A.
ואלה שמות בני ישראל הבאים מצרימה את יעקב איש וביתו באו: ראובן שמעון לוי ויהודה: יששכר זבולן ובנימן: דן ונפתלי גד ואשר: (“And these are the names of the bënei Yisra’él coming to Egypt with Ya‘aqov; man and his household they came. Rë’uvén, Shim‘on Lévi and Yëhuda. Yissachar, Zëvulun, and Binyamin. Dan and Naftali, Gad and Asher”). So begins our parasha.
On reflection, this list seems entirely unnecessary; after all, a much more comprehensive list, fleshing out the total number of bënei Yisra’él who entered the Egyptian exile, was already provided in Genesis XLVI, 8-27; why this partial repetition?
The brothers’ names appear in the order in which they were born, grouped by their mothers; the first six are Lé’a’s sons; the seventh, Rahél’s son, Binyamin (Yoséf, already in Egypt, is not listed); followed by the sons of Bilha and Zilpa. Why, then are they divided between three verses as they are?
Finally, why does the passage begin with the vav ha-hibbur, the conjunctive prefix? This usually serves to connect two ideas related either in content or sequence, and so is usually translated “and”; but, last week’s parasha ended with Ya‘aqov’s burial in the Holy Land, years after their descent into Egypt. Hence, this is not a simple continuation of events from Genesis, but a new departure, and the prefix seems out of place; so why is it there?
B.
The great Rabbi Yoséf Caro, author of the Shulhan ‘Aruch, provides us with unique insight in his séfer Maggid Méysharim.
In order to understand what follows, a measure of background is necessary.
I have previously discussed de Broglie’s and Schrödinger’s discoveries of the mathematical relationships, expressed as wave functions, which underlie physical reality, as well as the metaphysical relationships expressed through the letters of the Holy Alphabet which Hazal assert generate and drive this world, presumably through these wave functions.
The resultant cosmos is administered via ten bilateral conduits between the Infinite and the finite, whose technical term is sëfiroth, the most common names of which are: Kether (“crown”), Hochma (‘wisdom”), Bina (“understanding”), Hesed (“kindness”), Gëvura (“Might”), Tif’ereth (“Splendour”), Netzah (“eternity”), Hod (“majesty”). Yësod (“foun-dation”), and Malchuth (“kingship”); through these the metaphysical energy sustaining and operating the world is channeled, as is our feedback (עיי' למשל במדבר רבה פי"ד סי' כ"ד, פסיקתא זוטא לבראשית א' א', ספר יצירה פ"א וזוה"ק ח"ב מ"ב. בין השאר). The sëfiroth are also mentioned in the Tanach, perhaps most famously in King David’s declaration: לך ד' הגדלה והגבורה והתפארת והנצח והוד וגו' (“Yours, Ha-Shem, is Gëdulla [‘greatness’, an alternate name for Malchuth], Gëvura, Tif’ereth, Netzah, and Hod....”; I Chronicles XXIX,11).
Kether The sëfiroth are usually configured as shown: three on the right, three
Bina Hochma on the left, and four in the centre. Those on the right are expressions of
Gëvura Hesed unbounded infinitude, those on the left delimit and define them, pro-
Tif’ereth ceeding from and recombining into unity in a phased step-down in the
Hod Netzah boundless light’s intensity such that gross physicality can tolerate and
Yësod accept it; for instance, Hochma may be compared to an artistic concept,
Malchuth Bina implements the concept in plans or blueprints. The metaphor may be extended, until Malchuth is the point of ingress and egress to and from this world.
As I already said, the sëfiroth are two-lane highways, and there is also human feedback, through mitzva observance and prayer, carried on the sëfiroth, serving to draw down sanctity and abundance from Above. To enable this feedback, it is necessary for a direct coonnexion to exist between humanity and the sëfiroth. Israel provides that link.
C.
With this in mind, let us consider what the Maggid tells us of the shëvatim:
ראובן שמעון לוי רמיזא לג' אבהן. ראובן בחסד, והיינו דכתיב בי' "כי ראה ד' כי שנואה אנכי" דרחים עלה מסטרא דחסד (“Rë’uvén, Shim‘on, Lévi allude to the three patriarchs, Rë’uvén through Hesed, as it is written concerning him: ‘for Ha-Shem has seen that I am hated’ [cf. Genesis XXIX, 31-32], that He had mercy on [Lé’a] from the side of Hesed”). The name Rë’uvén is composed of the root réysh-alef-hé – “see, perceive” – and the word bén, “son”.
שמעון לגבורה ומש"ה עביד נוקמא בשכם (“Shim‘on is for Gëvura, and because of this he took vengeance in Shëchem” [when his sister Dina was raped; cf. ibid., XXXIV). The name Shim‘on can be interpreted as comprised of the word shém, “name”, and the root ‘ayin-vav-hé, which can signify “overturning” or “overcoming” (cf. Isaiah XXIV, 1).
לוי בתפארת וכו' והיינו דכתיב "הפעם ילוה אישי אלי כי ילדתי לו שלשה בנים" כלומר כיון דילדת ית לוי דרמיז בת"ת ילוה אישי אלי דגם הוא רמיז בת"ת. וכמא דאיהו "איש תם יושב אהלים" דאיהו מחבר בין שני אהלים דהיינו חסד וגבורה והכי נמי לוי בההוא גבנא (“Lévi [is characterized by] Tif’ereth...and this is what is written, ‘This time my husband will become close [yillave] to me, for I have borne him three sons’ [ibid., XXIX, 34] as if to say, 'Since I have borne Lévi, who is a manifestation of Tif’ereth, my husband will be close to me for he, too, is a manifestation of Tif’ereth, in that he is "a perfect man, dwelling in tents" [ibid., XXV, 27], for he unites two "tents," those of Hesed and Gëvura, and similarly Lévi also has that character"'”). The root of Lévi, lamed-vav-hé, means “join, adhere to, borrow”.
