Today's Chitas

Chumash: Lech-Lecha #7 · Tehillim: Ch.69–71 · Tanya: Igeret HaKodesh ch.27

## Chumash: Lech-Lecha I will maintain My covenant between Me and you, and your offspring to come, as an everlasting covenant throughout the ages, to be God to you and to your offspring to come. I assign the land you sojourn in to you and your offspring to come, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting holding. I will be their God.” God further said to Abraham, “As for you, you and your offspring to come throughout the ages shall keep My covenant. Such shall be the covenant between Me and you and your offspring to follow that you shall keep: every male among you shall be circumcised. You shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin, and that shall be the sign of the covenant between Me and you. And throughout the generations, every male among you shall be circumcised at the age of eight days. As for the homeborn slave and the one bought from an outsider who is not of your offspring, they must be circumcised, homeborn and purchased alike. Thus shall My covenant be marked in your flesh as an everlasting pact. And if any male who is uncircumcised fails to circumcise the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from kin; he has broken My covenant.” And God said to Abraham, “As for your wife Sarai, you shall not call her Sarai, but her name shall be Sarah.dSarah I.e., “princess.” I will bless her; indeed, I will give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she shall give rise to nations; rulers of peoples shall issue from her.” Abraham threw himself on his face and laughed, as he said to himself, “Can a child be born to a man a hundred years old, or can Sarah bear a child at ninety?” And Abraham said to God, “O that Ishmael might live by Your favor!” God said, “Nevertheless, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall name him Isaac;eIsaac Heb. Yiṣḥaq, from ṣaḥaq, “laugh.” and I will maintain My covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring to come. As for Ishmael, I have heeded you.fI have heeded you Heb. shemaʻtikha, play on “Ishmael.” I hereby bless him. I will make him fertile and exceedingly numerous. He shall be the father of twelve chieftains, and I will make of him a great nation. But My covenant I will maintain with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this season next year.” Done speaking with him, GodgGod This label may refer to an agent, as having spoken on God’s behalf (cf. first note at v. 1); so Ibn Ezra. was gone from Abraham. Then Abraham took his son Ishmael, and all his homeborn slaves and all those he had bought, every male in Abraham’s household, and he circumcised the flesh of their foreskins on that very day, as God had spoken to him. Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he circumcised the flesh of his foreskin, and his son Ishmael was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. Thus Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised on that very day; and all his household,hall his household I.e., its males, being the applicable members. his homeborn slaves and those that had been bought from outsiders, were circumcised with him. --- ## Tehillim 69–71 [Psalm 69] For the leader. On shoshannim.ashoshannim Meaning of Heb. uncertain. Of David. Deliver me, O God,for the waters have reached my neck; I am sinking into the slimy deepand find no foothold;I have come into the watery depths;the flood sweeps me away. I am weary with calling;my throat is dry;my eyes failwhile I wait for God. More numerous than the hairs of my headare those who hate me without reason;many are those who would destroy me,my treacherous enemies.Must I restore what I have not stolen? God, You know my folly;my guilty deeds are not hidden from You. Let those who look to You,O my Sovereign, GOD of hosts,not be disappointed on my account;let those who seek You,O God of Israel,not be shamed because of me. It is for Your sake that I have been reviled,that shame covers my face; I am a stranger to my kin,an alien to my own siblings. My zeal for Your house has been my undoing;the reproaches of those who revile You have fallen upon me. When I wept and fasted,I was reviled for it. I made sackcloth my garment;I became a byword among them. Those who sit in the gate talk about me;I am the taunt of drunkards. As for me, may my prayer come to You, O ETERNAL One,at a favorable moment;O God, in Your abundant faithfulness,answer me with Your sure