The Final Mitzva – Write this Song
The final Mitzva {ועתה כתבו לכם את השירה הזאת} given in the Torah, that each individual must write their own Sefer Torah[i] is derived from the verse[ii] ועתה כתבו לכם את השירה הזאת – and now, write for yourselves this song.[1] Indeed, we find that Moshe did this. In response to G-d’s command ועתה כתבו לכם את השירה הזאת ולמדה את בני ישראל שימה בפיהם – and now, write for yourselves this song and teach it to the Jewish people; place it in their mouths, Moshe initially writes this ‘song’, as it says[iii] ויכתב משה את השירה הזאת ביום ההוא, וילמדה את בני ישראל – and Moshe wrote this song on that day, and he taught it to the Jewish people. And then, as the verse also states שימה בפיהם, Moshe didn’t limit himself to writing the Sefer Torah. He also taught it orally, as the verse states[iv] וידבר משה באזני כל קהל ישראל את דברי השירה הזאת, עד תמם – And Moshe spoke in the ears of the entire congregation of the Jewish people, the words of this song, until their completion.
We find that a similar process was engaged at the passing of Rabbi Shimon bar Yoĉai. The Zohar relates that before his passing, he arranged to have the hidden Torah that he had spent his life teaching written down by Rabbi Aba, his student, and transmitted orally to the next generation by Rabbi Elazar, his son.
וכך אסדרנא לכו, רבי אבא יכתוב ורבי אלעזר ברי ילעי וכו’
“And this is how I organize you: Rabbi Aba shall write, and Rabbi Elazar my son shall teach etc.”
In Reb Levi Yitzchok Schneerson’s [Reb Levik] commentary on the Zohar, which he wrote while in exile in the [former] Soviet Union, he writes as follows:
בחר ברבי אבא לכתיבה וברבי אלעזר למלעי בפה – כי רבי אבא הוא בינה ורבי אלעזר הוא חכמה כמו שכתוב לעיל דף קכ”ז עמוד ב’ בנצוצי אורות עין שם. וכן כתוב כאן. הנה כתב הוא בבינה כמו שכתוב במאורי אור מערך כתב. ומלעי בפה הוא בחכמה וכמו שכתוב בלקוטי תורה בדיבור המתחיל “ושאבתם מים בששון” עין שם
He chose Rabbi Aba to write and Rabbi Elazar to teach orally because Rabbi Aba is בינה – Understanding and Rabbi Elazar is חכמה – Wisdom, as was written previously page 127b in [the book] ניצוצי אורות, see there. And so also is written here. So, ‘Writing’ is in בינה – Understanding, as is written in [the book] מאורי אור under the topic כתב – Writing. And teaching by mouth is in חכמה – Wisdom, as is written in [the book] לקוטי תורה [under the discourse] header ושאבתם מים בששון – And you shall draw water joyously. See there.
Questions to Draw out the Lesson
Due to the harsh tribulations Reb Levik underwent in exile, he was very limited physically in what he could write and thus had to condense and encapsulate his teachings in a hidden manner, leaving it to us to study and understand what he wrote. Accordingly, the following questions should be asked:
- Why is the story ‘repeated’ – as Reb Levik notes וכן כתוב כאן – and so too it is written here.
- Considering this is when the story took place – as Rabbi Shimon was arranging his affairs prior to his passing – is should be appropriate to consider this rendition as the original and its mention in the other place the repetition. In other words, Reb Levik should have said וכן כתוב שם – and so too it is written there.
- If it needs to be repeated, why is Reb Levik’s commentary given here instead of there [p. 127b]. In other words, what is being added by commenting here in Parshas האזינו instead of in the discussion on the greatness of a Nazir in Parshas נשא – which is the topic discussed there by Reb Levik.
- Rabbi Shimon stated that Rabbi Elazar “ילעי – shall teach”, while Reb Levik adds the term ‘בפה – orally’ – why the change in phrasing.
- Why does Reb Levik add the phrase בחר – he [Rabbi Shimon] chose. Especially if both the individuals were naturally aligned with their profession, (Rabbi Aba the Writer, since both Rabbi Aba and Writing are sourced in בינה – Understanding, and Rabbi Elazar the Orator, since both Rabbi Elazar and Teaching are sourced in חכמה – Wisdom) then what choice is there that Rabbi Shimon can make. A mismatch of talent to individual serves no one.
- Presumably, Rabbi Shimon who is consistently identified with דעת – Knowledge, orders his choices from below-to-above, which is why first he mentions Rabbi Aba (בינה) and then he mentions his son Rabbi Elazar (חכמה). However, the topic under discussion is the transmittal of the hidden Torah. Why then would the process be identified in a below-to-above fashion. Shouldn’t Torah, which is G-d’s Wisdom, be taught from above-to-below.
