Chasidut su Genesi 49:9
גּ֤וּר אַרְיֵה֙ יְהוּדָ֔ה מִטֶּ֖רֶף בְּנִ֣י עָלִ֑יתָ כָּרַ֨ע רָבַ֧ץ כְּאַרְיֵ֛ה וּכְלָבִ֖יא מִ֥י יְקִימֶֽנּוּ׃
Qual giovine leone egli è Giuda - tu ritorni [illeso], figliuol mio, dopo aver fatto preda - egli si piega, si corica, a guisa di leone, o di leonessa, e chi lo farebbe alzare?
Kedushat Levi
Genesis 49,9., “Yehudah is like a lion’s whelp; you have grown from merely capturing prey, my son.” Rashi’s commentary on this verse draws attention to the fact that in the first half Yehudah is described as גור אריה, “an immature lion”, (as in Samuel II,5,2 describing David, while King Sha-ul was still alive, whereas later on when he was on the throne he is described as אריה, a fully mature lion).
We have explained repeatedly, that the principal purpose of the Jewish people having been sent into exile is to “save” some of the “sparks” that had descended from the “Shechinah” so that they could return to their celestial habitat. [Compare reference to this concept on pages 21-22. Ed.] As soon as this purpose of the exile will have been accomplished, and, as a result, evil will have been expunged from our regions, seeing that had it not been for Adam’s sin, it would never have been possible to feel “at home” on earth, the final redemption will follow in its wake.
We have explained repeatedly, that the principal purpose of the Jewish people having been sent into exile is to “save” some of the “sparks” that had descended from the “Shechinah” so that they could return to their celestial habitat. [Compare reference to this concept on pages 21-22. Ed.] As soon as this purpose of the exile will have been accomplished, and, as a result, evil will have been expunged from our regions, seeing that had it not been for Adam’s sin, it would never have been possible to feel “at home” on earth, the final redemption will follow in its wake.
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Kedushat Levi
An alternate explanation of the line commencing with: גור אריה יהודה מטרף בני עלית. We base this on a statement of our sages in Midot 4,7 where the Mishnah says: “just as a lion is broad in front and narrow in its rear, so the main structure of the Holy Temple, the one known as היכל, Sanctuary, was broad at its entrance, whereas the two Sanctuaries, including the קדשי קדשים at the rear of the structure, was narrow.” The symbolism derived from this appearance of the Temple is that when G’d appears to shower the gentile nations with all kinds of material blessings, the reason is that He wishes to reward them for whatever good they have done while on earth before they die, so that He does not have to recompense them in the Hereafter. The very opposite is the case in G’d’s relations with the Jewish people. G’d wishes to store up as much of the reward due to his faithful Jews for the Hereafter as is compatible with their lives on earth remaining tolerable. When Yaakov says to Yehudah that he had arisen, i.e. done repentance from his misguided treatment of his brother Joseph whom he had treated as if he were the loot captured in a hunt, this assured him of ample reward in the hereafter. We have confirmation of that concept when the Talmud in B’rachot 34 states that the ethical platform occupied by repentant sinners is far higher than the platform occupied by people who have never sinned, and who therefore never had to repent.
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