From many utterances back to the One

איתא במדרש בנח כתיב את האלקים התהלך נח משל לאוהבו של מלך שנשקע בטיט עבה א"ל המלך כו'.

It is taught in the Midrash: regarding Noach it is written "Noach walked with G-d" — a parable to a friend of the king who was sunk in thick mud; the king said to him… [give me your hand].

Noach needed the king's hand to pull him out of the mire; he could walk "with" G-d only because G-d supported him.

ובאברהם כתיב התהלך לפני משל לאוהבו של מלך שהאיר לו מן החלון במקומות האפילות וא"ל האיר לפני וכו' ע"ש.

But regarding Avraham it is written "Walk before Me" — a parable to a friend of the king who shone light for him from the window in the dark places, and [the king] said to him, "Shine before Me," etc. — see there.

Avraham did not need to be pulled out; he himself shone light in the dark places, walking "before" the King by his own power.

לבאר הענין כמ"ש ז"ל נח הי' צריך סעד כו'.

To explain the matter, as Chazal said: Noach needed support, etc.

The Midrash teaches that Noach required Divine assistance to sustain his righteousness.

והנה נח נולד מהול.

Now, Noach was born already circumcised (mahul).

Noach's perfection was a gift of his nature, not something he had to achieve.

לכן כתיב מקודם צדיק תמים.

Therefore it is first written "a righteous man, wholehearted" (tzaddik tamim).

His wholeness (tamimus) preceded and underlay his ability to walk with G-d.

אח"כ את האלקים התהלך שע"י התמימות זכה להלוך לפני ה' ובאברהם כתיב מקודם לך לך התהלך לפני ואח"כ ניתן לו המילה לכן נח לא הי' בו כח להציל דורו ובאברהם אמרו עד שבא אברהם וקיבל שכר כולם.

And afterward, "he walked with G-d" — for through this tamimus he merited to walk before Hashem. But regarding Avraham it is written first "Go forth… walk before Me," and only afterward was the milah given to him. Therefore Noach did not have the power to save his generation, while of Avraham they said, "until Avraham came and received the reward of them all."

Noach's perfection came first and his walking second; Avraham first labored to walk before G-d and only then received the milah. Because Avraham's wholeness was earned through his own effort, he had the power to uplift others, which Noach lacked.

והענין הוא כמ"ש במשנה במאמר אחד הי' יכול להבראות ומה ת"ל עשרה מאמרות להפרע וליתן שכר כו' ועיקר עבודת האדם לתקן אלה העשרה מאמרות עד שיזכה למאמר אחד שהוא הדביקות באל אחד.

The matter is as the Mishnah says: with a single utterance [the world] could have been created — so why does it say "ten utterances"? To exact punishment and grant reward, etc. And the essence of man's avodah is to rectify these ten utterances until he merits the "single utterance," which is devekus (clinging) to the One G-d.

The world was made through ten utterances (multiplicity), but its root is the single utterance (unity). Man's task is to elevate the many back to the One — to attain devekus with the single source.

והמילה שנקרא ברית הוא התדבקות באחדות.

And the milah, which is called a "covenant" (bris), is the cleaving to oneness (achdus).

Milah is the bond that attaches a person to the underlying unity of the "single utterance."

וכדי להציל את נח העלהו הקב"ה בכח המילה להתדבק במאמר אחד ואז נק' תמים כמ"ש במ"א הטעם.

And in order to save Noach, the Holy One, blessed is He, raised him up — through the power of milah — to cleave to the "single utterance"; and then he was called tamim, as I have explained the reason elsewhere.

Noach was rescued by being lifted, through the power of milah, to cling to the One — which is what made him "whole."

ונמצא הי' מובדל מן הדור אבל אברהם בתוך מבואות אלו האפילות בעודו ערל מצא לו חלונות וחרכים להלוך לפניו ואח"כ ניתן לו המילה ותמימות.

It turns out that Noach was set apart from his generation; but Avraham, in the very midst of those dark alleyways, while still uncircumcised (areil), found himself windows and crevices to walk before Him — and only afterward was the milah and tamimus given to him.

