חלק ראשון; ליקוטי אמרים, פרק מ״ז

א[מ: י אייר] [פ: יג אייר] וְהִנֵּה, ״בְּכָל דּוֹר וָדוֹר, – וְכָל יוֹם וָיוֹם – חַיָּיב אָדָם לִרְאוֹת עַצְמוֹ כְּאִילּוּ הוּא יָצָא הַיּוֹם מִמִּצְרָיִם״. וְהִיא יְצִיאַת נֶפֶשׁ הָאֱלֹהִית מִמַּאֲסַר הַגּוּף, ״מַשְׁכָּא דְחִוְיָא״, לִיכָּלֵל בְּיִחוּד אוֹר־אֵין־סוֹף בָּרוּךְ־הוּא, עַל יְדֵי עֵסֶק הַתּוֹרָה וְהַמִּצְוֹת בִּכְלָל, וּבִפְרָט בְּקַבָּלַת מַלְכוּת שָׁמַיִם בִּקְרִיאַת שְׁמַע, שֶׁבָּהּ מְקַבֵּל וּמַמְשִׁיךְ עָלָיו יִחוּדוֹ יִתְבָּרֵךְ בְּפֵירוּשׁ, בְּאָמְרוֹ: ״ה׳ אֱלֹהֵינוּ ה׳ אֶחָד״.

1“In every generation and every day a person is obliged to regard himself as if he had that day come out of Egypt.”¹ This refers to the release of the divine soul from the confinement of the body, the “serpent’s skin,” in order to be absorbed into the Unity of the light of the En Sof, blessed is He, through occupation in the Torah and commandments in general, and in particular through accepting the Kingdom of Heaven during the recital of the Shema, wherein the person explicitly accepts and draws over himself His Unity, blessed be He, when he says, “the L–rd is our G–d, the L–rd is One.”²

בוּכְמוֹ שֶׁנִּתְבָּאֵר לְעֵיל, כִּי ״אֱלֹהֵינוּ״ הוּא כְּמוֹ ״אֱלֹהֵי אַבְרָהָם וְכוּ׳״, לְפִי שֶׁהָיָה בָּטֵל וְנִכְלָל בְּיִחוּד אוֹר־אֵין־סוֹף בָּרוּךְ־הוּא. רַק שֶׁאַבְרָהָם זָכָה לָזֶה בְּמַעֲשָׂיו וְהִילּוּכוֹ בַּקּוֹדֶשׁ מִמַּדְרֵגָה לְמַדְרֵגָה. כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב: ״וַיִּסַּע אַבְרָם הָלוֹךְ וְנָסוֹעַ וְגוֹ׳״:

2It has previously been explained³ that “our G–d” is understood in the same way as “the G–d of Abraham,” and so forth,⁴ because he became nullified and absorbed into the Unity of the light of the En Sof, blessed is He, except that Abraham merited this by reason of his works and his advancing in holiness from degree to degree, as is written, “And Abram journeyed, going on and on…”⁵

גאֲבָל אֲנַחְנוּ, יְרוּשָּׁה וּמַתָּנָה הִיא לָנוּ, שֶׁנָּתַן לָנוּ אֶת תּוֹרָתוֹ, וְהִלְבִּישׁ בָּהּ רְצוֹנוֹ וְחָכְמָתוֹ יִתְבָּרֵךְ, הַמְיוּחָדִים בְּמַהוּתוֹ וְעַצְמוּתוֹ יִתְבָּרֵךְ בְּתַכְלִית הַיִּחוּד, וַהֲרֵי זֶה כְּאִלּוּ נָתַן לָנוּ אֶת עַצְמוֹ כִּבְיָכוֹל. כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב בַּזֹּהַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ עַל פָּסוּק: ״וְיִקְחוּ לִי תְּרוּמָה״ [דְּ״לִי״ כְּלוֹמַר ״אוֹתִי״, וַהֲוָה־לֵיהּ־לְמֵימַר ״וּתְרוּמָה״, אֶלָּא מִשּׁוּם דְּכוּלָּא חַד, עַיֵּין שָׁם הֵיטֵב]:

3In our case, however, it is a heritage and a gift, in that He has given us His Torah and has clothed in it His will and wisdom, blessed be He, which are united with His Essence and Being, blessed be He, in perfect unity; and surely this is as if He gave us His very self, as it were. In this sense the Zohar⁶ commented on the verse, “That they bring Me an offering.” ⁷ [For the expression לי [“to Me”] has the same meaning as אותי [“Me”]; hence the text should have read “Me and an offering,”⁸ except that both are one and the same. Study it well there.]

