As is it first written in the verse (Bamidbar 15:39), “And you should not stay after the unholy desires of your [animal soul’s] heart and after [unholy things] that you see with your eyes,” and then the next verse says, “And you shall then be holy to Hashem,” meaning that by not straying after unholy desires, this causes “the Glory of the Holy One, blessed be He, to be revealed in a lofty manner in all of the worlds.”
Then, through “Asei tov - doing good things,” we will be able to receive the revelation of Hashem’s Infinite Light down here in this world through the active fulfillment of the 248 Mitzvos.
This ability of the mitzvos to reveal Hashem is because “the Torah comes forth from Hashem’s Wisdom,” (Zohar II, 62a), and the mitzvos are 248 channels of bringing down Light and Life from Hashem’s Wisdom Above (in Atzilus).
This is why they are called “the Limbs of the King,” like the limbs of a person’s body, that receive the life that comes to them from the (soul whose main revelation is in the) brain.
Like we see in our lives, where the brain feels the pain of all the limbs, proving that all of the life of the body is centered in the brain and extends to all the limbs.
So too through the mitzvos, Hashem’s Infinite Light is drawn down from His Wisdom Above into the “hidden worlds” and “revealed worlds.”
Now that the Alter Rebbe explained how mitzvos bring Hashem’s Light into this world, he will go back to explain why it is that specifically in Eretz Yisroel we are able to fulfill all the mitzvos, and why the Land is called “flowing with milk and honey:”
“Milk and honey” represent “the two arms” of Kindness and Severity, referred to as “Between the right arm and the left arm (of Z’eir Anpin), the ‘Bride’ (Malchus) approaches,”
The Chesed-Kindness and Gevura-Severity of Hashem’s attributes in Atzilus, known as Z’eir Anpin, are what give the “Bride,” Malchus, the ability to ascend back to Atzilus on Shabbos, following its descent into the created worlds during the week. We see that Hashem’s attributes of Kindness and Severity are referred to as “the right and the left” arms.
And as it is written (Devarim 33:27), “under Hashem’s ‘arms’ the world is held in place.” (See Targum Yonasan ben Uziel on this verse.)
The Mittler Rebbe explains the idea of “milk and honey” in terms of “kindness and severity:”
Milk and honey are two types of sweetness, a “kind sweetness” and a “severe sweetness.” Milk is produced from a mother and given directly to her child. Honey is extracted from flowers and processed at a distance from the flowers, by the bees, similar to how the father gives kindness to his children more distantly.
Kabbalistically, these represent two types of flows of kindness from Hashem: Milk is the flow of Life and Kindness from Bina, the “Mother,” to her “children,” the attributes of Atzilus (Z’eir Anpin). Honey is the flow of Life and Kindness from Chochma, the “father” of the attributes of Atzilus.
Just as the main function of a mother is to nurture, the milk she gives is simple kindness, which is why milk is white, showing “kind sweetness.” The function of a father is also to discipline and be strict. However, when he wants to be kind, he will go to extreme lengths and overcome obstacles to give that kindness, showing “severe kindness,” meaning a more intense version of kindness. Because honey is more “intense kindness” it can only be eaten in small quantities, unlike milk that the baby drinks all the time.
These two types sweetness, the “kind” version and the “intense” version, are revealed from Hashem through the corresponding mitzvos involving action or refraining from sin: Through the action mitzvos we draw down the “kind sweetness,” referred to as “milk,” and through refraining from sin we draw down the “intense kindness,” represented by honey.
This milk and honey represent bringing down Hashem’s Light through the action of the mitzvos, which are the “248 Limbs of the King,” as it were.
Now, Eretz Yisroel in this physical world corresponds to the spiritual Eretz Yisroel, as it exists Above, representing Malchus of Atzilus, the “Land” that is the source of Jewish souls.
This is why the main fulfillment of mitzvos is specifically in Eretz Yisroel.
The accomplishment of mitzvos is to draw down Hashem’s Light into Malchus of Atzilus, the source of all Jewish souls, and through that into us and the world. Because this happens most powerfully in Eretz Yisroel, this is why the main fulfillment of mitzvos is in Eretz Yisroel.
However, the Spies were on a very high spiritual level, and they did not want to lower themselves to be involved in the physical action of the mitzvos, which draw Hashem’s Infinite Light down into this world.
