And this is the significance of the term “Atzilus” in the Holy Language of Hebrew: it is an expression of descent and lowering, of someone going from a higher level and lowering himself, as if he is on a lower level.
As the verse states regarding Moshe Rabbeinu (Bamidbar 11:17), “And I will draw drown from the spirit that is upon you and place it upon them, and they will share the burden of the people with you, so you will not carry it alone.”
Since he [Moshe] said (ibid. v. 13), “From where will I get meat to feed this entire nation?”
This story is described in Parshas Behaalosecha. There the “Eirev Rav-mixed multitude” of converts complained that they wanted to eat meat instead of the munn, and they convinced a large group of the Jewish people to complain as well. Moshe asked Hashem how would he be able to provide meat for all the people that want? Moshe added that it was too difficult for him to take care of the people by himself.
Hashem told him to gather 70 sages, and that He would transfer Moshe’s prophetic power onto them, and they would help him take care of the people. Then Hashem caused a flock of fat birds to descend onto the Jewish camp for the meat-hungry people.
The implication of this story is that there is a connection between Moshe’s “inability” to provide meat for the people, and the transferring of prophetic powers onto 70 sages. The Alter Rebbe will explain this connection:
Since he was on such a high level, he was therefore unable to bring himself down low enough to be able to bring down the spiritual flow to be manifest in physical meat.
Therefore, Hashem told Moshe, “Gather for me 70 men,” who were on a lower level than Moshe, and able to relate more to physicality, not lower in the sense that they would be actually be on the coarse level of the meat-hungry people, rather, “And I will draw down the spirit that is upon you and place it upon them,” meaning, that Hashem is saying “I will draw down and extend your spiritual status to those below you, and place it upon them,” so that they may also access this lofty spiritual level, and take down from Moshe’s power to a level lower than Moshe could descend to by himself, i.e., to the level of giving meat.
However, they were unable to ascend to Moshe’s own level, but they were able to access some degree of it from their own level.
