Chapter 5
The power for the light of Hashem to shine into the person, and for the love and fear of Hashem to “pull me up,” comes from this pre-birth experience of learning the entire Torah in the spiritual realm. This is because previously, "the King has bought me into His [Torah learning] chambers.”
In the maamar from Parshas Re’ei 5663 (that sections 4 and 5 of this maamar are based on), the Alter Rebbe explains: The fact that the Divine soul originally learned the Torah Above gives it the power to become inspired with a love for Hashem, even as it lives in the physical world. This is because the Torah comes from the highest level, from Hashem's Essential Will and Wisdom. When the Divine soul learned the Torah Above, in the world of Atzilus, this essential level of Hashem Will and Wisdom became engraved into the very essence of the Divine soul.
Even after it descended into a physical body, this connection to Hashem’s Essential Will and Wisdom remains engraved in it. For this reason, when one learns Torah here below, his Divine soul reconnects to the highest level of Torah as it is in its original source, in Hashem’s Essential Will and Wisdom. When that re-connection happens and the Divine soul ‘remembers’ that it comes from the highest possible level of connection to Hashem, this ignites a deep yearning to consciously and fully return to that ultimate closeness and connection to Hashem.
Now, in order to draw down this “Isarusa Dele’eila” from “אָּדָּם...כ ִּי יַקְרִּ יב - the Adam on High [Hashem] who will bring close to Himself your Divine soul,” this is accomplished through the study of Torah, which is configured corresponding to the makeup of a person, known as “Adam” - the 248 Action Mitzvos correspond to the 248 limbs of the body, and the 365 Refraining Mitzvos correspond to the 365 sinews of the body.
The Mitzvos of the Torah reflects how Hashem expresses Himself in a limited manner corresponding to a person's makeup, so that He can express Himself to us in a way that we can receive His revelation in every part of our being. This is the same general idea of why Hashem is referred to as "Adam on High" when He is expressed in the Ten Sefiros, as explained previously in the maamar. Since the Mitzvos, and the Torah that explains the Mitzvos, correspond to "Adam," when we learn the Torah, we bring Hashem down into the level of "Adam," into the Ten Sefiros, so that He can be revealed into us.
Therefore, through occupying oneself in Torah study, one brings about that “כ ִּי יַקְרִּ יב - He will bring close to Himself your Divine soul.”
Now, we are interpreting the verse as follows: “אָדָם - when a Jew learns Torah, which is also called “Adam,” since it has 248 Action Mitzvos and 365 Refraining Mitzvos, like the limbs and sinews of “A person/Adam,” then, כִּּי יַקְרִּ יב-He, Hashem, will bring close to Himself your Divine soul.”
As it is written (Tehilim 145:18): "Hashem is close to all who call on Him, to all who call to Him in 'Truth,'" and "the meaning of 'Truth' is only the Torah," (Talmud Yerushalmi, Rosh Hashana, chapter 3, Halacha 8). The only truly effective way to ‘call’ to Hashem to ‘come down’ to us is through Torah study, as explained above.
This is why regarding Torah's study, it says (Yeshaya 27:5): "If he holds on tightly to My 'Source of Strength’ [i.e., the Torah], then he will make peace for me, peace will he make for me.” This verse mentions the word “peace” twice, this corresponds to what is written (Yeshaya 57:19): “The Creator of speech says: Peace, peace, to those who are far and to those who are near, says Hashem, and I will heal him.”
In Likutay Torah for Shemini Atzeres (83d), the Alter Rebbe explains this verse: A king has two types of enjoyment: One is from when his subjects fulfill his commands. The second is when he has a son who traveled far away, and this son returns to him, this creates a much greater enjoyment than the fact that his commands are fulfilled. This is an analogy for two types of enjoyment that Hashem has: One is from the Jewish People fulfilling the Mitzvos. This is called the enjoyment Hashem has “from those who are close.” The second is from a Jew that has sinned and now returns to Hashem through Teshuva. This is the enjoyment that Hashem has from "those that are far." This enjoyment of Hashem is much greater than His enjoyment from "those that are close." Since the person who does Teshuva must reveal the deepest part of his Divine soul to fully re-connect, Hashem also connects to that Jew from His deepest Essence, which is normally hidden.
This is the meaning of "peace, peace, to those that are far and to those that are close." "Peace" is when two different people come together. When Hashem and a Jew come together, that is called "Peace," and there are two different ways for them to come together, as described above. Now, the Torah is also described with the word "Peace" twice. This is because the Torah contains in it the power for us to unite with Hashem in these two ways. However, the greatest advantage in the Torah is the fact that it enables a Jew to do Teshuva and return to Hashem. Since it reveals the deepest part of the Divine soul in his Teshuva process, it correspondingly reveals the deepest truth of Hashem. This level of Hashem that is revealed to those who do Teshuva is "far" from any revelation. By revealing this essential level of Hashem, we are taking the fact that Hashem is "far" from any revelation and making it "close" to our experience. This is a deeper meaning of "making one who is far become close," i.e., taking Hashem as He seems far-removed and making Him close to us.
Since this is so, that the Torah study contains a 'double aspect' of peace, studying it also brings the type of "peace" that one who is 'far' should become 'close.’ As explained above, this has a double connotation: 1) The Torah gives a Jew the power to make himself close to Hashem by transforming his animal soul, similar to a Baal Teshuva coming close by changing his way of life. 2) The Torah enables us to bring down Hashem's Essence, which seems "far" from any revelation, all the way to us, as explained above, that through the Torah, we 'call' to Hashem to 'come close to us.' Alternatively, the double expression of “Peace” refers to how Torah study connects both the Divine soul - which is naturally ‘close’ - and the animal soul - which is naturally ‘far’ - to Hashem.
This is another meaning of “אָדָם...through the Torah, which is corresponding to an “Adam/person” in 248 and 365 aspects, כִּּי יַקְרִּ יב מִּכֶּּם - He, Hashem, will bring close from you to Him.”
The Alter Rebbe brings another verse showing a connection between Torah study and spiritual ‘offerings’: This is also the inner meaning of (Bamidbar 28:2), “Command the Children of Israel and tell them about my offerings, my ‘food offering,’ to be burnt on My fire, to cause a spirit of satisfaction, ורְמְ שִּ ת-you shall guard, לְה קְ רִּ יבַׁ לִּי-to offer to Me at the appointed time.” The word “שָּמוֹר-guard” is also referring to the study of Mishna, to be “offered to Me.”
