Chasidut su Isaia 49:63

And Adonai spoke to Moses, saying: “Lift up the head of the children of Gershon, them as well, by their fathers’ house [by their families] etc. (Num. 4:21-22). And we must understand what is meant by saying: it presents no problem with respect to mitzvot, since it makes sense to say that the explanation is that Moses should say to Israel; but here, [God’s instruction] is for Moses alone! And furthermore the Torah is eternal and relevant in every time, for otherwise it would be, God forbid, merely stories from past times; and if that were the case why would it be called “Torah” which connotes Instruction and Guidance [hora’at derekh], since it instructs [morah] and teaches us the way of God — but what Instruction and Guidance is here? But it is written, attach to Him (Deut. 11:22), which our Sages of Blessed Memory interpreted: “How is it possible to attach to Blessed God, when He is a Consuming Fire?” and it is written in the Holy Zohar, “A Fire which consumes all the fires in the world” (III:62a); and if so, how is it possible for Flesh and Blood to attach to such a God? Rather, [the verse means] attach to God’s attributes: just as He is merciful, so you should be merciful, etc. (cf. Rashi, loc. cit.). And we must understand: How does this answer his question? While it is true that a person could attach to God’s attributes, in the verse it says, attach to Him! But in truth the answer is that Blessed God gave us the Torah so a person would be able to attach to Blessed God; for how [else] would it be possible for a person who is bounded and limited to attach to Blessed God, who is without limit, since He has no beginning and no end? Therefore Blessed God gave us the Torah and contracted himself (as if it were possible) into our Holy Torah so that in his attaching to the Torah, it happens that he is attached to Blessed God who dwells within the Torah. And this is the statement of our Sages of Blessed Memory, “Attach to God’s attributes,” meaning to the Torah; for the Torah is interpreted through thirteen [methodological] attributes, such as “from one premise to another,” “from a similar phrase,” etc.,1 and these are precisely the thirteen attributes [of God], “merciful and compassionate” etc. So when a person attaches to the Torah he attaches to Blessed God who dwells within the Torah. And so according to this it would be very easy for a person to attach to Blessed God, meaning through his attaching to the letters of the Torah and Prayer which are the Capabilities of the Blessed Creator who dwells within them; but there are Foreign Thoughts which come and confuse him at the time when he is engaged in Torah and Prayer. So what can one do about this? One must ask the advice of the Torah, since the Torah gives us advice about this. For a person must understand the matter of the Foreign Thoughts: are they not Letters which have fallen? For no thought could exist without Letters, and the Foreign Thoughts are also Letters, but they have fallen because of his own actions. And therefore when he comes to attach to Blessed God, they also come so that he can elevate them. But a Foreign Thought does not come, God forbid, to confuse him, and he must elevate them to their Root. And this is what the Torah tells us in pleasant words: Lift up the head, which is to say that your should lift up and elevate א"ת, which are the twenty-two letters from aleph to tav; elevate them to the Head and the First who is the Blessed Creator. For all the words of the Torah and Prayer, they are all combinations of Letters: when you join together vav-yud-dalet-bet-resh it makes the word vayedaber; all the words are all combinations of Letters and one must elevate the Letters to their Roots. And if you do this then the children of Gershon, the Letters which fell and were banished [nitgarshu], they too will rise to their fathers’ house, they being Abraham who was the attribute of Mercy and Love; and the Fear of Isaac, who was the attribute of Reverence; and Israel, in whom I will be glorified (Isaiah 49:3) who was the attribute of Glory. That is, when a person leans and prays with Reverence and Love in order to Glorify his Creator by the Name of His Glorious Sovereignty, then the Letters go up there Above to the Fathers as has been explained. To their families, to their Attachments as in put me, please (1 Sam. 2:36). But how does one do all this? King Solomon, peace be upon him, explained it as Whatever your hand is capable of doing (Ecclesiastes 9:10) which is to say in whatever way you want to do Blessed God’s Will, do it with strength, you must do it with strength; meaning that when you put all your strength and your life-force into the Letters of the Torah and Prayer, through this you will elevate them to their Root, to the Blessed Creator.

