Chasidut su I Samuele 9:78

If we see in the words of our masters that the words of the prophet were ‘to teach repentance and instruction,’ one could erroneously think that the prophet was merely one who rebuked. Even in yesteryear, during the times of the prophets themselves, when people beheld the(se) ‘pillars of fire’¹⁷⁷That is, the prophets. before them and the flames of God flowing from the mouths of these holy ones—we see that the people nonetheless called the prophets by terms reflective of their utility. As the verse puts it, “for the prophet today used to be called the seer” (I Samuel 9:9). Why would one call him a seer when the Torah preceded him to call him a prophet, as in “I will establish a prophet?” The answer is, simply, that the names and terms we use cannot convey anything beyond the boundaries of human utility or sensory perception. After all, an angel [malakh] is referred to as such due to its function as a messenger, not according to its essential nature. The soul [neshamah] is referred to as such after the breath (see Rashi to Genesis 7:22).¹⁷⁸Genesis 7:22 reads: “All in whose nostrils was nishmat ruakh hayim beapaiv (the merest breath of life-JPS), all that was on dry land, died.” In some versions of Rashi’s commentary here, the term ‘nishmat’ is rendered ‘neshimah shel’, ‘the breath of,’ rather than ‘the soul of.’ R. Shapiro cites this as evidence that the soul is called the neshamah because of its association with the breath rather than as a true descriptor of its metaphysical essence. For we have no name for the essence of the angel nor the essence of the soul. So too, the term ‘prophet’ does not describe the essence of the prophet but merely that God has spoken with him (despite the biblical reference to a prophet as “man of God,” [see Berakha 1¹⁷⁹The reference is to Deuteronomy 33:1, the beginning of Parshat Vzot haBerakhah. and several times in Kings¹⁸⁰E.g. I Kings 13:1.], the Targum always translates “man of God” functionally, as “prophet of God”). Therefore the people named them (the prophets) in correlation to their needs, alternating their titles according to the functions which the prophets performed more frequently: when the prophets were primarily teaching Israel repentance and issuing instruction, they called them neviim, from the language of “niv sefatayim”¹⁸¹“Expressions of the mouth.” (Rashi to Exodus 7:10), and when they more often told the future and provided for other needs, they were called seers. “For the prophet today used to be called the seer”-i.e. the people called them as such.¹⁸²That is, these were colloquial nomenclature, not proper names.

Numbers 2,49 ‎, “but do not count the tribe of Levi as ‎an integral part of the Children of Israel.” The Torah consists ‎of 248 positive commandments and 365 negative commandments ‎which between them represent a variety of lights, whereas the ‎Tabernacle represents spiritual lights condensed within it so that ‎they do not harm human beings by blinding them. The Israelites ‎are also each considered as a light seeing that each represents one ‎of the letters in the Torah. We have a rule that whenever 613 ‎physical lights are present they must be matched by an equal ‎number of spiritual lights so that they can combine in the service ‎of the Lord. These latter “lights” are called ‎אברים הרוחניים‎, “the ‎‎248 spiritualized limbs and 365 spiritualized tendons.” When the ‎Creator dispenses of His largesse, He does so via these ‎spiritualized limbs and tendons.‎
Some human beings can become only passive recipients of ‎spiritualized light, whereas others are able to “see” how the ‎largesse from G’d progresses from the spiritual domain to the ‎physical domain. These latter people are called prophets. The ‎prophet Samuel I 9,9, describes this process when he wrote: ‎לפנים ‏בישראל כה אמר האיש בלכתו לדרוש אלוקים לכו ונלכה עד הרואה כי לנביא ‏היום יקרא לפנים הרואה‎, “formerly, in Israel, when a man wanted to ‎seek out the word of G’d, he would say: ‘come let us go to the ‎Seer, for the prophet of today was formerly known as “Seer.’”‎
We also find an allusion to this in Numbers 8,4 where the ‎Torah writes: ‎וזה מעשה המנורה.....כמראה אשר הראה ה' את משה כן עשה ‏את המנורה‎, “and this is how the menorah was ‎made:…….according to the pattern that the Lord had shown ‎Moses so he constructed the menorah.” When the Torah ‎wrote in detail about the construction of the menorah in Exodus ‎chapter 25 and chapter 37, no mention was made of G’d having ‎shown Moses a pattern of this lampstand although the Torah ‎provided extensive descriptions of this lampstand in both of these ‎chapters. In both those chapters the menorah was treated ‎as an integral part of the Tabernacle, and the Tabernacle dealt ‎with abstract spiritual concepts. The menorah per se ‎symbolizes a visual impact of the largesse transferred by G’d from ‎His celestial treasure house to the terrestrial part of the universe. ‎This largesse is in constant motion between the celestial and the ‎terrestrial domains of the universe. The Torah bears witness to ‎the fact that G’d showed this to Moses while he had been on ‎Mount Sinai.‎
Moses was not to count the Levites together with the other ‎Israelites, as the 12 tribes (Israelites) symbolize the abstract ‎spiritual dimension of celestial light, whereas the Levites ‎symbolize transfer of G’d’s largesse from the most high celestial ‎regions to what we have described as the “abstract spiritual” ‎dimension represented by the 12 tribes of Israel.‎
This is also why, when speaking of the process of purifying ‎the Levites the Torah (Numbers 8,7) the Torah speaks of ‎והעבירו ‏תער על כל בשרם‎, “they have to shave off all the hair on their flesh ‎with a razor,” the reason being that “hair” symbolizes clothing, ‎and clothing is something that separates between one’s essence ‎and contact with something from the outside. The Levites were ‎to be as receptive to the emanations from the highest celestial ‎regions as possible [as had been Adam and Eve before they ‎had been provided with clothing, as a result of the barrier their ‎sin had created between them and G’d. Ed.]‎

