תניא, חלק ראשון; ליקוטי אמרים כ״ט:כ״ב-כ״ד — ד"ה וּבְאִתְעָרוּתָא דִלְתַתָּא – אִתְעָרוּתָא דִלְעֵילָּא
The passage explains that an initiative from below elicits divine assistance to strip the sitra achara of its power, illustrating this through the Spies, whose faith in God’s ability returned when they recognized His anger and declared, “We will readily go up,” despite having initially denied His ability to conquer the Land.
וּבְאִתְעָרוּתָא דִלְתַתָּא – אִתְעָרוּתָא דִלְעֵילָּא, לְקַיֵּים מַה שֶּׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״מִשָּׁם אוֹרִידְךָ , נְאֻם ה׳״, דְּהַיְינוּ, שֶׁמְּסִירָהּ מִמֶּמְשַׁלְתָּהּ וִיכָלְתָּהּ, וּמְסַלֵּק מִמֶּנָּה הַכֹּחַ וּרְשׁוּת שֶׁנִּתַּן לָהּ לְהַגְבִּיהַּ עַצְמָהּ נֶגֶד אוֹר קְדוּשַּׁת נֶפֶשׁ הָאֱלֹהִית, וַאֲזַי, מִמֵּילָא בְּטֵילָה וְנִדְחֵית, כְּבִיטּוּל הַחֹשֶׁךְ מִפְּנֵי אוֹר הַגַּשְׁמִי. וּכְמוֹ שֶׁמָּצִינוּ דָּבָר זֶה מְפוֹרָשׁ בַּתּוֹרָה גַּבֵּי מְרַגְּלִים, שֶׁמִּתְּחִלָּה אָמְרוּ: ״כִּי חָזָק הוּא מִמֶּנּוּ״ – ״אַל תִּקְרֵי מִמֶּנּוּ כוּ׳״, שֶׁלֹּא הֶאֱמִינוּ בִּיכוֹלֶת ה׳, וְאַחַר כָּךְ חָזְרוּ וְאָמְרוּ: ״הִנֶּנּוּ וְעָלִינוּ וְגוֹ״; וּמֵאַיִן חָזְרָה וּבָאָה לָהֶם הָאֱמוּנָה בִּיכוֹלֶת ה׳? הֲרֵי לֹא הֶרְאָה לָהֶם מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּינוּ עָלָיו הַשָּׁלוֹם שׁוּם אוֹת וּמוֹפֵת עַל זֶה בֵּנְתַיִים, רַק שֶׁאָמַר לָהֶם אֵיךְ שֶׁקָּצַף ה׳ עֲלֵיהֶם וְנִשְׁבַּע שֶׁלֹּא לַהֲבִיאָם אֶל הָאָרֶץ; וּמַה הוֹעִיל זֶה לָהֶם, אִם לֹא הָיוּ מַאֲמִינִים בִּיכוֹלֶת ה׳ חַס וְשָׁלוֹם לִכְבּוֹשׁ ל״א מְלָכִים, וּמִפְּנֵי זֶה לֹא רָצוּ כְּלָל לִיכָּנֵס לָאָרֶץ? אֶלָּא וַדַּאי, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁיִּשְׂרָאֵל עַצְמָן הֵם ״מַאֲמִינִים בְּנֵי מַאֲמִינִים״, רַק שֶׁהַסִּטְרָא אָחֳרָא הַמְלוּבֶּשֶׁת בְּגוּפָם הִגְבִּיהַּ עַצְמָהּ עַל אוֹר קְדוּשַּׁת נַפְשָׁם הָאֱלֹהִית בְּגַסּוּת רוּחָהּ וְגַבְהוּתָהּ, בְּחוּצְפָּה בְּלִי טַעַם וָדַעַת, וְלָכֵן, מִיָּד שֶׁקָּצַף ה׳ עֲלֵיהֶם, וְהִרְעִים בְּקוֹל רַעַשׁ וְרוֹגֶז: ״עַד מָתַי לָעֵדָה הָרָעָה הַזֹּאת וְגוֹ׳״, ״בַּמִּדְבָּר הַזֶּה יִפְּלוּ פִגְרֵיכֶם וְגוֹ״, ״אֲנִי ה׳ דִּבַּרְתִּי, אִם לֹא זֹאת אֶעֱשֶׂה לְכָל הָעֵדָה הָרָעָה הַזֹּאת וְגוֹ׳״, וּכְשֶׁשָּׁמְעוּ דְּבָרִים קָשִׁים אֵלּוּ, נִכְנַע וְנִשְׁבַּר לִבָּם בְּקִרְבָּם, כְּדִכְתִיב: ״וַיִּתְאַבְּלוּ הָעָם מְאֹד״, וּמִמֵּילָא, נָפְלָה הַסִּטְרָא אָחֳרָא מִמֶּמְשַׁלְתָּהּ וְגַבְהוּתָהּ וְגַסּוּת רוּחָהּ, וְיִשְׂרָאֵל עַצְמָן הֵם מַאֲמִינִים.
And “through the impulse from below comes an impulse from Above,” to fulfill what is written, “From there I will bring you down, says the L–rd,” namely, depriving it of its dominion and power and withdrawing from it the strength and authority which had been given it to rise up against the light of the holiness of the divine soul, whereupon it inevitably becomes nullified and is banished, just as darkness is nullified before physical light. Indeed, we find this explicitly stated in the Torah in connection with the Spies who, at the outset declared, “For it is stronger than we”—“Read not ‘than we,’ but ‘than He,’” etc., for they had no faith in G–d’s ability. But afterward they reversed themselves and announced, “We will readily go up….” From where did their faith in G–d’s ability return to them? Our teacher Moses, peace unto him, had not meanwhile shown them any sign or wonder concerning this. He had only told them that the L–rd was angry with them and had sworn not to allow them to enter the Land. Why should this have influenced them, and of what avail was this to them, if they did not believe, Heaven forfend, in the L–rd’s ability to subdue the thirty-one kings, for which reason they had no desire whatsoever to enter the Land? But undoubtedly, since the Israelites themselves are “believers, the descendants of believers,” except that the sitra achara—which is clothed in their bodies—had risen against the light of the holiness of their divine soul, in her impudent haughtiness and arrogance, without sense or reason—now, therefore, as soon as the L–rd had become angered against them and thundered angrily, “How long shall I bear with this evil congregation…. Your carcasses shall fall in this wilderness…. I the L–rd have spoken, I will surely do this to the entire evil congregation,” their heart was humbled and broken within them when they heard these stern words, as is written, “And the people mourned greatly.” Consequently, the sitra achara toppled from its dominion, from its haughtiness and arrogance, leaving the Israelites to their inborn faith.
