Therefore, the mere fact that the illumination that Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai (and Rabbi Menachem Mendel Horodker) was experiencing was only by him, and not by the entire world, forces us to say that what he experienced was of the finite, and not of the Infinite. This also explains what the Rebbe is saying in the brackets. True Teshuvah - Returning draws the revelation of the Infinite Light, thus the moment this is drawn somewhere it is drawn everywhere.
“And from this that by him there isn’t the illumination of the Essence of the Infinite Light, he is broken and depressed, ‘crushed’, [And as it known (the teaching) that (the word) ‘choleh - חֹולֶּה (which means sick) is numerically equal to 49 ((5) ה (30) ל (6) ו (8) ח), for even when one grasps forty-nine ‘Gateways of Understanding’ but he is missing the ‘50th Gateway’, he is sick (חֹולֶּה )51].
” The Rebbe is emphasizing the magnitude of the situation, that even by an individual who has all the illumination of the revelation of Divinity up to, but not including, the Essence of the Infinite Light, the “50th Gateway of Understanding”, he is utterly and completely “broken and depressed, ‘crushed’”.
The Rebbe is now going to explain how such an exalted service of being absolutely crushed, broken, and depressed, over the lack of the revelation of the Essence of Divinity was made possible for all Jews to achieve: “And it is known that which the Tzemach Tzedek (3rd Rebbe in the dynasty of Lubavitch) wrote that it would be heard from Our Teacher, Our Rebbe (the Alter Rebbe), ‘I want nothing, I want not Your Garden of Eden, I want not Your World to Come… I want nothing more than You alone’.
Which through this that there was heard this language from the Alter Rebbe [which the meaning of ‘ it would be heard’ means that this wasn’t just at auspicious moments, but rather, that it was a usual thing], And in particular after it was publicized by the ‘Tzemach Tzedek’, ‘This gave the power to each and every one of Israel that their primary will should be the revelation of the Essence, and to the point, that when this revelation is not shinning, and how much more so in the times of exile, when there is not even the revelation (revelation of Light (never mind the Essence)) that there was in the time of the Holy Temple, he is in a state of ‘crushed’.
” When a Rebbe experiences something, this effects and empowers his entire generation (“Faithful Shepherd”). Especially so when the Rebbe brought it out into the world through speech, and how much more so if a Rebbe publicized it that we should know of what happened. And especially when this was not something that the Rebbe would do only in auspicious moments, but rather, that this was something usual that the Rebbe would do, even in ordinary moments.
Thus, the fact that: (i) The Alter Rebbe had this experience and articulated it, (ii) did so often, in ordinary moments, and (iii) The Tzemach Tzedek publicized this, this has now become an empowerment that it is now a tangible and achievable service for each and every Jew to do and to experience. Thus, by the Alter Rebbe saying that he does not want any revelations of Light, but that he wants only You Alone - Essence of G-d, this empowers every Jew that this be their true will to have the revelation of the Essence of the Light, to the point that they is broken and depresses, “crushed” of not having this revelation of the Essence of G-d.
and how much more so in exile, when they do not even have the revelation of the Light of G-d, as it was in time of the Holy Temple. “And he prays three times a day (or more), ‘May our eyes behold Your return to Zion in mercy’, which then there will be the revelation of divinity, to the point of the revelation of the Essence.” Meaning that this has become our “need” for which we pray three times a day or more.
Now the Rebbe explains that this is the second dimension of “crushed for luminary” that takes place when Israel has physical and spiritual broadness in exile, and is yet are crushed that there isn’t the revelation of the Essence of G-d: “And this ‘crushed for luminary’ which comes through the ‘crushed’ from this that we find ourselves in exile, that we reach to the ‘luminary’ This point the Previous Rebbe made is that “crushed for luminary” means that from being “crushed” one reaches “luminary”, which is the Essence of the Soul in its Essence connection with the Essence of G-d.
Thus, the Rebbe is explaining how this works in the second dimension of the “crushed for luminary”, that of being broken and depressed over there not being the revelation of Divinity in the time of exile: For this that the will of every Jew is the revelation of Divinity, to the point that it touches the Essence of their Beingness [which therefore he is broken and depressed (’crushed’) from this that in the times of exile there is no revelation of Divinity] comes from the Essence of the Soul, ‘luminary’ of the soul, which its connection to Divinity is an Essence Connection.
” In the next chapter the Rebbe will explain how this dimension of “crushed for luminary”, which we explained here in great length, is even higher than the first dimension of “crushed for luminary”that is from the self-sacrifice in the times of decrees against the observance of Torah and Mitzvos in exile. Footnotes 41. To point out that in the text of the mamor itself (end of Chapter 15) it brings (only) “time of exile”, while in the “brief Summary” - “time of exile and the decree”. The Rebbe is pointing to a source in the Previous Rebbe’s mamor that we can see that there are two different dimensions of “crushed for luminary”.
For this the Rebbe points out a difference in wording within the mamor itself and within the brief summary on the chapter (often, the Previous Rebbe would write a brief summary after each chapter on the chapter): (i) In the mamor itself the Previous Rebbe writes only “in the times of exile”, without the word “and decrees”, which would mean even in the time of exile when there was physical and spiritual abundance for Israel. (ii) In the brief summary after the chapter the Previous Rebbe writes, “in the time of exile and decrees” which would specifically be speaking of the times of decrees against Torah and Mitzvos in the time of exile. 42.
Esther 8:16. 43. See Megillah 16b. 44. Esther 8:1. 45. Megillah 14a. 46. See Jerusalem Talmud, Yoma, Chapter 1, Law 5 (4b). Midrash Tehillim on the verse (in Psalms), 137:7. 47. To point out that which is known, that “before… Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai the Holy Temple was not destroyed at all” (Pelech Rimon, Shemos, Page 7, in the name of the Alter Rebbe).. 48. Mamorei ADH”Z (Alter Rebbe), HaKitzorim, Page 403. 49. So it is in Mamorei ADH”Z (Alter Rebbe), HaKitzorim, ibid.
And see Zohar Chodosh, end of Torah-portion Noach (23d): “That if the head of the assembly or one of the assembly would return in Teshuvah, the entire exile would be gathered in.” 50. Ta’amei HaMitzvos of the Arizal, Torah-portion VaYeira. Likkutei Torah, (Torah -portion) Bracha, 97b. Series V’Kocho, 5637, Chapter 63 (Page 99 [(new edition) Sefer HaMamore 5637, Vol II, page 545]). 51. Brought in Shoresh Mitzvas HaTefillah from the Tzemach Tzedek, Chapter 40 (138, end of side a).