Chapter 2
“And the messengers returned to Yaakov, saying, ‘We met your brother, Eisav, and he is also coming to you, and four hundred men are with him.” (ibid. 32:7)
Now, the meaning of the messengers’ reply is as follows:
Notwithstanding the fact that it is fitting and proper on your account that the Encompassing Lights of Tohu should be drawn to you, since you have perfected the Tikkun-rectification, but what can be done if the impediment is due to ‘Eisav, your brother’ – for he is still in a low and fragmented state and has not yet been refined at all.
If so, how can he direct from his soul root in the Encompassing Lights of Tohu to you, when he himself remains below?
The proof that [Eisav] remains fragmented is because, “He is also coming to greet you, and four hundred men are with him.” On a simple level, since Eisav is coming with an army to attack you, he is obviously completely removed from any spiritual elevation or correction.
The Alter Rebbe will explain the mystical significance of the “four hundred men” of Eisav’s army:
The “four hundred men” is a reference to the severe judgements of “Chitzonim-the Outer Dimension,” which derive from the “four hundred strict courthouses that are found,” as is written in the section of the Zohar known as the Idra Rabba (Zohar III, 121a).
The idea of “Chitzonim-Outer Dimension”
A Jewish person has a body, an animal soul, and a Divine soul. The body is the “outermost dimension,” the most superficial aspect of the person. The animal soul is deeper than the body, but compared to the Divine soul it is also “Chitzoniyus-outer dimension.” Only the Divine soul is the true “Penimiyus-inner dimension.” When someone judges another person, he does so based on the level he is concious of. A superficial person who thinks about his body as most important, will judge another person based on their physical appearance. A refined person who thinks about knowledge and acts of kindness, will judge someone based on their human soul. A spiritual person, who thinks about Hashemn and Torah and Mitzvos, will judge someone based on their Divine soul.
In the spiritual realms as well, there are various spiritual creatures deriving from a more external aspect of Hashem’s Will. These creatures feel themselves as separate from Hashem and see everyone in the same way, and judge them harshly for rebelling against Hashem, since they assume that the person truly wants to separate himself from Hashem, G-d forbid, just as they feel separate from Hashem. These spiritual forces are referred to as “harsh judgements from the Chitzonim-superficial beings,” that are derived from the “four hundred courthouses,” which run on the “Outer/External Will” of Hashem.
(In the “Inner Will” of Hashem, He has absolute unconditional love for every Jew. However, since Hashem wants us to behave properly, He “wants” on a external level to have in place these “courthouses.” This is like a father who puts up a mean face of judgement towards his children so they will behave, when really, he loves them unconditionally regardless of their behavior.)
And, as is known, the ultimate spiritual root of these “four hundred men” comes from the Four Hundred Silver Shekels that Avraham gave to Efron.
The Alter Rebbe takes this idea to an even deeper source. Where are these “harsh judgements” really coming from? Not just from the “Outer Dimension.” Even in the harsh judgements of the “Outer Dimension,” there is no room to punish Yaakov our forefather, who was a perfect Tzadik. Only if someone did something wrong can he be judged out of proportion, but if someone is perfectly righteous, there is no possible for negative judgement at all.
Rather, the source of these harsh judgements is from a high level of holiness that was “hijacked” and used to fuel unholiness on a level beyond its normal capabilities. (This is like the idea that the worst suffering the Jews had been usually caused by other Jews, unfortunately, as in the destruction of both Beis Hamikdash that came about through certain Jews who rebelled against the words of Hashem and the prophets and Sages.)
Which level of holiness was “hijacked”? Avraham our forefather gave four hundred silver coins to Efron in order to purchase from him the burial plot for Sara, the Me’aras Hamachpaila. Together with the four hundred coins, he invested a great spiritual energy of holiness, with the intention of refining and transforming Efron and his people. However, this attempt did not yet succeed, and what ended up happening is that Efron and the forces of unholiness “hijacked” that spiritual power from Avraham. This hijacked power now came back to try to stop Yaakov from transforming and elevating Eisav.
For these Four Hundred Shekels are the manifestation of the “Four Hundred Worlds of Yearning” that the righteous inherit in the world to come. Meaning that they are Lights flowing from the Supernal Delight, which is derived from “Atika Kadisha-The Ancient Holy One,” which is a connection point between the Essence of Hashem’s Infinite Light and the World of Atzilus, as is known, that Keser-Crown (which included Atika Kadisha) is a connector between the Emanator and Emanated Beings. And from there, this flow of Supernal Delight reaches the righteous in the Future. And this is the idea of the “Four Hundred Worlds of Yearning,” which are represented by the transaction of the “Four Hundred Silver Shekels.”
And these silver coins that Avraham gave Efron are called (Bereishis 23:16), “עוַֹׁבֵרַׁ ל ס ֹחֵר-Coins that are passed around everywhere as currency.” This is because Keser-Crown is referred to as a ‘סוֹחֵר-one travels around on business,’ since the word ‘סוֹחֵר’ comes from the word ‘סְׁחוֹר’ which means to go around and encompass a large area, and Keser is a level that ‘goes around’ and encompasses the entirety of Hishtalshelus.
And these 400 Worlds of Yearning are “עוֹבֵר לַסּוֹחֵר -passing around and encompassing,” since they come and are drawn from the Essence of Hashem’s Infinite Light, which is above even Keser-Crown, and they pass over and are drawn down into Keser-Crown, and from there “they shine to the righteous in the Future.”
The Mittler Rebbe explains that there are two levels being described here: One is called “עוֹבֵר-passing around” and one called “סּוֹחֵר-encompassing.” The level of “סּוֹחֵר-encompassing” refers to the lower level of Kesser, the level of Arich Anpin, the source of the world of Atzilus. This level encompasses Atzilus. The level of “עוֹבֵר-passing around” refers to the higher level of Kesser, called Atik. This level passes around and transcends even the level of Arich Anpin.
The Alter Rebbe mentioned how Kesser is an intermediary between the Infinite Light and the World of Atzilus. An intermediary must possess something relating to both levels that it connects. In our case, the higher level of Kesser, Atik, is related to the Infinite Light, and the lower level of Kesser, Arich, is related to the World of Atzilus. It is through these two levels that Hashem’s Delight, as it is in His Infinite Light, is able to be drawn down into Atzilus, and thereby into our world. It is from these lofty levels that Avraham brought down Divine energy in order to refine Efron and his people, which (unfortunately) ended up as the vitality of Eisav and his men.
The idea of giving over to Efron the lights from this lofty level of Atik-Delight (together with physical money) was in a manner of the process of “refinement” of the Sparks of Holiness trapped in Efron and his people, in order to later retrieve these Lights from Atik together with the additional “blessing” of the Sparks of Holiness of Tohu that were trapped in Efron and his nation.
