Now, through fulfilling this idea (of going through four aspects of prayer corresponding to Reuven, Shimon, Levi, and Yehuda) expressed in the beginning of the verse, we will come to fulfill what it says in the next part of the verse: “your hand will be at the back of neck of your enemies.”
“Your enemies” refer to the physical matters of this world, and the needs of the physical body. Even though a person needs them, nonetheless, they need to be treated like “the back of the neck” and not like the “face.”
The idea of treating physical needs like his “face” is that the person pursues them with emotion and desire, and treating them like “the back of his neck” means that he pursues them without an inner desire, only out of necessity, like “one who gives something to his enemy by throws it to him over the back of his shoulder, without looking at him,” against his (inner) will, and as though he was forced to do so.
And it is “ַָּׁךְדָּי-your hand” that is “at the back of the neck of your enemies,” do not only read “ַָּׁךְדָּי-your hand” but also read it as “ַָּׁך''יֶדוי-your (double) letter י' (two Yuds)” (see Tikunei Zohar 7b).
The verse says (Tehillim 145:16) “ן וצָּר יַח לָּכְל ַעיִּּבְ שַמּוָּךֶדָּי תֶא ַחֵת וּפ-You (Hashem) open ‘ָּךֶדָּי-Your hand’ and satisfy the desire of every living thing.” The Zohar (Tikunei Zohar 7b, quoted in the Hebrew footnotes) explains that the word ‘ָּךֶדָּי-Your hand’ in a deeper sense refers to “ָּך''יֶדּוי-your (double) letter י' (two Yuds),” i.e., the letter י' which, when spelled out in full is יו"ד, and if the numerical value of those letters is added up it equals 20 (י'=10, ו'=6, ד'=4, total=20). Since 20 is double the numerical value of י'=10, so a fully spelled י' is like a double י'.
This “double י'” represents two types of י': One represents Chochma-Wisdom, the highest of the Sefiros, and one represents Malchus-Kingship, the lowest of the Sefiros. These are both like a י' since they both represent bittul, selflessness, like a י' that is the smallest, and “humblest” of letters.
The difference between these two types of bittul-selflessness is that Malchus is the basic level of selfless devotion not based on deep understanding. This is like the level represented in Modeh Ani as explained above. The bittul of Chochma is total negation of self, due to seeing the King Himself to the point that there is no room for ego at all, like the Shemona Esrai, as explained above.
The idea of “opening” this “ָּך''יֶדּוי-your (double) letter י' (two Yuds),” is to connect these two levels together, so that from the lower level of bittul one reaches the higher level of bittul. Through this “He satisfies the desire of every living thing,” i.e., there is proper flow of Life-force to the person.
The Alter Rebbe applies this concept to our verse. Through connecting these two levels of bittul, so that we have a “double י',” as it were, we will then be able to succeed in overcoming our spiritual enemy. This means that we will be able to look at our physical needs as the “back of the neck,” meaning, not to get caught up passionately about them, so that they will not distract us from being passionate about Hashem.
(The Zohar explains that the connection between these two yuds is the letter ו', which represents Ze’eir Anpin. In our maamar this is understood, since Ze’eir Anpin is the emotional attributes, which are essentially love, fear, and mercy. Meaning, the love and fear of Hashem, Reuven and Shimon, and the merciful revelation of Hashem in Torah study, Levi, is what connects the lower level of Yehuda, the lower yud, with the higher level of Yehuda, the higher letter yud, and enable the person to reach the level of “ָּך''יֶדּוי-your (double) letter י'.”
This (attainment of the higher level of bittul) is also actually “ַָּׁךְדָּי-Your (Hashem’s) hand,” i.e., a kind gift from Above, since (like we say in the Ne’ila prayer of Yom Kippur) “Your right hand is extended to bring in people to return to You,” which is Hashem’s “right hand” and kindness that extends all the downward until it reaches us and enables us to achieve the higher level of bittul.
In the Zohar and its commentaries, they explain how the two yuds are the first letter yud of Hashem’s Name Havaya (corresponding to Chochma), and the second yud is the last letter yud of Hashem’s Name Adnai (corresponding to Malchus), and the vav connecting them are the 6 letters between the first yud and second yud when the name Havaya and Adani are written together as one 8 letter word. Those 6 letters correspond to the 6 attributes of Ze’eir Anpin. See Masuk MeDvash on this passage from the Zohar.
The idea of “opening” this “ָּך''יֶדּוי-your (double) letter י' (two Yuds),” is to connect these two levels together, so that from the lower level of bittul one reaches the higher level of bittul. Through this “He satisfies the desire of every living thing,” i.e., there is proper flow of Life-force to the person.
The Alter Rebbe applies this concept to our verse. Through connecting these two levels of bittul, so that we have a “double י',” as it were, we will then be able to succeed in overcoming our spiritual enemy. This means that we will be able to look at our physical needs as the “back of the neck,” meaning, not to get caught up passionately about them, so that they will not distract us from being passionate about Hashem.