Background Information
Reb Levik writes twice “see there”, referencing two discourses:
- The quote referencing ושאבתם מים בששון is a discourse in Likutei Torah discussing the difference between the wine and water libations. The wine libations are ‘written’ explicitly in the Torah, while the water libations on Sukkos are only hinted at in the Written Torah. Instead, the law of water libations is known only from the oral tradition. The discourse discusses the source of the Written Torah (בינה) and the Oral Torah (חכמה) and explains that the water libation, being a libation from חכמה is therefore not ‘written’ in the Written Torah.
- The other quote is referencing Reb Levik’s own commentary on the Zohar on page 127. There he quotes the Zohar who states that Rabbi Yehuda bar Rav opened his discourse about the holiness of the Nazir’s hair by establishing a connection to the verse[v] קוצותיו תלתלים. Reb Levik notes that traditionally, a Nazir is connected to the concept of אריך אנפין – a level of Will above Intellect in which the Nazir divorces himself from normal society and lives like a wild man, by growing out his hair. The verse though speaks of the ordered השפעה of זעיר אנפין. Reb Levik concludes that the ‘true place’ of the Nazir is in זעיר אנפין, but he has elevated himself to the level of אריך אנפין by taking on the Mitzva of Nazir.
With these lessons in mind, we can seek to understand Reb Levik’s commentary here.
The Libations: Sealing the Vessel, Sparking the Light
The proper transmission[2] of Torah, requires the correct sequencing of building the vessel and then drawing down the light. Accordingly, as taught in the Pirkay Avos[vi] בן חמש למקרא – at five (5) years old for Reading. A child doesn’t start by being taught orally the lessons needed to be a proper Jew. Instead, he first learns how to read the Written Torah – he is taught the simple meaning of the words in the Ĉumash in its entirety. The teacher first establishes the vessel of the Written Torah and then, five years later, בן עשר למשנה – at ten (10) years old for Mishna and בן חמש עשרי לגמרא – at fifteen (15) years old for the Gemara.
In terms of correlation to the attributes of intellect, the Sefira of בינה represents the vessel of the intellect. It receives the השפעה from חכמה. But בינה is not passive. Upon receiving the השפעה from חכמה, it expands it and develops it to fit all the nuances contained within the initial spark of Wisdom. It calls upon חכמה to spark more; the greater the vessels capacity, the more it calls to be filled.
As taught in Ĉassidus; wine is correlated to the Sefira of בינה. It too calls forth that which is hidden, as in the famous maxim[vii] נכנס יין יצא סוד. Throughout the year, the service required is one of pouring libations of wine. We take the initial spark received at the head of the year and develop it and pour it out throughout the year.
Wine also correlates with the Written Torah. It has specific characteristics – the forms of color, taste and the libations had to be specifically measured. It thus correlates also with the Written Torah, which is defined by being defined – constrained as a vessel into specific shapes. Like the libations which were brought in the Base Hamikdash, the public reading of the Torah was an act of dissemination – which is why the custom was established that a מתורגמן was present to explain to the people what they had just read. The initial flash of חכמה was consistently broadened and developed (and applied) throughout the year.
This year-long cycle of המשכה – drawing down reaches its absolute final edge during the holiday of Sukkos with the offering of the seventy (70) bulls on behalf of the seventy (70) nations of the world – where the sustenance of Torah and service to G-d is extended even to the rest of the world.
However, as the outgoing year’s המשכה ends, the new year’s השפעה begins. We cannot start the year with more בינה expansion. There has to be something to expand and expound upon. The year starts with ניסוך המים – the drawing[3] of the water.
By reading the final words of Devarim on Simchas Torah and then immediately restarting by reading the opening section of Beraishis on Simchas Torah, the Jewish people finish building out the structure of בינה and begin the process of expanding the light of חכמה immediately into the new year.
Water represents חכמה, the initial flash of inspiration. It has no taste or color. It is pure potential (in terms of being a base for other liquids) and undifferentiated. Similarly, as taught in Likutei Torah, the Water Libation represents the Oral Torah. This is where the Torah begins[4] and this is where our service throughout the entire year – jumpstarted with חכמה – begins.
The Secret of Oration
How does this fluid, unwritten Wisdom actually take hold in the physical world? The Zohar simply states that Rabbi Elazar shall ילעי – teach. Considering the topic [the hidden Torah of the Zohar], one might be forgiven for thinking this teaching is done telepathically or through the medium of רוח הקודש or prophecy. Reb Levik deliberately alters this, specifying that he must teach verbally בפה – by mouth.
In the Kabbalistic framework of as taught by Eliyahu, the mouth is exclusively identified with מלכות – Kingship “מלכות – פה, תורה שבעל פה קרינן לה – Malĉus is the mouth; we call it the Oral Torah. But if the Oral Torah is rooted in the Sefira of חכמה, why is it defined by the lowest vessel of מלכות?
