אָמְנָם זֶהוּ בִּזְמַן שֶׁהָיוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּמַדְרֵגָה עֶלְיוֹנָה,

However, this was true at a time when the Jewish people were on an exalted level, The notion discussed above, that a severe transgression literally severs a person's lifeline, causing his actual death, does not apply to all eras. This occurred when every Jew received his vitality entirely from the force of holiness, from the internal aspect of the divine will, which was his sole source of life and sustenance.

כְּשֶׁהָיְתָה הַשְּׁכִינָה שׁוֹרָה בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל בְּבֵית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ.

when the Divine Presence resided amid the Jewish people in the Temple. The Divine Presence resided, not just with unique individuals, but with the entire Jewish people. This was signified by the indwelling Divine Presence in the Temple. The entire time that the Temple stood, the indwelling of the Divine Presence in the physical world was manifest and perceived in a tangible way in the Temple. The Temple was the meeting point where holiness was channeled from God to the nation and the land, from the Creator to humanity and every aspect of reality.

וְאָז לֹא הָיוּ מְקַבְּלִים חַיּוּת לְגוּפָם רַק עַל יְדֵי נֶפֶשׁ הָאֱלֹקִית לְבַדָּהּ

Then their bodies received the life force exclusively through the divine soul, When the Temple still stood, when the Divine Presence resided amid the Jewish people, every single Jew received his vitality solely from the force of holiness on an individual level. This vitality was channeled into the divine soul, and from the divine soul it went into the animal soul, and the animal soul transmitted it to the body.

מִבְּחִינַת פְּנִימִיּוּת הַשֶּׁפַע שֶׁמַּשְׁפִּיעַ אֵין סוֹף בָּרוּךְ הוּא עַל יְדֵי שֵׁם הֲוָיָ״ה בָּרוּךְ הוּא כַּנִּזְכָּר לְעֵיל.

from the internal aspect of the life-giving sustenance that Ein Sof , blessed be He, bestows through the name of Havaya , as stated above (chap. 4). The name of Havaya is the pathway through which divine sustenance and life force is drawn from Ein Sof to reality. This divine emanation flows from the divine will, embodied by the tip of the yod, and descends through the yod, the heh, the vav, and the final heh all the way down to actual physical life. Therefore, when the all-encompassing divine sustenance flowed through the mediums of holiness, a person who would blemish his connection to the Divine would immediately and directly blemish his own spiritual and physical well-being. He would not be able to continue living.

אַךְ לְאַחַר שֶׁיָּרְדוּ מִמַּדְרֵגָתָם וְגָרְמוּ בְּמַעֲשֵׂיהֶם סוֹד גָּלוּת הַשְּׁכִינָה,

But then they fell from their high level and triggered with their misdeeds the mystic exile of the Divine Presence, The sins of the Jewish people, which were not just sins committed by the individual but were also attributed to the Jewish nation as a whole and therefore of the reality of the entire world, caused the "mystic exile of the Divine Presence." The exile of the Divine Presence is a mystery because it entails the disappearance of God's presence. This means that instead of manifesting as the holy presence of God, the Divine Presence masquerades as the opposite of holiness. It enlivens the kelippot, the husks of impurity, giving them vitality and strength, even allowing them to wage war against holiness. On a deeper level, the exile of the Divine Presence implies a secret hidden from the kelippa, which is to "befriend" it for the purpose of ultimately demolishing it, in order to rectify the side of holiness.

כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב: ״וּבְפִשְׁעֵיכֶם שׁוּלְּחָה אִמְּכֶם״ (ישעיה נ, א),

as it is written, "And for your transgressions was your mother sent away" (Isa. 50:1). "Your mother" refers to the Divine Presence. The exile of the Jewish people is much more than the dispersion of individuals. It is the exile of their "mother" – their source of vitality that emanates from the side of holiness. This is the exile of the Divine Presence.

