חלק ראשון; ליקוטי אמרים, פרק ג׳

א[מ: כז כסלו] [פ: כה כסלו] וְהִנֵּה, כָּל בְּחִינָה וּמַדְרֵגָה מִשָּׁלֹשׁ אֵלּוּ: נֶפֶשׁ רוּחַ וּנְשָׁמָה – כְּלוּלָה מֵעֶשֶׂר בְּחִינוֹת, כְּנֶגֶד עֶשֶׂר סְפִירוֹת עֶלְיוֹנוֹת שֶׁנִּשְׁתַּלְשְׁלוּ מֵהֶן, הַנֶּחְלָקוֹת לִשְׁתַּיִם, שֶׁהֵן: שָׁלֹשׁ אִמּוֹת וְשֶׁבַע כְּפוּלוֹת; פֵּירוּשׁ, חָכְמָה בִּינָה וָדַעַת, וְשִׁבְעַת יְמֵי הַבִּנְיָן: חֶסֶד גְּבוּרָה תִּפְאֶרֶת כוּ׳.

1Now, each distinction and grade of the three—nefesh, ruach, and neshamah—consists of¹ ten faculties, corresponding to the supernal ten sefirot (Divine manifestations),² from which they have descended, which are subdivided into two, namely, the three “mothers” and the seven “multiples,” namely, chochmah (wisdom), binah (understanding), and daat (knowledge); and the “seven days of Creation”: chesed (kindness), gevurah (power), tiferet (beauty), and so on.³

בוְכָךְ בְּנֶפֶשׁ הָאָדָם, שֶׁנֶּחְלֶקֶת לִשְׁתַּיִם: שֵׂכֶל וּמִדּוֹת.

2Similarly is it with the human soul, which is divided in two—sechel (intellect) and middot (emotional attributes).

גהַשֵּׂכֶל כּוֹלֵל: חָכְמָה בִּינָה וָדַעַת, וְהַמִּדּוֹת הֵן: אַהֲבַת ה׳ וּפַחְדּוֹ וְיִרְאָתוֹ וּלְפָאֲרוֹ כוּ׳.

3The intellect includes chochmah, binah, and daat (chabad), while the middot are love of G–d, dread and awe of Him, glorification of Him, and so forth.

דוְחָכְמָה־בִּינָה־דַּעַת נִקְרְאוּ אִמּוֹת וּמָקוֹר לַמִּדּוֹת, כִּי הַמִּדּוֹת הֵן תּוֹלְדוֹת חָכְמָה־בִּינָה־דַּעַת:

4Chabad [the intellectual faculties] are called “mothers” and source of the middot, for the latter are “offspring” of the former.

הוּּבֵיאוּר הָעִנְיָן, כִּי הִנֵּה הַשֵּׂכֶל שֶׁבַּנֶּפֶשׁ הַמַּשְׂכֶּלֶת, שֶׁהוּא הַמַּשְׂכִּיל כָּל דָּבָר – נִקְרָא בְּשֵׁם ״חָכְמָה״, ״כֹּ״חַ מָ״ה״.

5The explanation of the matter is as follows: The intellect of the rational soul, which is the faculty that conceives any thing, is given the appellation of chochmah—כ“ח מ“ה—the “potentiality” of “what is.”⁴

ווּכְשֶׁמּוֹצִיא כֹּחוֹ אֶל הַפּוֹעַל, שֶׁמִּתְבּוֹנֵן בְּשִׂכְלוֹ לְהָבִין דָּבָר לַאֲשׁוּרוֹ וּלְעָמְקוֹ, מִתּוֹךְ אֵיזֶה דְּבַר חָכְמָה הַמּוּשְׂכָּל בְּשִׂכְלוֹ – נִקְרָא ״בִּינָה״.

6When one brings forth this power from the potential into the actual, that is, when [a person] cogitates with his intellect in order to understand a thing truly and profoundly as it evolves from the concept which he has conceived in his intellect, this is called binah.