Noach could be holy only by being separated from his corrupt world, whereas Avraham found chinks of light even while still "uncircumcised," and earned his wholeness from within the darkness.

ובאמת זה הי' בכח מסירת נפש לכן נק' חסיד המתחסד עם קונו וזהו החילוק בין את האלקים התהלך.

And in truth this was through the power of mesirus nefesh (self-sacrifice); therefore he is called a chassid, "one who does kindness with his Maker." And this is the difference [expressed in] "he walked with G-d."

Avraham's achievement flowed from self-sacrifice, the mark of a true chassid — and this is precisely what distinguishes his "walking before" from Noach's "walking with."

בין התהלכתי לפניו.

…as opposed to "[Avraham, before Whom] I have walked."

Avraham's "walking before" Hashem reflects an initiative and devotion that Noach's supported "walking with" did not.

שהי' כוונתו לשם שמים בלבד לפרסם כבוד שמו בעולם ולא לגרמי' כלום אפלו לתקן נפשו.

For his intention was for the sake of Heaven alone — to publicize the glory of His Name in the world — and not for himself in the least, not even to rectify his own soul.

Avraham acted with total selflessness, seeking only Hashem's glory, with no thought even for his own spiritual gain.

ויש לכוון בזה מ"ש לו הקב"ה לך לך כענין שדרשו חז"ל אין אומרים אל תירא אלא למי שהוא ירא שמים לאמיתו.

And one may understand by this what the Holy One, blessed is He, said to him, "Go forth" (lech lecha), in the manner of what Chazal expounded: "one says 'Fear not' only to one who is truly G-d-fearing (yarei Shomayim la'amito)."

Just as "Fear not" is spoken only to one who already has true yiras Shomayim, so "Lech lecha" carries a similar implication.

כמו כן אין לומר לך לך אלא למי שאינו עושה כלום לגרמי' רק לשם שמים.

So too, one says "Go forth" only to one who does nothing for himself, but only for the sake of Heaven.

The command "Lech lecha" was fitting precisely for Avraham, whose every act was selflessly for Hashem alone.

ואיתא בזוה"ק נח הוא בחי' שבת כי כל אלו האותות ובריתות הם להתדבק בשורש האחדות מאמר אחד כנ"ל.

And it is taught in the Zohar HaKadosh that Noach is the dimension of Shabbos, for all these signs and covenants serve to cleave to the root of oneness, the "single utterance," as above.

Noach, Shabbos, and the covenants all share one function: binding a person back to the root of unity, the single utterance.

והענין הוא דיש בחי' נפש רוח ונשמה שנשתלחו בעוה"ז ונתלבשו בגוף כדי לתקן על ידיהם המעשה והדיבור והמחשבה.

The matter is that there are the dimensions of nefesh, ruach, and neshamah, which were sent into this world and clothed in a body, in order to rectify through them deed, speech, and thought.

The three soul-levels descend into the body precisely to refine the three domains of human activity — action, speech, and thought.

ולהפוך הגוף והגשמיות לרוחניות.

And to transform the body and physicality into spirituality (ruchniyus).

Their mission is to elevate the material body itself into something spiritual.

וזאת עבודת האדם לזכך גופו שיאירו בו הנר"נ.

And this is man's avodah: to refine his body so that the nefesh-ruach-neshamah may shine within it.

Refining the body is what allows the three soul-levels to illuminate a person.

לכן אמרו שהבשר צריך ליגע עצמו ביראה.

Therefore they said that the flesh must exert itself in yirah (awe).

The body itself must toil to attain yiras Shomayim, for fear is the means of refining it.

כי עיקר שם יראה כשנזדכך הגוף ואז מאיר בו הנר"נ ורואה האמת להתדבק בהקב"ה.

For the essence of the name "yirah" is when the body is refined; then the nefesh-ruach-neshamah shine within it, and one sees the truth so as to cleave to the Holy One, blessed is He.

True yirah is the refined body, in which the soul-lights shine, the truth becomes visible, and devekus with Hashem becomes possible.

ולזה ניתן תרי"ג מצות לזכך כל האברים כמ"ש נר מצוה.

