Hassidout sur Le Deutéronome 31:2

And it was at the end of two full years. In the Midrash Rabbah and in the holy Zohar, they began this portion with the verse, "He setteth an end to darkness" (Job 28:3). And it says in the Midrash Rabbah that as long as the evil inclination is in the world, gloom and darkness are in the world. As it is written, "A land of thick darkness, as darkness itself" (Job 10:22). When the evil inclination is uprooted from the world, there is no gloom and darkness in the world. Another interpretation: "He setteth an end to darkness" - He gave a time to Joseph, how many years he should be in darkness, etc. The matter is that beforehand Joseph was in the pit for ten years (as mentioned in Shemot Rabbah, portion 7), and in many places the number ten indicates a complete number of the ten Sefirot. This means that he rectified his aspect in all the ten attributes. And afterwards, he was there for two more years, and they said in Bereishit Rabbah that because he said to the chief butler, "But have me in thy remembrance…and make mention of me" (Genesis 40:14), two years were added to him. And certainly, Joseph did not rely on the chief butler, God forbid, for have they not taught, "Happy is the man that maketh the Lord his trust" (Psalms 40:5) - this is Joseph. Rather, because he saw with the holy spirit that his salvation was destined to come through the chief butler, and as it truly was in the end, therefore he said to him, "But have me in thy remembrance," etc. However, this is still a touch of self-interest, and this comes through the serpent's venom that entered into man to feel the pleasure of the body. And this is considered for the level of Joseph the righteous as a sin, for truly according to his level, he should have left it to God, who would surely finish it for him for the good without his efforts. And it says (Shabbat 55b), "Four died due to the serpent's venom...and the whole Gemara except for Yishai, the father of David, for whom the verse is interpreted, 'Is he then a serpent (נחש)?'…'Is he then one who died due to the serpent's venom?'…and he is called a serpent." And this is according to what is written (Midrash Rabbah, beginning of Parshat Tazria), "'For in iniquity was I brought forth' (Psalms 51:7) - in iniquity is written fully (as opposed to the expected defective spelling). Even if he is the most pious of the pious, it is impossible that he should not have one aspect of iniquity, etc." And this is the serpent's venom that the serpent injected into Adam that he should feel his own pleasure. And therefore, after Joseph the righteous clarified himself in all attributes, he had to further clarify himself regarding the matter of the serpent's venom. And after he clarified himself in these two levels and merited to be "He setteth an end to darkness," that the evil inclination was uprooted from his heart, he still had business in the world, for he lived afterwards for eighty years. And anyone who has no business at all, when he is completely finished, has no life in this world, as it is written, "I can no more go out and come in" (Deuteronomy 31:2). But as long as he still has business, even though he lives without the evil inclination, he still has life in this world, as we find with Jacob our forefather, for it is written, "And Jacob lived" (Genesis 47:28), and it says (Seder Olam Rabbah, chapter 5) that he merited life without suffering and without the evil inclination. And it teaches us in this portion that the main business of man is to be "He setteth an end to darkness," to uproot the evil inclination from his heart. And afterwards, he still has business to rectify the serpent's venom, which is the touch of self-pleasure. And the main rectification is through the Torah, which is called the Tree of Life, as it says (beginning of Seder Olam Rabbah), "There is no Tree of Life other than the Torah." And in the holy Zohar, this portion (202a), "For there is no word to break the evil inclination other than the Torah." And behold, we have already said in what is written in the Tikunei Zohar (Tikun 24), and also in the Tikunei Zohar Chadash, regarding the Tree of Knowledge, one said it was wheat, and another said it was a grapevine, and all is true, the seven species are, etc. And seemingly, how is it possible that they are all true in a matter of dispute about reality? And we said that it is written, "And the tree of life in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil" (Genesis 2:9). And this means that the inner essence of all the trees of the garden was the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, and this