Chasidut su Esodo 17:19

2. And when da'at disappears, as seen above - in other words, no one knows, G-d forbid - that everything {in the world} runs only on the providence of Hashem Yisbarach, and {they} believe that things take their natural course, G-d forbid, this is the aspect of sleep, which is the absence of da'at, the aspect of night and darkness. The essence of the light of day is the aspect of da'at, as shown. In other words, light is only {from} Hashen Yisbarach, so to speak, in the aspect of (Psalms 27:1) "The Lord is my light and my salvation", corresponding to (Psalms 118:27) "The Lord is G-d, and He gave us light". This is the essence of the sun's light, the aspect of (Psalms 84:12) "For a sun and a shield is the Lord G-d". In other words, when one knows that Hashem Yisbarach rules the world only with providence, this is the essence of light. For the essence of light, in every place where light is found, like the light of the sun and similar {places}, is only the Light of Hashem Yisbarach, so to speak, that illuminates us, as explained above. When we fall, G-d forbid, from this knowledge and we attribute things to nature, G-d forbid, this is the aspect of the absence of light. Then it corresponds to night and darkness, G-d forbid. And this is the aspect of (Isaiah 13:10) "the sun has become dark in its going forth", etc., the aspect of (Joel 2:10) "the sun and moon darken", etc. and other similar verses like these. All of them were said regarding the time of the exile; in other words, because in exile it seems like the light of the sun has darkened because the exile is similar to night, as explained by Rashi. In other words, in the time of the exile, which is evoked only because we attributed things to nature, G-d forbid. Then 'the sun has become dark in its going forth' because immediately when we relied on nature, G-d forbid, then the light escaped from the sun, as if the sun actually darkened. For in reality, the sun has no light at all except from Hashem Yisbarach, as explained above. Therefore the exile resembles night and darkness. For the essence of the exile is only because we attribute things to nature, G-d forbid. The it is the aspect of night and darkness, the disappearance of the light, as explained above. This corresponds to sleep, the disappearance of da'at to know that everything is divine providence, which is the essence of the light, etc., as explained above. Therefore, at the time of sleep, the forces of evil descend upon a person, and the essence is on the hands, as is written in the Holy Zohar (Vayeshev 184b). For the essence of the Other Side is the aspect of the gentiles as is known, who draw nourishment only from the aspect of heresies, which is the essence of the Evil Inclination, which is called 'going after atheism', as is brought; in other words, they attribute {everything} to nature, as explained above. Then the aspect of the gentiles increases, the aspect of power of the exile which resembles night and sleep and which they absorbed from the aspect of the strengthening of nature, as explained above. This is the aspect of the spirit of impurity which rests upon a person {at night}. Therefore, the essence of the rectification of sleep in holiness is through faith, as is brought in the words of Rabbeinu, z"l (Likutei Moharan 35). In other words, when da'at disappears, corresponding to sleep, when man sees that his knowledge is confused and is not perfect, and he is not able to ascertain and to understand that everything is by divine providence from Hashem Yisbarach alone, as it is now in exile amidst the gentiles who resemble night and darkness, and when the knowledge of natural science has increased, G-d forbid - then it is incumbent upon every Jew to cast out and to remove his knowledge completely and to strengthen himself in faith alone, to believe with perfect faith that everything is only through divine providence alone and there is no nature in the world at all. This is the aspect of rectifying sleep through faith. In other words, at the time of sleep, as explained above one must enter into the midst of the aspect of faith, to rely on faith alone after his da'at has fled, just as now in the exile. We must always strengthen ourselves in faith alone, since now we have not elevated da'at perfectly to know that everything is done with divine providence. Therefore, one must clear his mind and rely only on faith alone, in the aspect of (Psalms 92:3) "and Your faith at night". And since at night, at the time of sleep, the disappearance of knowledge strengthens the knowledge of natural science, G-d forbid, which is the aspect of darkness, as explained above, in the aspect of (Genesis 15:12) "and a deep sleep fell upon Abram, and behold, a fright, a great darkness...", etc. This is demonstrated by the power of the exile. In other words, at the time of sleep, and deep sleep, the disappearance of da'at strengthens the power of the exile, from which they nourished, in the aspect of the strengthening of natural science, as explained above. And this is why a spirit of impurity rests upon a person at the time of sleep, as explained above. Therefore, as soon as one awakens from sleep one must wash his hands with water, because the spirit of impurity rests mainly upon the hands, as it is written in the Holy Zohar. For the hands corresponds to heaven, שָׁמַיִם - fire and water, אֵשׁ וּמַיִם, on the right side and left side, corresponding to (Deuteronomy 32:40) "For I raise up My hand to heaven" as is brought in the words of Rabbeinu in another place (Likutei Moharan 56). This is the aspect of the grasp of the Other Side, the aspect of natural science, the aspect of hands, for they attribute causes to the arrangement of constellations, which corresponds to 'hands'. Therefore the essence of the strengthening of the Other Side is at the time of sleep, which corresponds to nature and is with the hands specifically, as explained above. Because the hands have 28 phalanges which correspond to the 28 letters of the act of creation, through which the heavens and the earth were created, in the aspect of (Isaiah 48:13) "Even My hand laid the foundation of the earth, and My right hand measured the heavens". And therefore the main way to subdue the forces of evil, represented by the gentiles of the world, the aspect of natural science through which they are strengthened, as explained above, the aspect of their