Let us proceed to explain some aspects about Yitzchok’s and ‎Rivkah’s marital union and its implications. We must take note ‎that the marital unions of the patriarchs and their details have ‎been described in the Torah, with the exception of the union of ‎Avram and Sarai at the time. Seeing that at the time Avram ‎married Sarai he was not yet a founding father of the Jewish ‎nation, the Torah did not see fit to give us any details about that ‎union and how it came about. We have explained previously that ‎names reflect the soul’s origin, so that when both Avram’s and ‎Sarai’s names were changed they also experienced a change in ‎their souls. The union of Avram and Sarai had not produced any ‎offspring, and until both their names were changed by Divine ‎decree they could not become patriarchs and matriarchs, ‎respectively. This leaves us with the question why the names of ‎Yitzchok and Rivkah were not changed so that they would not ‎have become parents of an Esau? Avraham’s name was changed in ‎order that his attribute of ‎חסד‎ could take root in the world and ‎enable him to be active spreading this virtue. By doing this he ‎incidentally illuminated the world with some of the Divine light ‎that had been withheld since Adam’s sin. We have explained ‎previously that this Divine light, brightness, cannot be allowed to ‎keep on getting stronger without endangering the existence of ‎the human race while man had not kept pace with the spiritual ‎growth needed to tolerate these infusions of Divine light. It was ‎Yitzchok’s task to preserve the limitation of this accomplishment ‎of his father Avraham without endangering his achievements by ‎recklessly leading where his contemporaries could not follow and ‎keep in step. This is why his name, as opposed to that of his ‎father or his son Yaakov, was never changed. Just as G’d had to ‎impose limitations on Himself before becoming active in a ‎material world, so Avram before becoming active as a patriarch, ‎had to impose limitations on himself. The name ‎אברם‎, “a ‎towering personality in lofty regions,” was appropriate as long as ‎he had not been charged with spreading monotheism through his ‎loving concern for his fellow throughout the regions in which he ‎would sojourn. Once this became his primary task, the name ‎change from ‎אברם‎ to ‎אברהם‎, i.e. “father of many (terrestrial) ‎nations,” and mirrored his becoming more effective in our ‎terrestrial regions. He himself could not produce personal issue ‎until he had begun the task assigned to him on earth. Yaakov, ‎who as we explained, represented a fusion of the attributes of his ‎father and his grandfather, had his name changed to Israel, when ‎he had matured to the point of representing this meld of loving ‎kindness on the one hand, and awe of G’d on the other.
‎[No other patriarch is quoted as having been “afraid” as many ‎times as Yaakov, in spite of his having received more assurances ‎from G’d than either his father or grandfather. Ed.]‎
Whereas Avraham, after having had his name changed, is ‎never again referred to as Avram, and according to halachah ‎it is inadmissible for us nowadays to refer to him by his original ‎name, Yaakov received an “additional” name, his original name ‎not having been uprooted and the prophets throughout the ‎generations repeatedly referring to him by that name. The fact ‎that he was able to sire all the 12 tribes before having had the ‎name Yisrael added to his name, is proof that his name change ‎was of a different kind from that of Avram’s becoming Avraham. ‎Yaakov’s combining the attributes of ‎חסד‎ and ‎גבורה‎, did not need ‎to be renamed for the sake of achieving ‎צמצום‎, voluntary ‎restriction of some of his natural initiatives. When the angel ‎informed him that henceforth the name Israel would be added to ‎his original name (Genesis 32,28) this was in recognition of ‎Yaakov’s ability to function on both “wavelengths, i.e. he could ‎keep in check his tendency to practice ‎חסד‎ as well as his tendency ‎to be in awe of G’d, ‎גבורה, דין‎ as the occasion demanded. We can ‎best understand this when picturing a father who, when ‎displaying his love for a young child, has to keep in check that ‎this intellect tells him that he is wasting valuable time “playing,” ‎during which he could perform other tasks whose usefulness ‎would be apparent to all. By knowing when to use the instrument ‎of tzimtzum, he pleases the Creator so much that the ‎prophet Isaiah 49,3 quotes G’d as saying of Israel: ‎ישראל אשר בך ‏אתפאר‎, “Israel through you I am glorified.” [I have occasionally ‎paraphrased the author’s words in the preceding paragraph. Ed.]‎‎

