וביאור הענין

To explain:

What characteristics of the soul also characterize Havayah, the Four-Letter Name of G‑d, and thus indicate that the soul is indeed a part of that Name? In answer to this question, the Alter Rebbe now explains that just as the Ten Sefirot are included within the Tetragrammaton, so, too, there are ten corresponding faculties that are intrinsic to the soul.

כנודע מאמר אליהו: אנת הוא דאפיקת עשר תיקונין, וקרינן להון עשר ספירן, לאנהגא בהון עלמין סתימין וכו׳

There is a well-known statement of Eliyahu, in the passage entitled Patach Eliyahu, in the introduction to Tikkunei Zohar: “You are He Who elicited the ten tikkunim (lit., ‘garments’) which we call the Ten Sefirot, by which to conduct the concealed worlds…[and the revealed worlds...].1

אנת הוא חכים, ולא בחכמה ידיעא

You are wise, but not with a knowable attribute of wisdom;

אנת הוא מבין, ולא בבינה ידיעא וכו׳

You understand, but not with a knowable attribute of understanding; and so on“ — with regard to the remaining Sefirot.

וכל הי׳ ספירות נכללות ונרמזות בשם הויה ברוך הוא

All the Ten Sefirot are included and represented in their source, the Tetragrammaton.

The Alter Rebbe now shows how the various Sefirot find expression in the four letters that comprise this Divine Name, Havayah.

כי היו״ד, שהיא בחינת נקודה לבד, מרמזת לחכמתו ית׳

The yud, which is a simple point, extending in neither length nor breadth, indicates G‑d’s Wisdom, the Sefirah of Chochmah,

שהיא בבחינת העלם והסתר קודם שבאה לבחינת התפשטות וגילוי ההשגה וההבנה

which is the state of concealment and obscurity, before it develops into a state of expansion and revelation in comprehension and understanding.

והקו׳ שעל היו״ד רומז לבחינת רצון העליון ברוך הוא, שלמעלה מעלה ממדרגת בחינת חכמה עילאה כנודע

(2The “thorn” above3 the yud indicates the Supreme Will, this being the level of Keter, which transcends by far the level of Chochmah Ila‘ah, Supernal Wisdom, as is known.)

ואחר שבאה לבחינת התפשטות וגילוי ההשגה וההבנה לעלמין סתימין

When [the seminal “point” of Chochmah] is eventually amplified and revealed as something comprehensible to the concealed worlds, i.e., when it descends to the level and Sefirah of Binah,

נכללת ונרמזת באות ה׳, שיש לה בחינת התפשטות לרוחב, המורה ומרמז על הרחבת הביאור וההבנה

it is then contained and represented in the letter hei of the Tetragrammaton. This letter extends in breadth, implying a breadth of explanation and understanding, which is the function of Binah.

וגם לאורך, המורה על בחינת ההמשכה וההשפעה מלמעלה למטה לעלמין סתימין

[The letter hei] also extends in length, to indicate extension and flow downward into the concealed worlds.

The hidden worlds are nourished from the level of Binah, so that they may have an understanding of G‑dliness.

ואחר כך, כשנמשכה המשכה והשפעה זו יותר למטה לעלמין אתגליין

In the next stage, when this extension and flow are drawn still lower into the revealed worlds,

וכמו האדם שרוצה לגלות חכמתו לאחרים על ידי דבורו, על דרך משל

which may be compared, by way of analogy, to one who wishes4 to reveal his thoughts to another through his speech,

נכללת ונרמזת המשכה זו באותיות ו״ה

this extension is contained and represented in the [final] letters vav and hei [of the Tetragrammaton].

כי הוי״ו מורה על ההמשכה מלמעלה למטה

For the letter vav, which is shaped like a vertical line, indicates downward extension.

There is another connection between this stage and the letter vav:

וגם המשכה זו היא על ידי מדת חסדו וטובו ושאר מדותיו הקדושות, הנכללת בדרך כלל במספר שש שבפסוק: לך ה׳ הגדולה וגו׳ עד לך ה׳ הממלכה, ולא עד בכלל

Also, this downward flow into the revealed worlds is effected through the Divine traits of benevolence and goodness and [G‑d’s] other holy traits, included in general terms in the six attributes, the numerical equivalent of vav, in the verse,5 “Yours, O G‑d, is greatness...,” — until “Yours, O G‑d, is sovereignty...,” but not including it.

כי מדת מלכותו ית׳ נקראת בשם דבר ה׳

For His attribute of sovereignty is called the “Word of G‑d” (and speech is not one of the middot, the spiritual emotive attributes),

כמו שכתוב: באשר דבר מלך שלטון

as in the verse,6 “Wherever the word of the king holds sway.”

Supernal speech, then, is related to Malchut, G‑d’s sovereignty.

ונכללת ונרמזת באות ה׳ אחרונה של שם ה׳

This [attribute of sovereignty] is contained and represented in the final hei of the Tetragrammaton, in the following manner:

כי פנימיות ומקור הדבור הוא ההבל העולה מן הלב, ומתחלק לה׳ מוצאות הפה: אחה״ע מהגרון וכו׳

The internal aspect and the source of speech is the breath that rises from the heart, then is particularized into the five oral articulations (five being the numerical equivalent of the letter hei). [One of these produces the bracket of letters] alef, chet, hei and ayin from the throat, another produces the bracket of letters beit, vav, mem and pei from the lips, and so on.