submission is only through the hands of holiness, when one merits to elevate them to da'at. And this is the aspect of (Exodus 17:11) "It came to pass that when Moses would raise his hand, Israel would prevail, and when he would lay down his hand, Amalek would prevail", etc. which was said regarding the war with Amalek. Because Amalek is in general all of the gentiles and the other side, in the aspect of “Amalek was the first of the nations“ (Numbers 24: 20). And Amalek was the essence of atheism and completely attributed everything to nature, G-d forbid. They would discern the hours based on their astrology as is brought in the explanation of Rashi and as shown in the words of Rabbeinu z"l. Therefore, the essence of their subjugation is through the raising of the hands. The raising of the hands, the 28 phalanges that are in the hands, to the head, in the aspect of (Psalms 134:2) "Lift your hands in the holy place". In other words, when the hands, with their 28 phalanges, are raised to da'at to know that all is divine providence, because Hashem Yisbarach created everything through the 28 letters of מַעֲשֵֹה בְרֵאשִׁית, which are the aspect of the 28 phalanges, as explained above. And then they are elevated - the aspect of heaven, because they are also the aspect of the hands, as explained above - to their root which is in knowledge, in the aspect of the 28 letters, as seen above. Because everything was created by G-d with the 28 letters and He gives life and established the heavens and all of their hosts and the land etc. through His divine providence alone and there is absolutely no nature or influence of the arrangements of the constellations at all. And then Amalek and the Other Side are subdued, as seen above. And this is the aspect of (Exodus 17:12) "so he was with his hands in faith until sunset". The essence of the subjugation of Amalek is through faith in divine providence which is drawn down through raising the hands, as explained above. Therefore at the time of sleep da'at disappears, for then nature is strengthened, G-d forbid. This is the root of the Other Side that is on a person. Therefore the essence of its grasp is with the hands, as seen above. Then, immediately after one wakes from sleep one must wash his hands with water with corresponds to the waters of da'at, the waters of Chesed/Loving-kindness, the aspect of (Isaiah 11:9) "for the land shall be full of knowledge of the Lord as water covers the sea bed". In other words, through the washing one brings down the purifying waters of the waters of knowledge, in the aspect of "The whole world will know that then the world is filled with knowledge like water covers the sea bed". Then everyone will know that everything is only through divine providence alone, for {the concept of} nature will be nullified completely. And even now, at any time when one needs salvation and purification, to be saved from the midst of the Other Side, which is nourished from the aspect of the knowledge of nature, one draws down divine providence from the ends of the earth, as explained above in the lesson, as seem above. This corresponds to the water of washing the hands, which draws down the waters of knowledge from the ends of the earth, in the aspect of 'The whole world will know that then the world is filled with knowledge', etc. This is the aspect of Mikveh, which corresponds to the World of the Future (because Mikveh, מִקְוֶה, in Gematria is 151, corresponding to Binah, the World of the Future, as is brought). This corresponds to (Jeremiah 14:8) "O hope, ,מִקְוֶה of Israel, his Savior at time of trouble". Because all of the troubles and tribulations are only due to the lack of knowledge, in the aspect of the knowledge of nature, as explained above. In other words, they do not know, G-d forbid, that everything is divine providence, etc. This is the essence of the impurity, as seen above. Therefore the salvation from the trouble and the purification from the impurity is through Mikveh, which is the aspect of 'the World of the Future', the aspect of the waters of wisdom, the aspect of 'for the land shall be full of knowledge of the Lord as water', etc. Through entering the mikveh and occluding the eyes it blocks out the world and one ignores {the world} and covers himself there in the waters of the mikveh, which is the aspect of the waters of knowledge, the aspect of 'the Future World'. Through this one is included within the aspect of da'at, in the aspect of providence for he covers his eyes to the world which strengthens the errors of the wisdom of nature, from whence comes all trouble and impurities. Through this the eyes are damaged, whose root and vitality are from the aspect of the Eyes of G-d, which are the aspect of divine providence, as is understood in the lesson above. And when one falls from da'at and believes that there is nature, G-d forbid, this is the aspect of the damaging of the eyes and from this come all the troubles, etc., as seen above. Therefore one must cover his eyes completely from what goes on in this world and to lose himself and be included in the waters of the mikveh, which is the aspect of the knowledge of the World of the Future. For then the divine providence will be revealed and nature will disappear completely. And through this divine providence will be drawn down from the ends of the earth, in the aspect of mikveh. And through this salvation will come to him, for everything that he needs, the aspect of 'Hashem is the hope of Israel, his Savior in times of trouble', etc. This is the aspect of the washing of the hands in the morning, which draws down purified water which comes from the aspect of mikveh. Through this he purifies his hands, which are the aspect of the 28 phalanges, the aspect of the 28 letters of the act of creation. The essence of the defect of the aspect of the knowledge of nature, which is strengthened through sleep at night, and darkness afflicts them specifically, as seen above. For through the knowledge of nature the 28 letters are flawed, as seen above, and one associates with the order of the universe, G-d forbid, as seen above. This is the aspect of impurity which takes hold in the hands specifically at the time when da'at flees; in other words, at the time of sleep, as seen above. Therefore, we purify them through the waters of knowledge drawn down from the aspect of 'the World of the Future', etc., as explained above.

