Chasidut zu Tehillim 2:7

And why is it that you wonder about this and say that since you don't feel any different than any of the other lads, it is impossible for you to be elevated, grow and become holy? Do you understand the essence of the other lads you know? Do you understand the makeup of the essence of the Jewish lad? Be still and listen to the words of the Midrash (Eichah Rabbah 1:32) and you will be amazed: Rabbi Yehudah said, "Come and see how beloved the infants (tinokot) are in front of the Holy One, blessed be He. The Sanhedrin was exiled from Jerusalem, but the Divine Presence was not exiled with [it]; the shifts of the priests and the Levites were exiled, but the Divine Presence was not exiled with them. But once the infants were exiled, the Divine Presence was exiled with them." Up to here are its words. (Editor's note from the printed edition: The word, infants, is not used only for the smallest children. Rather all youths that study Torah with their teachers are called infants in this regard. And see Zohar, 2:98a:2, that one thirteen and above is called a son of the Congregation of Israel, in the sense of (Psalms 2:7), "I have begotten you today...") The Jewish lads that study Torah are very beloved to the Holy One, blessed be He. For when the Sanhedrin, the priests and the Levites were exiled, the Divine Presence was not exiled with them. But when the the infants were exiled, the Divine Presence said, "I am so connected to them, to the point that is impossible for Me to stay without them. So I will accept the yoke of the exile upon Myself together with them and, as it were, suffer the pain together with them."

On the subject of the connection of faith, the Zohar writes (Beshalach, 52b): Rabbi Yehuda said in the name of Rabbi Yitzchak, Pharaoh was smarter than all the sorcerers of his day. He looked into all of the crowns (Sefirot) and all of the knowledge, and didn’t see any sign of the Israel’s redemption. He did not see that the redemption was hinged on any of these crowns. However, though he looked into all the ways that Israel was connected to God, he failed to see the other connection – the connection of faith, which rules over all. For this reason his heart was hardened. Pharaoh knew that there was no place in the realm of Divine service³⁴⁶That is, within the created world, everything “under heaven,” as opposed to the level prior to creation, which he could not perceive. where Israel could overpower him. From this, he understood that he was given the authority to rule over them, enslaving Israel in their bodies and souls, and subjugating them to harsh labor. It is explained how he gradually accustomed the Israelites to ever greater levels of slavery, until they were thoroughly entrenched in bondage. This is as it is written in the Midrash (Mechilta Yitro 1), “No slave could ever escape from Egypt, because Egypt was filled with all the most powerful of worldly delights, to the point where it was more comfortable to be a slave in Egypt than a lord in another country.” In this way, he ruled over their minds and intellect.³⁴⁷It may be implied by this that even the Israelites themselves could not that escape from Egypt was possible, or even desirable – their minds and hearts having been so thoroughly enslaved. What they, and Pharaoh, did not realize is that Israel is connect to G-d on a level that transcends the intellect and the natural order - that is the dimension of faith and miracles. For this reason, he asserted that there was no way they could arouse the root of their souls in order to pray to God for deliverance, and as a result, God’s compassion would not be aroused to redeem them. To this, the Zohar responds, “He did not see the other connection – the connection of faith, which rules over all. ” All of the connection between Israel and God is through prayer and Divine service.³⁴⁸The author refers here to the revealed connection between Israel and G-d; not that of faith, which is concealed to the intellect. And all Divine service and prayer that is within man’s conscious grasp is only within the inclusion and unification of God’s revealed attributes (sefirot), as King David listed them when he said (Divrei HaYamim 1, 29), “Unto You, God, is the greatness, the strength, the splendor, the victory , and the majesty. For all that is in heaven and earth is Yours. Yours, G-d, is the kingdom; and You are exalted over all.”³⁴⁹In this verse, King David alludes to the seven lower sefirot, from hesed to yesod: Greatness - hesed; strength - gevurah; , splendor - tiferet; victory - netzah; majesty - Hod; all - Yesod; kingdom - Malkhut. This is explained in the Sifri, on the verse (Devarim, 11), “If you keep all these commandments that I command you to do, to love the Lord, your God, to walk in all His ways, and to cleave to Him.” Is it possible for man to cleave to God? asks the Sifri? Is it not written that God is a consuming fire? But the answer is: You should cleave to God’s attributes. Just as God is merciful, so you should be merciful (and in this way you cleave to Him).³⁵⁰The author is relying upon an implicit connection between the Divine attributes of loving-kindness, compassion, etc, their human parallels, and the sefirot. The seven lower sefirot are “revealed” – that is, their influence can be felt in the world. When man serves G-d by actualizing these potencies within himself (loving-kindness, mercy), so he clings to the supernal manifestation of these attributes. However, there are worlds far higher than these attributes, to which a human being cannot consciously connect to. Due to man’s limited knowledge, his Divine service only reaches these revealed attributes, which are included under the aegis of Tiferet (splendor), the Sefirah which contains the six lower attributes, which is also called Zeir Anpin (the microprosopus, or the “small face”). This attribute is Israel’s connection,³⁵¹Tiferet is in the center of the middle column and connects to all of the six lower Sefirot: Hesed is to its upper right; Gevurah, its upper left; Nezah, at the lower right, Hod, at the lower left, and Yesod directly below, on the middle column. for through Tiferet, Israel is called, “my firstborn son Israel” (Shemot, 4:). As it is written in the Zohar (Balak, 191b): The secret of the matter is the secret above, “What is his name and what is his son’s name that I should know him?” (Mishlei, 30:4). His name is known, and it is Hashem Tziva’ot (the Lord of Hosts). His son’s name is Israel, as it is written, “My firstborn son Israel.” All of the keys of faith depend on Israel, who takes pride in this and says (Tehillim, 2), “God said to me, you are My son.” It is certainly like this, in that Abba and Imma³⁵²“Father and Mother” – the supernal constellations of sefirot that correspond to Hokhmah and Binah. crowned their son and blessed him with many blessings, telling him and commanding him for everything. They kissed their son’s hand, as it were, and gave him dominion over all, that all should serve him. It is also written in the Zohar (Yitro, 79a), And how does the verse end? “What is his name and what is his son’s name that I should know him?” He told him the secret of this matter. It is written, “My firstborn son Israel,” and it is written (Yeshayahu), “Israel, I shall pride Myself in you.” His name is Hokhmah (wisdom), and His son’s name is Tiferet (Adornment, Pride).³⁵³Here, the Zohar links the supernal persona of Israel to the sefirah of Tiferet, which is connected to Hokhmah, a higher sefirah, representing the Divine.

