Chapter 3
This is the meaning of the phrase “the family of Yaakov, who came into Egypt, caused them [the mitzvos] to take root;” והֶזְו "הַבָּּאִּים י ש ְׁ רֵ ש ַׁי עֲקֹב ": meaning the Jewish People below in this world cause the mitzvos to take root, referring to the mitzvos which descended from Hashem’s Will to become invested in physical objects. הַיְינוּ הַש ְ רָּ ש ָּה לְמַטָּּה , הוּא בְּחִּינַת ןֹוצָּר תַניִּחְּבִּמ ּודְרָּ יֶּ ש תֹוְצִּּמַה־ הָּעֶּלְיוֹן יִּמְ שַּג םיִּרָּבְדִּּב שֵּבַלְתִּהְלים –
This is the idea of calling the Jewish People ‘יַעֲקֹב-Yaakov,’ which are the letters of ‘יוּ''ד־עָּקֵב-the letter י'-Yud which represents Chochma/Wisdom that descends below to the level of the heel, representing the lowly physical level. הוּא בְּחִּינַת יַעֲקֹב – יוּ''ד ־ עָּקֵב, בְּחִּינַת .הָּּטַמְל בֵקָּע תַניִּחְבִּּב הָּדְרָּ יֶּ ש ד''ּוי
The Jewish People in this physical world, which is called “the עָּקֵב-heel” of all levels, bring down the level of the י'-Yud, the highest level of Hashem’s Wisdom that contains His Inner Desire and Will for the mitzvos, into this physical world through their actual performance of them. This is why they are referred to in this verse as ‘יַעֲקֹב-Yaakov,’ the י'-Yud connecting to the עָּקֵב-heel.
As a result, “Yisroel flourished and blossomed” – like emerging and blossoming from concealment to a revealed state. וְעַל יְדֵי זֶּה "ח רָּפ וַׁץיִצָּי יִּש ְ רָּ אֵל" – לִּהְיוֹת בְּחִּינַת צְמִּ יחָּה מֵהַהֶּעְלֵם אֶּל הַגִּּילּוּי כוּ' .
Through sowing of mitzvos in this world in the time of Galus-Exile in a manner of “Yaakov,” we reap the harvest of the revelation of those mitzvos in the time of Geula-Redemption when we will be on the level of “Yisroel.”
This is the meaning of (Daily Shachris Prayer), “For he who sows righteousness, salvation sprouts” - through sowing, which represents doing mitzvos and giving tzedakah, it is for our benefit [and causes salvation to sprout]. וְזֶּהוּ "זוֹרֵ ע ַׁ צְׁדָּקוֹתַׁ ַׁ–ַַַׁׁׁמ צְׁמִיח ַַׁׁ תֹוע ו שְׁי:" עַל יְדֵי הַזְּרִּ יעָּה – בְּחִּינַת הַמִּּצְוֹת, וּצְדָּקָּה ש ֶּכָּּל אֶּחָּד נוֹתֵן – הוּא רַ ק לְזַכּוֹתֵנוּ .
For surely Hashem Himself could have provided for the poor, but it is only in order to give us the merit of accomplishing the “sprouting of salvations” that he made some people require receiving charity from us, which brings the true power and nature of the mitzvos into revelation from their state of concealment through our performance of the mitzvos.
And this is the intent of what King Dovid HaMelech says (Tehillim 119:96), “Of every ‘ת ִכְׁלָּהַׁ-desire’ I have seen the end; but Your commandments are exceedingly broad.” וְזֶּהוּ כַּוָּּונַת מַאֲמַ ויָּלָּע ךֶּלֶּּמַה דִּוָּּד ר־הַש ָּּלוֹם (תְּהִּלִּּים קיט, צו) : "לְכָּל ת ִכְׁלָּהַׁ רָּ אִיתִיַׁקֵץ,ַַׁׁדֹאְׁמַׁ ךְׁתָּוְׁצִמַׁהָּבָּחְׁר" :
His intent in ‘תִּּכְלָּה-desire’ is not only that there is a limit to material desires, but that there is also a limit to the spiritual desire for Divine Wisdom, and for the ‘שֶׁפֶׁ נ הַׁתֹולְׁכ ו-desire of our soul to return to our source in Hashem,’ as in the expression “כ ָּלְׁתָּהַׁ נ פְׁש ִי-my soul yearns (desires) Hashem,” (Tehillim 84:3).