2. And when da'at disappears, as seen above - in other words, no one knows, G-d forbid - that everything {in the world} runs only on the providence of Hashem Yisbarach, and {they} believe that things take their natural course, G-d forbid, this is the aspect of sleep, which is the absence of da'at, the aspect of night and darkness. The essence of the light of day is the aspect of da'at, as shown. In other words, light is only {from} Hashen Yisbarach, so to speak, in the aspect of (Psalms 27:1) "The Lord is my light and my salvation", corresponding to (Psalms 118:27) "The Lord is G-d, and He gave us light". This is the essence of the sun's light, the aspect of (Psalms 84:12) "For a sun and a shield is the Lord G-d". In other words, when one knows that Hashem Yisbarach rules the world only with providence, this is the essence of light. For the essence of light, in every place where light is found, like the light of the sun and similar {places}, is only the Light of Hashem Yisbarach, so to speak, that illuminates us, as explained above. When we fall, G-d forbid, from this knowledge and we attribute things to nature, G-d forbid, this is the aspect of the absence of light. Then it corresponds to night and darkness, G-d forbid. And this is the aspect of (Isaiah 13:10) "the sun has become dark in its going forth", etc., the aspect of (Joel 2:10) "the sun and moon darken", etc. and other similar verses like these. All of them were said regarding the time of the exile; in other words, because in exile it seems like the light of the sun has darkened because the exile is similar to night, as explained by Rashi. In other words, in the time of the exile, which is evoked only because we attributed things to nature, G-d forbid. Then 'the sun has become dark in its going forth' because immediately when we relied on nature, G-d forbid, then the light escaped from the sun, as if the sun actually darkened. For in reality, the sun has no light at all except from Hashem Yisbarach, as explained above. Therefore the exile resembles night and darkness. For the essence of the exile is only because we attribute things to nature, G-d forbid. The it is the aspect of night and darkness, the disappearance of the light, as explained above. This corresponds to sleep, the disappearance of da'at to know that everything is divine providence, which is the essence of the light, etc., as explained above. Therefore, at the time of sleep, the forces of evil descend upon a person, and the essence is on the hands, as is written in the Holy Zohar (Vayeshev 184b). For the essence of the Other Side is the aspect of the gentiles as is known, who draw nourishment only from the aspect of heresies, which is the essence of the Evil Inclination, which is called 'going after atheism', as is brought; in other words, they attribute {everything} to nature, as explained above. Then the aspect of the gentiles increases, the aspect of power of the exile which resembles night and sleep and which they absorbed from the aspect of the strengthening of nature, as explained above. This is the aspect of the spirit of impurity which rests upon a person {at night}. Therefore, the essence of the rectification of sleep in holiness is through faith, as is brought in the words of Rabbeinu, z"l (Likutei Moharan 35). In other words, when da'at disappears, corresponding to sleep, when man sees that his knowledge is confused and is not perfect, and he is not able to ascertain and to understand that everything is by divine providence from Hashem Yisbarach alone, as it is now in exile amidst the gentiles who resemble night and darkness, and when the knowledge of natural science has increased, G-d forbid - then it is incumbent upon every Jew to cast out and to remove his knowledge completely and to strengthen himself in faith alone, to believe with perfect faith that everything is only through divine providence alone and there is no nature in the world at all. This is the aspect of rectifying sleep through faith. In other words, at the time of sleep, as explained above one must enter into the midst of the aspect of faith, to rely on faith alone after his da'at has fled, just as now in the exile. We must always strengthen ourselves in faith alone, since now we have not elevated da'at perfectly to know that everything is done with divine providence. Therefore, one must clear his mind and rely only on faith alone, in the aspect of (Psalms 92:3) "and Your faith at night". And since at night, at the time of sleep, the disappearance of knowledge strengthens the knowledge of natural science, G-d forbid, which is the aspect of darkness, as explained above, in the aspect of (Genesis 15:12) "and a deep sleep fell upon Abram, and behold, a fright, a great darkness...", etc. This is demonstrated by the power of the exile. In other words, at the time of sleep, and deep sleep, the disappearance of da'at strengthens the power of the exile, from which they nourished, in the aspect of the strengthening of natural science, as explained above. And this is why a spirit of impurity rests upon a person at the time of sleep, as explained above. Therefore, as soon as one awakens from sleep one must wash his hands with water, because the spirit of impurity rests mainly upon the hands, as it is written in the Holy Zohar. For the hands corresponds to heaven, שָׁמַיִם - fire and water, אֵשׁ וּמַיִם, on the right side and left side, corresponding to (Deuteronomy 32:40) "For I raise up My hand to heaven" as is brought in the words of Rabbeinu in another place (Likutei Moharan 56). This is the aspect of the grasp of the Other Side, the aspect of natural science, the aspect of hands, for they attribute causes to the arrangement of constellations, which corresponds to 'hands'. Therefore the essence of the strengthening of the Other Side is at the time of sleep, which corresponds to nature and is with the hands specifically, as explained above. Because the hands have 28 phalanges which correspond to the 28 letters of the act of creation, through which the heavens and the earth were created, in the aspect of (Isaiah 48:13) "Even My hand laid the foundation of the earth, and My right hand measured the heavens". And therefore the main way to subdue the forces of evil, represented by the gentiles of the world, the aspect of natural science through which they are strengthened, as explained above, the aspect of their submission