זוְהֵן הֵם ״אָב״ וָ״אֵם״ הַמּוֹלִידוֹת אַהֲבַת ה׳ וְיִרְאָתוֹ וּפַחְדּוֹ.

7These [chochmah and binah] are the very “father” and “mother” which give birth to love of G–d, and awe and dread of Him.

ח[מ: כח כסלו] [פ: כו כסלו] כִּי הַשֵּׂכֶל שֶׁבַּנֶּפֶשׁ הַמַּשְׂכֶּלֶת, כְּשֶׁמִּתְבּוֹנֵן וּמַעֲמִיק מְאֹד בִּגְדוּלַּת ה׳, אֵיךְ הוּא ״מְמַלֵּא כָּל עָלְמִין״ וְ״סוֹבֵב כָּל עָלְמִין״ וְ״כוּלָּא קַמֵּיהּ כְּלָא חֲשִׁיב״ נוֹלְדָה וְנִתְעוֹרְרָה מִדַּת יִרְאַת הָרוֹמְמוּת בְּמוֹחוֹ וּמַחֲשַׁבְתּוֹ, לִירֹא וּלְהִתְבּוֹשֵׁשׁ מִגְּדוּלָּתוֹ יִתְבָּרֵךְ שֶׁאֵין לָהּ סוֹף וְתַכְלִית, וּפַחַד ה׳ בְּלִבּוֹ.

8For when the intellect in the rational soul deeply contemplates and immerses itself exceedingly in the greatness of G–d, how He fills all worlds and encompasses all worlds,⁵ and in the presence of Whom everything is considered as nothing⁶—there will be born and aroused in his mind and thought the emotion of awe for the Divine majesty, to fear and be humble before His greatness, blessed be He, which is without end or limit, and to have the dread of G–d in his heart.

טוְשׁוּב יִתְלַהֵב לִבּוֹ בְּאַהֲבָה עַזָּה כְּרִשְׁפֵּי אֵשׁ, בַּחֲשִׁיקָה וַחֲפִיצָה וּתְשׁוּקָה וְנֶפֶשׁ שׁוֹקֵקָה, לִגְדוּלַּת אֵין־סוֹף בָּרוּךְ־הוּא.

9Next, his heart will glow with an intense love, like burning coals, with a passion, desire and longing, and a yearning soul, toward the greatness of the En Sof, blessed is He.

יוְהִיא כְּלוֹת הַנֶּפֶשׁ, כְּדִכְתִיב: ״נִכְסְפָה וְגַם כָּלְתָה נַפְשִׁי וְגוֹ׳״, וּכְתִיב: ״צָמְאָה נַפְשִׁי לֵאלֹהִים וְגוֹ׳״, וּכְתִיב: ״צָמְאָה לְךָ נַפְשִׁי וְגוֹ׳״.

10This constitutes the culminating passion of the soul, of which Scripture speaks, as “My soul yearns, indeed it pines…,”⁷ and “My soul thirsts for G–d…,”⁸ and “My soul thirsts for You….”⁹

יאוְהַצִּמָּאוֹן, הוּא מִיסוֹד הָאֵשׁ שֶׁבַּנֶּפֶשׁ הָאֱלֹהִית, וּכְמוֹ שֶׁכָּתְבוּ הַטִּבְעִיִּים, וְכֵן הוּא בְּעֵץ חַיִּים, שֶׁיְּסוֹד הָאֵשׁ הוּא בַּלֵּב, וּמְקוֹר הַמַּיִם וְהַלֵּיחוֹת מֵהַמּוֹחַ, וּכְמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב בְּעֵץ חַיִּים שַׁעַר נ׳, שֶׁהִיא בְּחִינַת חָכְמָה שֶׁנִּקְרָא מַיִם שֶׁבַּנֶּפֶשׁ הָאֱלֹהִית.