deliverance. Rescue me from the mire;let me not sink;let me be rescued from my enemies,and from the watery depths. Let the floodwaters not sweep me away;let the deep not swallow me;let the mouth of the Pit not close over me. Answer me, O ETERNAL One,according to Your great steadfastness;in accordance with Your abundant mercyturn to me; do not hide Your face from Your servant,for I am in distress;answer me quickly. Come near to me and redeem me;free me from my enemies. You know my reproach,my shame, my disgrace;You are aware of all my foes. Reproach breaks my heart,I am in despair;bin despair Meaning of Heb. uncertain. I hope for consolation, but there is none,for comforters, but find none. They give me gall for food,vinegar to quench my thirst. May their table be a trap for them,a snare for their allies. May their eyes grow dim so that they cannot see;may their loins collapse continually. Pour out Your wrath on them;may Your blazing anger overtake them; may their encampments be desolate;may their tents stand empty. For they persecute those You have struck;they talk about the pain of those You have felled. Add that to their guilt;let them have no share of Your beneficence; may they be erased from the book of life,and not be inscribed with the righteous. But I am lowly and in pain;Your help, O God, keeps me safe. I will extol God’s name with song,exultation, and praise. That will please GOD more than oxen,than bulls with horns and hoofs. The lowly will see and rejoice;you who are mindful of God, take heart! For GOD listens to the needy,and does not spurn those held captive. Heaven and earth shall sing praise,the seas, and all that moves in them. For God will deliver Zionand rebuild the cities of Judah;they shall live there and inherit it; the offspring of God’s servants shall possess it;those who cherish God’s name shall dwell there. [Psalm 70] For the leader. Of David. Lehazkir.aLehazkir Meaning of Heb. uncertain. bCf. Ps. 40.14–18. Hasten, O God, to save me;O ETERNAL One, to aid me! Let those who seek my lifebe frustrated and disgraced;let those who wish me harm,fall back in shame. Let those who say, “Aha! Aha!”turn back because of their frustration. But let all who seek You be glad and rejoice in You;let those who are eager for Your deliverance always say,“Extolled be God!” But I am poor and needy;O God, hasten to me!You are my help and my rescuer;O ETERNAL One, do not delay. [Psalm 71] I seek refuge in You, O ETERNAL One;may I never be disappointed. As You are beneficent, save me and rescue me;incline Your ear to me and deliver me. Be a sheltering rock for me to which I may always repair;decree my deliverance,for You are my rock and my fortress. My God, rescue me from the hand of the wicked,from the grasp of the unjust and the lawless. For You are my hope,O my Sovereign GOD,my trust from my youth. While yet unborn, I depended on You;in the womb of my mother, You were my support;asupport Meaning of Heb. uncertain. I sing Your praises always. I have become an example for many,since You are my mighty refuge. My mouth is full of praise to You,glorifying You all day long. Do not cast me off in old age;when my strength fails, do not forsake me! For my enemies talk against me;those who wait for me are of one mind, saying, “God has forsaken him;chase him and catch him,for no one will save him!” O God, be not far from me;my God, hasten to my aid! Let my accusers perish in frustration;let those who seek my ruin be clothed in reproach and disgrace! As for me, I will hope always,and add to the many praises of You. My mouth tells of Your beneficence,of Your deliverance all day long,though I know not how to tell it. I come with praise of Your mighty acts, O my Sovereign GOD;I celebrate Your beneficence, Yours alone. You have let me experience it, God, from my youth;until now I have proclaimed Your wondrous deeds, and even in hoary old age do not forsake me, God,until I proclaim Your strength to the next generation,Your mighty acts, to all who are to come, Your beneficence, high as the heavens, O God,You who have done great things;O God, who is Your peer! You who have made me undergo many troubles and misfortuneswill revive me again,and raise me up from the depths of the earth. You will grant me much greatness,You will turn and comfort me. Then I will acclaim You to the music of the lyrefor Your faithfulness, O my God;I will sing a hymn to You with a harp,O Holy One of Israel. My lips shall be jubilant, as I sing a hymn to You,my whole