is only through the hands of holiness, when one merits to elevate them to da'at. And this is the aspect of (Exodus 17:11) "It came to pass that when Moses would raise his hand, Israel would prevail, and when he would lay down his hand, Amalek would prevail", etc. which was said regarding the war with Amalek. Because Amalek is in general all of the gentiles and the other side, in the aspect of “Amalek was the first of the nations“ (Numbers 24: 20). And Amalek was the essence of atheism and completely attributed everything to nature, G-d forbid. They would discern the hours based on their astrology as is brought in the explanation of Rashi and as shown in the words of Rabbeinu z"l. Therefore, the essence of their subjugation is through the raising of the hands. The raising of the hands, the 28 phalanges that are in the hands, to the head, in the aspect of (Psalms 134:2) "Lift your hands in the holy place". In other words, when the hands, with their 28 phalanges, are raised to da'at to know that all is divine providence, because Hashem Yisbarach created everything through the 28 letters of מַעֲשֵֹה בְרֵאשִׁית, which are the aspect of the 28 phalanges, as explained above. And then they are elevated - the aspect of heaven, because they are also the aspect of the hands, as explained above - to their root which is in knowledge, in the aspect of the 28 letters, as seen above. Because everything was created by G-d with the 28 letters and He gives life and established the heavens and all of their hosts and the land etc. through His divine providence alone and there is absolutely no nature or influence of the arrangements of the constellations at all. And then Amalek and the Other Side are subdued, as seen above. And this is the aspect of (Exodus 17:12) "so he was with his hands in faith until sunset". The essence of the subjugation of Amalek is through faith in divine providence which is drawn down through raising the hands, as explained above. Therefore at the time of sleep da'at disappears, for then nature is strengthened, G-d forbid. This is the root of the Other Side that is on a person. Therefore the essence of its grasp is with the hands, as seen above. Then, immediately after one wakes from sleep one must wash his hands with water with corresponds to the waters of da'at, the waters of Chesed/Loving-kindness, the aspect of (Isaiah 11:9) "for the land shall be full of knowledge of the Lord as water covers the sea bed". In other words, through the washing one brings down the purifying waters of the waters of knowledge, in the aspect of "The whole world will know that then the world is filled with knowledge like water covers the sea bed". Then everyone will know that everything is only through divine providence alone, for {the concept of} nature will be nullified completely. And even now, at any time when one needs salvation and purification, to be saved from the midst of the Other Side, which is nourished from the aspect of the knowledge of nature, one draws down divine providence from the ends of the earth, as explained above in the lesson, as seem above. This corresponds to the water of washing the hands, which draws down the waters of knowledge from the ends of the earth, in the aspect of 'The whole world will know that then the world is filled with knowledge', etc. This is the aspect of Mikveh, which corresponds to the World of the Future (because Mikveh, מִקְוֶה, in Gematria is 151, corresponding to Binah, the World of the Future, as is brought). This corresponds to (Jeremiah 14:8) "O hope, ,מִקְוֶה of Israel, his Savior at time of trouble". Because all of the troubles and tribulations are only due to the lack of knowledge, in the aspect of the knowledge of nature, as explained above. In other words, they do not know, G-d forbid, that everything is divine providence, etc. This is the essence of the impurity, as seen above. Therefore the salvation from the trouble and the purification from the impurity is through Mikveh, which is the aspect of 'the World of the Future', the aspect of the waters of wisdom, the aspect of 'for the land shall be full of knowledge of the Lord as water', etc. Through entering the mikveh and occluding the eyes it blocks out the world and one ignores {the world} and covers himself there in the waters of the mikveh, which is the aspect of the waters of knowledge, the aspect of 'the Future World'. Through this one is included within the aspect of da'at, in the aspect of providence for he covers his eyes to the world which strengthens the errors of the wisdom of nature, from whence comes all trouble and impurities. Through this the eyes are damaged, whose root and vitality are from the aspect of the Eyes of G-d, which are the aspect of divine providence, as is understood in the lesson above. And when one falls from da'at and believes that there is nature, G-d forbid, this is the aspect of the damaging of the eyes and from this come all the troubles, etc., as seen above. Therefore one must cover his eyes completely from what goes on in this world and to lose himself and be included in the waters of the mikveh, which is the aspect of the knowledge of the World of the Future. For then the divine providence will be revealed and nature will disappear completely. And through this divine providence will be drawn down from the ends of the earth, in the aspect of mikveh. And through this salvation will come to him, for everything that he needs, the aspect of 'Hashem is the hope of Israel, his Savior in times of trouble', etc. This is the aspect of the washing of the hands in the morning, which draws down purified water which comes from the aspect of mikveh. Through this he purifies his hands, which are the aspect of the 28 phalanges, the aspect of the 28 letters of the act of creation. The essence of the defect of the aspect of the knowledge of nature, which is strengthened through sleep at night, and darkness afflicts them specifically, as seen above. For through the knowledge of nature the 28 letters are flawed, as seen above, and one associates with the order of the universe, G-d forbid, as seen above. This is the aspect of impurity which takes hold in the hands specifically at the time when da'at flees; in other words, at the time of sleep, as seen above. Therefore, we purify them through the waters of knowledge drawn down from the aspect of 'the World of the Future', etc., as explained above.