11This thirst is derived from the element of Fire, which is found in the divine soul. As students of natural science affirm, and so it is in Etz Chaim, the element of Fire is in the heart, while the source of [the element of] Water and moisture is in the brain, which is explained in Etz Chaim, Portal 50, to refer to the faculty of chochmah,¹⁰ called “the water of the divine soul.”

יבוּשְׁאָר הַמִּדּוֹת כּוּלָּן, הֵן עַנְפֵי הַיִּרְאָה וְהָאַהֲבָה וְתוֹלְדוֹתֵיהֶן, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב בְּמָקוֹם אַחֵר.

12The rest of the middot are all offshoots of fear and love and their derivations, as is explained elsewhere.

יגוְהַדַּעַת, הוּא מִלְּשׁוֹן ״וְהָאָדָם יָדַע אֶת חַוָּה״, וְהוּא לְשׁוֹן הִתְקַשְּׁרוּת וְהִתְחַבְּרוּת, שֶׁמְּקַשֵּׁר דַּעְתּוֹ בְּקֶשֶׁר אַמִּיץ וְחָזָק מְאֹד, וְיִתְקַע מַחֲשַׁבְתּוֹ בְּחוֹזֶק בִּגְדוּלַּת אֵין־סוֹף בָּרוּךְ־הוּא, וְאֵינוֹ מַסִּיחַ דַּעְתּוֹ.

13Daat, the etymology of which is to be found in the verse, “And Adam knew (yada) Eve,”¹¹ implies attachment and union. That is, one binds his mind with a very firm and strong bond to, and firmly fixes his thought on, the greatness of the En Sof, blessed is He, without diverting his mind [from Him].

ידכִּי אַף מִי שֶׁהוּא חָכָם וְנָבוֹן בִּגְדוּלַּת אֵין־סוֹף בָּרוּךְ־הוּא, הִנֵּה אִם לֹא יְקַשֵּׁר דַּעְתּוֹ וְיִתְקַע מַחֲשַׁבְתּוֹ בְּחוֹזֶק וּבְהַתְמָדָה – לֹא יוֹלִיד בְּנַפְשׁוֹ יִרְאָה וְאַהֲבָה אֲמִיתִּית, כִּי אִם דִּמְיוֹנוֹת שָׁוְא.

14For even one who is wise and understanding of the greatness of the En Sof, blessed is He, will not—unless he binds his knowledge and fixes his thought with firmness and perseverance—produce in his soul true love and fear, but only vain fancies.

טווְעַל כֵּן, הַדַּעַת הוּא קִיּוּם הַמִּדּוֹת וְחַיּוּתָן, וְהוּא כּוֹלֵל חֶסֶד וּגְבוּרָה, פֵּירוּשׁ, אַהֲבָה וַעֲנָפֶיהָ וְיִרְאָה וַעֲנָפֶיהָ:

15Therefore daat is the basis of the middot and the source of their vitality; it contains chesed and gevurah, that is to say, love with its offshoots and fear with its offshoots.¹²

161 Elsewhere (e.g., Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 1a; 51b; Shir Hashirim 16d) the author makes it clear that the soul does not “consist” of the ten faculties, but rather manifests itself through them, since the soul itself is essentially unknowable.

172 The ten sefirot are more fully discussed by the author in the fourth part of the book, Iggeret Hakodesh, sect. 15 and elsewhere.

183 Ibid.

194 Zohar III:28a; 34a. A play on the Hebrew word חכמה—כ“ח מ“ה. It is also to be understood as “pure” or creative reason in potentia.

205 I.e., both immanently and transcendency. Zohar III:225a.

216 Zohar I:11b.

227 Psalms 84:3.

238 Psalms 42:3.

249 Psalms 63:2.

2510 Water descends from high places. It is symbolically identified with chochmah, the highest of the ten sefirot, and also with chesed, the first of the middot.

2611 Genesis 4:1.

2712 Love and fear (awe) are two basic emotions latent in the soul, which are produced by contemplation. The faculty of daat stimulates these higher emotions to seek an outlet through the three “garments” of the soul, discussed in the following chapter.

Kehot Publication Society (English Translation)