Hayom Yom 6 Menachem Av - Beam the light of the intellect into the emotional

The daily Hayom Yom with Rabbi Yosef Katzman

דעֶר רֶבִּי (רַבֵּנוּ הַזָּקֵן) בְּעֵת עֶר אִיז געֶקוּמעֶן פוּן פּעֶטעֶרְבּוּרְג

When the Alter Rebbe came home from Petersburg,

האָט עֶר געֶזאָגְט פאַרְ'ן מִיטעֶלעֶן רֶבִּי'ן אַ מַאֲמָר

he delivered a maamar to the Mitteler Rebbe,

אִינְגאַנְצעֶן עֶטְלִיכעֶ שׁוּרוֹת

comprised of only a few lines.

[In this teaching, successive stages in a Jew's avodah are presented via a mystical exposition of two verses: “Raise your hands in holiness and bless G‑d. May G‑d bless you from Zion, He who makes heaven and earth.”]

שְׂאוּ יְדֵיכֶם קֹדֶשׁ — זֶהוּ הַעֲלָאַת הַמִּדּוֹת בְּמּוֹחִין וְהַאָרַת הַמּוֹחִין בְּמִדּוֹת

Raise your hands in holiness…: This alludes to uplifting one’s emotive attributes to the intellect, and beaming the light of the intellect into the emotional attributes.

וּבָרְכוּ אֶת ה' — שֶׁמַּמְשִׁיכִים עַל יְדֵי זֶה שֵׁם הֲוַי' דִלְעֵלָּא

…and bless G‑d: Through this one draws down the sublime level of [G‑d’s] Name Havayah.

שֶׁעַל יְדֵי זֶה פּוֹעֵל שֶׁיִּהְיֶה

As a result,

יְבָרֶכְךָ ה' מִצִּיּוֹן — הַמְשָׁכַת שֵׁם הֲוַי' מֵעַצְמִיּוּת הַנְּשָׁמָה

May G‑d bless you from Zion…: the Name Havayah is brought forth from the essence of the soul.

עוֹשֵׂה שָׁמַיִם וָאָרֶץ — שֶׁעַל יְדֵי זֶה הוּא קִיּוּם הָעוֹלָמוֹת

…He Who makes heaven and earth: And through this, all the worlds are sustained.

Text and Translation courtesy of Sichos in English

For questions and follow-up: [e-mail]