Remember what etc you were famished and weary, and cut down all the stragglers in your rear: he did not fear God. (Deut. 25:17-18) It seems, that it is not only for this that the seed of Israel is being commanded regarding the erasing of Amalek, which is from the seed of Esav. Rather, every person in Israel needs to erase the evil part that is concealed in one's heart, that is known by the name Amalek. This is because whenever the seed of Amalek is found in the world it is found in the human being, since the human is a small world, and therefore there is a reality to "Amalek", to the force of evil inside every human being, which arises every time to make a human being sin, and is regarding this that the remembrance comes in the Torah. And behold, the strength of the seed of Israel is only found in the mouth, since "the voice, is the voice of Yaakov", [found] in the Torah [study] and in prayer, when a person has this force always burning within towards the Holy One of Blessing, then no evil can control him. But, when a person allows this force to rest then immediately [s/he is under the verse] "and they left Refidim" meaning "their hands became weak [rafah]" and instantly "and Amalek came", instantly evil takes over. But when a person seizes in any instance the character trait of "awe", meaning, one is in awe of the Holy One of Blessing and will not transgress God's commandments, in any instance he won't come to sin. And this is why "you were famished and weary" is written, that you did not have inside you the force of the seed of Israel, that their hands were weakened and did not serve God. "And did not fear God" - and from this you need to remember strongly, so that the force of Amalek will not make you stumble. And this is why it is written "And it was, when Moses raised his hand" (Exodus 17:11) this means the force that is known by the name "hand" - when a person raises that force, then "and Israel prevailed." But when he allowed that force to rest, then - God forbid - "and [the other side] prevailed, etc.

But through this you can understand what they said, “The tzaddik rules [through] reverence for God (2 Sam. 23:3) … [I rule over humans, but] who rules over Me? The tzaddik, [for I make a decree but he annuls it]” (Moed Katan 16b). For at the hands of the wicked the world collapses and remains in contraction and judgment, God forbid; but at the hands of the tzaddikim the king’s anger is settled, as if it were possible. This can be compared to the child of a king, who when he enters into his father’s [presence] – even at the time of his anger – since the king’s will is to draw very close to his precious child, the characteristic of love is awakened within [the king] toward his child; and then that characteristic expands to all those who are in the king’s gate as well. So it is at the hands of the tzaddikim, who bring themselves closer – along with all things – to their Father in Heaven, giving [God] a restful spirit: [God’s] mind settles, as if it were possible, and the judgments that were awakened at the hands of the wicked are sweetened. And that is [the meaning of] “to collect from the wicked, who destroy [a world created] through ten statements” – for even though the Creation happened through ten statements for their benefit, in order that even there in their lowly place they should be able to hold onto [God’s] characteristics, and similarly [God’s] characteristics and divinity were contracted for them in order that they should recognize [God’s characteristics], as was stated above – and even still, on the contrary, on account of [all] this they distance themselves further. “And to give good reward to the tzaddikim, who sustain a world created through ten statements” – as we have stated above, by way of [the world] being created through ten statements, through contraction; for without this it would not have been possible, and understand this.

And let us first explain "is there Ad-nai among us, or isn't? And Amalek came." (Exodus 17:7-8) And the famous question is what is the connection between the issues. And it seems to me that it is known what the rabbis said (Sotah 31a) "in all their troubles He is troubled" (Isaiah 63:9) is written and the reading is with an alef [making in all their troubles He was not troubled." And a sage and smart person will pay attention and understand that suffering for a human being is a suffering for the Shechinah, as it is written (Sanhedrin 6:5) "My head hurts, My arm hurts", and so the person will pray over the distress of the Shechinah, and immediately the distress of the human will pass, and this is what [I say] if a person understands that in all their sufferings God suffers, then there is no suffering. This is what the verse says "Isn't it because Ad-nai is not in me that all these evils befell me?" (Deut. 31:17)- if I had paid attention that this is suffering for the Shechinah then Ad-nai would be in me, and then those evils would not have befallen me. And this is easy to understand. And through this we can understand "because they tested, is there Ad-nai among us or isn't?" and then "Amalek came", since once my God is not in me, this event happened to me. And this is easy to understand.

There is another approach to this word found in the ‎explanation by Nachmanides, (last section) on ‎פרשת בשלח‎, on ‎Exodus 17,9 according to which whatever Moses and Joshua had ‎done in their time would be re-enacted by the prophet Elijah and ‎the messiah, descended from Joseph in due course. According to ‎our tradition the messiah from the house of David will reveal ‎himself only after the death of the messiah from the house of ‎Joseph., so that the process of redemption will begin with the ‎appearance of the prophet Elijah, followed by the messiah from ‎the house of Joseph, and will be completed with the redemption ‎under the messiah from the house of David. This trilogy is alluded ‎to by the shalshelet above the word ‎וימאן‎. When Joseph ‎reminded himself of this sequence, he was reinforced in his ‎determination not to give in to the allure of Potiphar’s wife. This ‎is also why the Torah reports in Genesis 50,23 ‎וירא יוסף לאפרים בני ‏שלשים‎, “Joseph was privileged to see a third generation of ‎Ephrayim.” The final letter ‎ם‎ at the end of this verse is ‎mysterious. [We would have expected the letter ‎י‎ instead, ‎indicating the ordinal number “third.” Ed.] This letter is an ‎allusion to Isaiah 9,6 where the word ‎לםרבה המשרה‎, is written ‎with the final letter ‎ם‎ at the beginning of the word. According to ‎our tradition (Sanhedrin 94) the final letter ‎ם‎ there is an ‎allusion to the final letter ‎ם‎ in the word ‎אפרים‎, a hint that the ‎messiah from the house of Joseph will be a descendant of ‎Ephrayim. (Compare Bamidbar Rabbah 14,2. Zohar II ‎‎100, also elaborates on the subject of the messiah from the house ‎of David following the messiah from the house of Joseph when ‎discussing aspects of the levirate marriage.)‎

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.