Reb Levik is hinting to the Kabbalistic principle of אבא יסד ברתא – The Father [חכמה] founds the Daughter [מלכות].[5] In the standard descent of Divine energy known as the סדר השתלשלות, energy must filter down sequentially through the intellectual faculties (חב”ד) down into the emotional attributes (זעיר אנפין) followed by an actualization (מלכות) in physical reality. But in times of transition, that gradual descent is vulnerable to dissipation or modification. אבא יסד ברתא dictates that there is a direct connection between the source – the highest flash of infinite wisdom – and the final teaching – the transmittal of the Oral Torah to the recipient.
By adding בפה, Reb Levik emphasizes that Rabbi Elazar is executing אבא יסד ברתא. The unwritten light of חכמה is being taught directly by the physical mouth of מלכות. Just as the unwritten water libation (חכמה) is poured directly onto the physical altar (מלכות), the Oral Torah bypasses all intermediaries to impact physical reality directly.
This dynamic explains the profound joy of completing the Written Torah on Simchas Torah, at the culmination of Sukkos. Normally energy flows top-down from חכמה to בינה and on through the rest of the סדר השתלשלות in the heavenly realms. However, when sparking the new cycle for the year, the human reception of Torah requires a bottom-up construction: the vessel must be sealed before the new light can be drawn. By doing this we create the connection between מלכות and חכמה – causing the reciprocating אבא יסד ברתא – the breakthrough of the light of חכמה down into this physical realm, by passing all the normal channels[6].
Maturation and the True Place
This pivot between cycles is not merely a horizontal handoff; it is a vertical ascension. Reb Levik connects Rabbi Shimon’s arrangement to his teaching on the Nazir to reveal this maturation.
By stepping entirely out of the normative constraints of mundane society, the Nazir forces himself to undergo spiritual maturation. He elevates himself from the limited, developing state of זעיר אנפין into the fully mature state of אריך אפנין. In his true place, in זעיר אנפין, the immature would-be Nazir is subjected to temptations that are beyond his ability to resist:
- The temptations of losing his mental control over the emotional attributes – by engaging in drinking wine in excess.
- The thickening of the gross physical shell to hide the spiritual; the beautification of the hair presenting itself as a form of beauty, is the elevation of perceived physical beauty over the inner beauty of the person and soul within.
- And finally, the temptation to associate himself with death, the complete opposite of the life of Torah and holiness.
To overcome this, since the would-be Nazir is in a state of מוחין דקטנות – undeveloped intellect, the Nazir grasps on a mechanism of the oath. Imposing the unreasoning power of the soul over everything – the expression of אריך אנפין. Thus, he no longer drinks wine at all, placing himself like a Wildman outside the constrains of society. He no longer cuts his hair at all, shunning any recognition of his physical appearance. And he completely disassociates himself with death[7].
While the Nazir represents an impetuous jump from one state of immaturity to a different state, there is also the natural process of growing up which everyone undergoes in which gradually זעיר אנפין is rendered no longer a collection of immature emotions subject to the whim and fancy of every passing thought. But rather it becomes developed in a rigid expression of who the person is, similar to the light of אריך אנפין.
Regarding that, Reb Levik writes “so too it is written here.” He is establishing that Rabbi Shimon’s passing operates on this identical axis of maturation. While Rabbi Shimon lived, his hidden Torah was in a state of זעיר אנפין – pristine, highly concentrated, oral teachings – still developing within a chosen inner circle. Rabbi Shimon’s departure from the physical world is the exact pivot point between cycles. By deliberately dividing the transmission between the expansive vessel of Rabbi Aba the Writer and the dynamic spark of Rabbi Elazar the Orator, Rabbi Shimon ensures his Torah will “grow up.” The next generation will not just preserve his teachings; they will elevate them into the mature, infinite reality of אריך אנפין.
The Essence of Choice
This transition to maturity requires a mechanism that transcends logic, which is why Reb Levik emphasizes the word בחר – he chose. If Rabbi Shimon had assigned these roles simply because Rabbi Aba was a gifted writer and Rabbi Elazar a gifted orator, the transmission would remain bound within the natural, limited framework of זעיר אנפין. True choice exists when all things are equal, and the choice is not related to that which is chosen but is instead an expression of self. “This is my choice because I choose it.” Only at the level of עמצות the Essence, where all talents and boundaries are completely equal and nullified, can Rabbi Shimon make the choice – setting the start of the next cycle of the transmission and expression of the Hidden Torah. Rabbi Shimon chose them not because they were a fit match to their professions, but because he wanted to awaken within them their connection to the essence of Rabbi Shimon and the Torah he was revealing. And doing so creates an unbreakable connection between their expressions of talent and the essence of what they are drawing down. Rabbi Aba is no longer writing down what his teacher told him – he is the Writer of the Hidden Torah. And Rabbi Elazar is no longer just a gifted teacher repeating the lessons of his father – he is the Teacher of the Hidden Torah. The fact that this essential choice seamlessly mapped onto their natural talents demonstrates a profound Ĉassidic truth: engaging the Essence does not destroy the natural vessel; it infuses it with infinity. Their everyday professions ceased to be mere personal skills and were permanently transformed into vehicles for the expression of Torah.