being, which You have redeemed. All day long my tongue shall recite Your beneficent acts,how those who sought my ruin were frustrated and disgraced. --- ## Tanya: Igeret HaKodesh, Chapter 27 TWENTY-SEVEN. What he wrote to the Chasidic community1Emended according to L. H. (Text states: “what he wrote to the inhabitants of the Holy Land,” etc., but that is an obvious printing mistake; see below, note 41). Subsequent note: The Lubavitcher Rebbe later commented that this letter was written to two addressees: one “to the inhabitants of the Holy Land,” and one “to the Chasidic community” in general. See L. H. (below, p. 785), and, in English, Lessons in Tanya, vol 5, pp. 525-526 (Kehot, 2017). to console them doubly for salvation2I.e., doubly and helpfully.—Par. Job 11:6. over the passing of the Rabbi, famous Gaon, holy man of G–d,3Par. II Kings 4:9. “Lamp of Israel, pillar of the right hand, mighty hammer,” 4See Berachot 28b. our master R. Menachem Mendel,5Known as R. Mendel of Vitebsk (or Horodoky), of the leading disciples of R. Dov Ber, the Maggid of Mezeritch. After the Maggid’s demise, R. Shneur Zalman accepted his former colleague as his master. In 1777 R. Mendel ascended to the Holy Land, ultimately settling in Tiberias where he founded and led the Chasidic community. There he passed away, and was buried, on the 1st day of Iyar 5548 (1788). His teachings, letters, etc., were published under the titles Pri Haaretz; Likkutei Amarim; Pri Ha’etz. may his soul rest in Eden. My beloved, my brethren and friends, who are (to me) as my soul….6V. L. (see below, note 41) has instead of etc.—“who stand on Torah, and worship, and the ‘service of tzedakah, quietness and surety forever….’” (Par. Avot 1:2; Isaiah 32:17—cf. above, Epistle 12.)May the L–rd be over them, they should live7Isaiah 38:16. a life forevermore,8Par. Psalms 133:3. and their offspring with them, a seed of truth9As opposed to “seed of falsehood”—Isaiah 57:4.—they are the blessed of the L–rd10Par. Isaiah 65:23. from now for evermore. Following the enquiry after their welfare as is becoming those that love His Name, I have come to comfort the smitten “that sigh and groan”11Par. Ezekiel 9:4. and to console them doubly for salvation with what my ear has heard and noted for itself12Job 13:1. on the saying of our Sages, of blessed memory, that “He has left life for all the living.”13A frequent expression in rabbinic literature; cf. e.g., R. Yitzchak Alfassi (Rif) and Maimonides, in their versions of document-texts (resp. Yevamot, end of ch. 12, and Hilchot Yibum Vechalitzah, end of ch. 4). The righteous lives by his faith,14Habakkuk 2:4. and by the fear of the L–rd which leads to life,15Proverbs 19:23. and by the flashes of fire of the flame16Par. Song of Songs 8:6. of his love (of G–d, which to him) supercedes life, to absorb therein the life of his ruach17Par. Isaiah 38:16.—V. L.: of his ruach and his neshamah. See above, Epistle 5, note 53 on the terms nefesh, ruach, neshamah. all the days of his duration. And when it comes about that the L–rd takes up18Par. II Kings 2:1. (and) gathers to Himself his ruach and neshamah,19Par. Job 34:14. and he ascends from one elevation to another—to the peak of levels, he, then, leaves the life of his ruach, his effectuation on which he has labored20Par. Ezekiel 29:20. previously among Israel [the labor of the righteous is for the living21Proverbs 10:16.], to every living being. That is, (he leaves it to) the soul of every living being bound to his soul by the thick ropes of a magnanimous love, and an eternal love,22Ahavah rabbah and ahavat olam. On these terms see Zohar III:263b; Torah Or, Vayechi 47b. that will not be moved forever. For he who is the man who desires life23Par. Psalms 34:13. to become attached to the L–rd of life, his soul will become attached through his service; (his soul) will be bound up in the bundle of life with the L–rd,24I Samuel 25:29; see Likkutei Torah, Shelach 51d, and below, Epistle 29. in the life of “the breath (ruach) of our nostrils of whom we said: in his tzel we shall live among the nations.”25Par. Lamentations 4:20. The context suggests that this is not a mere paraphrase. Tzel (shadow) is a term associated with the soul and related to the sublime rank of chaya (cf. above, Epistle 5, note 53)—the “soul of soul,” transcending not only the rank of ruach but also that of neshamah. The phrase, thus, appears to mean: in the life (or essence) of the ruach (of the tzaddik), of which we said: “in his tzel we shall live”…. This he left for us, etc.