Exodus 17,6.“Here I stand opposite you on the rock at ‎Mount Chorev. When you will strike the rock water will come ‎forth from it and the people will drink.” The obvious ‎question about this verse is: ‘how is it possible to describe G’d, the ‎Creator, as “standing” when we always perceive of Him as being ‎present all over the universe, i.e. ‎מלא כל הארץ כבודו‎, “the whole ‎earth is filled with His glory?” There is no spot on earth where G’d ‎is not “present!” The wording in our verse creates the impression ‎in the reader’s mind that at that time G’d was present only on the ‎rock (Mount Chorev)!‎
In order to clarify this we must revert to the Talmud in ‎‎B’rachot 6 where the root of the word ‎עמד‎, is defined as ‎meaning ‎תפלה‎, “prayer.” The Talmud quotes as its source psalms ‎‎106,30 ‎ויעמוד פינחס ויפלל‎, “Pinchas waited and prayed before ‎stepping forth.” This quotation seems to reinforce the problem ‎rather than to resolve it, seeing that in our principal daily prayer ‎prayers, known as ‎עמידה‎, “something performed while standing,” ‎the focus seems to be on standing still. The Talmud clearly had ‎in mind something other than the plain meaning of the words, ‎the ‎פשט‎.‎
It appears clear therefore that our sages were not speaking ‎about the people at large when they made the statement quoted ‎in the Talmud B’rachot 6 that the meaning of the word ‎עמידה‎ refers primarily to prayer. They had in mind only the elite ‎of the people, the scholars and the pious. When speaking of such ‎people the common meaning of ‎עמידה‎, i.e. standing still, does not ‎apply at all, as these people are spiritually constantly “on the ‎move;” they keep moving from one spiritual level to the next ‎higher one. It is what distinguishes them even from angels whom ‎the prophet Zecharyah 2,7 described as ‎העומדים האלה‎, “these ‎spiritually stationary ones.” When a person is on the “lookout” ‎for his Creator in order to serve Him in the manner appropriate ‎to His stature, he must do so and constantly keep searching until ‎by learning how to manipulate the letters in the holy tongue he ‎will feel that he is coming closer to G’d’s essence. The very idea of ‎‎“standing still,” resting on one’s laurels, so to speak, is not part of ‎such people’s vocabulary. This is precisely why in the parlance of ‎the prophets the righteous are defined as ‎מהלכים‎, from the root ‎הלך‎ i.e. people who are constantly “on the move.” They are ‎traversing different regions of the universe, proceeding from one ‎‎“world” to another in search of their ultimate objective of ‎דבקות‎, ‎‎“cleaving” to G’d. When we recite what are known as the ‎פסוקי ‏דזמרה‎, sacred texts in which G’d is extolled in song and poetry, we ‎are “travelling” through different layers of these various ‎‎“worlds.” When these psalms are recited with profound ‎concentration, they lead the person doing so to getting insights ‎into more and more facets of G’d’s many characteristics.‎
In the parlance of our sages these different worlds of ‎disembodied creatures are known collectively as the ‎עולם האצילות‎, ‎‎‘the world of emanation.’ As the term indicates, this olam ha-‎atzilut is not yet the domain in which the King of kings ‎resides, as “emanation” implies a certain degree of physicality in ‎that “world,” however minute. When one gets to reciting the ‎עמידה‎, the nineteen benedictions which make up the essence of ‎our prayers, one is supposed to have prepared oneself for facing ‎the highest domain in which no physical matters exist, the ‎domain whence only the ‎אורות של אין סוף‎, “the brilliant light of ‎the essence of the Creator sends forth illumination to His ‎universe.” This light from the eyn sof surrounds a human ‎being from all directions so that he automatically pours out his ‎heart in front of G’d, literally. This had not been the case ‎previously, although he had already reached the level of olam ‎haatzilut.
