BESURAS HAGEULO
The Announcement of the Redemption:

Chapter 51

The "deeds and Divine service" of all the Jewish people throughout the generations brought about the culmination and perfection of all aspects of refinement to the world, within the parameters of the world, as my sainted father-in-law was able to publicize that all aspects of the Divine service have been completed. This includes "polishing the buttons," and everything is ready for the coming of Moshiach.

In particular, this process was effected by the revelation of the teachings of Chassidus on the 19th of Kislev, which was the principal beginning of "your wellsprings will spread farther outward.")^[1] From that time onward, the dissemination has progressively increased through our Rabbeim and leaders from generation to generation until the leadership of my sainted father-in-law, through whom the wellsprings spread to the farthest corner of the world.

It follows then that now, as long as our righteous Moshiach delays his coming (for utterly incomprehensible reasons), our Divine service is no longer one of "refinement" (since we have already concluded and perfected the service of refinement), but one unique to bringing the revelation into reality in the world.

The uniqueness of our generation is alluded to in the Haftarah of Parshas Vayishlach - "And^[2] the house of Yaakov will be a fire and the house of Yosef a flame and the house of Eisav straw... and the inhabitants of the South will inherit the mountain of Eisav... and the exiled... until Tzarfas... will inherit the cities of the South. And the saviors will ascend Har Tzion [Mount Zion] to judge Har Eisav [the mountain of Eisav]."

The "House of Yosef of our generation (my sainted father-in-law, the leader of our generation whose first name was yosef) distinguishes itself in comparison to former generations, even that of the Alter Rebbe ("The House of Jacob.")^[3] The innovation of our Yosef is that through him the wellsprings spread to the farthest ends of the world, beyond which there is nothing further, as the country of Tzarfas (France). The times of the Alter Rebbe (and also in the times of our Rebbeim and leaders that followed) the revelation of the wellsprings of the Torah of Chassidus was not so well established in France due to its lowly state (to such an extent that the Alter Rebbe feared it might be victorious...^[4]). Precisely in our generation, through "the House of Yosef," the wellsprings were revealed and spread even into France, through the establishment there of the Yeshiva "Tomchei Temimim," as in the city of Lubavitch. Therefore, we have actually reached the time of "they will inherit the cities of the South" and " the saviors will ascend to Har Tzion to judge Har Eisav."

This can be expanded and elucidated through an allusion:

"Tzarfas" in Gematria is seven hundred and seventy (770).^[5] This is the perfection of the number seven, since it includes ten sevens (70) and a hundred sevens (700) and both of them together (770). It may be said that herein is an allusion that in the refinement of France (Tzarfas) lies the overall completion and perfection of the world, which was created in the seven days of building, with all its myriad details.

It should be noted that the refinement of "Tzarfas" which has the numerical value of "770" was accomplished through ("the flame" that is ignited from) "the house of Yosef." This refers to the house of Yosef in its simplest sense, the house which my sainted father-in-law, the leader of our generation, chose and bought and lived in for the last ten years of his life in this world. From there he continued and extended (in an "ever increasing measure") the Divine service of "the house of Yosef - whose number is (the house number in the obvious sense) is "770."

On a deeper level, the letters of "Tzarfas" are the same as "U'faratzta." This implies that the revelation and spreading of the wellsprings are "Tarfas" (breaks through all barriers^[6]). The wellsprings not only penetrate to even the lowest possible level (because the barriers of the wellsprings were breached) but this [occurs] from the perspective of the nether regions, exemplified by the correspondence of the letters of "Tzarfas" with those of "U'faratzta." Through this is accomplished, "You have broken through^[7] for yourself," and "This is Moshiach, as it says,^[8] "The breaker [HaPoretz] has gone up before them."^[9]

...In these days we really only need to open the eyes and to see the existence in actual reality^[10] - that we are sitting together with the Holy One, Blessed be He ("Israel and the Holy One Blessed be He are altogether one"^[11]) at the "Prepared Table" for the wedding feast, the feast of Livyosan, Shor HaBor and Yayin Meshumar.

(From the talk of Shabbos Parshas Vayishlach, 16 Kislev 5752)

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1. See Sefer HaSichos Toras Shalom end of p. 112 ff.

2. Ovadyah 1:18 ff.

3. The particular connection between the Alter Rebbe and Yaakov (see at length Ma'ayanei HaYeshua (Kehot 5748 p. 101 ff.) should be noted.

4. See Sefer HaToldos Admur HaZakein (Kehos 5736) p. 259 ff. And elsewhere. [During the Napoleonic Wars, the Alter Rebbe was a vehement antagonist to Napoleon and the so-called "Enlightenment" he brought with him. Translator's note.]

5. [The number 10 represents completeness, and thus 100 perfection. Here, we have the completeness and perfection of the number 7, which represents the physical world (seven days of Creation, etc. Translator's note.]

6. [The root letters for "Tzarfas" (south, France), "U'faratzta" (spread forth) and Pritzas (breaking through) are the same: Pey, Reish, Tzadik. Thus, the etymological connection indicates a deeper significance. Translator's note.]

7. Vayeishev 38:29. [The Hebrew emphasizes the concept by repeating the word as both verb and noun: "Paratzta alecha paretz," literally, "you have breeched for yourself a barrier." (Note that the f-sound and the p-sound are physiologically related, i.e., made by a closure of the lips. In Hebrew, the same letter is used for both; they are differentiated by an indicator of stress, called a dagesh. Translator's note.]

8. Micha 2:13.

9. Aggados Bereishis, end of chapter 63. And see Bereishis Rabba end of chapter 85 and in the commentary of Rashi.

10. That is to say, not only is the Divine service completed and the revelation needs to be brought into the world (as mentioned above), but more than this, that it already is actually revealed. All that is needed is to open the eyes, because already (in the past) "He gave to you... eyes to see."

11. See Zohar Vol. 3 73a.