The Rise of Malchus: Exploring the Role of the Feminine in the Times of Mashiach

2:21 So before we answer this question, we're going to need to talk a little bit about Spheros. And so a brief introduction is in order over here. When Hakadosh Baruch Hu created the world, he started off with this process called Tzimtzum. Tzimtzum is a refraction of the Ar En Sof of the infinite light of Hashem. And this symptom, this refraction of the infinite light of Hashem, it allows for something called the Seder Histalshlus. The state, the Seder Histalshlus Is a series of intermediary stages, sometimes known as worlds That makes the creation of our world a possibility. Before Hakadosh Baruch Hu was Metzamtzim, before He refracted the infinite light of Hakadosh Baruch Hu. It would not have been possible to have a finite world, so he pulls back. To allow for these intermediary stages to exist, so that he could allow a finite world to exist. These intermediary stages, these worlds, have a spiritual infrastructure. They're made of spiritual stuff.

3:38 And the most basic component. Of these intermediary stages, the most basic component of these worlds is that they're made up of spheros. So when we speak about spheros, the first thing that we need to know is that the spheros are the most basic component of the worlds that Hakadosh Baruch Hu created that allow for our finite world to exist. On a little bit of a deeper level, we need to understand that these spheros really have two dimensions to them. The first dimension of the word sfera is lezaper To express. So these are the ways in which Hakadosh Baruch Hu manifests Himself. The spheros, to be clear, are not God. But they're mediums through which we can attribute specific qualities to Hashem. For example, when Hakadosh Baruch Hu created the world, He created the world through Chesed. You can't say about Hakadosh Baruch Hu because He's infinite, you can't even say that Hakadosh Baruch Hu is a Bal Chesed.

4:53 Because even that would be a limitation of His essence. However, by creating the Spheros, we can see that Hakadosh Baruch Hu expresses Himself through Chesed. So the first dimension of the spheros that we need to understand again, this is all a very basic introduction Is that the spheros are ways that we can see Hakadosh Baruch Hu's expression or his attributes in our world. We can ascribe these things to him. That's the first thing. The second dimension of the spheros are also related not only to the word lezaper but also sapir, which means a gemstone, a sapphire. From this perspective The nature of the spheros is that they illuminate; they give light. When we put these two things together, we see that they're actually paradoxical in nature. They seem to go exactly in the opposite directions of one another. On the one hand, the spheros are lights and luminaries in the sense that they reveal and express Hakadosh Baruch Hu in this world.

6:05 But on the other hand, we see that they are also what's called kalim. They not only are, but they're also kalim, and they limit and define the light so that specific qualities are manifest. In other words, to put it very simply. The spheros lezaper express Hakadosh Baruch Hu in a very specific way, and they also illuminate. If you think just very simply about the nature of a sfera I'm sorry, I think some people might be unmuted. Just the sensitivity, in case you don't want us to hear you. If you think about the nature of a sfera, on the one hand, it's an R. Illuminates Hakadosh Baruch Hu. It's a vessel because it's a very specific illumination of Hakadosh Baruch Hu. That's a Sphera. So again, just a short summary: a Sphera is what occurs when Hakadosh Baruch Hu is mitzamsame when He refracts His Ar En Sof to allow for these intermediary stages, these worlds to develop, so that ultimately we could live in a finite universe. The spiritual component of these intermediate stages, these worlds, are spheros. The spheros serve both as light and as vessels.

7:29 On the one hand, the spheros illuminate Hashem. On the other hand, they reveal a very specific dimension. The spheros, there are ten spheros. The spheros are known, and we're not going to go through each one of them right now. The sfiros are chachma, bina, daas. These are the three intellectual sfiros. These are three levels of understanding. Then there's Chesed, gevura, teferes, Netzach, Hod, Yesod, and Malchus. Malchus is the one we're going to focus on most today. And Malchus is the lowest level of all the sfiros. What's important to understand is that the nature of Malchus is feminine. Because in contrast to all of the other spheros, which are doing something The nature of malchus is that it receives from all the other spheros. And it puts those spheros into action. I think somebody again might be unmuted. I don't have the capacity to mute people.

