Why does the Torah emphasise the beauty of the Matriarchs? In Parshas Vayeitzei, Rochel is described as being Yefas Toar and Yefas Mareh, beautiful in form and beautiful in appearance. It is very strange that Torah would place emphasis on something as external as physical appearance and to suggest that this is what caused our holy patriarch Yaakov to be attracted to Rochel.
Chassidus explains that these descriptions of physical beauty are metaphors for spiritual beauty. This is specifically so in relation to Rochel, who according to Kabbalah, represents the Sefira of Malchus, which is the collective source of the Neshamos of the Jewish people.
The description of Rochel being “beautiful in form and beautiful in appearance”, describes those lofty Neshamos that are able to attain spiritual beauty even after descending into the limitations of the physical body and physical world. These Neshamos are able to experience deep feelings of love and passion for Hashem and His service.
Beauty in form refers to the beauty and proportionality of the limbs of the body. This refers to the spiritual form or “structure” of the Neshama; the intellectual qualities, emotions and the expressions in the “garments” of thought, speech and action. The Neshama is “beautiful of form” when her meditations on the greatness of Hashem flows through to ignite and inspire emotions of love and fear, which are in turn channelled into the service of Hashem in her thoughts, words and deeds. In this way, the entire spiritual make-up of the Neshama is permeated by G-dliness.
In addition to the love that comes through intellectual understanding, the Neshama possesses a deep, inner love and yearning that transcends the limitations of understanding. This love is alluded to in the description of being “Beautiful in appearance”, which refers to the beauty of the face. The Hebrew term for face - Panim, is related to the word Penimius, referring to the revelation of the inner love for Hashem.
The service of the “beautiful” Neshama is expressed in the first paragraph of the Shema.
Their meditations on the oneness of Hashem as described in the opening verse שמע ישראל, ignites within them powerful feelings of love and awe. This is expressed in the words ואהבת את ה ‘אלקיך, “You shall love Hashem”. These feelings of love are then channelled into the study of Torah which is described in the words והיו הדברים האלה... ודברת בם “and these words... shall be upon your heart and you shall speak in them.” Finally they are expressed in the physical observance of Mitzvos, as reflected in the Mitzvah of Tefillin at the end of the paragraph.
This is a top-down sequence, flowing from understanding, to emotion and finally into action. As a result, the Torah study and Mitzvos of these Neshamos are filled with passion and feeling.
But what about the Neshamos whose beauty is not revealed? Most Neshamos in this world are not able to generate deep feelings of love for Hashem, even after studying and meditating on the greatness of Hashem. What is their recourse?
The Avodah of these Neshamos is alluded to in the verse in Shir Hashirim אם לא תדעי לך היפה בנשים, “If you do not know, the most beautiful of women, go follow the footsteps of the sheep and graze your kids by the tents of the shepherds.”
The Alter Rebbe explains that this verse is speaking to those who “do not know” and do not reach the level of the beautiful Neshamos. Their inability to become inspired with love and fear comes from a lack of Daas - because “you do not know”. Daas is the bridge between the mind and the heart, through which we are able to personally internalise our understandings to awaken an emotional response.
The verse teaches that the advice to these Neshamos is to follow the tracks (literally the heels) of the sheep.
The word צאן—sheep, is related to the word צא, meaning to go out. This refers to G-dliness that is beyond the worlds. These are the sheep of Lavan described in our Parsha. Kabbalistically, Lavan refers to the “Supernal Whiteness”, which is the deep G-dly delight that is the source of Mitzvos.
The “heels” or “footsteps” of the sheep refers to the Mitzvos as they descend from their lofty spiritual source into the physical observance of the Mitzvos in this world. Even though they are simple actions with physical objects, they are the vessels through which we draw down the loftiest G-dly revelations, which elevate the Neshama and will bring her to ultimately experience the feelings of love and fear and a deep appreciation of G-dliness.
The pathway of these Neshamos follows a bottom-up paradigm. As counter-intuitive as this seems, the Torah is advising us that when we do not feel inspired and when we lack feelings of closeness to Hashem and an appreciation of the spiritual, we should study Torah and keep the Mitzvos with Kabolas Ol. Even if they are simple actions devoid of feeling, they are the vessels that draw down G-dly light into the Neshama, which will eventually bring us to a beautiful service of deep emotional connection.