Rather, they said about Eretz Yisroel that it is a land that “eats up its inhabitants.” (Bamidbar 13:32)
They thought that if Hashem’s Infinite Light would be revealed here below just as its revealed Above, then they would lose their entire independent existence. This is the meaning of a land that “eats its inhabitants,” i.e., it consumes their ego and feeling of existing separately from Hashem.
As the Alter Rebbe will continue to explain, the lower the Light descends shows on its loftier source. When the Light comes into the physical mitzvos it comes from a tremendously lofty source, and hence, the Light is much more powerful than the Light as expressed in spiritual mitzvos, such as prayer and Torah study. Since this Light that comes into physical mitzvos in Eretz Yisroel is so powerful, the spies were worried it would be too powerful for them to handle.
They wanted to specifically remain in the “ב מִדְבָּר-desert,” which is related to the word “דִּבּוּר-speech,” meaning, to draw down Hashem’s Infinite Light to the level of “Speech,” the level of Malchus, which is the land of “Eretz Yisroel Above,”
The idea of staying in the desert (related to the word for speech) was to bring Hashem’s Light into the level of Malchus of Atzilus, the source of Divine Speech. This level is called the land of “Eretz Yisroel Above,” since it is the spiritual source of the physical Eretz Yisroel in our world.
This level of Malchus is called “the Land” since it is the lowest level of Elokus-Divinity of the world of Atzilus, as it is written (Yeshaya 66:1), “The ‘Land’ is My (Hashem’s) footstool,” and it is written (Mishlei 3:19), “Hashem established ‘the Land’ with Wisdom,” and, as described in the Zohar, (III 248a) “Abba-the father (Chochma-Wisdom) established Brata-the daughter (Malchus-Royalty),” which is the level of “Speech,” i.e. the words of Hashem’s Speech which are rooted in Hashem’s Chochma-Wisdom.
As we see in the analogy of a toddler: Until his mind is fully developed, even though he has the physical ability to produce the sounds of the letters, nonetheless he is not able to speak and arrange those letters into words.
This is because his power of Chochma-Wisdom, which would give him the ability to consciously manipulate his vocal noises into coherent speech, is not yet fully developed in him.
In Tanya, Igeres HaKodesh chapter 5, the Alter Rebbe explains: The ability to speak comes from a deeper part of the intellect than the ability to understand. We see that a toddler can be able to understand everything he is told and sees, and yet still not be able to speak. This is because the power of speech comes from the subconscious level of Chochma, which is the source of revealed intellect and logic. This deeper aspect of intellect takes longer to be manifest in a child than his ability to understand things around him and what people are telling him.
Just as human speech derives from a deeper part of his soul than his ability to process things logically, so too the spiritual level of Malchus, Divine Speech, derives from a higher level than Bina-Divine Understanding, rather it derives from Chochma-Wisdom, a much deeper level that is the source of Divine Understanding. This is the idea of saying that the ‘Land’ is established with Wisdom, since Malchus-Divine Speech, derives from Chochma.
The Spies wanted that all Divine Revelations should be from Chochma of Atzilus to the level of “Speech,” i.e., Malchus of Atzilus, which is “Eretz Yisroel Above,” where there is also the Bais Hamikdash, Yerushalayim, and all other aspects corresponding to the physical Eretz Yisroel in our world.
The Spies wanted that our service of Hashem should focus on revealing in Malchus of Atzilus its source, which is Chochma of Atzilus. Since they were on the level of connecting to Malchus of Atzilus, that’s where they wanted all the Revelations to come to.
However, Yehoshua and Kaleiv said, “טו בָּה הָאָרֶץ-The physical Land (of Eretz Yisroel) is good מְאֹד מְאֹד-very much so!” (Bamidbar 14:7)
Meaning, that specifically through the Land of Eretz Yisroel below, which enables us to perform physical mitzvos specifically, this will draw Hashem’s Infinite Light, on a powerful and unlimited level, the level of ‘מְאֹד-extremely,’ into the “Hidden Worlds” of Beriah, and “Revealed Worlds” of Yetzira and Asiya.