Another approach to help us understand the line ‎ועשית בגדי ‏קודש לאהרן אחיך לכבוד ולתפארת‎: We know that of the twelve ‎months of the year 6 months belong to the season known as ‎‎“winter”, whereas the other 6 months are known as “summer.” ‎The twelve months correspond to the 12 lunar cycles each of ‎which is identified by star patterns described as ‎מזלות‎, ‎‎“constellation of stars in the sky.” Each month another one of ‎these constellations carries out its assigned tasks. The twelve ‎constellations may be summed up as 6 holy attributes, part of the ‎mystical ‎אור ישר ואור חוזר‎, “direct light emanating from the ‎source, and reflected light carrying the spiritual input by the ‎creatures who had encountered it. The six holy attributes are: 1) ‎man’s love for his Creator, and his desire to serve Him out of love ‎so as to provide Him with pleasure from His creatures. 2) The awe ‎in which man holds G’d; his dread of transgressing rules that ‎outlaw certain activities and defy His wishes. 3) the glory of G’d ‎that man must experience when he sees how G’d “boasts” of ‎man’s good deeds, compare Isaiah 49,3: ‎עבדי אתה ישראל אשר בך ‏אתפאר‎, “You are My servant Israel in whom I glory.” 4+5) the ‎faith Israel displays. These are two virtues, even though they ‎have a common heading. [The author had on a previous ‎occasion distinguished between faith which is totally oblivious of ‎any advantage one might personally gain from it, and faith which ‎is tied to certainty that G’d will reward one tangibly. Ed.] ‎‎6) The attribute of negating self interest by linking oneself ‎unreservedly to G’d and being completely content with whatever ‎it is that He has in mind for him.‎
The 12 constellations are represented in the gemstones of the ‎breastplate of the High Priest where they symbolize the 12 tribes ‎of the Jewish people, the holy nation.‎
The month of Adar corresponds to the tribe of Joseph ‎from whom 2 of the twelve tribes emerged. This is why when ‎there is a need to insert an extra month in the calendar to ‎compensate for the 11 days plus, that the lunar “year” is shorter ‎than the solar year, this month appears in our calendar as both ‎Adar I and Adar II. The appropriate zodiac sign for this month is ‎therefore that of ‎דגים‎, fish, which are a symbol of fertility as we ‎know from Genesis 48,16 where Yaakov blessed Joseph by ‎predicting that his sons’ offspring would be as numerous as that ‎of fish. Another example of Joseph’s numerous offspring is ‎alluded to in the words ‎בן פרת יוסף‎ “Joseph is a fruitful son.” ‎Genesis 49,22. Just as fish are safe from the evil eye, seeing they ‎are not visible on the earth’s surface, swimming beneath the ‎surface of the oceans, so the Talmud in B’rachot 20 ‎understands the words ‎עלי עין‎, in the same verse as the protection ‎afforded Joseph’s offspring from the potential damage from the ‎evil eye of people envious of them.‎
When the letters of the word ‎דג‎, “fish” are inverted, the result ‎is ‎גד‎, a word related to ‎מזל‎ in the sense of good fortune. (compare ‎Talmud Shabbat 67) There the sages accuse people who wish ‎themselves “that their mazzal, ‎גד‎ (protective star), not be ‎tired either by day of by night,” as uttering idolatrous phrases. In ‎the case of Joseph, whose two sons were called ‎מנשה‎ and ‎אפרים‎ ‎respectively, the former is an allusion to historically negative ‎phenomena, whereas the word ‎אפרים‎ is symbolic of historically ‎favourable occurrences. Joseph already presaged this when ‎naming his sons (Genesis 41,51-52) when he saw in the birth of ‎his first son a reminder of his years of suffering, whereas he ‎predicted a better future as being associated with the birth of his ‎second son. The month of Adar similarly symbolizes hard times ‎for the Jewish people during the first half, until after the 14th ‎when the nation during the reign of Ahasverus had been saved ‎from Haman’s wicked plots.