People who have not even attained that level are considered ‎as still in the ‎אצילות העשיה‎, the region of the emanations in the ‎lower levels of the ten emanations, in the region of the completed ‎physical universe, whereas people who have attained the next ‎higher level are considered as in the atzilut hayetzirah, the ‎world of emanations in the part of the physical domain that is ‎still in the formative stages. The ‎אצילות דבריאה‎, domain of the ‎highest layers of emanations is immediately below that which is ‎known as ‎אצילות דאצילות‎, the region in which any emanation ‎containing something approaching matter is at an absolute ‎minimum. This is the absolutely highest level that it is possible ‎for a mortal human being to achieve. There is no further progress ‎from there, hence the elite of the Jewish people when having ‎achieved that level through intensive prayer are considered as ‎עומד‎ “standing”. (still) If the principal daily prayer is called ‎עמידה‎, ‎suggesting “standstill,” this is to be understood as far more than ‎keeping one’s feet close together parallel to one another while ‎reciting these benedictions; the word symbolized the “highest “ ‎rung in their spiritual ascent that the person involved in praying ‎is capable of attaining, i.e. his ultimate goal.‎ ‎

Exodus 17,9. “and G’d’s staff will be in my hand.” ‎Moses meant that just as G’d is the “staff” of the universe, doing ‎as He pleases with His universe, so the staff that the G’d had ‎given him enables him to work wonders at will for benefit of his ‎people.” Moses alluded to what the Talmud in Moed Katan ‎‎16 stated, quoting G’d: “who rules over Me? The righteous.” The ‎reference is to the staff G’d had entrusted to Moses, the one by ‎means of which he performed the miracles. G’d had entrusted ‎Moses with this staff, allowing him to use it at his discretion.‎

Our sages in the Talmud Megillah 13 explain that the ‎reason why Queen Esther was known as Esther (rather than as ‎‎Hadassah, Esther 2,7) was that her beauty reminded people ‎of the brilliance of the planet (star) Venus. [possibly the ‎Talmud, which also explains her name as a reminder that she was ‎a lady who could keep a secret, sees a dual meaning in her name, ‎both brilliant light, and complete darkness, hiding things. ‎Ed.] Some of G’d’s miracles involve changes in the laws of ‎nature such as the splitting of the sea, turning the waters of the ‎Nile into blood and redeeming the Jewish people from Egypt. ‎Others are the result of a combination and timing of most ‎unlikely circumstances.
Ahasverus’ taking a liking to Haman and trusting him blindly, ‎and subsequently switching his trust to Esther who had never ‎even revealed her nationality or religion to him, is just a minor ‎example of this. Haman’s choosing to request permission from ‎Ahasverus to hang Mordechai in the middle of the night, a night ‎when the king could not sleep and he was reminded that ‎Mordechai had saved his life from assassins, and that Esther at the ‎time had brought this to his attention, and that Haman planned ‎to kill his lifesaver, etc., are just a few of these propitious ‎coincidences that resulted in Haman’s downfall and the salvation ‎of the Jewish people at that time. The former kind of miracle is ‎usually attributed to G’d in His capacity as the tetragram, ‎י-ה-ו-ה‎, ‎whereas the latter kind of miracle is attributed to G’d in His ‎capacity as ‎א-ד-נ-י‎. In the former case, G’d is “active, changing the ‎rules of the game,” whereas in the case of the “hidden” miracle, ‎the emphasis is on the recipient, ‎מקבל‎. The difference can be ‎compared to the difference between the sun and the moon, both ‎of which give forth rays of light, the sun being a source of light, ‎whereas the moon only reflects light that it had already received ‎from the sun. Esther therefore is compared to the moon in the ‎story of Purim.‎
When G’d performs supernatural miracles even the idolaters ‎are humbled and recognize (temporarily) His mastery as we know ‎from Exodus 18,1 where the Torah records that Yitro had heard ‎about these great miracles and had concluded that Hashem ‎is superior to any other force in the universe that claims the ‎status of being a deity.‎
Amalek was the only nation among the wicked people ‎denying G’d’s power, who challenged G’d by attacking His people, ‎unprovoked, on ground (Compare Yalkut Shimoni, 938, and ‎quoted by Rashi (Deuteronomy 25,18) that did not belong ‎to any nation. According to Rashi, Amalek’s being the first ‎to challenge the myth of G’d’s invincibility is compared to the ‎first person jumping into boiling hot water of a bath tub, who, ‎while being scalded nevertheless succeeds in cooling the water so ‎that the next person following will hardly be scalded at all and ‎subsequent people will feel comfortable in that tub.
‎[While both Rashi and Yalkut Shimoni ‎quote this analogy, Rashi could not have taken it from ‎‎Yalkut Shimoni, as the author of these Midrashim lived ‎approximately 200 years later than Rashi. Ed.]‎
Seeing that Amalek initiated this rebellion against G’d, the ‎Torah commands such far reaching punishment for that nation. ‎If G’d now commanded the Israelites to wage war against Amalek, ‎the reason was that seeing supernatural means of humbling ‎idolaters had not sufficed, other, better understood means, i.e. ‎warfare on earth, had to be reverted to. It was therefore ‎appropriate that Joshua should conduct this battle as Moses had ‎been instrumental in performing supernatural miracles, whereas ‎Joshua would prove that G’d is able to deal with sinners without ‎having to resort to supernatural means. Our sages alluded to this ‎when they said in the Talmud Baba Batra 75 that if Moses’ ‎face could be compared to the face of the sun, Joshua’s would be ‎comparable to that of the moon.‎
