Having explained why mitzvos are referred to as “The limbs of the King,” the Alter Rebbe now uses this information to explain how Avraham Avinu fulfilled the mitzvos, in contrast to how we do them after Matan Torah. This will answer one of the questions we began with: What did Matan Torah accomplish in “giving” us the Torah if we already had the knowledge of the Torah previously from the forefather?
And with this explanation, we will understand the idea of the mitzvos performed by Avraham, regarding which it is written: “And he [Avraham] kept My ‘safeguards,’ My commandments, etc.”
This means that he caused Hashem’s Infinite Light (that transcends Atzilus) to descend and flow down to become invested into His attributes of Wisdom and Kindness (in the realm of Atzilus).
The Alter Rebbe will explain how Avraham accomplished this revelation specifically into Kindness and Wisdom. First, he will explain two ways that Avraham embodied the attribute of kindness:
This revelation into Kindness was accomplished through: 1- his becoming a “Merkava-vehicle” for the expression of Hashem’s attribute of Love, and he did this by “constantly journeying in prayer to reach higher levels of love of Hashem,” in a manner of “ratzo” running in yearning to become included in the Infinite Truth of Hashem and “shov” returning to reveal Hashem in this world.
In Parshas Lech Lecha (Bereishis 12:9) it describes Avraham’s journeys towards the south of Eretz Yisrael “continually travelling southwards.” The idea of “south” represents kindness or love, since, if you are facing east, then south is on your right, and the right side represents kindness. Thus, travelling towards the “south” represents spiritually travelling to reach higher levels of love of Hashem. This spiritual journey happens during prayer. Avraham Avinu reached such a high level of love of Hashem during prayer, that he became the embodiment of Hashem’s attribute of love in the realm of Atzilus.
For, as the Zohar says (vol. 2, 162b), “A spirit of love from man below to Hashem brings and draws down another corresponding spirit of Love from Hashem Above to man.”
And as the verse says, “If a man gives over his heart to Him [Hashem], then Hashem will cause His ‘spirit and soul,’ [i.e., His revelation,] to be gathered into [and internalized] in the soul of man.” (Iyov, 34:14).
Through Avraham’s great love for Hashem, he caused Hashem’s attribute of love (in Atzilus) to shine into himself, so that through him, Hashem’s love shone in the world.
Also, another way he caused Hashem’s kindness to be revealed in this world was: 2- because he brought an abundance of kindness into this world by feeding many guests and teaching them about Hashem, as it says (Bereishis 21:33), “And he set up a free hotel for guests to eat and sleep etc.”
In addition to his own personal feelings of love for Hashem in prayer, he revealed Hashem’s love in this world by acting as His emissary to do acts of loving kindness to all people. Through these two things, Avraham became a “Merkava-vehicle” for the expression of Hashem’s attribute of love/kindness of the realm of Atzilus.
Now the Alter Rebbe will explain how Avraham brought down Hashem’s Light into His Wisdom of Atzilus, and from there into our world:
And through his extreme humility – as it is written that Avraham said (Bereishis 18:27), “And I am merely dust and ashes” – he accomplished that Hashem should “humble Himself” to be revealed in Wisdom of Atzilus.
Therefore, through this humility: “As face reflects to face in water, so does one man’s heart to another”, (Mishli, 27:19) — through his attribute of humility, he caused Hashem’s Infinite Light to “humble itself” to descend and be drawn down into the aspects of Wisdom and Kindness of Atzilus.
Since, this is a great descent and “humility” for Hashem’s Infinite Light; for “You [Hashem] are wise, but not with wisdom that can be known,” to the creations, or to any of the Sefiros of Atzilus, i.e., He is beyond the level of Wisdom of Atzilus, and “He [Hashem] is not in the same category as any of these attributes at all,” i.e., He is not in the same category of the emotional attributes Kindness or Severity of Atzilus, — since they are all not in the same category of existence as Him.
And as in the saying of our sages (Megilla 31a), “Where you find the greatness of Hashem, there you will find His humility etc.”
In other words, if the creations, or even the Sefiros, can appreciate Hashem’s greatness, His revelation, this shows on Hashem’s humility. It shows that He lowers and limits His Infinite Light to the point that it can be grasped and expressed in the realm of Atzilus, and from there also into the created worlds.
Hashem’s ability to express Himself in Wisdom of Atzilus, and in Kindness of Atzilus, and then into this world through Avraham’s spreading acts of kindness and teaching the world the wisdom of Hashem’s Oneness, is a great humility on the part of Hashem.
But since Avraham humbled himself so completely before Hashem, this “motivated” Hashem, as it were, to humble Himself to come down to us in this world in a way of Wisdom and Kindness.
The Alter Rebbe has focused on the spiritual accomplishments of Avraham Avinu’s mitzvos, in terms of bringing Hashem’s Light into the Higher Worlds. But his mitzvos were not mainly focused on affecting the world in the physical dimension. This will eventually explain what the accomplishment of Matan Torah was, answering the question the Alter Rebbe asked on the subject.
