The name is the soul, as has been explained in the lesson “A Chamber of Holiness”; see there. This is the aspect of “a living soul is its name” (Genesis 2:19) ; see the aforementioned lesson.
Self-sacrifice is in this category, as in the case of the Ten Martyrs who sacrificed their souls sanctifying God’s Name in order to unite the Holy One and His Shekhinah (Divine Presence). As is known, the main unification is by means of self-sacrifice. And in those generations they saw that it was impossible to rectify and perform unifications Above except by means of their souls. They therefore sacrificed their souls sanctifying God’s Name.
The reason is that when the souls ascend above by means of self-sacrifice, they return to the Shekhinah whence they came. This is because Israel is literally “a portion of God from above” (Job 31:2), for they are literally portions of the Shekhinah, in the aspect of “who have been carried since the belly” (Isaiah 46:3). And when they return to the Shekhinah, the Shekhinah then takes pride [in them]: “See what a child I have come to You with” (Zohar III, 13a). Then, supernal yearning is aroused and a unification transpires, as is known.
Occasionally, this necessitates that people die, God forbid; a considerable number of Jewish souls are killed, God forbid, so that there can be a unification by means of their souls ascending above. For, occasionally, very many souls are required, God forbid, and as a result it happens that people die, God forbid.
2. The same is accomplished as a result of losing one’s name—i.e., prestige. In other words, there is a person who is prestigious and not prestigious—i.e., he is well-known by everyone and everyone talks about him, and even so he is not a prestigious personage, because he is not considered important. And there is another person who has no desire for this, yet has lost prestige—i.e., a loss of the name, which is the soul. That is, even though he has no desire not to be prestigious, he still loses it, like someone who loses something against his will. In other words, he loses the name, the aspect of prestige, which is his name in the world.
Yet, there is a person who does this willingly and knowingly. To sanctify God’s Name, he sacrifices his own name—i.e., his prestige, which is the aspect of name/soul, as explained above. As a result of this, even though he is prestigious, he is still not at all prestigious. On the contrary, he is quite the reverse. Everyone speaks about him and fabricates lies about him [of things] that never crossed his mind, so that, quite literally, his blood is shed by this.
Yet he does this intentionally, because it is an aspect of bona fide self-sacrifice—for the name is the soul, as explained above—and from this too his blood is shed, as explained above. With this, he saves the Jewish people from what they deserved to have happen to them, God forbid, for the purpose of a unification, as explained above. However by sacrificing his name, which is his soul, he saves them, as explained above.
הַשֵּׁם הוּא הַנֶּפֶשׁ, כְּמוֹ שֶׁמְּבֹאָר בְּהַתּוֹרָה "הֵיכַל הַקֹּדֶשׁ" (בסימן נט), עַיֵּן שָׁם. בִּבְחִינַת (בראשית ב׳:י״ט): נֶפֶשׁ חַיָּה הוּא שְׁמוֹ, עַיֵּן שָׁם.
The name is the soul, as has been explained in the lesson “A Chamber of Holiness”; see there. This is the aspect of “a living soul is its name” (Genesis 2:19) ; see the aforementioned lesson.
וְיֵשׁ בִּבְחִינָה זוֹ מְסִירַת נֶפֶשׁ. כִּי יֵשׁ עֲשָׂרָה הֲרוּגֵי מַלְכוּת, שֶׁמָּסְרוּ נַפְשָׁם עַל קִדּוּשׁ הַשֵׁם, בִּשְׁבִיל יִחוּד קֻדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא וּשְׁכִינְתֵּהּ, כַּיָּדוּעַ, שֶׁעִקַּר הַיִּחוּד עַל־יְדֵי מְסִירַת נֶפֶשׁ, וְהֵם רָאוּ בְּאוֹתָן הַדּוֹרוֹת, שֶׁאִי אֶפְשָׁר לְתַקֵּן וְלַעֲשׂוֹת יִחוּדִים לְמַעְלָה כִּי אִם עַל יְדֵי נִשְׁמוֹתֵיהֶם, עַל כֵּן מָסְרוּ נַפְשָׁם עַל קִדּוּשׁ הַשֵּׁם,
Self-sacrifice is in this category, as in the case of the Ten Martyrs who sacrificed their souls sanctifying God’s Name in order to unite the Holy One and His Shekhinah (Divine Presence). As is known, the main unification is by means of self-sacrifice. And in those generations they saw that it was impossible to rectify and perform unifications Above except by means of their souls. They therefore sacrificed their souls sanctifying God’s Name.
