Repel Admon in the Shadow of Tzalmon
Hanukkah, 25 Kislev, December 13, 1971
“Repel Admon in the shadow of Tzalmon.” This means repelling Esau, who is Admoni [red haired]. “In the shadow of Tzalmon” means Tzalmavet, meaning in Tzel Mavet [shadow of death].
We must understand this in the work. We know that there are three lines, called Hesed, right line; Gevura, left line; and Tifferet, middle line. The beginning of the work is in the right line, called “white” because one who walks on the right line, no deficiencies are apparent there.
Afterward, when we are rewarded with the left line, called Gevura, when there is the discernment of judgment, which is called “redness,” since we can fall into the Klipa of Esau, which is the waste of Isaac, who wants to extend the quality of Hochma, which is the revelation of the secrets of Torah from above downward, meaning into the vessels of reception.
Yet, before the end of correction, it is impossible to draw the abundance into the vessels of reception so it will be in order to bestow. Hence, there are judgments that keep the abundance so that when we want to extend into the vessels of reception, we feel suffering.
And when we want to extend into the vessels of reception, called “from above downward,” there is control to the nations of the world over the general public in Israel, since the people of Israel agree to the conduct of the nations of the world, which is the will to receive.
The miracle of Hanukkah was as it is written, “And You, with your great mercy… and to Your people, Israel, You performed a great salvation.” In other words, a miracle means an awakening from above, when the middle line shines, which is called Hassadim that clothe the Hochma. That is, He bestowed the quality of “shadow,” which is the opposite of “revealed,” for a shadow means a place that hides the sun, where the sun does not shine because there is something there that hides the sun.
By the power of bestowal that a person discovers, he does not want to receive any attainment or knowledge. Rather, on a place where he can obtain knowledge, he extends faith, where he makes a shade on knowing. This is as our sages said, “In return for ‘and Moses hid his face for he was afraid to look,’ he was rewarded with ‘the image of the Lord does he behold’” (Berachot 7a). At that time, one emerges from the judgments of the left line, which are called “red haired” and are the Klipa [shell/peel] of Esau, and enter the quality of “Israel.”
This is the meaning of “Repel Admon,” that the Creator will repel this “red” in the shadow of Tzalmon. Tzalmon means “By its Tzel [shade] I coveted and sat, and its fruit was sweet to my palate.”
There is the quality of Tzel Mavet [shadow of death], when the departure of the sunlight results from a sin. That is, by wanting to receive in order to receive, there is the Tzimtzum [restriction] and departure of the abundance, and this is called “breaking” and “death.”
There is also the quality of “shadow” when he does not want to receive the abundance due to fear of heaven, as was said about Moses, “and Moses hid his face.” This is called “his shade,” meaning that that shade came because of the greatness of the Creator, and he wants to be adhered to the Creator and fears that he might drift off by receiving the abundance.
This is called “By its shade I coveted and sat, and its fruit was sweet to my palate.” That is, precisely by this does the middle line become revealed and there are fruits. Conversely, “Another God is sterile and does not bear fruit.” This means that from the left line, regarded as “red,” the abundance is blocked and the fruits are not extended.
The whole difference between Tzalmon and Tzel Mavet [shadow of death] is in the Vav. We should interpret this as it is written in The Zohar, Beresheet, “Thousands of Shanaan (Shanaan means ox, vulture, lion; Nun means Vav that fell into the Klipot [pl. of Klipa]). He interprets there that in the first nine, which are called “vessels of bestowal,” there is Malchut that is called “Adam,” as in “lion, ox, vulture, man.” But from the Chazeh down, Malchut controls.
Prior to the end of correction, it is impossible to receive the light of Malchut in order to bestow. For this reason, there is a hint, Shanaan, meaning “ox, vulture, lion,” and on the quality of man it shows only Vav, which expanded from the quality of man above, meaning from the Malchut of the first nine. But if we do not want to receive through the Vav, and want to extend down into Malchut, it becomes a Tav, meaning the quality of Tzalmavet, and about this we say, “Repel Admon in the shadow of Tzalmon.”