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Chapter 47
Now, in every generation and every day, a man must see himself as if he went out today from Egypt. And this is the going out of the nefesh elokit (the soul from God) from the prison of the body, the skin of the serpent, to be included in the union of the light of Ein Sof (the Endless), blessed be He, by occupation in the Torah and the mitzvot, a mitzvah (a commanded deed), in general, and in particular in the acceptance of the kingship of heaven at the reading of the Shema, in which he accepts and draws upon himself His union, blessed be He, in plain words, when he says, “Hashem (God) our Elohim, Hashem is one.” And as was explained above, “our Elohim” is like “the Elohim of Abraham,” and so on, because he was null and included in the union of the light of Ein Sof, blessed be He. Only, Abraham merited this by his deeds and by his walking in holiness from degree to degree, as it is written (Genesis 12:9): “And Abram journeyed, going on and traveling,” and so on. But as for us, it is an inheritance and a gift to us, that He gave us His Torah and clothed in it His will and His wisdom, blessed be He, which are united with His essence and His very being, blessed be He, in the utmost union. And this is as if He gave us His very self, as it were, as was explained in the holy Zohar (Zohar, part 3, 179a) on the verse (Exodus 25:2) “And let them take for Me a contribution” [for “for Me” means Me. And it should have said “and a contribution,” but because all is one, look there well]. And this is what we say (the fourth blessing in the prayer of the three pilgrimage festivals): “And You gave to us, Hashem our Elohim, in love,” and so on, “for in the light of Your face You gave to us, Hashem our Elohim,” and so on (blessing 19, “Grant peace,” in the Standing Prayer).
And for this, nothing holds us back from the cleaving of the nefesh (the lowest level of the soul) to His union and His light, blessed be He, except the will: if the man does not wish at all, God spare us, to cleave to Him, and so on. But as soon as he wishes and accepts, and draws upon himself His divinity, blessed be He, and says, “Hashem our Elohim, Hashem is one,” then of itself his nefesh is included in His union, blessed be He, for spirit brings spirit and draws spirit. And this is the aspect of the going out from Egypt. And therefore they fixed the portion of the going out from Egypt at the time of the reading of the Shema in particular, though it is a mitzvah by itself and not part of the mitzvah of the reading of the Shema, as is found in the Gemara and the decisors, but because they are actually one thing. And so, at the end of the portion of the going out from Egypt, it also closes, “I am Hashem your Elohim” (Numbers 15:41), and this too is as was explained above.
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