דוְזֶהוּ שֶׁאוֹמְרִים: ״וַתִּתֶּן לָנוּ ה׳ אֱלֹהֵינוּ בְּאַהֲבָה כוּ׳״, ״כִּי בְאוֹר פָּנֶיךָ נָתַתָּ לָּנוּ ה׳ אֱלֹהֵינוּ כוּ׳״. וְלָזֶה אֵין מוֹנֵעַ לָנוּ מִדְּבֵיקוּת הַנֶּפֶשׁ בְּיִחוּדוֹ וְאוֹרוֹ יִתְבָּרֵךְ, אֶלָּא הָרָצוֹן, שֶׁאִם אֵין הָאָדָם רוֹצֶה כְּלָל חַס וְשָׁלוֹם לְדָבְקָה בוֹ כוּ׳. אֲבָל מִיָּד שֶׁרוֹצֶה וּמְקַבֵּל וּמַמְשִׁיךְ עָלָיו אֱלֹהוּתוֹ יִתְבָּרֵךְ וְאוֹמֵר ״ה׳ אֱלֹהֵינוּ ה׳ אֶחָד״ – הֲרֵי מִמֵּילָא נִכְלֶלֶת נַפְשׁוֹ בְּיִחוּדוֹ יִתְבָּרֵךְ, דְּ״רוּחַ אַיְיתִי רוּחַ וְאַמְשִׁיךְ רוּחַ״, וְהִיא בְּחִינַת יְצִיאַת מִצְרַיִם. וְלָכֵן תִּקְּנוּ פָּרָשַׁת יְצִיאַת מִצְרַיִם בִּשְׁעַת קְרִיאַת־שְׁמַע דַּוְקָא, אַף שֶׁהִיא מִצְוָה בִּפְנֵי עַצְמָהּ, וְלֹא מִמִּצְוַת קְרִיאַת שְׁמַע, כִּדְאִיתָא בַּגְּמָרָא וּפוֹסְקִים, אֶלָּא מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהֵן דָּבָר אֶחָד מַמָּשׁ. וְכֵן בְּסוֹף פָּרָשַׁת יְצִיאַת מִצְרַיִם מְסַיֵּים גַּם כֵּן ״אֲנִי ה׳ אֱלֹהֵיכֶם״, וְהַיְינוּ גַם כֵּן כְּמוֹ שֶׁנִּתְבָּאֵר לְעֵיל:

4This is the interpretation of “And You, L–rd our G–d, have given us, in love…,”⁹ [and] “For by the light of Your Countenance You gave us, L–rd our G–d….”¹⁰ Therefore the only thing that precludes us from the attachment of the soul to His Unity and light, blessed be He, is the will, that is, if the human being does not will it at all, G–d forbid, to cleave to Him…. But immediately he does so desire, and he accepts and draws upon himself His G–dliness, blessed be He, and declares, “the L–rd is our G–d, the L–rd is One,” then his soul is spontaneously absorbed into His Unity, blessed be He, for “Spirit evokes spirit and draws forth spirit.”¹¹ This is a form of “Exodus from Egypt.” Therefore it was ordained that the paragraph concerning the Exodus from Egypt be read specifically during the recital of the Shema,¹² although it is a commandment by itself and not appertaining to the commandment of the recital of the Shema, as is stated in the Talmud and Codes,¹³ for they are actually the same thing. Likewise, the paragraph referring to the Exodus from Egypt also concludes, “I am the L–rd your G–d.”¹⁴ This also accords with what has been explained earlier.

Kehot Publication Society · CC BY-NC · sefaria.org

Kehot Publication Society · CC BY-NC · sefaria.org