Beginning a new מאמר, the רבי fuses together the explanations of רש"י and the זהר on the פסוק describing שרה's life, in the beginning of פרשת חיי שרה.

Does תשובה really change me? How do I change my past that might not be so great?

In learning a lesson from the life of שרה, the רבי shows us how we can be in control of our past!

Finishing the מאמר, the רבי shows how the י"ג מדות הרחמים are uplifted and infused with עצמות energy when they do their job in expressing the עצמות connection of Hashem and אידן.

This is connected with the חידוש earlier in the מאמר that המלך בשדה is for every איד, even those in the שדה of קליפה.

The מאמר finishes with answering the opening question: אלול includes "ודודי לי" - the י"ג מדות הרחמים, but the point of it all is the "אני לדודי" - the איד's essential oneness with Hashem that is expressed through his עבודה.

Continuing in the מאמר, the רבי analyzes the אלטער רבי's descriptions of the King's Presence in the field, uncovering Hashem's involvement during אלול in two ways: Reciprocal, and Core.

How does that work together with what we know about אלול being about our עבודה?!

This is the חידוש of the מאמר: The relationship of Hashem and אידן in אני לדודי is not about the עבודה of the אידן, it is about the very existence of אידן (which is expressed in their עבודה)!

In this fascinating, stand-alone part of the מאמר, the רבי reveals a revolutionary depth to the idea of מלך בשדה.

This idea is traced back through the אלטער רבי's and the פריערדיקער רבי's מאמרים, appreciating the רבי's חידוש as to the availability of the King in the field during אלול.

This point begins the explanation as to why the אלטער רבי adds about the king's positive expressions to us, which ostensibly run contrary to the theme of אלול being specifically "אני לדודי" and our עבודה.

Attached are the links to the pages of the מאמרים that were read inside during this שיעור (with the timestamps when in the שיעור they were read):

https://hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=14963&st=&pgnum=396&hilite= (04:02)

https://hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=19800&st=&pgnum=280 (22:40)

https://hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=32923&st=&pgnum=331&hilite= (26:10)

Jumping in to a new year with אני לדודי, the רבי invites us to a deeper understanding of אלול by asking about the "ודודי לי" part, which seems to be the opposite of what אלול is about - "אני לדודי".

The משל of המלך בשדה brings out the paradox of אלול: On the one hand it is "המלך", the king is making himself available to everyone, but on the other hand it is "בשדה", the king is not in a state of grandeur, and even the inspiration to go meet him comes from the person themself, and not from the king.

If חוקים, as was established in the מאמר, reaches the highest level of תורה; the way it is completely one with Hashem's רצון עצמי, why was דוד punished for expressing this?!

The answer is, this is the highest level of תורה as תורה is itself. But in Hashem's Master Plan, the goal is to make a דירה בתחתונים.

Specifically by fusing together Hashem's ability to be above the world into the world (as is hinted out in שם הוי-ה, as well as in the opening of רמב"ם), do we express the ultimate power of Hashem's עצמות.

Thus we answer the two questions from the beginning of the מאמר on the פסוק of "הוי' לי בעוזרי, ואני אראה בשונאי": Through revealing Hashem within the world we elevate the sparks of G-dliness, even within the darkest of situations, thus reaching the ultimate connection with Hashem.

The message to us, in דור שביעי, is obvious...

Continuing in the explanation of חוקים, the רבי presents a fascinating difference between עדות and חוקים:

While עדות is "רעותא דלבא" - the connection to Hashem from the deepest core of the person's self (his עצם הנשמה), חוקים is putting one's self on the side and serving Hashem with קבלת עול.

Consequently, while עדות is the idea of עצמות being expressed within the world, חוקים is the idea of a איד connecting with Hashem's Essential Desire - רצון עצמי, beyond any function of expression.

This all explains why "חוקיך" is emphasized in the פסוק describing תורה's greatness - "זמירות היו לי חוקיך".

However...

Understanding the difference between חוקים and משפטים (as they exist within every מצוה), we appreciate why דוד's praise of תורה in that it is greater than the world (זמירות) is emphasized specifically within חוקיך: Specifically by חוקים do we see how the details of the מצות - how they energize the world - are insignificant, and a מצוה is instead purely about Hashem's רצון.

To further highlight this quality of חוקים, we bring עדות into the discussion: עדות is the quality of a מצוה in that it brings down and expresses the עצמות of Hashem - what is otherwise inherently concealed - in the world.

How is this different than חוקים? Stay tuned...

Celebrating 30 years of the חג הגאולה, the רבי quotes two questions from the פריערדיקער רבי's מאמר, said on the day he was released, י"ב תמוז תרפ"ז: How can we say that there are helpers other than Hashem, and why would דוד המלך seek revenge from his enemies?!

The רבי then analyzes the פסוק that refers to חוקים as "זמירות", beginning a discussion about the חוקים element within מצות - the submission to Hashem's Desire that surpasses reasoning.

In this special Gimmel Tammuz שיעור, we explore עצמות through the lens of the רבי's תורה.

How do we get over the 'ghost' of זלמן משה and appreciate the רבי placing עצמות front and center?

What is the central quality of עצמות?

What does עצמות look like in our lives?

How do we access עצמות?

Is חסידות self-help?

(Delivered in Crown Heights on ג' תמוז תשפ"ה as part of a day of learning the רבי's תורה, organized by Karnei Ohr.)