power was given to them that if he had tasted from the Tree of Life first, he would have felt in his eating from every fruit of the garden the taste of the Tree of Life, "Come, eat of my bread" (Proverbs 9:5), which is Torah. And since he tasted from the Tree of Knowledge, the mixture was made, and he tasted in all his eating from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. And this is what he felt of his own pleasure, which is the serpent's venom. (And it is explained in Genesis, from verse 8). And behold, after the sin, it is written, "And now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever" (Genesis 3:22). And one must understand, what harm would it be if he would eat from the Tree of Life and live forever? And especially according to what is written in the Tanna Devei Eliyahu that the Tree of Life is Torah, let him eat from the Torah and rectify the sin. However, it is according to what is written (Bereishit Rabbah, chapter 21), "And now - there is no 'and now' other than repentance, and he says 'lest' - and there is no 'lest' other than a prohibition." And this means that God opened for him a gate of repentance, and he did not want to repent, and God said "lest" through the serpent's incitement he will "put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life." And in the manner of what is written in the book Divrei Menachem from the holy Rabbi of Rimanov on the verse, "And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife" (Genesis 22:10), that in all the deeds that were the will of God, the limbs of Abraham our forefather would do them on their own from the great enthusiasm, and so it was in every deed of the binding, except for the deed of taking the knife, which was not in His will, may He be blessed, for He did not want to slaughter him, therefore the hands of Abraham our forefather did not want to take it. Only Abraham our forefather suspected himself that perhaps it is from the incitement and laziness of the evil inclination, and therefore it is written, "And he stretched forth his hand" by force to take the knife, end of quote. And similarly here it is written, "lest he put forth his hand," that is, by force, not with the desire of the heart, only through the serpent's and the evil inclination's incitement. And this is what is written, "and take also of the tree of life" - "also" specifically, that he will not cast away his evil deeds. And the Tree of Life will be secondary, and then it will harm what he eats from the Tree of Life, and to what is written, "But unto the wicked God saith: 'What hast thou to do to declare My statutes'" (Psalms 50:16), etc., and when he learns words of Torah and does not rectify his deeds first to be "turn away from evil" (Psalms 34:15). Through the words of Torah, he adds power to the shell, as it is written (Shabbat 88b), "To those who place it on their left hand, it is a deadly poison." And this is when he learns through the serpent's and the evil inclination's incitement. And after he merits to uproot the evil inclination, man has further business in rectifying the serpent's venom. And "at the end of two years," when he clarifies himself in these two aspects, he merits life without the evil inclination, and nevertheless, he has business in this world. And it is that two indicates that it has become a presumption, for in two times we also find in the Torah that it is written, "Lest he die also, as his brother did" (Genesis 38:11). And it is a dispute of the Tannaim (Yevamot 64b) whether in two times it is a presumption or specifically in three times. And these and these are the words of the living God, that also in two times it is strengthened, as we find (Yoma 86b), "Once a man has committed a transgression and repeated it…it becomes to him as if it were permitted." And good deeds are even greater. And when he clarifies himself in these two aspects, "at the end of two years," then "He setteth an end to darkness," that he is secure from the evil inclination that it will not rule over him. However, he still has business in this world until he clarifies himself in the third aspect, and then it is a presumption, and he is complete in every way, and he has no business at all in this world, as it is written, "I can no more go out and come in." And "at the end of two years" indicates that the evil inclination was uprooted from his heart, and nevertheless, he had business in this world, as we see with Joseph, who lived afterwards for eighty years. And when the evil inclination is uprooted, there is no gloom and darkness, which the serpent caused. And the eating of Shabbat is from the side of the Tree of Life, and they are a rectification for the serpent's blemish, which was in eating. And the Greeks wanted to make them forget Your Torah, for the letters of "darkness" (חש"ך) are "forgetfulness" (שכח"ה), and in Bereishit Rabbah it is expounded, "And darkness - this is Greece, which darkened the eyes of Israel," for all their decrees were to nullify the words of Torah. And through Your holy priests, they merited light, which is the aspect of "remember," a place where there is no forgetting and forgetting does not exist in it, as it is written in the holy Zohar (Part 2, 92b