And this is the aspect of (Ex. 13), “Sanctify to Me all the male firstborns, whatsoever opens the womb among the children of Israel,” which is the beginning of the first passage in the tefillin. For the essence of the tefillin are drawn from the sanctity of the firstborn, which is the first birth, which is the aspect of Yetziath Mitzrayim, which is the aspect of birth, as is known, as on account of this we need to sanctify the first birth which is a male firstborn. As written there, “And it came to pass, when Par`oh would hardly let us go... therefore I sacrifice” etc. And all this is in order to draw on oneself the sanctity of birth of the brains which is the essence of birth, that is, to manage to renew ones vitality and brains at all times as if he was born today, as mentioned. Which, this is is the essence of long life, which are the aspect of tefillin as mentioned. And therefore one needs to give the firstborn to the Kohen or redeem him from him, for the Kohen is the aspect of the elder in holiness, in the aspect of (Ps. 133), “It is like the precious oil upon the head, coming down upon the beard; even Aharon's beard” etc., the aspect of the Eight Tikkunim of the Kohen Gadol, as is known. And this is what our Rabbis z”l said (Shabbath 151), “And let your head lack no oil (Eccl. 9:8) — this is head tefillin.” For the essence of tefillin are drawn from the aspect of “like the precious oil upon the head...” of the elder, Aharon, as mentioned. And therefore by means of giving the firstborn, who is the first birth, to the Kohen, we draw the sanctity of the birth of the brains and vitality, to remember to always renew himself as if he was born today, which this is the essence of tefillin, which are the aspect of brains and long life which we receive from the aforementioned Elder in Holiness, who said that he is extremely old and yet has not begun living at all, as if he was born today. For, one needs to each time begin anew as mentioned, and this is the aspect of Mashiach, of whom it is said (Ps. 2), “Today I have borne you.” For Mashiach will attain this aspect perfectly, which is the aforementioned aspect of long life, as each moment he will begin living anew as if he was born today, in the aspect of “I have borne you today.” For Mashiach will attain the aspect of above time, as explained in Rabbeinu z”l's words on this verse, “I have borne you today;” see there [LM II #61]. For this aspect that the blind one boasted of, who is old yet infantile etc. and the whole world does not amount to him so much as an eyeblink etc., all this is the aspect of above time, which this is the aspect of long life that Mashiach will attain, the aspect of (Ps. 21), “He asked life of You; You gave it to him,” which is the aspect of “David King of Yisrael is Alive and Well.” For David is Mashiach. And this is the aspect of tefillin; that is where is the root of the Mashiach's soul, as is brought, as the root of Mashiach's kingship is in the aspect of the tefillin's knot, and as Rabbeinu z”l said (LM #54), which this is the aspect of (Sam. 1 25), “yet the soul of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of life,” which is said of David, who is Mashiach. The bundle of life is the aspect of tefillin knot, which are the aspect of life as mentioned, the aforementioned aspect of long life, as mentioned.

