Da’as is connected to the Supernal Crown, in which there is one’s essence beingness. This is why Da’as: (a) Creates the deepest personalization between that which he intellectually understands. In other words, this not about “a G-d”, but rather it is something about, “my G-d, Who is my lifeforce, and is my very beingness”. And therefore: (b) Da’as is beyond an intellect or an emotion, it is a Jew’s deepest “recognition” and “a feeling for” G-d. Moses, feeds and sustains Israel’s Faith with Da’as.
What this means is that Moses is making sure that Israel’s faith is not just from this that their soul sees a Divinity which is “outside” of them, but rather, it be of the place in the soul that has a “recognition” and “a feeling for” Divinity, which is the Essence of the Soul. By doing this, Moses is also causing that the Faith of Israel is internalized. Now the Rebbe turns to the Moses of Each Generation: “And this that the Shepherds of Israel of each generation strengthen the faith (as is explained in this mamor36) is that the Faith of Israel should be in a manner of self-sacrifice.
” While Moses’ primary focus is that the Faith of Israel be of Da’as, however, the Moses of Each Generation’s primary focus is that the Faith of Israel be one that brings Israel to actual self-sacrifice for the observance of Torah and Mitzvos in times of decrees and tyranny (defined later as “crushed - brokenness and despair”).
And with this the Rebbe finds a superiority in how the Moses in Each Generation are manifesting their being a “Faithful Shepherd”, over the way Moses himself is manifesting being a “Faithful Shepherd”: “And in accordance with this, one may say, that the primary concept of (being a) ‘Faithful Shepherd’ is that he feeds and sustains faith itself, that it not be only from the aspect of the ‘revelations’ (from the soul which is Above that ‘sees’ Divinity) but rather, (that the faith be) from the Essence of the Soul.
” Now, let’s look again at what Moses does for the Faith of Israel as the “Faithful Shepherd”: “And this that Moses draws the Faith to be internalized (in knowledge and in being (intellectually) grasped) is an outcome (and not the primary focus) of this which Moses feeds and sustains the Faith (of Israel) itself (the drawing and revelation of the Faith as it is of the Essence of the Soul). And as we explained earlier (CHAPTER FIVE), that the drawing of the Faith into being internalized (in Da’as) is through the revelation of the Essence Connection of the Essence of the Soul (because it is the essence of every dimension of the soul).
” The key words of these lines are, “(And this that Moses draws the Faith to be internalized…) is an outcome”. Meaning, that Moses’ primary focus is not that there be the internalization of the Encompassing Faith of Israel into the Internal Dimensions of the Soul, within the body. Rather, Moses’ primary focus is that the Faith of Israel, period, meaning, the Faith of Israel of the Encompassing Dimension of the Soul, be not of an external dimension, in that it is based on a something (Divinity) that it sees outside of itself.
But rather, that the Faith of Israel itself (within the mazal, the encompassing Chaya Dimension of the soul) be of its own beingness, the Essence Connection of the Essence of the Soul (with the Essence of Gd). The outcome of this is that the Faith of Israel is internalized, because the Essence of the Soul (unlike the Faith that comes from Encompassing Mazal Dimensions, which is definitively above and beyond being enclothed within the body) is how things are internalized (being that the Essence of the Soul is the Essence of each and every dimension of the soul, including the dimensions that are enclothed within the soul).
However, this is not the primary focus of Moses, in his shepherding the Faith of Israel. Now, let’s look again at what the Moses of Each Generation does for the Faith of Israel as a “Faithful Shepherd”: “And according to this one may say, that this which in the generations that needed actual selfsacrifice the Shepherds of Israel (the manifestation of Moses) strengthened the Faith of Israel that it be with self-sacrifice, the (concept of) ‘Faithful Shepherd’ was revealed (in this concept37) even more than by Moses himself.
” Note: The Rebbe, in a parenthesis emphasizes that this virtue of the Moses of Each Generation over Moses himself, in being a “Faithful Shepherd” is specifically “in this concept”. The Rebbe, in his FOOTNOTE on this directs us to a later FOOTNOTE (#56) in which the Rebbe will explain the virtue in Moses’ way of being a “Faithful Shepherd”, which will explain there.
The Rebbe now explains what the virtue in how the Moses of Each Generation are the “Faithful Shepherd”: “For the drawing and the revelation of the Faith as she is of the Essence of the Soul [through Moses and the manifestation of him (Moses) in every generation], its primary revelation (of the Faith of Israel being of the Essence of the Soul) is within actual self-sacrifice.” And this we find specifically by the Moses of Each Generation in the times of exile, in the times when Israel needs actual self-sacrifice to observe Torah and Mitzvos.
However, this was not the situation of the generation of Israel who were with Moses himself, in the desert, protected and served by Clouds of Glory, fed by Manna, and drinking the waters of the Rock of Miriam, absolutely free to observe Torah and Mitzvos, serving G-d. Thus, in this aspect of what the Faithful Shepherd does, there is the virtue within the Moses of Each Generation over Moses himself. Footnotes 33. Which therefore (being that the effect of seeing is so strong) “a witness cannot be a judge” (Rosh Hashanah 26a). And see Likkutei Sichos, Vol VI, page 121. And there it is explained. 34. Torah Ohr, (Torah-portion) Mishpatim 75b.
And in many places. And see also Tanya, beginning of Chapter 42. 35. Chapter Eleven. 36. However, not so in Tanya, ibid, (which states) “There descend sparks of the soul of Moses, of blessed memory (in each generation)… to teach Da’as to the people”. The Rebbe, is explaining that the Shepherding Faith of the Shepherds of Israel in the generations within exile that needed actual self-sacrifice for observing Torah and Mitzvos, this is what they did, strengthening Israel to have actual self-sacrifice to observe Torah and Mitzvos.
However, the Rebbe states in a parenthesis that this is accordance with the way the Previous Rebbe is explaining this in this mamor. However, the Rebbe is explaining that this is explained differently in Tanya, Chapter 42. There the Alter Rebbe explains that they too, the Moses of Each Generation, are teaching Da’as to the people, just like Moses himself did. Note: The Rebbe doesn't explain the difference of why the Previous Rebbe says what he says in this mamor, versus what the Alter Rebbe is saying in Tanya.
Maybe we can suggest a difference: The Alter Rebbe is not focusing specifically on the extra necessity Israel has from the Moses of Each Generation, who are specifically, “in the generations that needed actual self-sacrifice”. Thus, the Alter Rebbe is speaking of the “job” of every Moses of Each Generation, including those in the times of King Solomon, and like generations. The Previous Rebbe was speaking at a time when he was empowering and demanding for Israel to stand with selfsacrifice against Stalin’s USSR, for teaching children Torah.
So too, the Rebbe is empowering and demanding of us the ultimate self-sacrifice of being “crushed - broken and depressed” that we are in exile, regardless of the physical and spiritual abundance that we may have in exile. See further in the mamor. Thus, the Previous Rebbe and the Rebbe are focusing on this unique doing of ther Moses of Each Generation of these specific generations that need to be empowered with actual self-sacrifice. 37. See further FOOTNOTE 56.