New Manuscript Discovered and Translated for Gimmel Tammuz
A newfound manuscript – from the recently discovered Schennerson library in Moscow, Russia (a library that the Rebbe passionately fought to restore to its rightful place in the Agudas Chassidei Chabad Library) has come to light. This manuscript was penned by the second Chabad Rebbe’s (Rabbi Dovber Schneerson, the Mitteler Rebbe), and it includes the conclusion of a discourse delivered by his father, Rabbi Schneur Zalman on Shabbat Parshat Va’eirah 5568, which until now has ever been seen by the public and published!
This extraordinary manuscript, with the fascinating example of the sun always shining day and night, can perhaps shed some “light” on the stoppage of the sun on Gimmel Tammuz [1]: The sun may be silent (in ways that we can’t hear it), and its movement may have paused, but it continues to shine one way or another – either directly or through its reflection in the moon and the stars. To read more about what this manuscript means, visit meaningfullife.com to see Rabbi Jacobson’s application of the teaching, The Silent Sun.
The beginning of the discourse is printed in Ohr HaTorah of the Tzemech Tzedek Parshat Va’eirah p.165-166, and what follows below is the continuation of the discourse loosely translated from the Mitteler Rebbe’s transcript – published here for the very first time – and apropos to Gimmel Tammuz.
The level of Moses [the quintessential leader] is the uppermost tier in each and every world, i.e. the interface within each and every world that draws from the world above it. As illustrated by the name Moshe, which means to extract, like the act of drawing water from a well, as in the verse “He drew water for us, and gave our sheep to drink” (Exodus 2:19). This first stage in each world is deserving of this name for it ‘draws’ and ‘gives to drink;’ it draws from the higher world and gives to drink to the lower world which receives from it, and it serves as an intermediary to bring from the higher to the lower. For this reason he is called Moshe — draws — in the present tense, for this level constantly draws from that which is higher to that which is lower.
This is the deeper mystical meaning of that which it says [the reason given for the name Moshe] “For I drew him out of the water” (Exodus 2:10). It refers to drawing from the supernal waters which precede Atzilus which is the tier of ‘Tikkun’ (the systematic and aligned consciousness of reparation) that follows ‘Tohu’ (the chaotic consciousness of misalignment). These supernal waters are drawn down into Atzilus to effect reparations, not for their (the waters’) own ends, for their origin is far higher that Atzilus and they have nothing to gain by descending into Atzilus. Similarly there is an equivalent level called Moshe that serves to mediate the communication from Atzilus to Briah and from Briah to Yetzirah etc. In the same vein, the source of the level called Moshe within the world of Briah is higher than the world of Briah – its source is in Atzilus. It is this stage called Moshe (within the world of Briah) that draws from Atzilus into Briah etc. This is also the case from Briah to Yetzirah, and from Yetzirah to Asiyah etc.
And as it says in Zohar that “there is an extension of Moshe in every generation,” so too is there a level called Moshe in every world even in this inferior world and it is called Moshe for it draws and ‘gives to drink’ from the higher to the lower.
The archetypal instance of this function, and the context in which it is commonly described is the drawing from the essence of the Emanator (G-d as the original source of Atzilus — the world of emanation) to the emanations (the beings of the world of Atzilus). This is the level of Moshe that is referred to in mystical texts as ‘The Chaperon of The King’, implying that it draws from the revelation of infinite light from higher to lower, in each world in its particular context. Like — as an analogy — a chaperon who serves as an intermediary who mediates communications from the groom to the bride i.e. from the provider to the recipient, so too this stage called Moshe mediates communication from the King (Emanator) to His emanations.
Taking all this into account makes more easily understood the fact that we find among the words of The Sages expressions such as “Moshe did not pass away”, as it says in Zohar in reference to the verse “And no person knows the place of his burial…” (Deuteronomy 33:6).
[Here is where the discourse ends in Ohr HaTorah. The following is the conclusion of this subject in the recently discovered Mitteler Rebbe’s transcript:]
For the source of Moshe is this archetypal intermediary that draws from higher to lower, and therefore his radiance must radiate constantly because of the recipients which must continuously receive from higher worlds by means of this intermediary. This is why it is absolutely imperative that the extension of Moshe is in every generation.
Considering the abovementioned, the “gathering” (a biblical euphemism for the passing of the righteous) which is mentioned in reference to Moshe [Jacob] is not the conventional form of gathering and complete termination G-d forbid, it is merely like the illusion of gathering away of light that prevents it from illuminating the earth, such as that which occurs at night, as it is written “And when the sun has set (lit. come)…” (Leviticus 22:6). This illusion of bringing in and gathering away occurs because the sun has departed to illuminate the sky on the converse side of the earth, however in terms of the sun itself, no change has occurred whatsoever, for it radiates light when it is night just as it radiates when it is day.
Yet, there is a difference in the way in which its light radiates in the context of the earth: By day the sun radiates directly upon that place; by night its light is gathered away in the context of that particular location on earth, and illuminates that part of the earth by means of the moon and the stars which receive the light of the sun and reflect it to the earth.[2] This reflected nighttime light is also entirely from the sun, for without the sun the moon has no light of its own with which to illuminate the earth, as stated in Zohar that “The moon has no light of its own at all.”