8:31 But the spheros are feminine in the sense that just as a mother. Grows a child, nurtures a child within her. The male gives off the zera, so the male in this case is very active and forward. In this case, the nakeva is the receiver. Male and female in Judaism are not necessarily associated with biology; they're concepts. The concept of male is very forward, very out there. The concept of female is the receiving and the nurturing into being. So Malchus in the world of Kabbalah, the Zohar calls Malchus a cup. A cup that receives everything from above it. So if you think about a cup, if you were pouring a cup of grape juice or a cup of wine for Havdalah, the cup is empty and it receives everything that's being poured into it from above. These are the unique qualities of Malchus. The unique qualities of Malchus. Number one, it receives from all the spheros above it. The cup is empty, or what's called in Kabbalah, less lemi gar miklum. It has nothing of its own.

9:47 But what it does is that it receives and nurtures into being. So the nature of Malchus is that it receives from Chesed, from Gvurah, from Tiferes, Netzach, Hod, and Yesod. All of it comes culminating into this cup of Malchus. It's an empty vessel that receives everything from above it, but nothing can be actualized without Malchus. A male without a female cannot produce a child. The male needs to give off the zera. The female receives and grows the child, nurtures the child into being. In that quote-unquote empty space where the woman receives everything, there's actually a lot going on. And in that space, a child not only is grown, but is also ultimately born. So that's the nature of Malchus. Malchus of all of the Spheros is the most feminine, in that it receives. It's empty. It receives from above, but ultimately gives birth and creates.

10:50 Now we think of Malchus as the lowest levels of all of the Spheros But in Chabad Chassidus. Malchus paradoxically is also the highest And this is really what we're going to focus on tonight. Because everything that's the lowest is also the highest. I'll explain what this means. For example When something is spiritual. You can refract the light of spirituality many, many times. But at the end of the day, if its essence is spiritual It cannot become physical. In other words, spiritual is spiritual. So you can make something more spiritual with less refractions. You can make something less spiritual with more refractions. But no matter how many refractions the spiritual goes through, it cannot become physical. Because that would be something other than itself. Right? In the physical world Wood cannot become metal. Wood is wood, metal is metal. Spiritual cannot become physical. So there's a paradox here, because even though physicality

12:23 Is the lowest thing in the world. In order for it to exist, it needs to come from Hashem Himself, from His Atzmus. Because no matter how many times Hashem would refract the spiritual, it would remain spiritual. If the physical world is going to come into existence, that means it had to come directly from Hashem Himself. Because He before the entire system. So the physical world, paradoxically, is both the lowest And is rooted above everything in the divine essence itself, in the Atzmos of Hashem. There's always an inverted hierarchy in Chassidus and Kabbalah. I know this is a very deep concept. The lowest, that which appears to be the lowest, is always rooted in the highest. Sof Mas'eh b'Machshava Tchila. The very end of something needs to be rooted in the very beginning of it. So the nature of this world, though it appears to be coarse and lowly, which it is And it hides Hashem's presence almost completely It's also rooted in the divine essence.

13:39 And sometimes we see this. How do we see this? Because the only true existence is Hashem. And our physical world proclaims itself to be a true existence, independent and on its own. Why does our physical world do that? If you look at the physical world, you don't see anything. You don't see its maker. The physical world is just a physical world. That's what it appears to be. So the physical world If you think deeply about it, it proclaims the same exact thing as Hashem. Just like Hashem says about Himself. "I am the only true reality." Our world says, even though it's mistaken, our world says, "I am the only true reality. Why does our world say that? Our world says that because it bears the mark of its Maker. Since our world comes directly from the Divine Essence. Just like the divine essence says, "I am the only true reality," so too its creation says, "I am the only true reality."

14:54 So we have here a fascinating idea: that which is the lowest, that which is the most coarse, the most physical, the most absent, so to speak, in quotation marks, the most absent of Hashem's presence, is actually rooted in the divine essence. And the reason that it's so distant from Hashem and says 'Ani va'afsi od,' all there is me, is because that's a reflection of Atzmutz. That's a reflection of Hashem Himself. So it's a fascinating duality here. The lowest is at once the lowest, and it's also the highest. What this means, the Alter Rebbe says. Is that in the era of Mashiach Malchus Which is the lowest level of all of the Spheros Ascends and unites not with Chokhmah, which is the highest of all the Spheros. But Malchus goes all the way up, even higher than Bina, which was the original title of this year. It goes all the way higher up, even higher than Bina, even higher than Chokhmah, all the way towards something called Keser.