At any rate, the internal aspect of speech is breath.

וגם הברת הה״א היא בחינת הבל לבד

In particular, the enunciation of the letter hei is solely unvocalized breath,

כמו שכתוב: אתא קלילא דלית בה מששא

as in the phrase,7 “A light letter without substance.”

Emanating, as it does, solely from the breath, it alludes to the level of Malchut and speech whose internal aspect is “breath”.

ואף שאין לו דמות הגוף חס ושלום

Now “He has no corporeal form,” G‑d forbid.

How, then, can one differentiate Above between those letters that possess substance and those that do not?

אך דברה תורה כלשון בני אדם

Nevertheless, “the Torah speaks as in the language of men.”

Since on the mortal plane this differentiation exists, it is also applied to the Divine plane, for spiritually, too, there exists a corresponding difference between the letter hei and the other letters.

בשגם

Moreover (i.e., there is yet another reason why this analogy is apt, notwithstanding the fact that G‑d has no corporeal form):

שגם דבר ה׳ כ״ב אותיות המתחלקות לה׳ חלקי המוצאות, ובהן נברא כל יצור

for G‑d’s speech as well consists, as it were, of twenty-two letters that separate into the five articulations that produce the Divine speech from which all beings were created.

וכמו שכתוב בליקוטי אמרים חלק ב׳ פי״א ביאור ענין אותיות אלו

(8For a discussion of these letters and their significance, see Likutei Amarim, Part II, ch. 11.)

We thus see that all the Ten Sefirot are included and represented within the Tetragrammaton. The Alter Rebbe now goes on to explain that likewise within the soul, which is part of the Tetragrammaton, there exist ten corresponding levels or faculties.

וככה ממש, על דרך משל, המבדיל הבדלות לאין ק׳, בנשמת האדם

Analogously, exactly the same applies to the soul of man, again keeping in mind the infinite separation between the Creator and the created soul,

שהיא בחינת נפש האלקית דמתוכיה נפח

which is the divine soul which “He blew from within Himself.”

Since the soul derives from the internal aspect of G‑dliness, the Tetragrammaton, which comprises the Ten Sefirot, the soul likewise comprises the following characteristics:

יש בה בחינת שכל הנעלם, המרומז באות יו״ד

There is [the initial state of Chochmah,] the hidden concept alluded to by the letter yud,

Just as the letter yud lacks length and breadth and is but a simple point, so, too, is Chochmah a faculty that lacks intellectual length and breadth, merely —

שבכחו לצאת אל הגילוי, להבין ולהשכיל באמתתו ית׳ ובגדולתו

possessing the potential of being revealed, and thereby understanding and conceiving G‑d’s true existence and greatness,

כל חד וחד לפום שיעורא דיליה, לפי רוחב שכלו ובינתו

in each person according to his measure, according to the breadth of his intellect and understanding.

While the degree of one’s comprehension of G‑dliness depends on the breadth of one’s intellect, a Jew’s essential ability to find G‑d’s true being and greatness securely integrated in his mind, stems from the soul’s attribute of Chochmah, alluded to in the letter yud.

וכפי אשר מעמיק שכלו ומרחיב דעתו ובינתו להתבונן בגדולתו ית׳

As a man deepens his intelligence, as he broadens his mind and comprehension, to contemplate G‑d’s greatness,

אזי מרומזת בינתו באות ה״א, שיש לה רוחב

his now-developed understanding, the faculty of Binah, is alluded to by the letter hei, that has breadth, indicating the breadth of his understanding.

וגם אורך, המורה על ההמשכה מלמעלה למטה

[The hei] also has length, to indicate downward extension,

להוליד מבינתו והתבוננותו בגדולת ה׳ אהבה ויראה ותולדותיהן

so that from his understanding and contemplation of G‑d’s greatness, he arouses love and fear and their offspring, i.e., the other emotive attributes, which are termed the offspring or branches of love and fear,

במוחו ותעלומות לבו

in his mind and in the recesses of his heart,

At this early stage in the generation of the spiritual emotions of love and fear and so on, they are not yet manifest.

ואחר כך בבחינת התגלות לבו

until ultimately they find overt expression in his heart.

The downward progression of intellect into the realm of emotions is thus indicated by the vertical length of the letter hei.

ומזה נמשכה עבודה האמיתית בעסק התורה והמצות, בקול ודבור או מעשה

These [spiritual emotions] lead to the true service of G‑d, in Torah study and mitzvah observance, with voice and speech or with deed.

True divine service is that which is motivated by the love and awe of G‑d, as explained above in Part I, ch. 4.

הן אותיות וא״ו ה״א וכו׳

This is the import of the [final] letters vav and hei [of the Four-Letter Name, Havayah]..., for vav alludes to voice and speech, while hei alludes to action.

וגם ההתבוננות, להבין ולהשכיל באמתתו וגדולתו ית׳, נמשכה גם כן מן התורה

Furthermore, contemplation that endeavors to understand and conceive of G‑d’s true being, also derives from Torah,

I.e., such contemplation must necessarily be preceded by the study of Torah,

דאורייתא מחכמה נפקא, היא בחינת יו״ד של שם הויה וכו׳

for9 “Torah proceeds from Chochmah,” which is the yud of the Tetragrammaton.