—On the meaning and significance of tzel, see Tehillim Yahel Or on Psalms 39:7 (pp. 148 ff.). (This) he left for us, in each and every one corresponding to the degree of his genuine alliance and his pure love, a pure love of truth from “the inward of man and a profound heart.”26Par. Psalms 64:7. For “As waters (reflect) the face…,”27Proverbs 27:19; see above, Epistle 1, note 26. and “spirit (ruach) rouses spirit, and brings forth spirit.”28Zohar II:162b. Thus his ruach remains truly in our midst, when he sees his children, the work of his hands, in his midst sanctifying His Name, blessed be He.29Par. Isaiah 29:23.—Disciples are regarded as their master’s “children” and the “work of his hands”; see Sanhedrin 19b and 99b. For (His name) is magnified and sanctified when we walk in the right way that he has shown us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths30Par. Isaiah 2:3 (also: Micah 4:2). Cf. Zohar II:215a and III:87b ff. forevermore. And this is the meaning of the statement in the sacred Zohar31III:71b; cf. Chullin 7b. that “When the tzaddik departs, he is to be found in all worlds more than in his lifetime.” That is, he is to be found more even in this world of action [“this day to do them”32Deuteronomy 7:11; see Eruvin 22a.], because the action keeps growing growths of the second degree from the “light implanted for the righteous”33Psalms 97:11. in the field which the L–rd blessed;34The Garden of Eden (see Genesis 27:27 and Rashi, ad loc.; below, note 62).—See Chagigah 12a and below, Epistle 29, note 21. (this light) radiates to the earth and the outside places,35Par. Proverbs 8:26. and also to us—those that are here this day, all of us that live in his ways, “the holy way shall it be called.”36Par. Isaiah 35:8. This is as regards the service of G–d, with respect to heavenly matters.37Religious matters. As for mundane matters, it is stated explicitly in the sacred Zohar that the tzaddikim shield the world, and after their death even more than in their life.38Zohar III:71b. Were it not for the prayer of the tzaddikim in that world, the world would not endure a single moment.39See ibid. III:70b ff.; cf. II:16b. And whoever is closer unto the habitation of the L–rd40I.e., to the tzaddik. during his lifetime has precedence to the blessing.41The original letter continues with a lengthy appeal for charity in general and for the support of R. Mendel of Vitebsk’s family in particular. (Reproduced in Igrot Kodesh Admur Hazaken (Kehot, 2012), p. 58 ff.) (27b). An elucidation of the above. It is stated in the sacred Zohar42III:71b. that when the tzaddik departs he is to be found in all worlds more than in his lifetime…. Now this needs to be understood. For, granted that he is to be found increasingly in the upper worlds, because he ascends to there; but how can he be found more in this world? This may be explained along the lines of what I received on the saying of our Sages, of blessed memory, that “He has left life for all the living.”43Above, note 13. As is known, the life of the tzaddik is not a physical life44Par. Proverbs 14:30. but a spiritual life, consisting of faith, awe, and love. Thus of faith it is written: “And the tzaddik lives by his faith.”45Habakkuk 2:4. Of awe it is written: “The awe of the L–rd is for life.”46Proverbs 19:23. And of love it is written:47Proverbs 21:21. “He who pursues tzedakah48The tzaddik. and chesed will find life,” and chesed refers to love.49Chesed is synonymous with love; cf. above, Epistle 13, note 27. These three attributes are prevalent in every world to the topmost of levels, all proportionate to the levels of the worlds—one higher than the other by way of cause and effect, as known. Now, while the tzaddik was alive on earth, these three attributes were contained in their vessel and garment on the plane of physical space. This is the aspect of the nefesh bound to his body. All his disciples receive but a radiation from these attributes and a ray [from them] radiating beyond this vessel by means of his holy utterances and thoughts. That is why our Sages, of blessed memory, said that a person cannot comprehend his master….50Rashi on Deuteronomy 29:6; Avodah Zarah 5b; cf. Tosafot, Sotah 22b (s.v. Vaed). I.e., only a radiation and a mere ray are apprehended. But after his passing, because the nefesh [which remains in the grave] is separated from the ruach [i.e., these three attributes] which is in the Garden of Eden,51See Zohar I:81a; II:142a. whoever