16:08 And Chabad Chassidus Keser is beyond the Spheros. So it's going to turn out, and this is a wild concept That Malchus, which is the lowest level Sphera Not only does it play the role of being empty and receiving from everything else and then bringing it into being It is also the first cause. Which gives off to everything else. So this is a fascinating concept. You have a female concept. You have a female receiver. Totally empty, less lemei garmiklum That receives the light of all of the other spheros and brings it into being. But in the times of Mashiach, it's going to ascend to Kesser, which is higher than all of the spheros, and we're going to discover that Malchus not only is the receiver of the divine light, but is the source of the divine light. Which makes sense if you consider the fact that the lowest is really the highest.

17:13 Does that again? You could just shake your heads if you understand even a little bit. Don't worry; it will become more clear. But this is the basic concept. The basic concept is that in the times of Mashiach That which appears to be the lowest is going to reveal its true essence, namely that it's rooted in Atzmos. It's rooted in the divine essence. And therefore, not only is it the receiver of the divine light, but it is also the source which gives birth to Chachma, Bina, Chesed, Gevurah, Tiferes, Netzach, Hod, and Yesod. So it plays this duality; it's at once the lowest, and then it ascends to be the highest, and it exists in both dimensions at once. Where do we see this? Where do we see this in Chumash? So the Alter Rebbe says we see this in the relationship between Avram and Sarah. That very surprisingly, we see by the Imahos. We'll focus specifically on Sarah for a moment, but we see by the Imahos that they take a very active role. If you really look at all the stories of the Imahos, if you look at Sarah, Rivka, Rachel, and Leah, they all play a very active role. Which, for those who study Kabbalah, is very surprising.

18:26 Because one would naturally think. That if the role of feminine is less le me garmiklum, if the role of feminine is to be totally empty and receiving from everything else, why do they have such a large voice? It was one would think they should be quiet. They should receive the words of their husband and nurture them into being. And yet we see, for example, that Sarah and Avram get into an argument about whether Yishmael should be allowed to stay in the house. And Hakadosh Baruch Hu says, "Kol hasher tomar eilecha Sarah shma bekola" Everything that Sarah tells you to do, you should do. So it's very interesting. Sarah is the feminine; she's malchus. She's supposed to be receiving from Avram Avinu. And one would naturally have thought that in the disagreement between Avram and Sarah, Sarah should have listened to Avram Avinu. After all, he's the male giving off. She should have nurtured that into being and brought his desires into reality.

19:28 The Gemara in Baba Basra seventeen a says that Hashem allowed three people a taste of Olam Haba, the world to come. Who are these three people? Avram, Yitzchak, and Yaakov. So Avram Avinu, in his relationship with Sarah Was already holding by the era of Olam Haba, where the feminine malchus will reveal its true nature. It is rooted in the divine essence and it will ascend all the way to Kesser. From that perspective, Malchus is not only a mekabel; Malchus is also a mashpia. So Avram Avinu had a very deep question. I, as the male, say that we should keep Yisshmal in the house. She, as the female, is saying we should take Yisshmal out of the house. When Avram Avinu turned to Hakadosh Baruch Hu, what he was really asking is what dimension are we living in? If we're living in the dimension of olam azeh, then I'm right, and Yisshmael should stay in the house.

20:33 But Hakadosh Baruch Hu answers no. Since you've reached this level of olam haba, the nakeva, the feminine in the relationship, becomes the mashpia, not also the makabel, but also the mashpia. And therefore Avraham Avinu, you have to listen. Tasarei Menu, who is now playing the role of the mashbiah And this is the depth of what it means: Nekeva Tsovev Gaver That the female will encircle the male. Which, by the way, even as you think about it, we mentioned earlier that a Kala circles the male by a Chuppah. In a certain sense, what that means is already by the Chuppah, the Chosen and Kala, in their state of purity. The Yom Khasunaso is a type of Yom Kippur. So they're living in the dimension of Olam Habah And so already from that perspective The Mashpia, meaning the husband, is being encircled by the male, and the Kala is saying our relationship is to build a bias Namim by Yisrael, namely to reach the dimension of Olam Habah.