According to the Talmud Shabbat 104, where ‎positioning of the letters and its symbolic significance is ‎discussed, the symbolism of the letters of the Jewish calendar ‎telling us something through the sequence in which they appear, ‎our sages see in the sequence ‎גד‎ an abbreviation of the words ‎גומל ‏דלים‎, “G’d at work in reversing the fate of the poor, (Jews in ‎exile)” The letter ‎ד‎ is understood to refer to the initial ‎subjugation of the Jewish people, whereas the letter ‎ג‎ is ‎understood as the subsequent turn for the better in the fortunes ‎of this people. This is used as a reversal of the normal ‎interpretation of such pairings of letters when the letter that is ‎later in the alphabet appearing first, is considered as a bad omen. ‎It was reserved for G’d to demonstrate that when He, as opposed ‎to astrological factors, i.e. mazzal, is involved, He can ‎reverse the predictions of the astrologers based on idolatry. ‎Besides, we must never forget that even when G’d subjects us to ‎harsh measures, the ultimate objective is to bring about our ‎repentance and subsequent redemption. The Purim story is the ‎best example of this, although it was unique in that not a hair of ‎a single Jew was touched on that occasion, the disaster having ‎been warded off by the people’s repentance in time.‎

Regarding the verse (Vayikra 25:55) “The Children of Israel are servants to Me; they are my servants…” My claim came before [any other claim]. This is still true today, for according to the level at which one accepts the yoke of Heaven, enslavement to governments is removed, as our sages have taught (Avot 3:5), “One who accepts the yoke of Torah, has the yoke of government removed.” There are also roles of servant and child… [The roles of servant and child] parallel the aspects of Torah and commandments, for one who engages in Torah [as a child of G-d] is free. (Avot 6:2) However, everyone must accept the yoke of Heaven and of commandments upon themselves [as a servant]. This is the meaning of the verse, “They are My servants”, as it is written “Israel, in whom I am glorified.” (Isaiah 49:3) It is glorious for G-d when Israel accepts servitude to Him, despite being His children. It is not only praise of Israel, but it is also true testimony to the Creator… There are always levels of servant and child, servant and child, in that the greater one’s grasp of the secrets of the King [as G-d’s child], the more one lowers one’s self to accept the yoke of Heaven as a servant. Consequently, one merits to see and grasp, as a child, and then one returns to being a servant… In Nisan, we become free and receive the yoke of Heaven. All the days of the Sefirah, we are like servants, doing His will, until we achieve seven complete weeks, which is the oath we swore and in which we have stood since Mount Sinai. We then merit on Shavuot to receive the Torah, like children who search through the vaults of the king. However, we then return to being servants, which is Sukkot, when we return and repent on Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur, and accept the yoke of Heaven anew, which is the glory mentioned above, as the Holy One finds glory in them…Similarly, daily, one accepts the yoke of Heaven [as a servant] in the morning and thereby merits Torah [as a child] according to his level. And at night, one returns to accept the yoke of Heaven. And the level of the “second servant” is greater, as can be understood.

