Hasidut untuk 1 Tawarikh 28:9

This is as David HaMelech said to his son, Shlomo HaMelech (Divrei HaYamim 1, 28:9), “And you, Shlomo my son, know the God of your fathers and serve him with a whole heart and a willing soul. For all hearts seek God, and all intellects understand (this principle). If you seek Him, you shall find.”¹⁵The Reshit Chochmah, the classic work of Kabbalistic piety by Elijah DeVidas, a student of the Arizal, uses this same verse – “Know the God of your father and serve him” – to explain the prerequisite of attaining knowledge for divine service. The Dor Yesharim, the official family history of the Isbitza-Radzin dynasty, records that Rabbi Gershon Hanokh Lainer always kept a copy of the Reshit Chochmah on his bedside table, and his grandson, the author of the family history, writes that his grandfather would learn the Reshit Chochmah by candlelight when he would wake in the middle of the night.

On the famous question, posed by the commentators: How could Choice be taken from [Pharaoh], when it was supposed to be free? And based on our way we should pay attention to read precisely the word these in [God’s] statement, that I may show these signs of mine among them (Ex. 9:1) – it is as if [God] points with a finger at the signs, that here they are before [Moses’] eyes; but in truth they were not visible to his eyes. However, the point of the Exodus from Egypt was that Awareness was in exile with Pharaoh; and that meant that the nation, although they were the Children of Israel, did not know God even though they had a tradition from the mouth of their holy ancestors, the fathers of the world. Nevertheless, since they were the fourth generation they had forgotten the true Awareness about which King David, peace be upon him, said to his son Solomon, know the God of your father (1 Chron. 28:9). And that is the essence of the exile, that Awareness was in exile in Egypt. And therefore wicked Pharaoh said Who is the LORD? etc. (Ex. 5:2), that he denied the essential principle and believed only in sorcery. For he was a great sorcerer and did not know God or that it is written, “there is none but [God] (Deut. 4:35), even sorcery,” “which contradicts the power of Heaven” (Sanhedrin 67b); they have no ability to act beyond Blessed God’s will, as is explained in the Talmud in the incident of Rabbi Hanina ben Dosa. And therefore when Blessed God wanted to redeem [God’s] nation the Children of Israel from Egypt so that they would have the true Awareness, and to teach them that the LORD is God (Deut. 4:35), powerful and master of all abilities and powers, [God] said that I may show these signs of mine among them. That is to say, it was with [Pharaoh] in exile, and through this combination the word “Elohim” will be in wholeness and, and it will be known that the LORD is God, [God] is powerful and master of ability, and there is none but [God], even sorcery as we have stated.

In the Midrash Tanchuma, on the verse "These are the words…", the Israelites said to Moses: "Yesterday you said, 'I am not a man of words,' and now you speak so much?!" Rabbi Yitzchak said: "When you are heavy of mouth, review the Torah and be healed"—just as Moses learned the Torah in the wilderness. End of the quote of language of the Midrash. And we preface with the verse (Deuteronomy 2:3): "You have circled this mountain long enough; turn yourselves northward." And Rashi explained: "Circle yourselves eastward—from the south to the north—your faces to the north…" To understand the matter, we may say as follows: It is known that the secret of the Exodus from Egypt is that Da'at (knowledge/awareness) was in exile and in smallness—they did not know the complete Da’at to serve the Blessed God with delight and with great intellect, as it is written (I Chronicles 28:9), "Know the God of your father…" It is known that Da’at is a term of Yichud (union) and Taanug (pleasure), as it is written, "And Adam knew..." In the Egyptian exile, their Da’at was extremely diminished, which is the concept of "Meitzar Yam" (narrowness of the sea)—that the Da’at which flows from the Da’at of Chokhmah (wisdom) was constricted and small; they did not possess the great Da’at. And through the Exodus, where they went out of the Meitzar Yam, the Da’at became great and increased—the knowledge of God, as it says (Exodus 2:25), "And God knew"—meaning the Da’at of God was elevated. And as it says, "You grew and became great," they came into expanded intellect and great Da’at to serve the Creator with pure and luminous delight, which is the joy of mitzvah and service. As it is said: "A maidservant saw at the sea what Ezekiel did not see"—because their service, once the Da’at was increased and they left the smallness, was with joy. As it says (Psalms 100:2): "Serve God with joy." And we also find another verse that says (Psalms 2:11): "Serve God with fear." The truth is, as the Sages expounded in the Talmud: "Serve God with fear, and rejoice with trembling"—in the place of joy, there should be trembling. To understand the words of the Talmud: