מלכות דאצילות בקליפת נוגה – סוד גלות השכינה | הרב מנחם מיידנצ'יק, ח' חשוון | אגרות הקודש סימן כ"ו

Ches, Cheshbon. We are continuing with Iggeret 28, page 144. The Admor HaZaken will now explain that it is not only the Torah that comes down in a state of enclothement, to the point where, due to this enclothement, it is ostensibly possible to call it the "Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil." The Admor HaZaken explains: "And behold, when Malchut of Atzilut (the lowest level of Atzilut) is enclothed within Kelipat Nogah," as we have learned that Kelipat Nogah is a mixture of good and evil, " in order to clarify the sparks that fell during the sin of Adam HaRishon." After all, what did Adam HaRishon do? He mixed the good and the evil.

And therefore, everything has good. Everything good has evil in it, and everything has good in it. We are clarifying them. Also the 288 sparks that fell during the Breaking of the Vessels, as is explained in Kabbalah and Chassidut, which resolve this matter of the Breaking of the Vessels and the falling of the sparks.

Yes, and so on. So, Malchut of Atzilut is also called by the name "Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil." Relative to what? Relative to the higher level. That is Zeir Anpin of Atzilut, which does not descend there, and that is called the " Tree of Life." And behold, the enclothement of Malchut in Kelipat Nogah is the secret of the exile of the Shechinah, where "the man"—the man of the Kelipah—rules over the man of holiness, as we explained earlier in Iggeret HaKodesh, sign 25, from the Book of Reincarnations, regarding the control of the Kelipah during the time of exile.

That during the time of exile , whoever asks for it—the Kelipot, which is bad for him—is for the sake of raising the sparks of holiness from under the yoke of the Kelipah. In essence, the Admor HaZaken will now resolve the issue, which he questioned based on the words of the Ra’aya Mehemna in the Zohar in Parshat Nasso: that at a time when the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil rules, then the Torah scholars, who are likened to the holidays, they are sustained by the am

ha’aretz—and they give to them, in fact, and they occupy themselves with matters of forbidden and permitted , and in this way they actually elevate these matters to holiness. And regarding this he asked: After all, during the time of the Second Temple, Torah scholars also had their own fields and vineyards, just as the am ha’aretz had, and despite everything —although some of them did not take from the am ha’aretz, nonetheless, their primary occupation was with the laws of forbidden and permitted, even though they actually did not

take from the am ha’aretz, they had their own affairs. So the Admor HaZaken will explain that the meaning is that during the rule of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, in the time of exile, the Shechinah bestows upon the " externals" who are in Kelipat Nogah, and the Torah scholars are sustained only from the residue.

And then the work of the Torah scholars is to occupy themselves with matters of forbidden and permitted, impurity and purity, which is to perform the clarifications; to clarify the permitted and pure from the forbidden and impure, which comes about by engaging in profound study and halacha—as he will explain later— and the analytical study of halacha removes the concealment and hiding, so that the halachic ruling will be clear and bright. In the words of the Admor HaZaken: "And this is what is written in Ra’aya Mehemna, 'And

in the time of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, they rule.'" That at a time when the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil rules, the Torah scholars, who are likened to the Sabbaths and holidays, have only what the am ha’aretz gives them; meaning, during the exile, the Shechinah bestows upon the externals who are of Kelipat Nogah, and the Erev Rav draw from there, and it is from their residue that the Torah scholars are nourished in exile. And so, in the time of the

exile of the Divine Presence, the main work of man and the primary engagement in Torah and commandments is to clarify the sparks, as is known from the Ari z "l. The essence of study is the deep analysis and dialectics of Halacha, of prohibition and permission, of ritual impurity and purity, where we are essentially clarifying what is permitted and what is forbidden, right?

And what is pure and what is impure. And how do we clarify this? Through deep analysis and dialectics of Halacha in wisdom, understanding, and knowledge —the three intellectual faculties— as it is known: the Torah emerges from wisdom, and it is specifically through wisdom that they are clarified. It is known that the Torah comes from wisdom, and it is specifically through wisdom that the sparks are clarified, just as the clarification of Halacha happens when a person engages their intellect and wisdom.

Yes, and that is what we mean by" they are clarified in wisdom, "that the clarification of the sparks by wisdom refers to the supreme wisdom of Atzilut, which is clothed in the Malkhut of Atzilut—the lowest level of Atzilut—the mystery of the Oral Torah, in the mystery of" the father founded the daughter, "clothed in the Malkhut of Yetzirah, which is further down in the world of Yetzirah, in the mystery of the Mishnayot and Baraitot, which are clothed in the*Kelipat Nogah* where the matters of forbidden and permitted,

impure and pure exist, corresponding to the world of Yetzirah, where the matter of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil begins. We have Atzilut, and in Atzilut there is only holiness, so then we have Beriah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah. In the world of Beriah, it is mostly good and a little evil; the world of Yetzirah is half and half, the matter of clarification already begins, the matter of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil; and the world of Asiyah is mostly evil—that is our world—it

has a little bit of good. The point is the clarification.

Yes. And in parentheses, the Admor HaZaken says: and those Baraitot are clothed in the*Kelipat Nogah*that corresponds to the world of Asiyah, where the aspect of evil within*Nogah* begins, as is known from the Ari z" l that in the world of Asiyah, in the* Kelipat Nogah*—our world—it is mostly evil. We are in a world that is mostly evil and slightly good, but as we know, the Rebbe says that the work of clarifications has finished, and the work today is to greet Moshiach. So today we see the matter of the clarification of good from evil, and in the redemption, with God's help, we will merit to have true good.