21:45 And in a certain sense, the Kala takes on both roles. On the one hand, the kala is the mekabel and she'll bring life into the world through the mashpia, but also a woman has a very big voice in the relationship, and at times in olam haba oriented times, she plays the role of the mashpia in the relationship, and it's very difficult to know in a relationship when we're living in the era of olam hazeh and when we're living in the era of olam haba. That's already a very complicated question of what should be when, which God willing, we'll discuss a little bit further. The pasuk in Mishlei says, 'Eishes Chayel Ateres Bala.' A woman of valor is the crown of her husband. Eishes Chayel Ateres Bala. So you see this duality. Because on the one hand, the isha is defined in relation to her husband.

22:41 So in that regard, she's the makabel. She's an Eishes Chayel because of her husband. But if you look carefully Eshes Chayal is ateres ba'ala. So on the one hand, she's defined in relation to her husband, but on the other hand, she's described as wearing a crown, wearing the keser. This is the state where malchus has elevated in Yomosha Mashiach and identifies itself and unites with keser. Where else do we see this concept, this duality in women? So another place that we see it is by Miriam Hanavia. Miriam Hanavia by Kriyas Yamsuf. After Kriyas Yamsuf, we know that Moshe Rabbeinu led the men and song. But the pasuk says, 'Vatikach Miriam Hanavia achos Aaron.' That Miriam Hanavia, the brother of Aaron, she took with her the instruments, and all the women came out and they danced and they played their instruments. Their What do they call that? The tambourine.

23:46 So it's very interesting. Miriam here is described as Achos Aaron. She's described as the sister of Aaron and Cohen. Why is she described as the sister of Aaron and Cohen? It's a very unique language. She's the sister of Aaron. It doesn't mention Moshe. She's the sister of Aaron. And she also doesn't seem to stand alone. She's not just Miriam. She's Miriam, the sister of Aaron. So if we take a look at Rashi. Rashi here offers two explanations. The first explanation of Rashi is the reason that she's called Achos Aron is because already before Moshe Rabbeinu was born When she was only the sister of Aaron and Cohen, he was the only other one around. So in that time period, she prophesized about the birth of Moshe Rabbeinu, and she said, 'My mother's going to have another child.' Who will ultimately become the savior of Klal Yisrael? That's the first reason that Rashi gives.

24:47 The second reason that Rashi gives is she's described as Achos Aron, and it's really paying tribute to Aaron Kohen, who risked his life to save her when Miriam had Saras. Those are the two explanations of Rashi. And the Lebavitcher Rebbe explains. If you understand the concept that we've been saying up until now, he explains the same duality. By Miriam Hanivia On the one hand, she's a prophetess on her own. Meaning not because of anything else. She is a nivia, and she says Moshe Rabbeinu will be born. So on her own, she's a prophetess. But on the other hand, she's dependent on her brother. And her brother comes and saves her from Saras. So these reflect the two periods of history. Miriam Hanavia, in her essence. Remember, she's the ultimate feminine. She's the ultimate female, bringing into being. On the one hand, Miriam, as the ultimate feminine, represents Malchus. She prophesizes on her own, independent of any of the other Spheros. That's Miriam when she's ascended to the role of Kesser.

26:04 But also she's the makabel from the male spheros that are above her, so she's described as the brother of Aaron and Cohen who risked his life to save her. So the only reason she exists is because of the spheros above her. So you see the same duality with Miriam. At first Rashi describes her as on her own malchus from the perspective of keser malchus as mashpiya But then in the second pshat in Rashi. Malchus is dependent on the other spheres because without Malchus, without the other spheres, what is Malchus? What is a woman without a man? She can't give birth to a child on her own. That's why Rachel Imenu said, 'Ve'imayin meisa anochi.' If you can't give me a child, I may as well be dead because what is my existence? Now we could take this a step further because we notice here in Rashi, according to the Labavitcher Rebbe's Pshat.

27:02 Which one came first? Rashi first tells us that she was a neviyah on her own. Only afterwards does he describe Malchus as a makabel. First, he describes Malchus as a mashpia. And that's not the way we would expect, because if olam hazeh is the perspective of malchus as mashpia And olam habaz, the I'm sorry, if olam hazeh is the perspective of malchus as makabel, I apologize, I got it backwards. If olam hazeh is the perspective of malchus as a makabel, and olam haba, the world to come, is the perspective of malchus as mashbia, then Rashi should have flipped the pshatim. Rashi's second pshat should have been first. But the truth of the matter is that according to what we've said up until now, it actually makes a lot of sense. Because really, sof ma'aseh b'machshava tchila. Even though malchus in this world appears in olam hazeh as a makabel. In its essence, it's rooted in Atzmos. It's rooted in the divine essence of Hashem.