On the subject of the connection of faith, the Zohar writes (Beshalach, 52b): Rabbi Yehuda said in the name of Rabbi Yitzchak, Pharaoh was smarter than all the sorcerers of his day. He looked into all of the crowns (Sefirot) and all of the knowledge, and didn’t see any sign of the Israel’s redemption. He did not see that the redemption was hinged on any of these crowns. However, though he looked into all the ways that Israel was connected to God, he failed to see the other connection – the connection of faith, which rules over all. For this reason his heart was hardened. Pharaoh knew that there was no place in the realm of Divine service³⁴⁶That is, within the created world, everything “under heaven,” as opposed to the level prior to creation, which he could not perceive. where Israel could overpower him. From this, he understood that he was given the authority to rule over them, enslaving Israel in their bodies and souls, and subjugating them to harsh labor. It is explained how he gradually accustomed the Israelites to ever greater levels of slavery, until they were thoroughly entrenched in bondage. This is as it is written in the Midrash (Mechilta Yitro 1), “No slave could ever escape from Egypt, because Egypt was filled with all the most powerful of worldly delights, to the point where it was more comfortable to be a slave in Egypt than a lord in another country.” In this way, he ruled over their minds and intellect.³⁴⁷It may be implied by this that even the Israelites themselves could not that escape from Egypt was possible, or even desirable – their minds and hearts having been so thoroughly enslaved. What they, and Pharaoh, did not realize is that Israel is connect to G-d on a level that transcends the intellect and the natural order - that is the dimension of faith and miracles. For this reason, he asserted that there was no way they could arouse the root of their souls in order to pray to God for deliverance, and as a result, God’s compassion would not be aroused to redeem them. To this, the Zohar responds, “He did not see the other connection – the connection of faith, which rules over all. ” All of the connection between Israel and God is through prayer and Divine service.³⁴⁸The author refers here to the revealed connection between Israel and G-d; not that of faith, which is concealed to the intellect. And all Divine service and prayer that is within man’s conscious grasp is only within the inclusion and unification of God’s revealed attributes (sefirot), as King David listed them when he said (Divrei HaYamim 1, 29), “Unto You, God, is the greatness, the strength, the splendor, the victory , and the majesty. For all that is in heaven and earth is Yours. Yours, G-d, is the kingdom; and You are exalted over all.”³⁴⁹In this verse, King David alludes to the seven lower sefirot, from hesed to yesod: Greatness - hesed; strength - gevurah; , splendor - tiferet; victory - netzah; majesty - Hod; all - Yesod; kingdom - Malkhut. This is explained in the Sifri, on the verse (Devarim, 11), “If you keep all these commandments that I command you to do, to love the Lord, your God, to walk in all His ways, and to cleave to Him.” Is it possible for man to cleave to God? asks the Sifri? Is it not written that God is a consuming fire? But the answer is: You should cleave to God’s attributes. Just as God is merciful, so you should be merciful (and in this way you cleave to Him).³⁵⁰The author is relying upon an implicit connection between the Divine attributes of loving-kindness, compassion, etc, their human parallels, and the sefirot. The seven lower sefirot are “revealed” – that is, their influence can be felt in the world. When man serves G-d by actualizing these potencies within himself (loving-kindness, mercy), so he clings to the supernal manifestation of these attributes. However, there are worlds far higher than these attributes, to which a human being cannot consciously connect to. Due to man’s limited knowledge, his Divine service only reaches these revealed attributes, which are included under the aegis of Tiferet (splendor), the Sefirah which contains the six lower attributes, which is also called Zeir Anpin (the microprosopus, or the “small face”). This attribute is Israel’s connection,³⁵¹Tiferet is in the center of the middle column and connects to all of the six lower Sefirot: Hesed is to its upper right; Gevurah, its upper left; Nezah, at the lower right, Hod, at the lower left, and Yesod directly below, on the middle column. for through Tiferet, Israel is called, “my firstborn son Israel” (Shemot, 4:). As it is written in the Zohar (Balak, 191b): The secret of the matter is the secret above, “What is his name and what is his son’s name that I should know him?” (Mishlei, 30:4). His name is known, and it is Hashem Tziva’ot (the Lord of Hosts). His son’s name is Israel, as it is written, “My firstborn son Israel.” All of the keys of faith depend on Israel, who takes pride in this and says (Tehillim, 2), “God said to me, you are My son.” It is certainly like this, in that Abba and Imma³⁵²“Father and Mother” – the supernal constellations of sefirot that correspond to Hokhmah and Binah. crowned their son and blessed him with many blessings, telling him and commanding him for everything. They kissed their son’s hand, as it were, and gave him dominion over all, that all should serve him. It is also written in the Zohar (Yitro, 79a), And how does the verse end? “What is his name and what is his son’s name that I should know him?” He told him the secret of this matter. It is written, “My firstborn son Israel,” and it is written (Yeshayahu), “Israel, I shall pride Myself in you.” His name is Hokhmah (wisdom), and His son’s name is Tiferet (Adornment, Pride).³⁵³Here, the Zohar links the supernal persona of Israel to the sefirah of Tiferet, which is connected to Hokhmah, a higher sefirah, representing the Divine.