And this is (Ex. 1), “And it came to pass, when the midwives feared God, and He made them houses.” This is the aspect of the housings of the tefillin. For the midwives are the aspect of the children's mother, drawing the light of tefillin, which are the aspect of mother, upon the son, who are the aspect of giving birth to the brains, the aspect of (ibid. 13), “Sanctify to Me all the male firstborns, whatsoever opens any womb” as mentioned. And this is, “And it happened, when they feared” specifically. For tefillin are the aspect of fear, as written, “And all the people of the land shall see that Hashem's name is called upon you, and they will fear you.” And our Rabbis z”l explained these are the head tefillin. For the midwives are the mother of Aharon and Moshe. And Miriam their sister was the second midwife, from whom royalty issued, as Rashi explained there. For Moshe and Aharon are the essence of the tefillin. Aharon the Kohen Gadol is the aspect of the Eight Tiqunei Diqna of the Kohen Gadol, which are the aspect of the eight elders, the aspect of the eight head and arm tefillin passages as mentioned. Moshe Rabbeinu is the aspect of the Supernal Elder, who boasted that he is extremely old and yet is young and suckling entirely etc. and the whole world does not amount to him so much as an eyeblink etc. This is the aspect of Moshe Rabbeinu a”h who is the aspect of (ibid. 2), “And behold, a crying youth,” that even tough he reach what he reached, the perfect aspect of the Elder in Holiness, still he was entirely in the aspect of youth and suckling, in the aspect of (Ps. 37), “I have been young and also old,” that even though I have become so much an elder, still I am entirely young and suckling, which this is the aspect of the boasting of the foremost level elder who is the Blind One as mentioned. And therefore Moshe attained that it was written of him (Deut. 34), “His eye was not dim and his natural force was not abated” — even after death. For no oldness jumped upon him at all, even when dying at 120 years age. For he attained the ultimate elderliness, yet remained entirely suckling, as if he still had not begin living at all, as written (ibid. 3:24), “You have begun to show” etc.; that is, he still did not grasp at all; Hashem Yithbarakh only began showing him his greatness etc. Which, all this is the above aspect, always beginning anew as mentioned. For Moshe is the aspect of “MaN/Manna,” as is known, of which it says (Ex. 17:15), “For they did not know MaH/what it is.” It is impossible to at all know what he is, that someone born of a woman should attain what he attained. And this is the letters of MoSheH being Shin MaH — Shin, the three fathers who are the entirety of the brains, entirety of the tefillin; but everything is drawn from the aspect of MaH, the aspect of, “For they did not know what it is,” which this is the essence of the aspect of Moshe, who is the aspect of the aforementioned elder, who was elder and suckling etc. as mentioned, who is the root of everything and above everything as mentioned. As written (Num. 12), “And the man, Moshe, was extremely humble” etc., which is the aspect of (Ps. 131), “Like a weaned child with his mother; my soul is with me like a weaned child,” which David said. And this is that it is written in the Zohar, regarding Moshe, that amongst the Sabas/Supernal Elders he is the Elder, and amongst the sucklings he is the suckling, that is, as mentioned, that he is old and suckling etc. as mentioned. And this is his saying (Deut. 31), “I am one hundred and twenty years old today” — today my days and years are filled, for he can longer go, as our Rabbis z”l said (Sotah 13b), “this teaches that [the gates of wisdom] were closed to him. For he needed to live the aforementioned long life, going each time further and further, and when he cannot go further he was forced to pass away, as discerned in the holy talks of Rabbeinu z”l. And therefore (ibid. 34), “And no man knew his burial-chamber,” for they did not know what he is, as mentioned. Hence Moshe is the aspect