Allusions found in the written Torah usually refer to the ‎celestial regions or to matters supernatural, metaphysical, ‎whereas allusions in the oral Torah usually refer to matters in the ‎physical universe. The relationship between the written Torah ‎and the oral Torah is that the written Torah is the source, i.e. like ‎the sun, whereas the oral Torah is comparable to the moon, i.e. a ‎recipient, reflecting the origin. Here, where nature was “repaired” ‎by miracles similar to those experienced by Mordechai and Esther, ‎i.e. “hidden miracles,” as described earlier, it was appropriate that ‎we are told for the first time about parts of the written Torah to ‎be committed to writing. [I believe the author draws a ‎parallel between the antagonists of the Jewish people at that ‎time, i.e. a descendant from Amalek, and the first defeat suffered ‎by Amalek at the hands of Joshua, Ed.] The “allusions” ‎referred to are the words ‎זאת‎ and ‎זכרון‎ in this short paragraph, ‎and the written record of the Purim story in Esther as described ‎in Esther 9,29-32. (Compare Talmud Megillah 7). The words ‎זכרון בספר‎ refer to the written record in the Torah, whereas the ‎word ‎זאת‎ refers to the oral record in the halachah.‎ ‎ ‎

Exodus 17,16.“for as long as a hand is raised against ‎the throne of G’d, Hashem will continue to wage war ‎against Amalek.” We need to understand why the “war” ‎against Amalek is so extraordinarily difficult and long drawn out ‎for G’d, Who could create the universe with merely 10 verbal ‎directives. This question is also posed by the author of the ‎‎Zohar, when reflecting on the ongoing struggle, ‎מדור ודור‎, ‎‎“from generation to generation. (Zohar II 133)‎
It appears to me that without a doubt the Creator Who had ‎created all the various universes could have disposed of Amalek ‎with a single breath of His mouth. This is especially so, in light of ‎what G’d had already demonstrated at the sea of reeds, when He ‎drowned a far mightier army than was at the disposal of Amalek, ‎in a single hour. The point we must consider is that G’d at all ‎times- even when apparently acting destructively- does in fact act ‎for the good of mankind. The Ari z’al stresses this already in ‎his commentary on Exodus 3,10 when G’d first appointed Moses ‎by saying to him: ‎לכה ואשלחך אל פרעה והוצא את עמי בני ישראל ‏ממצרים‎, “come, I will send you to Pharaoh and you shall free My ‎people the Children of Israel from Egypt.” It is clear from this ‎wording that G’d had hoped to accomplish the Exodus without ‎having to impose judgments on Pharaoh and his people. It is ‎simply not in the nature of G’d to inflict harm even on the gentile ‎peoples of the world, if His purpose can be achieved by avoiding ‎this.‎
If it becomes necessary to perform miracles which at the same ‎time afflict the people who made these miracles necessary so that ‎they suffer from them, it is because G’d sees ultimate good in ‎these very afflictions that He decrees on the victims. The author ‎refers to an article of his on the general subject of miracles where ‎he dealt with this subject.‎
One of the “good results” from such miracles is the fact that ‎some of the people who are the victims will choose of their own ‎free will to convert to Judaism and to become servants of the only ‎G’d. In the case of Amalek, in spite of this people having ‎witnessed the miracles which had so profoundly impressed all the ‎other nations, no such positive outcome as people converting to ‎Judaism resulted. On the contrary, as Rashi had described, ‎the Amalekites decided to put an end to such “repentance ‎movements” among the idolaters by even risking suicide to show ‎that G’d was not invincible and could be opposed. By doing so ‎they threw down a gauntlet to the Creator by daring Him to ‎destroy them immediately and thereby becoming known as a G’d ‎Who was overly cruel to a nation that had not even harmed His ‎people for hundreds of years as had the Egyptians, who had ‎survived, except for their army. [Some of the words are ‎my own, but they reflect the tenor of the words of the author. ‎Ed.] ‎
Amalek’s conduct had shown that regardless of how many ‎more miracles G’d would perform, this would not result in at least ‎some of these people realizing the error of their ways and ‎converting to monotheism after repenting. G’d’s only recourse ‎then was to make the judgment of Amalek look like His avenging ‎Himself. The problem with this was that it would reflect ‎negatively on G’d’s image as the Merciful One.‎
The Ari’zal also writes that when G’d does decide to ‎apply His judgments to such sinners as a form of revenge, He ‎does not do so in a manner that directly involves any of His ‎attributes. He entrusts this tasks to messengers, so that in this ‎instance the first stage was waging war on the battlefield. “War” ‎is always perceived as an action initiated by human beings, not by ‎G’d. This war was to be fought without G’d directly intervening in ‎its outcome, or raining down a hail of stones as in the war for the ‎capture of the land of the Canaanites. (Joshua 10,11) When G’d ‎tells Moses in verse 14 ‎‏ כי מחה אמחה את זכר עמלק‎ “for I will utterly ‎destroy any remembrance of Amalek,” the word ‎מחה‎ has been ‎repeated to tell us that memory of Amalek will not only be wiped ‎out in the lower part of the universe, the area inhabited by man, ‎but also in the celestial regions there will not remain any residue ‎of that nation. This absolute destruction is not found with any ‎other nation concerning which the prophets in the Bible predict ‎disaster at one time or another. Among all the other nations ‎Divine judgments had resulted in some positive developments, so ‎that their continued existence in one form or another could be ‎justified.‎
We have mentioned earlier that when G’d performs overt ‎miracles His 4-lettered name ‎י-ה-ו-ה ‏‎ is involved, whereas here the ‎Torah makes a point of describing Amalek’s provocation as aimed ‎at the throne of ‎י-ה‎, i.e. not at the tetragram, as that name of G’d ‎had not become involved with the fate of that nation. The word ‎יד‎ ‎in that verse, as always when it appears in connection with G’d is ‎an allusion to G’d’s loving kindness. The word ‎כס‎ describes the ‎Divine chariot, or “throne.” While G’d is involved in the ongoing ‎war against Amalek, ‎מלחמה‎, His attribute of ‎חסד‎ remains totally ‎uninvolved. ‎