“And Zion said, "The Lord has forsaken me, and the Lord has forgotten me." (Is. 49:14) The language of abandonment is applicable to one whose love from the start was unconnected to any favor done them and now no longer recalls their original love. This is what abandonment means – why have you abandoned your love? The language of forgetting is applicable to one who received a favor but does not recall what was done. This is when the word forgetting is relevant – why do you forget the good I did for you? No particular characteristic is related to the four-letter name of Gd, blessed be He and blessed be His name, ‘because He and His Name are one’ (Zohar haKadosh I 7b), while the Name of mastery (adonay) indicates the attribute of kingship (Zohar haKadosh III 11a). The attribute of kingship comes to be through Israel who accepted the Torah and accepted the yoke of His kingship upon themselves, because there is no king without a people. So we find that through Israel’s acceptance of the yoke of His kingship they are the cause, so to speak, for His name of adonay which indicates kingship. Therefore the language of forgetting is rightly connected to this name (in the verse) – why do you not recall the good I did when I crowned you upon me king? But the four-lettered name indicates His essence, blessed be He, and in truth He created all the worlds out of a love for Israel. Therefore the language of abandonment is rightly connected this name (in the verse) – why do you abandon your love of old? This is why it is written ‘And Zion said that HaShem abandoned me’ as if to ask the four-lettered name, who loves Israel, why have you abandoned your love? And the name adonay indicates the attribute of kingship, which I caused when I accepted the yoke of your kingship. Why have You forgotten the good which I did, because through my hands You are addressed in the attribute of kingship, because there is no king without a people. This is why it is written ‘adonay forgot me,’ why do you forget the good I have done?

Genesis ‎8,21. ‎“He smelled the pleasing odour, ‎etc;” The Baal Haturim mentions that the expression ‎וירח ‏את ריח הניחוח‎, “he smelled a pleasing odour,” occurs only here and ‎when Yitzchok smelled what he thought were Esau’s garments in ‎Genesis 27,27. On the face of it, the comparison appears strange. ‎The Talmud (Sanhedrin 37), throws light on this by ‎suggesting that instead of reading the word ‎בגדיו‎ in Genesis 27,27 ‎we should read it as ‎בוגדיו‎, “its traitors, deviationists,” and the ‎message is that in the future, even such people will please G’d by ‎their actions. In Esau’s case, the deferential manner in which he ‎addressed his father entitled him to be described in such ‎complimentary terms. Noach’s deference before G’d, (when he ‎could have asked G’d embarrassing questions about finding the ‎earth in ruins) elicited this positive response by G’d. G’d Himself ‎testified to this at the end of this verse (acknowledging the fact ‎that man, having been born with an evil urge, was predisposed to ‎do evil), hence, if he nonetheless decides to follow the path of ‎goodness, thereby defeating the evil urge within him, this is a ‎major moral achievement.
