river” of Divine Wisdom refers to the explanations and deeper meanings behind the Mitzvos.
The word “גן-Garden” has the same numerical value as 53, representing the 53 parshios of the Torah. The “river” that flows into the “גן-Garden” is the flow of Divine Wisdom (Chochma) into Bina (where another level of Torah exists) and then into [the final level of Torah] in Malchus. Both of these are different levels of the “Garden” as they exist in Atzilus. From Atzilus, the Torah can flow down into the created worlds.
From this ‘River of Wisdom’ that flows through the Torah of the ‘Gardens’ of Atzilus, it flows down further and it devolves into the levels of the “Higher Gan (garden of) Eden,” which is in the world of Beriah, and the “Lower Gan Eden,” in the world of Yetzirah. Finally, it flows all the way down into the Torah we learn in the physical world.
The source of all of these levels is Hashem’s Chochma-Wisdom, which is called “Reishis HaHishtalshelus-the beginning of the chain of worlds.” Now, despite being very exalted, this level of Chochma is not even comparable to Hashem’s very Essence and Being, which is entirely beyond the order of the worlds. Thus, all the wisdom of the Torah in all the highest spiritual worlds comes ultimately from Hashem’s Chochma-Wisdom in the world of Atzilus. However, this level is very limited compared to Hashem Himself. How much more so is any lower level of wisdom that is merely a derivative of the wisdom of Atzilus even more incomparably lower than Hashem Himself.