is close to him can receive a part from the aspect of his ruach [which is in the Garden of Eden], because it is no (longer) within a vessel, nor on the plane of physical space. Thus is known the saying of our Sages, of blessed memory, with reference to our father Jacob, peace be to him, that “the Garden of Eden entered with him.”52Bereishit Rabbah 65:22; Tanchuma (ed. Buber), Toldot 10, and 22. Zohar III:84a. Likewise it is stated in the book Asarah Maamarot that the sphere of the Garden of Eden spreads itself around every person, and in this sphere are recorded all his good thoughts and utterings of Torah and Divine service (53Brackets appear in the text.and likewise to the contrary, Heaven forfend: they54I.e., evil thoughts and utterings. are recorded in the sphere of Gehinom, which spreads itself around every person55Cf. Bereishit Rabbah 65:22; Tanchuma (ed. Buber), Toldot 10 and 22.). Thus it is very easy for his disciples to receive their part of the essential aspects of their master’s ruach, i.e., his faith, his awe, and his love, wherewith he served the L–rd and not merely a ray thereof which radiates beyond the vessel. For the essential aspect of his ruach is raised, elevation upon elevation, to become absorbed in his neshamah, which is in the Higher Garden of Eden, in the supreme worlds. Now it is known that something sacred is never wholly and totally uprooted from its place and original level, even after it has reached the highest point.56Pardes Rimonim 14:1 (where this principle is explained at length); Etz Chaim 34:3; Mevo She’arim 6:1:1. See also Etz Chaim 6:5, 47:6 et passim. Thus it is this original aspect, remaining below, in the Lower Garden of Eden, in its place and original level, which extends itself among his disciples, each one according to the level of his alliance and closeness to (the tzaddik) during his lifetime and after his death out of a magnanimous love. For the efflux of anything spiritual is but by means of a magnanimous love. Thus it is stated in the sacred Zohar51Zohar II:162b. that the spirit (ruach) in a mode of the willingness of the heart (reuta deliba)58I.e., the mode of ahavah rabbah (magnanimous love). See above, Epistle 18, and notes 8-9, ad loc. elicits a spirit from above; thus only when he will prepare himself toward his G–d59Par. Amos 4:12. with a great preparation and immense effort to receive these attributes60The faith, awe, and love of the tzaddik. in the way that his master taught him, and as the saying of our Sages, of blessed memory: “If you have labored and (claim to have) found—believe it.”61Megillah 6b. Now, there is yet another type of radiation to his disciples. However, it does not vest itself truly in their mind—as is the case with the first one, but radiates over them, from aloft. It stems from the ascent of his ruach and his neshamah to the source from where it was hewn, that is to the “orchard of the holy apples” (chakal tapuchin kadishin).62The Garden of Eden; Zohar III:84a. Cf. Rashi on Genesis 27:27; see also Zohar I:142b. More on this term see Aspaklarya Hameirah on Zohar III:142b, par. 23. (This ascent) effects a unification there (yichud) by means of the elevation of the mayin nukvin63Feminine waters; see above, Epistle 4, note 46; Intro., note 199. of all his doings, his Torah, and the Divine service which he served all the days of his life. And in the chakal tapuchin kadishin are implanted most sublime lights corresponding to the nether ones, i.e., his Torah and worship. The illumination of these supernal lights radiates over all his disciples, who became servants of the L–rd through his Torah and worship. And this radiation, which is over them from aloft, instills in their heart thoughts of repentance and good deeds. And all the good deeds born from this radiation [radiating from the lights implanted in the orchard mentioned above] are called “growths of the second degree.” But this radiation is in great latency and concealment, just like the sun radiating to the stars from below the earth. Thus it is stated in the Tikkunim,64Tikkunei Zohar 69 (112a); Zohar III:273a. See H. V., ad loc., and the ref. cited there. in reference to Moses our Master, peace to him, that after his passing his radiation extends in every generation to the sixty myriad souls,65The sixty myriad general souls of Israel that exist in every generation; see ibid. (above, note 44) and Kohelet Rabbah 1:5. just like the sun radiating to the sixty myriad stars from below the earth.