The author, quoting his father (if I understand correctly) ‎traces the source of this pleasing odour, ‎הניחוח‎, to pleasurable ‎experiences by man on earth, (as opposed to spiritual ‎experiences). If man can sublimate these pleasurable experiences ‎to reinforce him in his service of the Lord, then G’d can truly ‎‎“boast” of him as we read in Isaiah 49,3 ‎ישראל אשר בך אתפאר‎, ‎‎“Israel, I can glory in you.” The author continues by quoting ‎Rabbi Dov Baer of Mezeritch, as tracing the word ‎אתפאר‎, to the ‎word ‎תפר‎, describing the first garments Adam and Chavah made ‎themselves from fig leaves to cover their nudity. (Genesis 3,7) “A ‎pleasant smell” originating from appropriate clothing, is ‎therefore the most ancient method of ingratiating oneself with ‎G’d after one has fallen out of favour. Pleasant smells as a source ‎of pleasure are familiar to us all, and describing G’d’s reactions to ‎man’s good deeds in such terms is not at all far-fetched. “Clothes” ‎has long been a simile for the deeds of people wearing them, ‎whether good or evil; it is therefore appropriate that when the ‎Torah describes these clothes in complimentary terms, i.e. as ‎pleasing, the reference is to the good deeds performed by the ‎people so described.‎

Exodus 8,5.Moses said to Pharaoh: ‎‎‘you may brag concerning me, ‘for when shall I ‎pray on your behalf, etc;?” ‎ויאמר למחר, ויאמר כדבריך ‏למען תדע כי אין כה' אלוקינו‎ “He said: ‘for tomorrow!” ‎He replied: ‘just as you have said, so that you ‎will know that there is no-one comparable to the ‎Lord our G’d.’” It is worth noting that after the fourth ‎plague, (the third not having been announced ‎beforehand) in announcing the forthcoming plague, ‎‎(Exodus 8,18) G’d uses the expression: ‎והפלאתי‎ when ‎announcing beforehand that the wild beasts will not ‎invade the land of Goshen, the home of most of the ‎Children of Israel. At that point, Moses adds to his ‎warning: “in order that you will know that there is no-‎one comparable to Me on the whole Earth.” A similar ‎statement appears before the onset of the plague of ‎hail, (9,14) and prior to Moses leaving the boundaries ‎of the land of Egypt in order to pray to G’d to bring the ‎plague of hail to a conclusion. (Exodus 9,29) Moses ‎adds that his objective is to demonstrate to Pharaoh ‎that the globe is G’d’s property, ‎‏ למען תדע כי לה' הארץ‎. We ‎need to examine why G’d chose to use different ‎reasons for the onset or removal of the various ‎plagues we quoted.‎
With G’d’s help we hope to clarify the reasons ‎behind these various nuances that appear so ‎significant that the Torah bothers to list them ‎individually.‎
The Zohar, in commenting on the verse: ‎אני ‏ראשון ואני אחרון ומבלעדי אין אלוקים‎, “I am the first and I am ‎the last and apart from Me there is no Divine ‎power,”(Isaiah 44,6) sees in that verse a synopsis of the ‎functions of certain vowels (all three are dots but ‎placed on top, in the middle, or beneath the ‎consonants) If the dot is on top of the letter, as in the ‎חולם‎, it refers to the ability of the Tzaddikim to ‎cause decrees by the attribute of Justice to be ‎converted to decrees dominated by the attribute of ‎Mercy, the reason being that the concept of the Jewish ‎nation had preceded the concept of creating a physical ‎universe in G’d’s mind. The same dot appearing in the ‎middle of the letter, known as ‎שורוק‎, alludes to G’d’s ‎intervention in the affairs of man in a covert manner, ‎as He did during the period of Mordechai and Esther. ‎Finally, the dot appearing beneath the letter, known as ‎חיריק‎, alludes to the period of the wars preceding the ‎arrival of the messiah when G’d will become manifest ‎by His literally “turning the world upside down”, ‎pouring out the wicked, who at that time will finally ‎recognize His might in all its glory. The author derives ‎all of this from the concise comments of the ‎‎Zohar on the verse we quoted from Isaiah ‎‎44,6. ‎

Exodus 12,9. “head, legs, and ‎entrails.”We have a rule according to which the various parts ‎of the human body symbolize attributes of G’d in ‎heaven. The legs symbolize the attribute of ‎אמונה‎, ‎‎“faithfulness,” a virtue that comprises two “branches.” ‎It describes man’s absolute faith that G’d preceded ‎anything else in the universe, and that it is He Who ‎brought all the various universes into existence.