28:07 In truth, Malchus is a Mashpia. It just happens to be an Olam Azeh. It expresses itself as a Makabu until we get to the very end of time, Olam Haba, when we will discover what it first is. But it makes sense for Rashi to give the Olam Haba shot first. Because what Rashi is doing is describing the essential nature of Malchus, not the way that Malchus manifests itself in this world. In essence, Malchus is a mashpiya. And that is what will be revealed in Olam Habah. Until such time, it serves as a makabel. So we see here that the dual nature of Miriam is really the dual nature of all feminine. On the one hand, it's a mashpia. On the other hand, it's a makaba. And though in this world the feminine serves as a makabel, nurturing life into being. Not only will it be that one day in Olam Haba it will be a mashpia and it will influence the world. In truth, it was influencing the world the entire time.

29:16 Because in its essence, the mashpia has been there the entire time. This why. You'll forgive me for speaking this way, but this why when men think that they have an original idea and they go, "I came up with that," there's always a woman behind them going, "Sure you did." Because the nature of the mechabel is really a mashpia. Women have a way of influencing a man in a very mechabel-oriented way. They validate and they listen and they nurture until the man thinks that it was his idea. Really, it was her idea the entire time. Because the nature of the makabel, in its essence, is that it's a mashpia. It's manifesting now as a makabel. If we stopped right now, I think that would be a very deep shear. We're not even close to done. But I think if we stopped I think if we stopped right now, that would already be a lot. But everything in Kabbalah needs to come down to the world of practicality. Otherwise, it's not real.

30:17 It's just fun mental games. But it has to manifest itself seriously in our avodas Hashem, and that was the big chiddush of chassidus. The big chiddush of chassidus is that it moves not just in the world of the abstract, but it becomes tangible in the way that we serve Hashem. So how do we synthesize this? If we are the last generation of exile and the first generation of redemption Then it's our job to reveal. The true nature of the feminine. It's our job to bring malchus up to keser. It's our responsibility to serve Hashem in such a way that mekabel reveals itself to be a mashbia. How do we do this? In truth The nature of the divine soul is that it's always in a state of connection. It's always in a state of devekus with Hashem. Where do we see this? So throughout history We've seen it through the concept of mesiras nefesh.

31:24 Before we get to what it looks like practically, I'll tell you what it looks like in halacha. The halacha is that a person is not allowed to force somebody else to give a get. That's the halacha. That a forced get is not a get. But the Rambam says, and we know this is true. That if you hit somebody over and over again until they say yes, I want to give a get, that's a good get. Why? The Rambam explains because the truth is that in their heart They really do want to. They really want to do the right thing. So even though a forced get is not a get, when a person says rotsa ani, it's a good get because that's what he really wants. It's just been concealed by all these other layers. Where do we see this concept practically? This concept of rotsa ani, that a person really wants to reach into the depth of their soul and do what they know to be right.

32:23 So throughout history, this was a concept called mesiras nefesh. Many times, most times, a Jew was given the choice to die al kiddush Hashem. They did so even though they didn't live al kiddush Hashem. So Jews throughout history who were not necessarily affiliated Who were not shomer Torah u-mitzos, Jews who denied the existence of Hashem Atheists. If a Nazi put a gun to their head and said, "I'm going to kill you unless you renounce Hakadosh Baruch Hu," they said, "Kill me." What's the pshat? The Alter Rebbe says, "What's the pshat that somebody who wasn't willing to live for Hashem was willing to die for Hashem?" " So the Alter Rebbe says,"This is the. Proof that the divine soul," Though covered up Is always in a state of dvekas ba'Hashem And in those extreme moments when the soul is given the choice of being exterminated or rising to the occasion and revealing its true nature The soul has always risen to the occasion.