דְּהַיְינוּ שֶׁיָּרְדָה הַשְׁפָּעַת בְּחִינַת הֵ״א תַּתָּאָה הַנִּזְכֶּרֶת לְעֵיל

This means that the life-giving sustenance flowing from the final letter heh of the divine name mentioned above (chaps. 4–5) This sustenance refers to divine speech that forms and gives life to all of reality, synonymous with the Divine Presence that descends and manifests in the world through the souls of the Jewish people. This was discussed above in chapter 4 regarding the Divine Presence in the world at large and again in chapter 5 regarding the soul of each individual.

וְנִשְׁתַּלְשְׁלָה מִמַּדְרֵגָה לְמַדְרֵגָה לְמַטָּה מַטָּה עַד שֶׁנִּתְלַבְּשָׁה הַשְׁפָּעָתָהּ בְּי׳ סְפִירוֹת דְּנוֹגַהּ,

spiraled downward from level to level to the bottommost reaches until its flow of sustenance became enclothed in the ten sefirot of the kelippa, the husk, called noga , When the Divine Presence is where it should be, attached to the letters of the name of Havaya, divine radiance shines directly into those illuminated by its light – that is, those who receive its sustenance as a result of their performance of mitzvot, of doing God's will. This radiance descends via an orderly structure, from above to below, in a transparent, direct progression, wherein holiness on the highest level is the obvious and exclusive source of each lower level. What is internal and what is external is readily apparent. In kabbalistic terminology, this is called "the order of progression of the ten holy sefirot." Ever since the Divine Presence was exiled, the divine force that enlivens the universe no longer pulsates within it in a revealed way, but rather it influences reality in a roundabout, concealed way. The kabbalists describe this as entering the world through the ten channels of the ten sefirot of the kelippat noga. The kelippat noga is the general framework of the mundane world, a realm that is neither totally impure – it does not defy or oppose holiness – yet it is not sacred either. It is a neutral realm lying between holiness and impurity. In exile, the light of the Divine Presence no longer shines the way it should, in its singular glory, but rather hides within the mundane world. The kelippa of noga cuts off the direct flow of the power of the Divine Presence and hides it in the laws of nature, which are so different from the order of the spiritual realm. The exile of the Divine Presence, then, is a rerouting of its direct influence, which previously flowed directly from the side of holiness, through a neutral and natural force, such as the constellations and the ministering angels that control the constellations. Although the vitality flowing from the Divine Presence is not reduced in strength, it is devoid of any sacred meaning or direction.

הַמַּשְׁפִּיעוֹת שֶׁפַע וְחַיּוּת עַל יְדֵי הַמַּזָּלוֹת וְכָל צְבָא הַשָּׁמַיִם וְהַשָּׂרִים שֶׁעֲלֵיהֶם לְכָל הַחַי הַגַּשְׁמִי שֶׁבָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה וְגַם לְכָל הַצּוֹמֵחַ‌, כְּמַאֲמַר רַבּוֹתֵינוּ ז״ל: ״אֵין לְךָ כָּל עֵשֶׂב מִלְּמַטָּה שֶׁאֵין לוֹ מַזָּל״ וכו׳ (בראשית רבה פרק י, ו).

which bestow sustenance and life force through the celestial constellations and all the heavenly hosts and the ministering angels that have dominion over them to all physical animal life in this world and also to all vegetation, in accordance with our Rabbis' statement "You find no blade of grass below that does not have a constellation of stars in the heavens that protects it and strikes it, telling it,'Grow'" (Bereshit Rabba 10:6). Every aspect of the physical and spiritual universe has an archetypal reality, a prototype above called a mazal, or constellation. This mazal is a spiritual entity that encompasses the characteristics, parameters, and happenings of every detail of reality. Beyond the mazalot reside the seventy ministering angels of the world's nations and lands. These ministering angels are spiritual realities as well, embodying the anthropological codes and character unique to every nation and country. They orchestrate all the goings-on of each of their respective lands. These supernal beings are not necessarily holy; they are neutral and mundane and do not affiliate either with good or with bad. Rather, they enable existence and life itself, regardless of whether utilized for good or evil. Only after the redemption that will be born of the exile will life again be synonymous with good and death synonymous with evil.