כִּי כְּשֶׁהַנְּפָשׁוֹת עוֹלוֹת לְמַעְלָה עַל־יְדֵי מְסִירַת נֶפֶשׁ, אֲזַי הֵם חוֹזְרִים לְהַשְּׁכִינָה, כִּי מִשָּׁם יָצְאוּ, כִּי יִשְׂרָאֵל הֵם חֵלֶק אֱלוֹהַּ מִמַּעַל מַמָּשׁ, שֶׁהֵם חֶלְקֵי הַשְּׁכִינָה מַמָּשׁ, בִּבְחִינַת: הָעֲמֻסִּים מִנִּי בֶטֶן (ישעיהו מ״ו:ג׳); וּכְשֶׁהֵם חוֹזְרִים לְהַשְּׁכִינָה, אֲזַי הַשְּׁכִינָה מִתְפָּאֶרֶת: חֲזִי בַּמָּה בְּרָא קָאָתֵינָא לְגַבָּךְ (זוהר ויקרא דף יג), וַאֲזַי מִתְעוֹרֵר הִשְׁתּוֹקְקוּת עֶלְיוֹן, וְנַעֲשֶׂה יִחוּד, כַּיָּדוּעַ.
The reason is that when the souls ascend above by means of self-sacrifice, they return to the Shekhinah whence they came. This is because Israel is literally “a portion of God from above” (Job 31:2), for they are literally portions of the Shekhinah, in the aspect of “who have been carried since the belly” (Isaiah 46:3). And when they return to the Shekhinah, the Shekhinah then takes pride [in them]: “See what a child I have come to You with” (Zohar III, 13a). Then, supernal yearning is aroused and a unification transpires, as is known.
וְלִפְעָמִים בָּא לְצֹרֶךְ זֶה הֲרִיגָה, חַס וְשָׁלוֹם, שֶׁנֶּהֱרָגִין, חַס וְשָׁלוֹם, כַּמָּה וְכַמָּה נְפָשׁוֹת מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל, כְּדֵי שֶׁיִּהְיֶה יִחוּד עַל־יְדֵי נַפְשׁוֹתֵיהֶם הָעוֹלוֹת לְמַעְלָה, כִּי לִפְעָמִים צְרִיכִין אֶל הַיִּחוּד הַרְבֵּה נְפָשׁוֹת מְאֹד, חַס וְשָׁלוֹם, עַל כֵּן בָּא הֲרִיגָה, חַס וְשָׁלוֹם:
Occasionally, this necessitates that people die, God forbid; a considerable number of Jewish souls are killed, God forbid, so that there can be a unification by means of their souls ascending above. For, occasionally, very many souls are required, God forbid, and as a result it happens that people die, God forbid.
וְכֵן עַל־יְדֵי אֲבֵדַת הַשֵּׁם, הַיְנוּ הַמְפֻרְסָם, דְּהַיְנוּ שֶׁיֵּשׁ אֶחָד שֶׁהוּא מְפֻרְסָם וְאֵינוֹ מְפֻרְסָם, דְּהַיְנוּ שֶׁהוּא מְפֻרְסָם בְּפִי כֹּל וְהַכֹּל מְדַבְּרִים מִמֶּנּוּ, וְאַף־עַל־פִּי־כֵן אֵינוֹ מְפֻרְסָם, כִּי אֵינוֹ חָשׁוּב כְּלָל. וְיֵשׁ אֶחָד שֶׁאֵינוֹ חָפֵץ בָּזֶה, רַק שֶׁאִבֵּד אֶת הַמְפֻרְסָם, דְּהַיְנוּ אֲבֵדַת הַשֵּׁם, שֶׁהִיא הַנֶּפֶשׁ, דְּהַיְנוּ אַף־עַל־פִּי שֶׁאֵין רְצוֹנוֹ שֶׁלֹּא יִהְיֶה מְפֻרְסָם, אַף־עַל־פִּי־כֵן אִבֵּד אוֹתוֹ, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָדָם אוֹבֵד דָּבָר שֶׁלֹּא בִּרְצוֹנוֹ, דְּהַיְנוּ שֶׁאִבֵּד אֶת הַשֵּׁם, שֶׁהוּא בְּחִינַת מְפֻרְסָם שֶׁיֵּשׁ לוֹ שֵׁם בָּעוֹלָם.