The description of being gathered away which is made in reference to the archetype of Moshe, can be similarly understood. The gathering away of Moshe is such that his radiance illuminates the Jewish people through his disciple Joshua who is like the “face of the moon,” with Moshe’s face being like the “face of the sun” as stated in the teachings of the Sages and in Zohar. In contrast, complete gathering away (total termination) cannot be described in reference to archetype of Moshe because he is the intermediary who ‘draws and gives to drink’ continuously.
This is what the Sages mean when they say that “Moshe did not die.” Death describes a scenario in which light is completely gathered away from the world in which it was previously found, and this is impossible to say about Moshe for the reason explained above. What did happen to Moshe’s presence among the Jewish people is analogous to the illusion of the sun’s absence, which is in fact illuminating at night by means of the moon and the stars, as explained above.
[1] Seder Olam Rabba chapter 11.
[2] Compare with Tanya, Iggeret HaKodesh end of the biur of epistle 27.
בחי׳ משה המדרי׳ הגבוה שבכל עולם ועולם הוא, דהיינו שהוא בכל עולם ועולם בחי׳ הממשיך מעולם העליון הימנו שזה מורה תיבת משה לשון משוי כמו ענין דלי׳ וכמו דלה דלה כר להיותו דולה ומשקה דולה מעולם העליון ומשקה לעולם התחתון המקבל הימנו והוא במו בהי׳ ממוצע להביא מן העליון לתחתון וע״כ נק׳ משה לשון הווה שדולה ומשקה תמיד מעליון לתחתון כו’… וז״ש כי מן המים משיתיהו מבחי׳ מים העליונים שלפני האצילות שהוא בחי׳ התיקון שאחר התהו כדי לתקן תיקונים ולא בשביל עצמו כי שרשו גבוה מבחי׳ האצילות, ועד״ז יש בחי׳ משה מאצילות לבריאה ומבריאה ליצירה בו׳ דהיינו שבעולם הבריאה בתי׳ משה דשם גבוה שרשו מבחי׳ מדרי׳ עולם הבריאה כי שרשו באצילות והוא הממשיך מאצילות לבריאה כר, ועד״ז מבריאה ליצירה ומיצירה לעשיי׳ כו׳ וכמו שאמרו בזהר דאתפשטותא דמשה בכל דרא כו׳ גם בעולם הזה השפל ונקרא משה כי דולה ומשקה מעליון לתחתון, ודרך כללות בחי׳ המשכת עצמות המאציל לנאצלים הוא בחי׳ משה ונקרא שושבינא דמלכא כלומר שממשיך מבחי׳ גילוי אור א״ס מעליון לתחתון בכל עולם לפי ערכו כנ״ל ועד״מ השושבין שהוא בחי׳ ממוצע מן ההתן לכלה דהיינו מן המשפיע אל המקבל כו׳ וד״ל. ובזה יובן מה שמצינו בדרז׳יל דמשה לא מת בו׳ וכמ״ש בזהר ע״פ ולא ידע איש את קבורתו כו׳ ס״פ יתרו דפ״ט.
(עד כאן נדפס באור התורה וארא ע’ קסה-קסו הנוגע לעניננו. מכאן ואילך הוא סיום הענין מכתי”ק אדמו”ר האמצעי)
.’לפי ששרשו בחי’ הממוצע הממשיך מעליון לתחתון כנ”ל א”כ הרי בהכרח שיאיר אורו תמיד מפני המקבלים שצריכי’ תמיד לקבל על ידו מעולם העליון, והיינו שאמרו דאתפשטותי’ דמשה בכל דרא בהכרח כו
אך מה שנא’ בו ויגוע ויאסף כו’, אסיפה זו אינה בחי’ אסיפה והסתלקות לגמרי ח”ו אלא היא כמו דמיון אסיפת אור זריחת השמש מלהאיר בארץ כמו בלילה, וכמו דכתיב ובא השמש כו’ ענין ביאה ואסיפה זו היינו מפני שיצא השמש להאיר ברקיע בעבר השני שמתחת לארץ, אבל בגוף השמש אין שינוי כלל כי מאיר בלילה כביום, אך אופן התפשטות הארתו בארץ משונה – ביום השמש מאיר בעצמו ובלילה נאסף אורו מן הארץ ומאיר בארץ דרך אמצעו’ הירח והכוכבים שהן מקבלים אור השמש ומהן מאיר האור בארץ, אבל גם זה האור הכל מן השמש כי בלתי השמש אין אור עצמי בירח להאיר על הארץ, וכמאמר הזוהר דסיהרא לית לה מגרמא כלום כו’ וכמבואר במ”א.
וכך מובן מדרגת משה מה שנא’ בו ויאסף אסיפה זו היינו שיאיר אורו בישראל ע”י יהושע שהוא כפני לבנה ופני משה כפני חמה כידוע בדברי חז”ל ובזוהר, אבל בחי’ אסיפה לגמרי א”א לומר בבחי’ משה מטעם שהוא בחי’ הממוצע הדולה ומשקה בתמידו’. והיינו שארז”ל דמשה לא מת, דבחי’ מיתה הוא בחי’ הסתלקו’ האור לגמרי מעולם שהיה בו וזה א”א במשה מטעם הנ”ל, וכדמיון אור השמש שמאיר גם בלילה בירח וכוכבי’ כנ”ל וד”ל.
The manuscript was translated and printed with the help of Rabbi Simon Jacobson. Below is the actual manuscript pictured.
Read more about how we can better incorporate this manuscript into our life, notably the challenging day of Gimmel Tammuz.