וַאֲזַי יָכוֹל גַּם הַחוֹטֵא וּפוֹשְׁעֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לְקַבֵּל חַיּוּת לְגוּפָם וְנַפְשָׁם הַבַּהֲמִיּוֹת כְּמוֹ שְׁאָר בַּעֲלֵי חַיִּים מַמָּשׁ, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב: ״נִמְשַׁל כַּבְּהֵמוֹת נִדְמוּ״ (תהלים מט, יג).

Then even the transgressors and sinners of Israel can receive the life force to sustain their bodies and animal souls, literally as other living creatures do, as the verse states, "He is like the beasts that perish" (Ps. 49:13). In our time, when the laws of nature ingrained in reality are detached from any moral significance, even a Jew, whether he is righteous or wicked, receives his life force from within the general zoological framework, just like every other living creature. Whether insect or human, all receive their vitality regardless of their connection to holiness. The exilic world is one in which the bond between holiness and life has been severed. Life is provided through other channels, and so the sinner and the wrongdoer do not receive less than the righteous and upright.

וְאַדְּרַבָּה, בְּיֶתֶר שְׂאֵת וְיֶתֶר עָז.

On the contrary, they receive their life force with greater magnitude and greater power. When the Divine Presence is in exile, not only can the sinner receive his life force from the mundane realm like the rest of the world's creatures – he often receives more. There is not just equilibrium here; there is a reversal. The powers that control the world in exilic times – the stars, constellations, and ministering angels – have increased in number and harshness. Evil has intensified in the world, and the more evil the person, the more powerful he becomes and the more he leeches from the energy of the captive Divine Presence. The more righteous the person, the more he may suffer. A reverse system is created: "I have seen servants upon horses, and princes walking on the ground like servants" (Eccles. 10:7). The palace has become like a kennel and like "a field that foxes walk upon" (Lam. 5:18).

עַל פִּי הַמְבוֹאָר מִזּוֹהַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ פָּרָשַׁת פְּקוּדֵי (רלו, ב) שֶׁכָּל שֶׁפַע וְחַיּוּת הַנִּשְׁפָּעוֹת לָאָדָם הַתַּחְתּוֹן בְּשָׁעָה וְרֶגַע שֶׁעוֹשֶׂה הָרַע בְּעֵינֵי ה׳, בְּמַעֲשֶׂה אוֹ בְּדִיבּוּר אוֹ בְּהִרְהוּרֵי עֲבֵירָה וכו׳, הַכֹּל נִשְׁפָּע לוֹ מֵהֵיכָלוֹת הַסִּטְרָא אָחֳרָא הַמְבוֹאָרִים שָׁם בַּזּוֹהַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ.

This can be understood in light of the holy Zohar 's explanation in Parashat Pekudei (2:236b) that all sustenance and life force bestowed on a mortal man while he does evil in the eyes of God, whether through action, speech, or sinful thoughts and so on, is all bestowed upon him from the sanctums of the sitra aḥara , literally, "the other side," referring to the forces of impurity, described there in the holy Zohar . When the life force manifests in one of the three garments of the soul – action, speech, or thought – in a way that opposes the divine will, it can no longer flow directly through the internal aspect of the divine will. Life force that enlivens evil does not stem from a different source. After all, no other source exists besides the divine will. And yet, when a person acts in accordance with the divine will, proliferating good in the world, he receives from the wellspring of living waters rooted in the supernal will through the sacred sefirot and the name of Havaya. On the other hand, when he commits evil, opposing the will of God, he no longer receives from that wellspring of living waters, but rather from a different pipeline, that of the sanctums of the sitra aḥara, the forces of impurity. The "other side," rather than revealing divine holiness, constitutes a veil of impurity that obscures holiness and functions in its stead, as it were.