And for this the 613 mitzvos were given, to refine all the limbs, as it is written "a mitzvah is a lamp."

Each mitzvah refines a corresponding limb, kindling it like a lamp so the soul's light can pass through.

ובשבת ניתן תוספות נר"נ כמ"ש ז"ל נשמה יתירה ניתנית בשבת.

And on Shabbos an addition of nefesh-ruach-neshamah is given, as Chazal said: an extra soul (neshamah yeseirah) is given on Shabbos.

Shabbos brings an added measure of soul-light beyond what shines during the week.

דאיתא במד' דהנפש יש לה עוד ב' שמות חי' יחידה והם אינם יכולים להתדבק בפועל ממש בגוף כי הם דבוקים בה' אחד לכן נק' יחידה וחי' שהיא עצם החיות.

For it is taught in the Midrash that the soul has two further names — chayah and yechidah — and these cannot actually cleave to the body in deed, for they are bound to the One G-d; therefore they are called "yechidah" (the single one) and "chayah" (which is the very essence of vitality).

Beyond nefesh-ruach-neshamah are two higher soul-levels, chayah and yechidah, so bound to Hashem's oneness that they cannot fully descend into the body.

ואחר החטא שיש מיתה בעולם ניטל מאדם אותן הבחי'.

And after the sin, when death entered the world, those dimensions were taken from man.

The sin of Adam, which brought death, deprived humanity of these two highest soul-levels.

אך בשבת יורדת הארה מזה השורש האחדות והחיות לכן אומרים בשבת אתה אחד כו' ומי כעמך ישראל גוי אחד.

But on Shabbos an illumination descends from this root of oneness and vitality; therefore on Shabbos we say "You are One…" and "Who is like Your people Yisrael, one nation."

Shabbos draws down a glimmer from those higher levels of unity and life, which is why its tefillah dwells on Hashem's oneness and Yisrael's oneness.

נמצא בשבת הנר"נ עצמן מקבלין חיות ואחדות.

It turns out that on Shabbos the nefesh-ruach-neshamah themselves receive vitality and oneness.

On Shabbos even the ordinary soul-levels are infused with the unity and life of the higher chayah and yechidah.

ובימי המעשה הנר"נ מתקנין הגוף.

And on the weekdays the nefesh-ruach-neshamah rectify the body.

During the week the three soul-levels do their work of refining the physical body.

ובשבת הוא בחי' מאמר אחד כנ"ל.

And Shabbos is the dimension of the "single utterance," as above.

Shabbos itself is the realm of unity, the single utterance, lifted above the multiplicity of the workweek.

לכן נאסרו המלאכות כמ"ש בפ' בראשית מזה.

Therefore the melachos (creative labors) were forbidden, as I have written regarding this in Parshas Bereishis.

The melachos belong to the realm of the ten utterances (multiplicity), so they are set aside on Shabbos, the day of the single utterance.

ומ"מ מעין זה יש בכל יום הארה בכח התפילין שממשיכין חיות ואחדות משרש הנשמה אל נר"נ שבאדם.

And nevertheless, something of this exists every day through the power of tefillin, which draw down vitality and oneness from the root of the neshamah to the nefesh-ruach-neshamah within a person.

Tefillin provide a daily echo of Shabbos, channeling unity and life from the higher root down into a person's everyday soul-levels.

ואיתא בזוה"ק שע"י תפילין נעשה אדם אחד כעין שכ' לעיל בענין שבת:

And it is taught in the Zohar HaKadosh that through tefillin a person becomes "one," similar to what was written above regarding Shabbos.

Like Shabbos, the tefillin unify a person, binding him to the oneness of Hashem.

Summary: Noach was born perfect ("circumcised") and so could walk with G-d only by being supported and set apart from his world, lacking the power to save it; Avraham earned his wholeness through self-sacrifice from within the darkness, walking before G-d and thereby uplifting all. The deeper theme is the journey from the "ten utterances" of multiplicity back to the "single utterance" of unity: the nefesh-ruach-neshamah descend to refine the body through the 613 mitzvos so the soul can shine, while Shabbos — and, daily, tefillin — draw down a flash of the higher chayah and yechidah, making a person "one" with Hashem.