Endnotes
א Alter Rebbe: Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, founder and first Rebbe of Chabad, 1745-1813. was a direct descendant of the MaHaRaL of Prague. He was a prominent (and the youngest) disciple of Rabbi Dovber the Maggid of Mezeritch, who was in turn the successor of the Baal Shem Tov, the founder of Chassidic Judaism. The Alter Rebbe’s sons were: DovBer Schneuri, (who eventually succeeded him), Chaim Avraham, and Moshe, and his daughters were Freida, Devorah Leah and Rochel. He is the author of Shulchan Oruch HoRav, and the Tanya. He delivered Maamorim that were then published in Likkutei Torah, Torah Ohr and Maamorei Admur HaZoken.
ב Likkutei Torah: Maamorim from the Alter Rebbe that were chosen by the Tzemach Tzedek from over two thousand Maamorim. The work was published originally in two parts. The first part, Torah Or, (as mentioned above) was first printed in 5597 (1837) in Kopust, with Maamorim delivered by the Alter Rebbe, and transcribed by the Alter Rebbe’s brother amongst others, most of them from 5556 (1796) through the end of 5572 (1812), covering the books of Bereishis and Shmos, with several Maamorim on Shavuos and Pesach. The second half was published in Zhitomir in 5608 (1848) under the title Likkutei Torah, with Maamorim covering the books of Vayikra, Bamidbor and Devorim, Shir HaShirim, Yomim Tovim, Rosh Hashonoh & Yom Kippur.
ג Eitz Chaym: The main work of the Kisvei AriZal is the Eitz Chaim. one of the most important works in Jewish mysticism, written by Reb Chayim Vital in the course of twenty years following the passing of his master, the AriZal; Rabbi Yitzchok Halevi Luria 1534 – 1572, presenting and explicating the AriZal's systematic reconceptualiz-ation and expansion of the insights of the Zohar and other earlier mystical sources. Vital's Etz Chaim is the foundational work for the later Lurianic Kabbalah, which soon became the mainstream form of Kabbalah amongst both Sephardi and Ashkenazi Jewry up to the modern period. This massive multi-volumed work circulated only in manuscript form amongst mystics for over 100 years and was first published in 1782.This work expounds the foundation of the Kabbalah. Compiled by Rabbi Chaim Vital who is renowned primarily as the recorder and editor of the teachings of Rabbi Yitzchak Luria, although he himself was also an accomplished kabbalist and writer.
ד Brought in Zohar: כַּד נָהִיר יְּמָמָא בְּיוֹמָא דשַבְּתָא When the day is illuminated with the day of Shabbos for then the attribute of Chessed is dominant, סְּלִיקוּ דְּחֶדְּוָה סָלִיק בְּכֻלְּהוּ עָלְּמִין כוּ' then an elevation of joy ascends in all the worlds, in the calm that exists in the Zun (male & female) of Atzilus and in the joy which is aroused in the worlds of Briyah, Yetzirah and Asiyah through the light of Chessed which illuminates them, כְּּדֵין הַשָמַיִם מְּסַפְּרִים כו׳. then, is the appropriate time about which the Possuk (Tehilim 19:2) states הַ שָמַיִם מְּסַפְּרִים כְּּבוֹד קֵל וּמַעֲשֵה יָדָיו מַגִיד הָרָקִיעַ “The heavens recite the glory of HaShem, and the sky tells of the work of His hands.” It is explained who are the heavens and the answer is these are the six directions of Zoh (the six supernal emotive attributes) which are called Shomayim for there the supernal otherwise known as the Divine name ‘Mah’ is revealed in each of them, and furthermore the Divine name HaVaYe is inscribed on all of them as is known that each of the Sefiros incorporates the five parts of the Neshomoh (Nefesh, Ruach, Neshomoh, Chaya and Yechidah) which are the secret of the four letters of the Divine name HaVaYe and of the top point of the letter Yud. מַאי מְּסַפְּרִים לָאו סִפוּר דְּבָרִים אֶלָא דְּנָהֲרִין וּנְּ צִיצִין כוּ' On the word מְּסַפְּרִים it is asked what does it mean? If you are to say that it means to retell as in one who retells a story this is not the case because that would mean to say the supernal attributes of Zoh are telling stories, therefore the word מְּסַפְּרִים means something else, it means to illuminate like the stone by the same name ‘sapphire’ that illuminates in other words, דְּנָהֲרִין they supernal attributes of Zoh radiate because of the Chassodim (Kindnesses) וּנְּצִיצִין and sparkle because of the Gevuros with the sparkle of the upper ‘Nekudah’ (point) which is referred to as ‘Abbah’ from whom the Chassodim and Gevuros emanate and the Chassodim and Gevuros ascend and entre into the Divine name Mah of Zoh which incorporates the illuminations which are extended from the supernal perfection. (Mossuk Bidvash)
ה Seder Hishtalshelus: Lit. the evolution / chain of events in the process of the spiritual cosmos. The order of descent and contraction of Hashem’s infinite Divine light and energy by way of a chain where each level in this chain is connected to the level above as well as the level below like a link in a chain as the infinite Divine light filters through levels and worlds in a gradual orderly fashion from the infinite supernal Divine light above contracting and descending down from one level to the next level through the ten supernal Sefiros in each of the four groups of spiritual worlds thus transforming the light from an all-powerful infinite light that is far too intense for any living being to experience down to a contracted light that can then create, sustain and vitalise all the worlds and beings and bring our finite world and its inhabitants into existence and continue to vitalise all the worlds and all that they contain. The Seder Hishtalshelus is primarily divided into four spiritual worlds, the worlds of 'Atzilus' (emanation) 'Briyah' (creation) 'Yetzirah' (formation) and 'Asiyah' (action).
ו ‘Rotzoi’ and ‘Shov’: In the prophecy of Yechezkal (1:14) regarding the Divine supernal chariot, the Possuk states: וְּהַחַיוֹת רָצוֹא וָשוֹב כְּּמַרְּאֵה הַבָזָק “And the ‘Chayos’ (which are the angels who are called the holy ‘Chayos’) were ‘Rotzoi’ and ‘Shov’, (would run and return), like the appearance of the sparks”. In other words, the angels are craving to cleave to Hashem and to be incorporated within Hakodosh Boruch Hu. This is ‘Rotzoi’. But in practice they don’t completely nullify themselves because they return to fulfil the Divine intention which is to descend and illuminate the below. Which is ‘Shov’. In Chassidus it is explained that this concept parallels every person’s Avodas Hashem, there is רָצוֹא the yearning of his Neshomoh the desire to cleave to HaShem even until the point of expiration and demise where the soul of a person ascends and yearns to expire and become integrated into HaShem Himself even though this means by definition completely losing one’s own identity as a living human on this earth. Then there is the mission of every Neshomoh soul to [productively] pervade a physical body in this materialistic world in שוֹב to fulfil one’s worldly mission of studying Torah and performing Mitzvos in this physical world.