Dawidh had no vitality at all, for he ought to have been a Nefel/miscarriage/fallen-out. But Adam haRishon [A"hR] gave him seventy of his own years, as our rabbis z"l have said. For, the life of A"hR was drawn from the aspect of Arikh Anpin [A"A, the Supernal “Long Face”], which is the aspect of arikhath apayim/forbearance [lit. lengthening of nose], the aspect of the aforementioned stories of shanim qadhmoniyoth [ancient years, ancient aspects] etc. And as transmitted in the [Arizal’s] writings, that the vitality of the first generations was from there, from the aspect of A"A; and therefore they would live very long lives. And all the stories that the Torah tells about the first generations, are all from the aspect of stories of shanim qadhmoniyoth, which are the aspect of hadrath panim/honorable face, as all the seventy faces of the Torah receive from it. And therefore the Torah began from these holy stories, before it explains the mitzwoth of the Torah. For, all the mitzwoth of the Torah, which consist of the aspect of the seventy faces of the Torah, need to receive from the aspect of hadrath panim, the aspect of shufreih de’Adam/Man’s beauty, the aspect of stories of shanim qadhmoniyoth and the essential holy vitality that is drawn from there. This renews his vitality at all times; each moment he begins living anew, which is the aspect the (Ps. 2), “Ani hayom yelidhtikha/ Today I have begotten you,” that is said of the Mashiach [Anointed to Kingship] Dawidh. Namely, Dawidh Mashiach merited that it was reversed to good, from one opposite to the other. For, just as initially he had no vitality at all and really ought to have been a Nefel, the thing was reversed and he merited to live seventy years from A"hR’s years, and merited to live all the seventy years in the aspect of new life at all times, as if he had still never lived at all, but was just born today. And he, at all times was like a miscarriage that was born now, which has no life and has to receive, by Hashem’s graces, new life. And so on, at every time and moment. And thus he lived all his seventy years, which is the essence of life, as mentioned above. Until he merited through his devotion and effort in this aspect — trying and toiling all his days without sleeping his days away, but rather adding holiness and consciousness at all times — to renew his vitality at every hour. Until he merited thereby to live long, everlasting life for ever and ever, in the aspect of “Dawidh Melekh Yisrael Chai Vekayam/Dawidh, King of Yisrael, is alive and enduring,” as mentioned. And this is the aspect of tefillin, as mentioned. For teFiLYn are a term for (Ex. 33:16), “VeniFLiYnu ani ve`amekha/ and I and Your people are distinguished,” which was said when Hashem Yithbarakh revealed to him the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy, which are the aspect of the light of the tefillin, which is the aspect of the “Ve'raitha eth-achorai/ and you shall see My back” stated there, which is the tefillin knot (Berakhoth 7), which is where the root of Dawidh-Mashiach’s soul is, as mentioned, as he ought to have been Nefel as mentioned, but now he merited the thing being reversed to good and living new life at all times, as if he was born today, which is the aspect of tefillin, the aspect of “Venifliynu ani ve`amekha,” for the thing becomes reversed, as mentioned, and is made from the aspect of Nefel into the aspect of Venifliynu, which is the aspect of tefillin, which is the aspect of the aforementioned long life/longevity of Dawidh as mentioned. And therefore Mashiach is called “Bar Nifli/ My Distinguished Son” [Sanh. 96b on Amos 9:11] for Mashiach will attain that life, which is the aspect of the “Ani hayom yelidhtikha” that is said of Mashiach, and as mentioned above.

The main source of hope stems from the concept of “above time” which the tzaddikim, who are the embodiment of the Mashiach, attain. This I understood from what he said shortly before his death, about how he was now going with his lesson on the verse, “I have this day given birth to you” (Psalms 2:7), which refers to this concept. To explain this in writing is quite impossible. From what he said, however, I understood that he was referring to the tremendous effort he was making to bring great numbers of people close to God. As yet he had not had the success he wanted: the opposition and the obstacles, physical and spiritual, were getting more and more powerful and widespread, both in general and in each individual case. Things had reached a point where the strength to resist was faltering. Many had stumbled and fallen as a result. This was the connection in which he said he revived himself with the concept of “I have this day given birth to you.” The idea is that God will help us to overcome everything, and in the end the truth will be revealed; we will all return to God in truth, and the former days will fall away. For all time will cease to be: everything will be merged in the concept of “above time,” and there all will be set right.