Dibbur: Difference between revisions

The power of speech is one of the characteristics of Sefirat Malchut, whose purpose is to influence lower levels - outside the person himself. Namely, the **World of Atzilut** is considered as a person containing all **Ten Sefirot**, and the **Worlds of BIY"A** are considered as other people; and the influence to them is through the speech of Sefirat Malchut - the **Ten Utterances** with which the world was created.

Therefore, the word "dibbur" (speech) is derived from "**yadber** amim tachtenu" (He subdues peoples under us)<ref>Psalms 47:4.</ref>, which is an expression of leadership and drawing down. As it is written, "The king's word is authoritative"<ref>Ecclesiastes 8:4.</ref>, indicating that royal governance is through speech, which is the external aspect of the attribute of sovereignty, but the essence of the king is not drawn into speech, since the king's nature is to be exalted and elevated above the people, and only his word reaches the people.

That is, through speech the king reveals and extends himself to the people, but he himself remains elevated above them, and each person understands the command according to their understanding. Regarding the influence of the life-force of Malchut to the worlds, the meaning is that speech extends to all created beings, each according to its nature, as each one understands the king's words according to their level, and this mode of influence is called **Memaleh Kol Almin** (filling all worlds), since it extends to each one according to its nature<ref name="a" />.

However, although Malchut reveals the light in the Worlds of BIY"A, it also conceals it, so that it is not revealed in all its power as it shines in the World of Atzilut. This means either Malchut covers the light, which is why it is called "sea," representing the **concealed world**, or that in speech - in Malchut - only the external aspects of the lights can be drawn down, but not the inner aspects<ref name="b" />.

Since the source of the **letters** of speech is from the essence of the soul, therefore when intellect and emotions are drawn into speech, they must first connect to the essence of the soul, from which the letters are taken. Therefore, they receive even more than what they had before.

In the power of intellect - the Chochmah and Binah in the soul appear only after the revelation of the point of Chochmah, but the essential source of intellect is in the power of Maskil, from which the light of intellect comes. And through the extension of intellect into speech, it is enhanced in length (explaining the concept to people with more limited understanding, even through analogies and the like), breadth (expanding the topic and comparing it to other matters), and depth (deepening in the essence of the matter, thereby achieving a much higher understanding).

This is because the intellect that normally reaches from the power of Maskil to the brain is only from its external aspect, but through speech, when there is an arousal from below, the "reflected light" is higher, and therefore although intellect is limited in itself, when it reaches speech, the **letters** of speech compel it to reveal more than it is in itself.

In several places in Chassidism it is explained<ref>For example, Torah Or Bereishit discourse "Behold, man has become like one of us," and Sefer HaMaamarim 5704 p. 92.</ref> that idle speech and all the speech of the "opposing side" constitute the 'main klipah,' and they are what bring upon a person all the **foreign thoughts** and evil contemplations.

 

* Discourse "Yom Tov of Rosh Hashanah" **5659**.

* Shneur Ashkenazi, **[The Powerful Influence Words Have on Our Lives](https://he.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/3292955)** {{Video}}{{Chabad House}}