33:34 So throughout history, Jews who weren't willing to live for Hashem were willing to die for Hashem. The problem is you can't serve Hashem that way for two reasons. Number one Because it doesn't last. Because if somebody is willing to rise to the occasion and say, "I'm willing to die al Kiddush Hashem" Once the threat leaves It's very possible and maybe even likely that the soul goes back to its state of being concealed. Because the change was not fundamental, it can't be lasting. Just because there's a temporary revelation of the truth of the godly soul Doesn't mean it's going to last. The soul hasn't done any work to reveal itself. It was just in that moment of pressure, the soul elevated, and we saw its true nature. Once the threat is repealed. Then the soul will return, not to its natural state, but to the state of concealment within this person that might become natural for that person, given their state of sin.

34:46 So one reason we can't operate from a perspective of mitsiras nafsh is because it doesn't create a lasting change, just a temporary revelation. The other reason is because Baruch Hashem, throughout history, even though there have been periods. The Inquisition, the Crusades, the Nazis, et cetera. Communist Russia. Even though there were so many periods throughout history where a Jew was forced to live in masiras nefesh What happens in time periods where we're not living in masiras nefesh? What happens when we're able to serve Hashem with total freedom? Are we not able to access the true nature of our soul? So here again, the Lubavitcher Rebbe gives us an unbelievable insight into the nature of our service of Hashem, and how we can access the true nature of our godly soul, the true essence, the true divinity of our godly soul, even in times where we're not called upon to be ma'aser nefesh and d'ayal kedush Hashem.

35:49 Not only that, but the method that the Lubavitcher Rebbe uses to reveal the divinity of the soul and the true nature of a person. Cannot it won't only be a temporary revelation, but if you follow this path It will become a true revelation. Meaning, in the sense that it will not only be meaningful, but will also be lasting. And this is a concept called bittel. Bittel doesn't mean self nullification. Bittel is the better translation: self effacement. And what does this mean? It means that. Through bittel, we'll describe what that process is in a second. Through the nullification or the self-effacement of one's own ego One actually comes in contact with the true nature of the divine soul. So paradoxically, it's only through selflessness, it's only through self-effacement That a person comes to the ultimate revelation of self. Or if you want to put it in Hebrew terminology, it's only through bittul that you discover the yesh ha'amiti.

36:59 Only through nullifying or through self-effacement of the yesh do you come in contact with the true yesh, the true nature of a person. The haynu, the person as he has utterly united with Hashem. What does this look like? What does bittul look like practically? It's prioritizing the material and spiritual needs of another before the needs of yourself. If you can be mivato, if you can nullify your own needs and prioritize the needs of another. Physical and spiritual, you're in a state of bittul. The pasuk by Avram Avinu by Akeidas Yitzchak says, "Va'yar es hamakom meirachok." The simple explanation of this pasuk means that Avram Avinu saw the place, namely Har Amoria, the place of Akeidah Yitzchak. Meirachok. He saw it from afar. But we know that Hamakom is also the name of Hashem. So vayar es Hamakom meirachok means that Avram Avinu In that moment of Akeidah, Yitzchak was completely uninspired, spiritually distant from Hashem.

38:13 So if you think about the level of sacrifice that Avram Avinu was going through, let's play it out. He was going to lose his son. He was going to lose his only son. He was going to lose his wife, who ultimately passes away when she finds out about the kedusha from Satan. And not only that, he even lost his relationship with Hashem Himself. So Avram Avinu's priority of Hashem's will. Was so vayt. What's an English word for vayt? It went so far that he was not only willing to lose his child and his wife, he was even willing to lose his own relationship with Hashem, which is the ultimate act of self-sacrifice. He was so not in the picture that he said, even if it costs me my relationship with Hashem, I'll still do Hashem's will. This is reminiscent of the Alter Rebbe, who famously said, 'Hashem, I don't want your olam azeh. I don't even want your olam haba. All I want is you.'

39:14 Avram Avinu was saying, all I want is to do the will of Hashem, no matter what the cost. Total level of bittul, total nullification. Now we know that the pasuk says, "Kachna es binchah es yichidcha asher ahavta." Kachna meaning take kachna es binchah take your son es yichidcha. What does yichidcha mean? Yichidcha means your only son. The highest point of the soul, the point of the soul that stands in utter connection to Hashem, is called the Yichida Sheenefesh. There are five levels of the soul: Nefesh, Ruach, Neshama, Chaya, and Yichida. Nefesh is where your soul interacts with reality. Ruach is where your soul experiences emotions. Neshama is where your soul experiences intellect. Chaya is where your soul experiences desire. Yichidcha is the highest level. That's where your soul experiences emuna. It's the total, utter transcendence and connection to Hashem. So when does Avram Avinu get this concept called yichida The utter connection to Hashem, that which makes the Jewish soul into a Jewish soul?

