In Parshas Vayeira (Bereishis 18:21), the Torah describes how Hashem “went down” to judge the wicked inhabitants of the cities of Sedom and Amora. There are two general questions regarding this story: 1- Why would have to go down to judge people, doesn’t Hashem already know everything that happens without having to go to see it firsthand? Furthermore, what does it mean that He “went down,” Hashem is everywhere, there is nowhere for Him to “go”?
To explain the answers to these questions, the Alter Rebbe first explains many essential concepts of how Hashem interacts with the world. The explanation will be centered around a teaching of Eliyahu the Prophet. It is recorded in the Tikkunei Zohar, as heard by Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai and his students, and the souls in Gan Eden, including Moshe Rabeinu who instructed Eliyahu to speak, in Gan Eden.
Pasach Eliyahu: The Teaching of Eliyahu
This teaching, commonly known as Pasach Eliyahu, the most famous discourse (said over as a prayer to Hashem) of Eliyahu, contains many of the fundamental teachings of Kabbalah, of the Inner Dimension of the Torah. It describes the Ten Sefiros of Atzilus and how they exist relative to the Infinite Light, and relative to creations. This prayer/discourse is commonly recited before Mincha on Erev Shabbos, since on Shabbos is when the created worlds ascend into Atzilus, and this discourse discusses the nature of the world of Atzilus relative to creation.
Chapter 1
In the Tikkunei Zohar (17a) it is written:
“[The Prophet] Eliyahu started to speak [the following praise to Hashem that contains many explanations of mystical concepts], and said: “Master of the Worlds, You are He that is One, but not one that is counted. You are He that transcends all transcendence, concealed beyond all concealments. No thought can possibly grasp You.
You are He that brought out ten ‘Tikunim/adornments.’ We call them ten Sefiros. You emanated them to direct the worlds, concealed worlds and revealed worlds. And within them You disguise Yourself from the sons of men.”
The prayer/discourse continues to discuss various aspects of the Sefirot and how Hashem creates souls and worlds through them, but that Hashem is ultimately beyond the entire category of the Sefirot and the World of Atzilus completely, even though He invests Himself, as it were, into the Sefiros.
The Soul and Its Powers
In order to understand the reason for which the “Ten Sefiros” are referred to as “Ten Tikunim-Adornments/Jewelry,” we must first explain the nature of the soul itself.
Because, the soul itself is a simple and indivisible spiritual entity, undifferentiated into intellect and emotion.
From Tanya, Chapter 51:
“Now, the variation in receiving the functional powers and life-force by the organs of the body from the soul, each organ receiving from the soul a life-force and power in a different form, does not derive from the soul’s essence and being, that we should say that its being and essence is divided into 248 different parts, which are enclothed in 248 locations, according to the design of the various locations of the body’s organs, because, according to this, it would follow that the soul’s essence and being is designed in a physical design and a likeness and structure similar to the structure of the body, G-d forbid. Just as the organs of the body have various shapes and forms, so, according to this outlook, are the functional powers, while still within the soul, different from each other in form. But, again, we cannot accept this:
Rather is the soul entirely a single spiritual entity—it is (1) a single entity, (2) a spiritual entity. As a “single” entity, its oneness is plain and uncompounded. As a “spiritual” entity, its spirituality is in a form which is divested of any physical design and of any type of definition of physical space, measure, or limitation, the soul is free of all such dimensions by virtue of its intrinsic being and essence.
In fact, the soul is so “plain” and free of all these that even when it is actually enclothed within the organs, they cannot effect any change in the soul.
Therefore, the Alter Rebbe continues:
In Tanya chap. 51, part of which is quoted in the footnote, the Alter Rebbe explains how the soul itself is a simple, uncompounded, indivisible, spiritual entity. It contains the potential for various “soul powers,” capabilities, such as intellect and emotion, and the ability to manifest as a life force in the body, and the power to become manifest in thought, speech, and action.
However, in the essence of the soul itself there is no “actual” intellect or emotions, thought or speech, or even bodily life force. Rather, in the essence of the soul all these various powers and capabilities exist only in completely potential form, as various possibilities of the one singular and indivisible essence. Only “outside” of the essence do the various soul powers become manifest as “actual” and definable (different) powers.
And its intellectual and emotional capacities are only “garments,” as it were, of the soul itself.
And it is not valid to say, concerning the soul’s being and essence, that it is in the brain of the head more than in the feet, since its being and essence is not subject to the concept and dimension of physical space and limitation. It is therefore impossible to attribute to the soul this limitation of being more in the head than in the feet.
Rather, 613 kinds of functional powers and vital forces are included within the soul, within its being and essence, to become actualized and to emerge from this concealment and inclusion within the soul’s essence. Previously, while still included within the soul’s essence, they are only in potential and therefore hidden within the soul—not even as functional powers which are revealed as such while still included within the soul. In other words, within the soul is concealed a potential for 613 functional powers “to become actualized and to emerge from concealment” (i.e., to become revealed): in order to animate the 248 organs and 365 blood vessels of the body through the functional powers of the divine soul becoming enclothed within the animating (or vital) soul, which also possesses the corresponding 248 and 365 functional powers and vital forces.”