וְהָאָדָם הוּא בַּעַל בְּחִירָה אִם לְקַבֵּל הַשְׁפָּעָתוֹ מֵהֵיכָלוֹת הַסִּטְרָא אָחֳרָא אוֹ מֵהֵיכָלוֹת הַקְּדוּשָּׁה שֶׁמֵּהֶם נִשְׁפָּעוֹת כָּל מַחֲשָׁבוֹת טוֹבוֹת וּקְדוֹשׁוֹת וכו׳,

A person has free choice whether to receive his sustenance from the sanctums of the sitra aḥara or from the sanctums of holiness, from which all good and holy thoughts and so forth flow, Every person must receive vitality at every moment through everything he does. The question is, from where does he want to receive it? From the wellsprings of holiness? Or from the sources of impurity? Man had the choice even before the exile, but the possibility of receiving vitality from the sanctums of the sitra aḥara presents itself even more powerfully now during the age of the exile of the Divine Presence. In a reality in which the side of holiness is obscured, the two poles of good and evil appear to be equally legitimate options, depending only on a person's personal preference.

כִּי ״זֶה לְעוּמַּת זֶה עָשָׂה הָאֱלֹקִים״ וכו׳ (קהלת ז, יד).

for "God made this corresponding to that... " (Eccles. 7:14). That the world of the sacred and the world of impurity seem to stand side by side in perfect symmetry enables free choice. Just as the physical world has both outer and inner manifestation, so does the spiritual world. The expressions of the sanctums of the sitra aḥara do not only take the shape of the obscene and crude. They also manifest in the refined and spiritual, which have very strong aesthetic and intellectual allure. In the verse that the author of the Tanya quotes, "God made this corresponding to that," the name Elokim is used. Elokim represents God's attribute of judgment, which is used to constrict the divine light to the point that holiness and impurity seem to be equal. This is how our reality is intentionally built, so that we can be presented with the choice between two absolutely equal possibilities.

וְהֵיכָלוֹת הַסִּטְרָא אָחֳרָא מְקַבְּלִים וְיוֹנְקִים חַיּוּתָם מֵהִתְלַבְּשׁוּת וְהִשְׁתַּלְשְׁלוּת הַשֶּׁפַע דְּי׳ סְפִירוֹת דְּנוֹגַהּ,

The sanctums of the sitra aḥara receive their life force by suckling from the embodiment and devolvement of the sustenance in the ten sefirot of the kelippat noga , The sanctums of the sitra aḥara are evil realms. They are not relegated to some remote place, but rather they exist here in this world, so that a person can potentially choose to live a life of evil, wherein the sacred and the good are hidden and not operative. These sanctums do not receive their life force through the holy sefirot that express divine will, but rather through the medium of the ten sefirot of the kelippa of noga, which express an apparently independent will that seems to oppose the divine will.

הַכְּלוּלָה מִבְּחִינַת טוֹב וְרַע

which is comprised of the good and evil While it does not constitute an impure kelippa, consisting solely of evil, the kelippa of noga is a kelippa nonetheless, composed of good and evil, without any preference for one or the other. In other words, the kelippa of noga is the world of the mundane, that which is neither a mitzva nor a transgression. This realm boasts the potential to tend toward good or toward evil. The Divine Presence was exiled to the kelippa of noga, and it is from this place that the realms of evil and the sanctums of the sitra aḥara receive their sustenance.

הִיא בְּחִינַת עֵץ הַדַּעַת וכו׳, כַּנּוֹדָע לְיוֹדְעֵי חֵן.

that is embodied in the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, as known to those initiated in the esoteric wisdom of Kabbala. The teachings of Kabbala and Hasidism explain that the kelippa of noga correlates to "the tree of knowledge" that is "good and evil" (Gen. 4:9). It is the mixture of good and evil that came about as a consequence of Adam's sin and informs the reality in which humanity has lived ever since. In a broader sense, it relates to the exile and concealment of the Divine Presence, as explained, and the blurring of the distinction between good and evil.

וְהִנֵּה ״יַעֲקֹב חֶבֶל נַחֲלָתוֹ״ כְּתִיב (דברים לב, ט).