And this is (Ps. 145:14), “Somekh Hashem lekhol-hanofelim/ Hashem is a support to all the fallen,” who are the aspect of those who have fallen from serving Hashem, and Hashem Yithbarakh supports them and awakens them from sleep through the Tzaddikim of the era, who are the aspect of Dawidh-Mashiach who attained the reversal from the aspect of Nefel to the aspect of long life, to always begin living anew, which this is the aspect of tefillin, the aspect of “Venifliynu” as mentioned. And thereby they enliven and establish all the fallen ones, that they should not be downcast and not despair of the deliverance of their souls, as mentioned. Until they merit to return to Hashem, and then the fall and descent becomes the ultimate ascent. For, the essence of the fall is specifically on account of this, in order that they should begin living anew, as explained elsewhere. That is, that his vitality and brains should begin again and be renewed, which this is the aspect of tefillin, the aspect of “Venifliynu” etc. as mentioned, hence the support of those who have fallen from the service of Hashem, that they should not despair. Rather, they should strengthen themselves anew each time, which this itself is the aspect of Dawidh-Mashiach, who attained the aspect of Nefel being reversed to the aspect of long life, that he should merit to begin to live anew each time, as mentioned. For, for them too the fall and descent becomes the ultimate ascent. As Rabbeinu z”l said elsewhere in LM (#261), that the fact that a man falls from his service, it is from Heaven — for becoming distant is the beginning of drawing close. Therefore he fell in order that he should become more alert, to draw close to Hashem Yithbarakh. And his advice is, “that he should begin anew, entering the service of Hashem as if he has still never begun, and this is a big rule in serving Hashem, that a person needs to really begin anew every day.” Hence specifically through the fall they begin to live anew, which is the aspect of tefillin, as mentioned. Which, this is the aspect of Dawidh’s longevity, which was reversed from Nefel to long life etc. as mentioned. For, all the support of the fallen is through the aforementioned great tzaddikim, who are the aspect of Dawidh-Mashiach, who lived new life at all times. Which, thereby they enliven all the fallen ones, to begin anew from now, and as explained above. And this is the aspect of the Redemption which shall be through Dawidh-Mashiach, who should come soon in our days, and then Kenesseth Yisrael will rise up from their fall, as our rabbis z”l expounded (Berakhoth 5) on this verse — which this is the reason why there is no Nun in Tehillah leDawidh etc. Even so, Dawidh again supported it prophetically [lit. by Ruach haKoshesh/ by the Spirit of the Holy], as it says, ”Somekh Hashem lekhol-hannofelim,” etc. In the West (i.e. Israel) they resolve it [the verse Amos 5:2, Naflah velo-tosif kum, betulath Yisrael/ She is fallen and shall lo longer rise, the virgin of Yisrael] thus: ”Naflah lo-tosif [lipol `od]/ It has fallen but shall no more [fall], Kum/ Rise” etc.! [Berakhoth 4b] For, the entire fall of Kenesseth Yisrael is their falling from their service, God forbid, which the Redemption depends on. For, the Redemption depends on nothing else but Teshuvah/ Return/ Repentance, as our rabbis z"l said (Yoma 80). And therefore the main support of the fall is by Dawidh specifically, who lives the aforementioned long life, as mentioned. Which, thereby he vitalizes, strengthens and supports all the fallen ones, that they should not despair, for Hashem is with them and close to them, in the aspect of, “Al tismechi oyavti li ki nafalti kamti/ Do not rejoice over me, my enemy; though I have fallen [specifically], I shall rise. Ki eshev bechoshekh Hashem owr li/ Though [or “when,” or “because”] I sit in darkness, Hashem is a light unto me” (Mic. 7:8). And then the fall and descent is the ultimate ascent, and is as mentioned. And this is the Kohen haGadol [High Priest] in the Beith haMiqdash praying on Yom haKippurim, “Velo tapil ishah peri bitnah/ And let no woman miscarry the fruit of her womb...” [YK prayer] “Velo ya`adei `avid shultan mideveith Yehudah/ And may there not depart a ruler from the house of Yehudah” [Yoma 53b]. For, he attained the reversal from the aspect of Nefel to the aspect of long life specifically, as mentioned. And therefore the Kohen haGadol would pray on Yom haKippurim this prayer specifically. For, Yom haKippurim is the essence of teshuvah/return, and the essence of teshuvah is to rise up from one’s fall, which is the aspect of Nefel, as mentioned. And to be strong to renew his days, in the aspect of (Lam. 5), “Hashivenu... chadesh yameinu keqedem/ Restore us... make our days new as before” etc. as mentioned, which is the aspect of Dawidh Mashiach’s kingship, as mentioned. Therefore after Yom haKippurim is Sukkoth, which is the aspect of, “Aqim eth-sukath Dawidh hanofeleth/ I will raise up the tabernacle of Dawidh that is fallen” (Amos 9:11), annulling the aspect of the fallen ones’ fall, God have mercy, and instead raising them up and vitalizing them, in the aspect of, “Somekh Hashem lekhol-hannofelim” etc. as mentioned. And therefore after Sukkoth is Shemini `Atzereth, which is the aspect of the Davidic kingship, as written (Sam. I 9:17), “Zeh ya`tzor be`ami/ This one shall have authority over My people,” as Rabbeinu z”l said elsewhere (LM #48), which is when Nuqva is `otzereth/ seizing the droplet so that it does not fall, as written in the Kavanoth, namely, as mentioned above.