The Soul’s Garments and Adornments
Since the soul has intellect and emotions, but they are not the essence and being of the soul.
Parenthetical Note:
In the text of the maamar is a parenthetical note that will be translated here:
“In Tanya (chapter 3 and 12) it says that the soul itself is divided up into three intellectual faculties and seven emotional faculties, which are described as being part of the soul itself. So, how does the Alter Rebbe say here that the intellect and emotions are not part of the soul itself, and are only “garments” for the soul?
The answer is that in Tanya it was discussing the intellect and emotions relative to the “garments” of thought, speech, and action. In that context, the intellect and emotions are described as being “part of the soul itself” relative to how the garments of thought, speech, and action become separated from being part of the person himself. The thought, speech, and action, are “garments that are completely separate from the person.” However, in the context of the intellect and emotions relative to the simple and indivisible essence of the soul, the intellect and emotions are considered “garments” for the soul, as it were. However, these “garments” are not completely separate from the person himself, and in fact, are always bound up and united with the essence and of the soul.
The difference between the “separate garments” of the soul - thought, speech and action - and the “garments that are united with the soul” - the intellect and emotions, reflects the difference between the Sefiros of the created worlds of Beriah, Yetzira, and Asiya, that are “separated” from the Infinite Light, and like “separated garments” for it, and the Sefiros of Atzilus that are Divine, that are “garments that are united” with the Infinite Light of Hashem, as it were.”
Rather, they are referred to as “Tikkunim-Adornments,” since the soul becomes adorned, made beautiful, and expressed through them.
As Unkelos translated the verse (Devarim, 22:5) “A man should not wear the garment of a woman” into Aramaic, saying “A man should not adorn himself with the adornment of a woman.”
Now, the idea of a “Tikun-adornment” is an expression connoting jewelry, through which someone beautifies himself and becomes positively affected, i.e., enhanced, by it.
In this way, one becomes unified with the jewelry, as if it is part of his own body.
There is a difference between regular clothing and jewelry. Regular clothing is mainly for the purpose of covering over the body. However, jewelry actually brings out the natural beauty of the person, enhancing his own beauty. (Another analogy for a garment that enhances the capabilities of the person himself is eyeglasses. Instead of covering over his eyes, it actually improves his ability to see.) Because of this quality that the adornments/jewelry enhance the person, they become like an extension of the person himself, to a much greater extent than regular clothing. (We find this with eyeglasses: a person can forget he is wearing glasses, to the point he can look for his glasses only to realize he was wearing them the whole time...)
This is also comparable to how the soul exists within the body. That even though the body is only a “garment” for the soul, the soul is nonetheless affected by what happens to the body.
Such as, when the finger of the body gets knocked, the soul feels the pain.
Similarly, when the soul has a desire to do something using one of his limbs, the limbs follow this desire as soon as it comes up in his will to do something, whether it is a desire for the feet to walk, etc., or any other desire to move one of his limbs, the limbs follow through without any extended thought process connecting the brain and the foot.
For, if such a process occurred, there would be some lapse of time, but there is no time lapse whatsoever. Rather, as soon as the desire arises, it occurs.
However, this is only because the body is unified with the soul, and the soul expresses itself through the body at will, as if it [the body] were part of [the soul] itself.
And even though the body is only a garment of the soul, it nevertheless becomes fused with the soul.
Similarly, we can understand this concept in the context of the intellect and emotions of the soul, that they are also only like adornments and garments for the soul, that the soul becomes adorned and enclothed in them.
And they are the “instruments” of the soul, whereby the soul acts, like the ax in the hand of the woodchopper. For example, the soul expresses love through the emotional attribute of love, and generates new ideas through the intellectual attribute of Chochmah-Wisdom.
All of this and similar is only the activities of the soul and its expressions, which are just the way the soul relates to another (but not the essential being of the soul as it exists by itself and with itself).
However, the essence of the soul itself transcends the limitation and definition of all these aforementioned levels.
The Essence of the Soul
The Alter Rebbe will now bring proof for this statement that the essence of the soul is beyond the limitations of intellect and emotions:
Since, the intellect and emotions undergo changes.
For, emotions exist in both immature and mature states; one who is immature is drawn to small, i.e., relatively insignificant, things, and as one matures emotionally, he is drawn to more important things;
and similarly, regarding intellect, our Sages say (Kinim 3:6) regarding those who study Torah, that “as long as they continue to age,” their mind continues to develop” a more mature intellectual appreciation.
Now, none of this applies to the essence of the soul itself, since it is not subject to any changes at all, and is never affected by what happens to the body.
This is because its essential state of being does not become [directly] invested within the body, in which case the occurrences of the body could affect it.
Rather, it is only its expressions and capabilities which extend forth from the essence of the soul into the body and become invested within it, they are subjected to becoming changed and affected by the experiences of the body that receives them – in a young person the intellect and emotions are experienced one way, and in an older person they are experienced in a different way.
And since the intellect and emotions are only expressions of the soul and its capabilities that extend from the soul’s essence into the body, they are subjected to change, but the essence of the soul itself is not.