This yearning to connect with Hashem has an “end” and limit, for every soul has a limit to its spiritual attainments and understanding. ש ֶּהוּא בִּּבְחִּינַת "קֵץ " וּגְבוּל – ש ֶּלְּכָּל נְש ָּמָּה יֵש גְּבוּל לְהַש ָּּגָּתָּהּ ;
However, “Your commandments” are “exceedingly broad;” meaning that Hashem's mitzvos are “broad” in their capacity to receive the unlimited revelation of Hashem, since through performing mitzvos this causes an unlimited revelation of Hashem, this is why even though spiritual desire and yearning have a limit, but “Your mitzvos are exceedingly broad.”
This is the meaning of the verse, “Fortunate are you, who sow upon all waters:” Every level of understanding of Hashem’s revelation that can be attained in the upper and the lower Gan Eden is called “water,” as the verse says, “And a river flows forth from Eden [to give water to the Gan (Garden)] ...” (Bereishis 2:10)
However, regarding physical mitzvos, their planting is “upon, i.e., above, all waters,” meaning, above and beyond all levels of “water,” which refer to graspable revelation.
Similarly, by learning Torah, which also descended to become invested in concepts relating to physical objects, we also effect an “exponential growth” through this.
Therefore, our Sages said (Bava Basra 10b), “Fortunate is he who arrives here with his Torah learning in his hand.” Seemingly, this is a wonder, since Above, speech of the Torah discussing physical things is completely unnecessary, such as (Bava Metzia 2:1) “These are the found objects [that one must announce] ...” and similar?
However, for the seed to be sprout it needs to be specifically rooted and absorbed into the earth, and only then can it grow; similarly, when one actually absorbs his Torah study, to the extent that he is “holding it in his hand [intellectually],” then from that can come an “exponential growth,” a great revelation, far greater than the limited revelations of Gan Eden, for there (in Gan Eden) the soul is only “enjoying a ray of the Shechinah-Divine Presence.”
Until now the Alter Rebbe explained that ‘יַעֲקֹב-Yaakov’ is י'-Yud connecting to the עָּקֵב-heel. This is the level of the Jewish People in this world, who “plant” Torah and Mitzvos in this world. According to this the verse means: “הַבָּּאִּים יַש ְ רֵש-those who come to take root into this world יַעֲקֹב-are the family of Yaakov, the Jewish People.”
Now the Alter Rebbe will add that “Yaakov” also represents the Torah itself, which needs to be “planted” in this world. He will thus explain the verse: “הַבָּּאִּים -the Jewish people who come into this world יַש ְרֵש יַעֲקֹב -they cause “Yaakov-The Torah” to take root.”
This is the meaning of, “י ש ְׁרֵ ש ַַׁׁי עֲקֹב-causing Yaakov to take root,” by implanting and causing the level of Yaakov, which is the Torah, to become absorbed in the “ground” of the Jewish People.
Now the Alter Rebbe will bring verses that the name “Yaakov” can also refer to the Torah study itself: It says: “And He established testimony (Torah) in Yaakov;” (Tehillim 78:5); and it says “Grant ‘Truth’ to Yaakov,” (Micha 7:20), and the word ‘Truth’ refers to the Torah. We see that the Torah is called Yaakov, and in the Torah Hashem placed the Truth and the testimonies.
The result of absorbing one’s Torah study is the continuation of the verse: “‘יִש ְׁרָּאֵל-Yisroel’ flourished and blossomed,” meaning, it brings forth a revelation of “לִי-to me there is internalized רֹאש ַׁ-the wisdom of Hashem’s ‘Head,’” as is known.
And this is what the original verse continues to say: “And the תֵבֵלַׁ-world will be filled with ‘הָּבונְׁ ת-produce.’” The simple meaning of ‘הָּבונְׁ ת-produce’ is crops. The word ‘תְּנוּבָּה-produce’ also spells ‘ַׁו''נְׁ ת־ַׁב ָּ''ַַׁׁה – place it inside...’ This means to transmit in a way that it is absorbed fully, on the level of ‘תֵבֵלַׁ-world,’ referring to Knesses Yisroel (Jewish People), who are called a ‘Land of Desire,’ that Torah and Mitzvos can be absorbed and implanted in them until they become revealed, as was previously explained regarding Yaakov (planting) and Yisroel (sprouting) Hashem’s Light.