This is why it says the word “מְאֹד-very” twice in the expression “the Land is מְאֹד מְאֹד-very extremely good,” meaning that the Land is so good that it can bring down a Light powerful enough to come into the “Hidden Worlds” and also into the “Revealed Worlds,”
For in truth, this was the main intention of Hashem, that He should have a “dwelling place” specifically “in the lowest level,” as our Sages say (Midrash Tanchuma, Naso, chap. 16): “The Holy One, blessed be He, desired to have a dwelling place in the lowest level,” i.e., the physical world.
He desired to be revealed before the eyes of all flesh, i.e., people, so that He be revealed below in this world just as He is revealed Above.
Not only did He not want his main revelation to be in the spiritual realm, but just the opposite, He wanted to be more revealed below, and with greater intensity, than Above, like the advantage of light that is felt more intensely and powerfully when it comes to shine in a dark place.
For, in truth, the higher and more elevated a level something is on, it becomes revealed with greater intensity on a correspondingly lower level specifically.
Let’s take the example of someone with great wisdom: He cannot reveal the true depth of his wisdom to his student only using speech. Rather, he also needs to hint to the depth of the concept specifically through a physical action. Only then can he express the depth of the wisdom with greater intensity.
As our Sages say (Midrash Mishlei chap. 22), “For a wise person, it is sufficient for him to use a hint to express his wisdom.”
Another analogy: If a diamond has words engraved in it, those letters are not readily apparent to the eye, due to the translucent nature of the stone. However, when this diamond is used as a signet ring to stamp wax seals on a letter, then the shape of those letters in that wax become apparent to the eye.
This concept is similar to what is written (Bamidbar 15:39), “And you should see it (the Tzitzis) and thereby, you will remember all the mitzvos of Hashem.”
Meaning that through the physical action of looking intently at the thirty-two physical strings of the Tzitzis, you will come to “remember all the mitzvos of Hashem.”
Because the (garment of the) Talis represents a “Makif-Encompassing” Light, and the thirty-two strings of the Tzitzis represent the “thirty-two paths of Chochma-Wisdom,” which are drawn down in an internalized manner from the “Makif-encompassing” Light.
And it is impossible to hint to this process except through a physical action (of wearing Tzitzis) specifically. This is exactly the opposite of what the spies were thinking, that they wanted the service of Hashem to remain in thought and speech and not to come into action.
In fact, Moshe Rabbeinu, who was the leader from the “Generation of knowledge of Hashem,” and on an exceedingly high level, was not able to come into the physical Eretz Yisroel.
Nonetheless, he prayed 515 times, the same gematriya-numerical value as the word “וָאֶתְחַנַּן-and I prayed,” in order to be able to enter the physical Eretz Yisroel.
Because this was the main intention of Hashem and the purpose of Creation, as explained above.
The entire purpose of Creation was to make a “dwelling” for Hashem in this physical world, which is made through physically performing mitzvos. This is why Moshe wanted more than anything else to be able to actually perform the physical mitzvos, and he wasn’t satisfied with the fact that he had the greatest understanding of Hashem of all people.
Nonetheless, Hashem decided that [Moshe] was not able to enter, and only Yehoshua could bring the Jewish People into Eretz Yisroel.
Even though Moshe wanted so much to perform all the physical mitzvos in Eretz Yisroel, nonetheless, since he “belonged” to the “generation of knowledge of Hashem,” which is involved in the spiritual service of Hashem in prayer and Torah study, he wasn’t able to enter Eretz Yisroel. However, Yehoshua, who was on a lower level than Moshe, was able to enter the physical Eretz Yisroel and bring the Jewish People into it to perform physical mitzvos.
Summary of Chapter 1 of the Maamar:
Q1. Why did the Spies, who were the leaders of the tribes and great spiritual people, not want to enter Eretz Yisroel?
Q2. What is the meaning of the praise of Eretz Yisroel by describing it as a “Land flowing with milk and honey?”
Q3. Why are the majority of the mitzvos dependent on being in Eretz Yisroel, especially those involving agriculture, like Teruma and Maasar, and all the mitzvos connected with the Bais Hamikdash?
Q4. Why is it that a person needs to eat food to live? If the life he receives from the food is from the “Speech of Hashem” invested in it, then the person also has the letters of “Hashem’s Speech” invested in him?
A4. The lifeforce that comes from Hashem and is invested in food is from the level of Tohu, which is a much higher level than the lifeforce that Hashem invested in the person, which is only the level of Tikun. Because of the higher Light of Tohu invested in the food, it gives additional life to the person, who is from Tikun.
