Chasydyzm do Pirke Awot 5:1

My father, my master, my teacher and mentor, the righteous one who should be remembered for life in the World to Come said, that the reason there was a need for ten plagues was to remove the shell and hiddenness from the ten ma’amarot (sayings) to make them into the ten dibrot (utterances). Until here are the words of my father. The explanation is, that in this world it is hidden, the fact that the root of the life force of everything is only the letters of the Torah, the ma’amarim (sayings) that were created by Him. And this is what it means, that they give reward to the righteous who uphold the world that was created with ten ma’amarot (Avot 5:1). The explanation is that they know and cling to the essence of the life force which is hidden, that exists through the ten sayings. And through each plague, He removed the hiddenness of one ma’amar (saying). And they became the ten dibrot. The meaning of dibbur is a language of conducting. Like it is written, “there is one leader - “dabar" - for a generation" (Sanhedrin 8a). And like it is written in the holy Zohar, the explanation of “and you should speak (ve-dibarta) about them when you sit in your house and when you go on your way…” (Deuteronomy 6:7), that he should conduct all of his actions by the words of Hashem and His unity and His love, that all his actions should be for the sake of Heaven. And this is the explanation of “by His word (bidvaro) He brings on evening” (Evening Prayers). The aspect of the Kingdom of Heaven, that His honorable name should also be within the mixture and the hiddenness, through faith [like it says, “truth and faith” in the evening prayer (Brachot 12a), like we wrote elsewhere]. And during the time of exile, the truth is hidden. And that is what the holy Zohar writes, that the aspect of dibbur was in exile. And that is what Moshe, our teacher, said, “and I am of closed lips” (Exodus 6:12), “I am not a man of words” (Exodus 4:10). And at the time of the receiving of the Torah, the aspect of dibbur was revealed, as it is written, “and Hashem spoke (va-yidaber)” (Exodus 20:1). [And this is what is written in the midrash (Devarim Rabbah 1:1), once he merited the Torah, “these are the words that Moshe spoke…” (Deuteronomy 1:1).] And in the midrash, “the weight of a stone…” (Proverbs 27:3), that the creation of heavens and earth was not weariness for Hashem. What does weary Him? Those who anger him… (Shemot Rabbah 13:1). The explanation of weariness is only that which is hidden in this world. And it is found that it refers to one who says “my strength and the ability of my hand…” (Deuteronomy 8:17). And also Pharoah who said “mine is my river…” (Ezekiel 29:3). And we can learn from this, for on the holy Sabbath which is called “rest”, the One about whom it says “He does not tire” (Isaiah 40:28) ascribed rest to Himself! The explanation is that on the holy Sabbath it was revealed that everything is from the life force of Hashem, as it is written “even an ignorant man, the fear of the Sabbath is upon him” (Talmud Yerushalmi Demai 4:1). [And therefore, on the holy Sabbath the children of Israel testify that Hashem created the world, as it is written “the one who says “and He completed” becomes a partner… that this knowledge is more rest, as we said above].

The Mishnah in Avot (Chapter 5, Mishnah 1) [teaches]: "By [means of] ten utterances the world was created. And what instruction is [to be learned] in saying [this]? And was it not possible [for it] to be created with one utterance? Rather, [it was] in order to exact [punishment] from the wicked, who destroy the world that was created through ten utterances, and to grant abundant reward to the righteous, who sustain the world that was created by [means of] ten utterances." And one may [ask]. Firstly, it should have said: "By [means of] ten utterances He created the world." What is [the meaning of] the expression "was created" that it employs? And so this is questioned in Tosafot Yom Tov; see there. Secondly, it is difficult: it asks straightforwardly, "And was it not possible [for it] to be created with one utterance, etc." But who is the prophet who would declare this—that it could have been created with one utterance? Perhaps the nature of human formation and the creation of the world was such that it was not possible for creation to be received except specifically through ten utterances.

To understand the matter further, we will precede it with the mishnah from Pirkei Avot 5:1: “The world was created through ten statements, and what does that mean to teach… except to collect from the wicked etc.” We must understand the fact that the world was created through ten statements in order to augment the punishment of the wicked, who destroy a world as great as this that was created through ten statements – which makes no sense since the world could have been created through a single statement; it is inconceivable that the Blessed Creator, who is a faithful God without wrongdoing, would create us through ten statements in order to augment the punishment of the wicked.