This (attainment of the higher level of bittul) is also actually “ַָּׁךְדָּי-Your (Hashem’s) hand,” i.e., a kind gift from Above, since (like we say in the Ne’ila prayer of Yom Kippur) “Your right hand is extended to bring in people to return to You,” which is Hashem’s “right hand” and kindness that extends all the downward until it reaches us and enables us to achieve the higher level of bittul.
This is like what is written regarding how Hashem destroyed the Egyptian army by drowning them in the Yam Suf (Shemos 14:31) “and the Jewish People saw “the Great Hand” that Hashem used against the Egyptians.” The phrase “the Great Hand” refers to Hashem’s right hand, since “Greatness” is a term connected to Kindness, since any perception of His Greatness is due to the extension of His Kindness in the creation of all the worlds and the great things that He does. It is this “right hand” of Kindness of Hashem that enables the person to reach the higher level of bittul and defeat his spiritual enemies, just as it was Hashem’s Kindness that saved the Jewish people from their physical enemies of the Egyptian army.
For, who caused the person to need to descend into dealing with physical things that he does not have a true desire for, and he is “forced” to be involved in them, it is certainly from Hashem, and it is from His hand that this came about, in order to transform the darkness of physicality into the Light of Hashem, for example, when a person uses the energy derived from eating to pray, or similar instances.
Since it is Hashem who caused the person to need to be in involved in taking care of his physical needs, it is certain that Hashem also gives the person the power to elevate and transform those physical mattes into holiness. Since this transformation is the person’s true bittul to Hashem, his “double yud,” it is certain that Hashem gives the person the ability to reach that level of bittul, so that he can fulfill his mission in this world of making the physical holy. This is the idea of “Hashem’s right hand” extending to us, giving us the power to reach the higher level of bittul, so that we can spiritually transform our physical life. Thus, the two explanations of “ָּךְדָּי-Your (Hashem’s) hand” and “ָּך''יֶדּוי-your (the person’s) double letter י'” are connected, since Hashem is the One reaches His hand down to us to empower us to reach the higher level of bittul (double yud) so we can fulfill our mission in this world.
However, for this transformation to occur, the person needs to make sure that he is not drawn into these physical needs with an inner desire, but only like “the back of the neck,” it is only when the physical matters are in a manner of “the back of the neck” that they can become included in the holiness of “ַָּׁךְדָּי-Your (Hashem’s) hand,” which is expressed in the person as “ַָּׁך''יֶדוי-your double letter י'ַׁ.”
If a person pursues his physical needs with an inner desire and passion, this will coarsen him and those things, and not allow them to become elevated into the holiness of this bittul. This concept is explained in Tanya chapter 7 at length.
This “hand” that overcomes one’s spiritual enemy of the unholy desires of the animal soul, belongs to ‘ַׁהָּדוהְי-Yehuda,’ who represents ‘הוֹדַָּׁאָּהַׁ-humble submission and devotion,’ in way of total bittul to Hashem as He “Encompasses all worlds,” and “He is equally found everyone, and compared to Him everything else is equally insignificant,” and “darkness does not conceal anything from Him,” since “before Him, darkness and light are equal,” meaning, that before Hashem (as He encompasses all worlds) physical and spiritual are equal.
Since, “You (Hashem) have made all the levels of wisdom” (Tehillim 104:24) meaning, He made Wisdom like a person makes a physical object. When a person makes a physical object, it is far removed from his level as a person. Similarly, Hashem “made” all levels of wisdom that are infinitely far removed from His True Existence, farther than a person is removed from an inanimate object. (See Tanya Shaar Hayichud Vehaemuna chapter 9 where this is explained at length.)
The verse reads in full: “How great are your works Hashem, Hashem, have made all things with Wisdom,” i.e., all the creations in the physical and spiritual world were made with His wisdom. The Alter Rebbe is interpreting the verse to mean that wisdom itself is his creation, that is far removed from His True Existence.
If so, then even eating and all other physical matters are considered before Hashem as equally important as the spirituality of Wisdom, since before Him wisdom is just like a physical object.
In other words, since Hashem as He “Encompasses all worlds” is found in the physical just as much as in the spiritual, so a person can connect to Hashem in his physical matters just as much as by studying His Divine Wisdom. This is because Hashem is equally removed from Divine Wisdom just as much as He is from physicality. It follows that just as one can connect to Hashem through the Wisdom of the Torah, one can connect to Hashem by eating or other physical matters that are performed for the sake of being able to serve Hashem, since to Hashem there is no difference between them. The same Hashem who said to study Torah is the same Hashem who put you in the physical world where you need to eat physical food for the sake of being able to service Him, with a proper blessing before and after etc.
(In the level of Hashem’s Light that “Permeates all worlds” on a revealed level, one feels Hashem’s Light more in Torah study than in eating kosher food for the sake of serving Hashem. However, as Hashem “Encompasses all worlds” equally, the essential capacity to connect to Hashem is the same whether one is studying Torah or eating kosher food for the sake of serving Hashem.)
This is the advantage of the level called “ַׁהָּ ת אַׁהָּדוהְי-Yehuda