And so the verse "Jacob, the allotment [ ḥevel ] of His inheritance" (Deut. 32:9) As explained in the previous chapter, the word ḥevel, "allotment," in this verse, can also mean cord. It refers to the lifeline, the direct, vital connection, between God and the soul of every Jew. If man was hardwired like all other created beings, he would be capable of living a neutral life like the rest of the world, which does not deliberate between good and evil at all. But every Jew possesses a soul that is intrinsically non-neutral. Although he may feel that he can decide freely from where he receives his life, he is wrong. His own being is so much deeper, so much more complex. The essential life bond that every Jewish soul shares with the Divine, even if occasionally hidden, is never entirely severed as long as he is alive. We can glean from the language of the verse that the ḥevel, that lifeline, is "his inheritance." Like an inheritance or family heirloom that gets passed down from one generation to the next, this connection is not contingent upon a person's actions. Even if the life force that passes through the cord is blemished or diminished to the point that it is not recognizable in the physical world (due to a person's actions and the exile of the Divine Presence), this connection endures and binds every Jew to his supernal source, since "Jacob's cord is his inheritance."

עַל דֶּרֶךְ מָשָׁל, כְּמוֹ הַחֶבֶל שֶׁרֹאשׁוֹ אֶחָד לְמַעְלָה וְרֹאשׁוֹ הַשֵּׁנִי לְמַטָּה, אִם יִמְשׁוֹךְ אָדָם בְּרֹאשׁוֹ הַשֵּׁנִי יְנַעְנֵעַ וְיִמָּשֵׁךְ אַחֲרָיו גַּם רֹאשׁוֹ הָרִאשׁוֹן כַּמָּה שֶׁאֶפְשָׁר לוֹ לְהִמָּשֵׁךְ.

is an analogy comparing the conduit of sustenance that sustains the soul to a cord with one end above and the other end below. If a person pulls the lower end, he will also dislodge and pull after it the higher end, as much as it can be pulled. The author of the Tanya now outlines how a person's actions impact his lifeline. The "cord" does not affect the flow of vitality in just one direction, since it has two ends. It is impossible to pull a rope on one end without the other side being pulled as well. One end of a rope is incapable of ignoring what happens to the other.

וְכָכָה מַמָּשׁ בְּשֹׁרֶשׁ נִשְׁמַת הָאָדָם וּמְקוֹרָהּ מִבְּחִינַת הֵ״א תַּתָּאָה הַנִּזְכֶּרֶת לְעֵיל.

It is literally the same with regard to the root of the human soul and its source in the final heh of God's name, as stated above (chap. 4). There is a rope that binds a person's soul from exactly where he is in the world to its root in the name of Havaya, which is the final heh in the name. His soul is part of God's name and therefore literally part and parcel of God Himself.

הוּא מַמְשִׁיךְ וּמוֹרִיד הַשְׁפָּעָתָהּ עַל יְדֵי מַעֲשָׂיו הָרָעִים וּמַחְשְׁבוֹתָיו עַד תּוֹךְ הֵיכָלוֹת הַסִּטְרָא אָחֳרָא כִּבְיָכוֹל, שֶׁמִּשָּׁם מְקַבֵּל מַחְשְׁבוֹתָיו וּמַעֲשָׂיו.

Through his evil deeds and thoughts, the sinner pulls down the sustenance that issues forth from the heh into the sanctums of the sitra aḥara , so to speak, from which he receives his sinful thoughts and deeds. The homiletic understanding of the concept that "the inheritance of Jacob is his cord" implies that a Jew, the Jacob of the verse, can never be totally unattached, disconnected from the Divine. Even if he sins and plummets so low that he no longer senses this bond, his end of the rope is never severed. Yet his negative actions still affect the entire length of the cord, and the divine sustenance gets redirected to a distant place, to the sanctums of impurity. If a person holds a running hose, it waters whatever ground he walks upon. He cannot say, "I'm going wherever I want. This hose doesn't matter!" Similarly, every Jew is bound to the "cord of his inheritance," to the final heh of the name of Havaya, to the source of all life and the existence of the world. Wherever he goes, that vital cord goes with him. If he goes to the side of holiness, he waters one world; if he tends to the sanctums of the sitra aḥara, he waters and gives life to another world. We see that not only can a person receive vitality from the sitra aḥara, but he also gives it vitality from his very soul. A type of non-sacred covenant is made, where the existence of the sinner and the existence of the sitra aḥara leech from each other and become codependent.