The sëfiroth Hesed and Gëvura combine to form Tif’ereth, which thus “borrows” from both. Avraham embodied the quality of hesed, Yitzhaq the quality of gëvura or din, and Ya‘aqov the amalgamation of the two (to which the Maggid finds allusion in the refer-ence to dwelling in “tents”). Lévi fits between Hesed and Gëvura, partaking of both, because he, too, is an amalgamation of both qualities, manifest in Tif’ereth.
ויהודה רמיז למלכות והיינו דכתיב "הפעם אודה את ד'" דהפעם רמיז במלכות ומשום הכי אמרה "אודה את ד'" דכנסת ישראל הוא אתרא דהוראה ברזא ד"אלקים אל דמי לך" וכתיב בי' וא"ו לחברא לה עם תפארת (“And Yëhuda manifests Malchuth, which is what is written ‘this time [ha-pa‘am] I shall thank [ode] Ha-Shem’ [ibid., XXIX, 35], for ha-pa‘am alludes to Malchuth, and for this reason [Lé’a] said ‘I shall thank Ha-Shem,’ for the Assembly of Israel is the place of instruction according to the principle of ‘G-d, be not silent’ [Psalms LXXXIII, 2]; and a vav is written [prefixed to Yëhuda] to join [Malchuth] to Tif’ereth”).
The name Yëhuda incorporates the verb hoda – “thank, admit” – inextricably bound to the Tetragrammaton. The root pé-‘ayin-mem used verbally means “urge, impel”, whilst the noun implies a rhythmic beat, here connoting a specific instant of time. The term’s sense pf urging/impulse/direction alludes to initiative and direction inherent in kingship.
Herein is our explanation for the four names of the first verse: The third is the amalgam of the first two, and the fourth is tied to it, imparting its energy and thus instructing and impelling the physical world
We come to the middle verse: יששכר רמיז בבינה כדכתיב "ומבני יששכר וידעי בינה לעתים" (“Yis-sachar is a manifestation of Bina, as it is written: “And of the bënei Yissachar, knowers of Bina for the times”; I Chronicles XII,32).
זבולן רמיז בחכמה כדכתיב "בנה בניתי בית זבול לך" (“Zëvulun is a manifestation of Hochma, as it is written, “Building I have built a house of habitation [zëvul] for You”; I Kings VII, 13); the relationship between Zëvulun’s name and “habitation” is obvious.
And: בנימין רמז לכתר ומשום הכי נבנה בית המקדש בחלקו וכתיב בי' וא"ו למרמז דת"צ סליק עד הכתר )"Binyamin is a manifestation of Kether, and for this reason the Temple was built in his territory; and [his name] is written with the [prefix] vav to demonstrate that Tif’ereth reaches all the way to Kether.
Hochma and Bina are higher order, more rarefied expressions than Hesed and Gëvura, emanating from Kether, the highest order of unity which human intelligence can grasp.
The final verse holds two pairs: דן הוא רמז להוד דאיהו מסטרא דבינה (“Dan is a manifestation of Hod, for he is of the side of Bina”). The left side of the equation, on which Bina resides, is that of gëvura or din, “judgment”; the simple meaning of his name puts Dan on that side of the transaction..
נפתלי רמיז לנצח והיינו דכתיב "נפתולי אלקים נפתלתי" לשון שפע דמתמן נגיד שפעא וא"ו דכתיב בי' רמז דמחובר לת"ת (“Naftali is a manifestation of Netzah and this is what is written ‘the struggles of G-d have I struggled [naftulei Eloqim niftalti; Genesis XXX, 8], an expression of abundance, for from there is the abundance drawn, and it is written with a prefixed vav showing that it is attached to Tif’ereth’). Onqëlos explains Rahél’s statement as an expression of prayer; it is through prayer, flowing back up through the conduit of Netzah that we are able to access and draw down the Divine abundance which constitutes His mercy, the amalgam of hesed and gëvuroth which results in Tif’ereth.
Then: גד רמז ליסוד דגד לשנא דמזל הוא ומיסוד נוזל כל שפע וכל טוב לעלמין (“Gad is a manifestation of Yësod, for Gad is an expression of mazzal, and from Yësod does all abundance and goodness flow [nozél] to the worlds”). Mazzal is a point source from which metaphysical energy flows.
And: אשר רמיז למלכות והיינו דכתיב בי' "באשרי כי אשרוני בנות" וא"ו דכתיב בי' למרמז דסלקא ומתחברא לת"ת (“Asher alludes to Malchuth, and this is what is written of him, ‘in my happiness, for daughters will judge me happy’ [Genesis XXX, 13] and the vav written with it is to demonstrate that it rises and is connected to Tif’ereth”). The rest of the world benefits from the energy flows drawn down by Israel.
D.
Rabbi Aharon David Goldberg שליט"א, in his commentary on the Nefesh ha-Hayyim, points out that the connectivity up through the sëfiroth to Kether is exercised by our command of the Holy Language. This was once common to all bënei adam, but it was abused twice, once creating such a warping of the fabric of the fabric of the universe that it necessitated the cosmic reset of the Mabbul, the second being arrested before it got that far by the Great Dispersion which brought into existence the nations and their languages, cutting the connexion before it was too late. The Maggid here reveals how this linkage was gradually restored in preparation for the purifying crucible which would be the shi‘bud Mitzrayim, culminating in the triumph of Mattan Torah (עיי' ובחרת בחיים לנפש החיים שער א' פרק ג' אות ח' ובמלואים שם).
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