of the aforementioned Supernal Elder, who is the root of tefillin, which are the aspect of the face's skin beaming, which Moshe attain, which are the aspect of the light of tefillin, as Rabbeinu z”l said in the torah, “Markevoth Par`oh..” (LM #38), from the aspect of that Elder. And Aharon is the aspect of the eight Tiqunei Diqna, which are the aspect of the eight tefillin passages that are drawn from Moshe's aspect, from the aspect of that Elder. And this is, “And He made them houses” — houses of priesthood and royalty (Sh”R 1). Houses of priesthood are the aspect of tefillin, which are the aspect of the priesthood's sanctity as mentioned, the aspect of the sanctity of the firstborn, to give him to the Kohen as mentioned. And houses of royalty are the aspect of kingship of David Mashiach, the aspect of Emunah, which all this is the aspect of tefillin as mentioned. And the essence of tefillin's sanctity is the aspect of grasping Godliness, which the true tzaddiqim, who are from the aspect of Moshe, draw upon us, through many constrictions, which this is the main thing, that they manage to attain such a high and enormous perception, that they can constrict and clothe the perception in many constrictions and vestments until we too can manage to grasp Godliness as mentioned. And this is the aspect of tefillin housings, for it is impossible for us to receive the light of the passages themselves except by way of the housings and straps, which are the aspect of limitations and vessels of `Olam haTiqun, to receive the light by degree and measure. For they are able to enter the aspect of the “Empty Space" and reveal His Godliness there, and thereby make holy vessels. For the essence of these vessels' genesis is by means of repair of the Empty Space which is the beginning of the limitation, which is the root of all the vessels and masks generated from the coarsening of the light and its becoming distant from the Emanator. For if there was no Empty Space then the coarsening of the light and its distancing would be irrelevant etc., as explained and discerned in the Writings. Hence the essence of the vessels' genesis derives from the aspect of the Empty Space. But by means of Adam haRishon's failure he was seized in his vessels, the essence of which is in the aspect of the skin, which is the ultimate vessel, the exterior of the exterior; and that is where he was seized the most as mentioned, which this is the aspect of the “Serpent's bite,” from whence is the grip of all the Qelipoth/Husks, God forbid. And therefore the main repair is by means of purifying and processing the hide in sanctity, which is the aspect of repair of the imagination, repair of the Empty Space, which the aforementioned great Tzaddiqim attain repairing, to the point that from it, specifically, they make the aspect of holy vessels to receive the light in degree and measure. Which, this is the aspect of the hide of a pure beast, insofar as the essence of writing the Torah and tefillin is on the hide specifically, and as mentioned. And this is the aspect of the housings made of hide. For we need to receive the light through limitations and vessels that are made by the repair of the Empty Space which is the aspect of repairing the imagination, which is the aspect of hide, as mentioned. And this is the aspect of (Gen. 3), “And Hashem-God made Adam and his wife garments of skin and clothed them” — garments of skin specifically, for the main repair is repairing the skin etc. as mentioned. For, the garments of skin are the aspect of Tallith and Tefillin, which come from skin and from the hair that grows on the skin, as explained in the Etz Chayim. Which, this is the aspect of (Ex. 22:26), “ki hu kesutho levaddah/for that is his only covering” — this is tzitzith; “hi simlatho le`oro/it is his garment for his skin” — this is tefillin (Tiqqunim #69), which are more internal and lofty than tzitzith, as written there. And all this is the aspect of repair of the imagination, which is repair of the Empty Space, as the essence of the repair is by means of Emunah as mentioned. And this is, “And it came to pass, as the midwives feared God” — feared specifically. For holy piety is the aspect of repair of the constriction and stricture of the Empty Space, which is sweetened at it root by means of holy piety, which is the aspect of a “holy decree,” as is known. Therefore by the aspect of piety are made housings, which are the aspect of fixing the vessels and limitations to receive the tefillin's light by degree and measure as mentioned. And this is, “And it came to pass, as they feared... [God] made them housings” as mentioned.