וּמִפְּנֵי שֶׁהוּא הוּא הַמַּמְשִׁיךְ לָהֶם הַהַשְׁפָּעָה לָכֵן הוּא נוֹטֵל חֵלֶק בְּרֹאשׁ.

Since it is he who channels sustenance into them, into the sanctums of the sitra aḥara, he therefore receives the first share of sustenance. As explained earlier, the sitra aḥara has no vitality of its own. Its entire existence (including whatever it gives back to the individual) essentially comes from that individual. The person contributes a seed of holiness that the sitra aḥara then decomposes and uses to formulate decay, impurity, and contamination with which it enlivens its world. It makes sense, then, that the person specifically receives a share first. After all, the sustenance is essentially his. He receives the sustenance first because he is its originator. However, what he receives is only leftovers, while what he gave is life itself. The great merchant, quintessential evil, offers tempting merchandise: He takes from a person his very soul, the divine power that dwells within him, and in exchange gives him back a speck so that he will feel indebted and continue to give.

וְדַי לַמֵּבִין.

This is sufficient explanation for one who understands. The author of the Tanya does not want to enter too deeply into how a sinner receives vitality and sustenance in this world. Although he did provide enough information for a person to understand that this sustenance only influences a person negatively, that it only distances him from the possibility of receiving the vitality of true life and goodness, not everyone understands this. These ideas can be misconstrued and misapplied, so the author of the Tanya suffices with the little that he said, because it is enough for "one who understands."

וְזֶהוּ שֶׁאָמְרוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ ז״ל: ״אֵין בְּיָדֵינוּ לֹא מִשַּׁלְוַת הָרְשָׁעִים״ וכו׳. בְּיָדֵינוּ דַּוְקָא, כְּלוֹמַר בִּזְמַן הַגָּלוּת אַחַר הַחוּרְבָּן.

This is the meaning of the Rabbis' statement "It is not within our hands to comprehend either the tranquility of the wicked nor the suffering of the righteous" (Mishna Avot 4:15), with emphasis specifically on "within our hands," referring to our era of the exile in the aftermath of the Temple's destruction. The simple understanding of the world order described by the Mishna is that wicked people live in tranquility in this world so that they will lose their portion of the World to Come, while the righteous suffer so that they attain the perfection of life in the World to Come. The author of the Tanya clarifies that even such a state is considered a rectified order that does not operate as such in these exilic times after the destruction of the Temple. This statement of the Mishna can also be understood homiletically as saying, "We do not have the tranquility of the wicked." The wicked receive their sustenance from the sanctums of the sitra aḥara, and so they exist in harmony with their surroundings and with the vitality that they receive. The Jewish people, on the other hand, do not experience the same life of serenity, even though they were sent into exile because of their low spiritual level and perhaps could have been called wicked. During "our era of the exile in the aftermath of the destruction," God has already poured out His wrath on wood and stone, sparing the Jewish people. Therefore, they are no longer considered wicked. The destruction of the Temple was their atonement, and so immediately after the destruction, "we do not have the tranquility of the wicked." The Jewish people do not calibrate themselves with the world in which they find themselves, as the wicked do.

וְזוֹהִי בְּחִינַת גָּלוּת הַשְּׁכִינָה כִּבְיָכוֹל, לְהַשְׁפִּיעַ לְהֵיכָלוֹת הַסִּטְרָא אָחֳרָא אֲשֶׁר שָׂנְאָה נַפְשׁוֹ יִתְבָּרַךְ.