40:28 He got it through Akedas Yitzchak Since it was a total level of bittul, total self-effacement. Where he was going to lose his child, his wife, and even his own relationship with Hashem, but he was still willing to prioritize the will of Hashem above himself. That's when we became the Jewish people. That's when a yid becomes a yid, and it stays with us throughout history. Really, only through sacrifice, only through prioritizing the material and spiritual needs of another above yourself. Does a person come in contact with their true essence? And in the aggregate, when all of us together do this, and we all put Hakadosh Baruch Hu's will above our own, which is what the Mishnah Avos tells us that we're supposed to make Hashem's ratzon into our ratzon, meaning that we're supposed to totally transform ourselves so that all we want is Hashem's will. In the aggregate, not only do we discover our own yichidus shebe'nefesh, our own divinity. But we actually discover the divinity, the nature of the essence of the entire world, which is that the entire world is really rooted in Atzmos Because if you go back to the beginning of the Sheir Physical cannot come from spiritual; it would be impossible. Spiritual can only become less spiritual, but can never become physical.

41:50 Physical can only come from the essence of Hashem. That's the inverted hierarchy that we mentioned before. So when we in this world. When we are mevatal our own yesh, meaning when we recognize that we don't stand alone, that everything comes from Hakadosh Baruch Hu, and we express that through prioritizing His will above all else. What it looks like with a person is that we prioritize their will above ours, even when it's going to come at our own expense. That is the greatest expression of the divine essence in this world. Now we can understand why it creates not only a meaningful change but a lasting change. In mesirus nefesh, you only see it maybe for a moment. God willing, it lasts for a lifetime. But remember, as soon as the force of mesirus nefesh is repealed, it's possible for the soul to go back down. But when we reveal the true nature of our soul by being mevatelit to its source, prioritizing Hashem's will in this world.

42:56 That change is not only meaningful; it's also lasting, because we've revealed who we truly are. One way of thinking about it is like the alcoholic who can go to rehab in one of two ways: either he can be forced to go to rehab Or he can hit rock bottom and choose to go to rehab. If he's forced to go to rehab, God willing, it works. But the chances of it working are less because he hasn't owned the process. That's like mesiras nefesh. But when a person hits rock bottom and they choose to go to rehab, the chances of success are much greater because they've revealed, "I don't want to be an addict anymore." Once their true essence is revealed, the chances of success are going to be much higher because now they've learned about themselves and who they truly are. This explains an unbelievable feature of our world. In these final moments before Mashiach comes Up until these moments Our world was basically a place of coercion.

44:03 A person lived in communist Russia. A person lived in Spain in the times of the Spanish Inquisition. And really, throughout history We lived in periods of coercion. It's a fascinating thing that in Yemosha Mashiach We live in an era where there's total freedom. Person can more or less do whatever they want in this world. And this notion, this Western democratic notion of freedom, is expanding throughout the entire world. We more or less live in a free world today. And that's the nature of everything we talk about. Free market economy, everything is about freedom. Why is it that the Haskalah demanded that before Mashiach comes there needs to be total freedom? So the answer is because. In order for a person to reveal their true nature, it can't come from any coercion. In a state of total freedom, where nothing is coercing me to be the way that I am And I choose from the depth of my soul to prioritize the will of Hakadosh Baruch Hu over mine.

45:11 That is the ultimate expression of divinity. We see this even in education today. It used to be that if a boy didn't behave in cheder back in the day, the rebbe hit him. And today, that's not at all the meduber. Today, that's not the way we behave. Why? What changed? What changed is that we understand today that since we're in this final level It's not okay for a yid to be a yid because he's coerced into being a yid. The kids say it. They say it outright. They say, 'Rebbe, I need to choose this.' And they're right. They need to reach into the depth of their own soul and discover the process of being meshabed themselves and being nullified before Hakadosh Baruch Hu. When they choose that, they reveal the essence of their neshama. So it's an amazing thing that's happening. The avoda in the world today, the kids know it naturally.