2. The same is accomplished as a result of losing one’s name—i.e., prestige. In other words, there is a person who is prestigious and not prestigious—i.e., he is well-known by everyone and everyone talks about him, and even so he is not a prestigious personage, because he is not considered important. And there is another person who has no desire for this, yet has lost prestige—i.e., a loss of the name, which is the soul. That is, even though he has no desire not to be prestigious, he still loses it, like someone who loses something against his will. In other words, he loses the name, the aspect of prestige, which is his name in the world.
אֲבָל יֵשׁ אֶחָד שֶׁעוֹשֶׂה זֹאת בִּרְצוֹנוֹ וּבְדַעְתּוֹ, שֶׁמּוֹסֵר אֶת נַפְשׁוֹ עַל קִדּוּשׁ הַשֵּׁם, דְּהַיְנוּ הַמְפֻרְסָם שֶׁלּוֹ, שֶׁהוּא בְּחִינַת שֵׁם כַּנַּ"ל, שֶׁהוּא בְּחִינַת נֶפֶשׁ כַּנַּ"ל, וּמֵחֲמַת זֶה אַף־עַל־פִּי שֶׁהוּא מְפֻרְסָם, אַף־עַל־פִּי־כֵן אֵינוֹ מְפֻרְסָם כְּלָל, כִּי אַדְּרַבָּא, הוּא לְהֵפֶךְ, כִּי הַכֹּל דּוֹבְרִים עָלָיו וּבוֹדִים עָלָיו כְּזָבִים שֶׁלֹּא עָלָה עַל דַּעְתּוֹ, וְיֵשׁ לוֹ שְׁפִיכוּת דָּמִים מַמָּשׁ מִזֶּה,
Yet, there is a person who does this willingly and knowingly. To sanctify God’s Name, he sacrifices his own name—i.e., his prestige, which is the aspect of name/soul, as explained above. As a result of this, even though he is prestigious, he is still not at all prestigious. On the contrary, he is quite the reverse. Everyone speaks about him and fabricates lies about him [of things] that never crossed his mind, so that, quite literally, his blood is shed by this.
וְעוֹשֶׂה זֶה בְּכַוָּנָה, כִּי הוּא בְּחִינַת מְסִירַת נֶפֶשׁ מַמָּשׁ, כִּי הַשֵּׁם הוּא הַנֶּפֶשׁ כַּנַּ"ל, וְגַם יֵשׁ לוֹ שְׁפִיכוּת דָּמִים מִזֶּה כַּנַּ"ל, וְהוּא מַצִּיל אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל בָּזֶה מִמַּה שֶּׁהָיָה רָאוּי לָבוֹא עֲלֵיהֶם, חַס וְשָׁלוֹם, בִּשְׁבִיל הַיִּחוּד כַּנַּ"ל, וְעַל־יְדֵי מְסִירַת שְׁמוֹ שֶׁהוּא נַפְשׁוֹ כַּנַּ"ל, הוּא מַצִּיל אוֹתָם כַּנַּ"ל:
Yet he does this intentionally, because it is an aspect of bona fide self-sacrifice—for the name is the soul, as explained above—and from this too his blood is shed, as explained above. With this, he saves the Jewish people from what they deserved to have happen to them, God forbid, for the purpose of a unification, as explained above. However by sacrificing his name, which is his soul, he saves them, as explained above.