This is the meaning of the concept of the exile of the Divine Presence, so to speak – having to channel its divine sustenance into the sanctums of the sitra aḥara , which God detests. When a person sins, he blemishes not only his soul but the Divine Presence as well. He exiles it and forces it to act contrary to its internal will. The sitra aḥara, literally translated as "the other side," or the backside (aḥor ), necessarily exists alongside this world. The existence of the world depends on it, for every front must have a back. However, its existence manifests within defined parameters dictated by the will of God. This does not apply when a person sins and exiles the Divine Presence. He influences the sitra ahara, as it were, and increases it beyond its ideal limit. In doing so, he distorts the world order. This is the exile of the Divine Presence.

וּכְשֶׁהָאָדָם עוֹשֶׂה תְּשׁוּבָה נְכוֹנָה, אֲזַי מְסַלֵּק מֵהֶם הַהַשְׁפָּעָה שֶׁהִמְשִׁיךְ בְּמַעֲשָׂיו וּמַחְשְׁבוֹתָיו,

Conversely, when a person repents properly, he then extracts from them the sustenance he channeled into them through his actions and thoughts, Repentance has the power to restore the penitent and what he gave of himself to the sanctums of impurity back to the side of holiness.

כִּי בִּתְשׁוּבָתוֹ מַחֲזִיר הַשְׁפָּעַת הַשְּׁכִינָה לִמְקוֹמָהּ.

for through his repentance, he restores the sustenance that flows from the Divine Presence to its rightful place. He reclaims what he gave to the sitra aḥara, restoring it to its source in the Divine Presence which, as explained above, is the name of Havaya.

וְזֶהוּ תָּשׁוּב הֵ״א תַּתָּאָה מִבְּחִינַת גָּלוּת,

This is the meaning of the Zohar's statement mentioned above (chap. 4), that tashuv heh is derived from the word teshuva, meaning the final heh is restored from its state of exile, This repentance that restores the Divine Presence to its source is another way of describing the kabbalistic elucidation of the word teshuva brought at the beginning of this discussion (in chapter 4). The author of the Tanya explained, based on the Zohar, that the word teshuva is composed of two elements: tashuv, restore, and the letter heh. As the Zohar goes on to say, the restoration of the "lower heh," the final letter of the name of Havaya, refers to lower-level repentance, while restoring the "upper heh," the first heh in the name, refers to higher-level repentance. The lower heh in the name of Havaya represents Malkhut and the Divine Presence. When a person sins, he exiles the Divine Presence to the kelippa to sustain and enliven it. When he repents, he restores the heh, the Divine Presence, to the name of Havaya, which embodies the totality of holiness, and this constitutes the lower level of repentance.

וּכְמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב: ״וְשָׁב ה׳ אֱלֹקֶיךָ אֶת שְׁבוּתְךָ״ (דברים ל, ג), כְּלוֹמַר עִם שְׁבוּתְךָ,

as it is written, "The Lord your God will restore your returnees" (Deut. 30:3), literally meaning God, Himself, will return along with your returnees, God's Divine Presence returns, along with us, to His essential expression in holiness.

וּכְמַאֲמַר רַבּוֹתֵינוּ ז״ל: ״וְהֵשִׁיב לֹא נֶאֱמַר״ וכו׳ (מגילה כט, א).

as our Rabbis state with regard to this verse, "It does not say,'He will bring back,' that is, He will cause the Jewish people to return, but rather it says,'He will restore,' which teaches that God will return together with them from among the exiles" (Megilla 29a). This is the return of the Divine Presence from its exile. Just as this will happen upon the ultimate redemption, it also happens upon the repentance and redemption of the individual Jew. When a person restores the particular spark of Divine Presence that correlates to him from exile, from impurity and sin, to its proper place in the realm of holiness, he returns the lower heh of his own soul (as explained in chapter 4) to its place in the holy structure of his soul that receives the divine sustenance from the name of Havaya above. This chapter began by presenting the problem that was raised at the beginning of the previous chapter: How do people who warrant the severe punishments of