The Dynamics of Spiritual Awakening
In the maamar from Likkutei Torah cited previously, the Alter Rebbe interprets the statement of our Sages, “If the man emits seed first...” in a spiritual context. “The man” refers to G-d, and “the woman” refers to the Jewish people. “If the man emits seed first” means that the awakening to Divine service begins from Above – G-d shining His light on the soul of a Jew; in Kabbalistic terms, this is termed an arousal from Above. “If the woman emits seed first” means that the spiritual awakening begins from the person himself, through his own efforts – in Kabbalistic terms, this is termed an arousal from below.
If “man emits seed first, [his wife] will give birth to a female” – in spiritual terms, this means that when the arousal comes from Above, from Divine light, it will not endure. The awakening it produces within man will possess a “female” quality, i.e., something that is not enduring, as our Sages state, “The daas of women is weaker.” In a spiritual sense, this means that since the person has not properly prepared himself to receive the Divine input – because the awakening comes only from Above – it will have no lasting influence on the person. However, when “woman emits seed first,” when there is an awakening from the person’s side, he becomes fit to accept the Divine input, then “she gives birth to a male” – the arousal will endure, because the person will absorb and internalize it, incorporating it into his own makeup.
Integrating Virtues
Nevertheless, there is also an advantage when “the man emits seed first” – that the arousal comes from Above. The reason is that when the awakening comes from below, from man’s efforts, it can only draw down a light associated with the created worlds, i.e., a light proportionate to man’s efforts. Like anything generated by a created being, his efforts and the light those efforts evoke are limited. By contrast, when “the man emits seed,” when the flow comes from Above, an unlimited light that transcends all worlds can and does stream forth.
Thus, each approach has its own positive virtue. The advantage of “the man emit[ing] seed first” lies in the quality of the light – the light is of a higher quality, being transcendent in nature. By contrast, the advantage of “the woman emit[ing] seed first” is that the light is drawn down in an internalized manner.
However, in the Ultimate Future, “This man and that man [will be] born in her” – both virtues will be present: A light that transcends the structure of all worlds will be evoked and that light will be internalized within the Jewish people, combining both virtues – to borrow our Sages’ expression, “Let it be like this and like that.”
Nissan and Tishrei – Two Contrasting Cosmic Patterns
The two approaches – drawing down G-dliness from Above and elevating materiality from below – also reflect, in general terms, the difference between the months of Nissan and Tishrei.
The Midrash illustrates the distinction between the months of Nissan and Tishrei by stating, “When the Holy One, blessed be He, chose His world, He established in it the beginnings of months and years (Rashei Chadashim veShanim). When He chose Yaakov and his descendants. He established for them a Rosh Chodesh of redemption.” The Rosh Hashanah [associated with] G-d’s choice of His world is in Tishrei; the month of redemption [associated with] His choice of Yaakov and his descendants is Nissan.
Akeidas Yitzchak and other texts clarify the import of these two months, explaining that G-d conducts the world through two modes: a natural order and a miraculous order that transcends nature. Tishrei is “the head of the year” – the Rosh Hashanah – for the natural order, because man was created on the first of Tishrei, representing the completion of creation according to the natural order. Nissan is “the head of the year” – the Rosh Hashanah – for conduct that transcends nature because the Exodus from Egypt – with its many miracles transcending nature which occurred in the month of Nissan.
However, a question remains: Why must the Rosh Hashanah for miraculous conduct be at a different time? If the reason is that the Exodus from Egypt occurred in Nissan, the question can be reformed: Why did the Exodus occur in Nissan and not in Tishrei? Indeed, the process of redemption actually began in Tishrei, as stated in the Gemara, “On Rosh HaShanah (i.e., in Tishrei) our ancestors’ [forced] labor in Egypt ceased.” As such, why wasn’t the redemption completed in Tishrei but, instead, in Nissan specifically?
The Explanation of the Difference Between Tishrei and Nissan
The explanation of the difference between Tishrei and Nissan is: Tishrei is characterized by the Divine attribute of gevurah, “might.” As such, in it, man’s Divine service focuses on repentance and the elevation from below. But the efforts of created beings – no matter how high they may ascend – are always limited. For this reason, Tishrei is the Rosh Hashanah for natural order.
Nissan is characterized by the Divine attribute of chesed, “kindness,” evoking munificence from Above that transcends the limits of the worlds. For this reason, Nissan is the Rosh Hashanah for miraculous conduct that transcends nature.
This is also why we pray for rain (geshem) in Tishrei and for dew (tal) in Nissan. The difference between rain and dew is well known: Rain is elicited through an arousal from below, as reflected by the verse, “A mist rose up from the earth.” By contrast, dew is evoked by an arousal from Above. For this reason, rain is withheld at times, because the elicitation of rain depends on the Divine service of man. If that service is lacking, rain will not descend. By contrast, dew is never withheld, because it is drawn down from Above independent of man’s Divine service, emanating from a source where the service of created beings cannot reach.
Therefore, in Tishrei, which is characterized by the motif of elevation, we pray for rain and, in Nissan, which is characterized by the motif of drawing down Divine beneficence, we pray for dew.
Two Stages of Redemption
After the above explanations, a question still remains: Why was it that “our ancestors’ [forced] labor ceased” – i.e., the initial stages of the redemption occurred – “in Tishrei”?
This can be understood by first analyzing the precise wording the Midrash uses, “When the Holy One, blessed be He, chose His world....” It does not say, “When the Holy One, blessed be He, created His world,” but specifically “chose.” Choosing surpasses creation because by choosing the world, G-d elevated it beyond the limits of creation, endowing it with a connection to G-dliness.
This is the significance of the phrase, “When the Holy One, blessed be He, chose His world, He established in it the beginnings of months and years.” Even the Rosh Hashanah of Tishrei, which is the Rosh Hashanah for the natural order, is loftier than the world in its own right. It reflects the world as it exists by virtue of G-d’s choice.