The Transition of Eras: From Moshe to Yehoshua (and on)
This mirrors the historical transition[8] of Torah at the end of Moshe Rabbeinu’s lifetime. For forty years, Moshe delivered a continuous, living flow of Oral transmission (חכמה / Water) in the desert. But on his final day, as his era ended, he encapsulated that flow by writing the Torah (בינה / Wine), creating the vessel for the next generation.
As the Torah prepares to enter the Land of Israel and mature into אריך אנפין, a profound shift in agency occurs ועתה כתבו לכם את השירה הזאת. Moshe can no longer serve as the sole vessel. Moshe delivers the final oral flash alongside Hoshea[viii]. This sets the stage for Yehoshua, operating in the newly elevated[9] reality, to begin the public transmittal of the Oral Torah ויהושע לזקנים – and Yehoshua to the Elders. And this sets forth the final Mitzva of the Torah – the people themselves must actively forge their own vessel of בינה, by being commanded to write their own Written Torah.
[1] Rashi clearly disagrees that the source for this Mitzva is from this verse. Instead, he learns that the command is literally to “write the song”. Presumably, according to the פשט, the song was written out as a musical sheet for use by the Levi’im in their daily cycle of singing הזי”ו ל”ך. And yet, Rashi doesn’t disagree that there is a Mitzva to write a Sefer Torah and that it is connected to a concept of “last Mitzva”, he simply derives it from the fact that a king must write a ‘second’ Sefer Torah – which of course implies that before he was king he had to write the first one. Thus, while the SMG make this the last Mitzva of the Torah by point of derivation, Rashi makes this the last Mitzva of the Torah in a practical sense. The appointment of a King was only accomplished centuries later, at which point the idea of writing a second Sefer Torah takes hold, which includes the implied obligation of writing the first.
[2] The concept of “Transmission” inherently assumes the Torah is already formed and need only be taught to the next generation.
[3] The proper translation of this is “The pouring of the water”. However, the common translation is how I have rendered it above. If the Jewish people are not prophets, בני נביאים הם – they are the children of prophets [See Ben Yehoyada on Gem. Pesaĉim 66a and in many other places]. They instinctively know the hidden truths. And thus, we translate ניסוך המים as the Drawing of the Water, because the Jewish people draw – they pull down – from the spiritual into the physical. It is G-d who does the pouring.
[4] As it did historically. Moshe spent forty (40) years teaching the people the Oral Torah, and only on his last day he wrote down the Written Torah. There are even some opinions that Moshe’s writing of the Written Torah was not until its end, and Yehoshua had to complete it after Moshe’s passing.
[5] In Kabbalistic teachings, the פרצופים known as “Father” and “Daughter” respectively refer to חכמה and מלכות: “Father” represents חכמה as it is the start of all the ten Sefiros. And “Daughter” represents מלכות as she will be the start of creation while also being the recipient who has no assets of her own (in Jewish estate law, daughters don’t normally directly inherit from their parents).
[6] This is why the Yerushalmi [Suka 5:1] states that those who attended the celebration of שמחת בית השואבה were able to literally draw רוח הקודש. “Why is it called ‘the Place of Drawing’? Because from there they drew רוח הקודש.
[7] There is even a discussion in the Gemara [Nazir 47a. See also, Gem. Beraĉos 19b and Zevaĉim 100a] regarding a Nazir and a Kohen who happen upon a מת מצוה – a body requiring burial whom no one is responsible for – who should engage with the burial, rendering themselves Tamay.
[8] Interestingly, this phenomenon occurred again with the ארי החי – the Arizal himself did not write down his teachings. It was Rabbi Chaim Vital, his student, who did so.
[9] As the Midrash notes, Moshe attempted to sit at the feet of Yehoshua but he could not understand what was being taught. It was already beyond him. The cycle was not renewed, but exponentially improved.
[i] See SMG positive Mitzva 24
[ii] Devarim 31:19
[iii] Devarim 31:22
[iv] Devarim 31:30
[v] Shir HaShirim 5:11. As Rav Ĉisda said in the name of Mar Ukva [Gem. Eiruvin 21b] this verse teaches us that we should derive “baskets of baskets” of Halaĉa from every point [of every letter in the Torah].
[vi] Pirkay Avos 5:21
[vii] Gem. Eiruvin 65a and Sanhedrin 38a
[viii] Devarim 32:44