46:13 They say, "Don't force me to do this. I need to be free to choose." To nullify myself before our Kadosh Baruch Hu, because only then it will be real. And they say, "I don't want it to be fake." They literally say that word. They say, "I don't want it to be fake." Now, of course, if they'll be forced to do the right thing, it will be an expression of their divinity. It will be an expression of the nature of their soul, but it won't be a meaningful and lasting change because they didn't own it. It didn't come. It didn't rise up from within. To finish, we've said a lot. We only have a couple of minutes left. I hope our Rav Simcha feels like they got their money's worth tonight. This really the avoda. If you think about it, of our Rav Simcha, right? We're trying to empower the callers. We're trying to help all the callers in the world. This the ideas that we're speaking about here.

47:08 We really need to look now at one last paradox. Because Malchus is in a complete state of bittul to the Spheros above it. The energy of the divine essence that's contained in the light that's drawn into it can be felt within it, even though that energy cannot be felt in the spheros above it. For example Chesed is so busy being Chesed, and it's like I'm Chesed. That we don't necessarily see the divine energy in Chesed. Because it keeps screaming, "I'm Chesed." "Gvura keeps screaming, 'I'm Gvura.' Tiferes keeps screaming, 'I'm Tiferes.' There's so much Yeshus. There's such a loud voice in these Sefiros that the divine essence, the divine energy, that's the light within all of those Sefiros, it's being overrun. Their voices are too loud. But when all of those Sefiros come into that cup of Malchus, and now they're being actualized. Because Malchus itself is silent.

48:19 It is able to perceive the divine essence in all of the light that went through all of the Spheros. On the one hand Like the Gemara in Nida forty five b says, a woman is endowed with an inner perception and a greater intuition than the male. What does it mean that a woman has a greater perception? Because Malchus, which is the feminine energy, is the ultimate bittol; it's in the ultimate state of quiet. It perceives, it intuits greater the divine energy that's within things. So Chazal tell us if you have a machlokus between a male and a female, what to do. It happened throughout history in the times of the Nazis. If you have a machlokus and the woman says, "I think we should go this way," and the male says, "I think we should go this way," Chazal guide us: follow the woman. Since the woman is in a state of bittul, she perceives the divine energy in things and has a greater sense of intuition.

49:20 However, as we've also said this year, Malchus rises to Keser. From that perspective, the feminine has another dimension where we know that the pasuk in Yeshaya says, "Va'haya or halavana ka'orachama," that in the times of Mashiach, the light of the moon will be like the light of the sun. Meaning that the divine essence will be revealed not just felt because of the bittul, but it will be revealed through the bittul So Malchus itself will become an expression of divine energy into this world. That's what it means that the light of the moon will be like the light of the sun. In our world, the light of the sun is the mashpia. In Olam Haba, the moon will also be a mashpia. Because the feminine won't just intuit, won't just perceive, won't just sense the divine energy and things. It will be the source of the divine energy. It will be that which is mashpia the divine energy into the world.

50:20 And that's what it means. Ezehu ishak sheira haoser its own bila. Who is a kosher woman, one who does the will of her husband? What does that mean? It means on the one hand she does the will of her husband. She's a mekaba. So she brings the will of her husband into reality, but on a deeper level, it means ha'ose ritzon bila. She creates the will of her husband. She's not just the mekabel from her husband; she's also the mashpia on her husband. And this is the duality of malchus. Malchus is at once totally mevatal itself, able to perceive the divine energy within creation, and ultimately we will discover that it's only through the feminine, only through the service of absolute bittul, that Malchus will be not only a makabel but also a mashpia. And the divine energy in this world will not only be felt because of the feminine, but it will be brought into the world through the nature of the feminine, and that's why we see that time and again throughout history, every redemption always comes beschus nashem tzedkanios.

51:29 Redemption always comes from women because through this self-effacement, through this bittul, through this total nullification, we bring geula into the world. And I want to give a bracha to Or Av Simcha, a very special organization, and I really do think it's a tremendous privilege to speak here tonight. I want to give a bracha that through this holy work of Or Av Simcha, of raising up kallahs so that on the day of their wedding they could have everything that they need. It should be another brick in the wall of building the Beis Hamikdash. We should be zeicher to this ultimate redemption that comes through the feminine sfera of malchus, which we should be zeicher to be unified with kesser. Amen.