The second basic act of faith required of every Jew ‎is that he realizes that he is a member of the people ‎whom G’d has chosen as specifically His. Every Israelite ‎must be aware that due to this special status of ours, ‎G’d is desirous to carry out our wishes as expressed in ‎our prayers to Him. These two aspects of the holy ‎covenant between G’d and the Jewish people are ‎symbolized in our bodies by our two legs, the limbs ‎that we stand on.‎
The torso, ‎גוף‎, central part of our body, symbolizes ‎תפארת‎, that each one of us must strive to conduct our ‎lives in a manner that reflects glory on the Creator of ‎the human race. The prophet Isaiah 49,3 referred to ‎this when he said, quoting G’d: ‎ישראל אשר בך אתפאר‎, ‎‎“Israel, in you I can glory.”‎
The two hands symbolize our dual relationship to ‎G’d based on ‎אהבה ויראה‎, “love and reverence.” The right ‎hand symbolizes love, whereas the left hand (arm), ‎symbolizes the reverence aspect of this relationship.‎
The two hands symbolize our dual relationship to ‎G’d based on ‎אהבה ויראה‎, “love and reverence.” The right ‎hand symbolizes love, whereas the left hand (arm), ‎symbolizes the reverence aspect of this relationship.‎

‎Genesis 50,19. “Joseph said to them: ‘do not fear‎‏ ‏for ‎I am in place of G’d.’” According to Onkelos the meaning of ‎this line is: “since G’d when He performs an act that appears to us ‎as evil, although He knows that it will turn out for our benefit, I, ‎if I were to be instead of G’d, I would have to perform a similar act ‎against you. Since it is not within man’s power to foresee how his ‎actions will turn out in the end, I am obviously not entitled to do ‎something that begins by being harmful.”‎
Looking at the plain meaning of the text it is difficult to ‎understand Onkelos.‎
Perhaps we have to fall back on the principle that every ‎human being, as part of his character, (virtues) must endeavour ‎to maintain close relations with his Creator. This involves a ‎degree of awe and reverence for the Creator to be present in his ‎mind at all times. It also presumes that he is imbued with a ‎degree of love for his Creator, as he contemplates the greatness of ‎G’d. He is obligated to do this if for no other reason than G’d has ‎performed so many more deeds of loving kindness for the Jewish ‎people than He has performed for any other nation. The same is ‎true for other attributes of G’d that have been of benefit to us on ‎numerous occasions. The sum total of such a relationship ‎between us, the creature, and the Creator, makes this an ‎עולם ‏האמת‎, a world in which truth is predominant. Once we appreciate ‎this we can understand the Talmud in Megillah 18 in which ‎the rhetorical question is posed of how we know that G’d had ‎referred to Yaakov by the title ‎א-ל‎, a name used for referring to ‎Him on many occasions? ‎
The foregoing will also help us understand what the Talmud ‎meant when it described G’d as having built and destroyed worlds ‎on a regular basis before He commenced with the construction of ‎the universe described in Bereshit. The Talmud in Baba ‎Batra 75 tells us that just as G’d has been building worlds, so ‎the righteous, in a future, refined world, will also “build worlds;” ‎not only that but they will be given titles used by G’d to describe ‎Himself. The ministering angels when meeting up with these ‎righteous will address them as “your holiness.” Although such ‎statements first strike us as bordering on blasphemy, when we ‎consider that these “righteous people” have already acquired ‎many of G’d’s own attributes, it is not difficult to understand the ‎Talmudic references to the future better state of the world at all.‎
If man has not attained the level of perfection described in ‎the last few lines, then instead of being accorded titles that he can ‎share with G’d, he remains below that spiritual level; this is why ‎Joseph asks his brothers if they have such a low opinion of him ‎that he is ‎תחת אלוקים‎, “beneath the level of minimal perfection” ‎described in the Talmud, so that he would be capable of dealing ‎on a basis of revenge with them.‎
If man has not attained the level of perfection described in ‎the last few lines, then instead of being accorded titles that he can ‎share with G’d, he remains below that spiritual level; this is why ‎Joseph asks his brothers if they have such a low opinion of him ‎that he is ‎תחת אלוקים‎, “beneath the level of minimal perfection” ‎described in the Talmud, so that he would be capable of dealing on ‎a basis of revenge with them.‎