Musar su Genesi 49:63

ועשית עמדי חסד ואמת . The main ingredient of חסד, kindness, is that it be performed without expectation of a reward. Only when performed thus is one called generous; otherwise one is simply a trader. There is no greater virtue than that of חסד. This is why a person must train himself to practice this virtue until it becomes second nature to him. Not only should he perform acts of kindness for the dead, but even more so for the living. By doing so he will emulate the virtues practiced by G–d Himself who constantly performs acts of kindness without any thought of compensation. Concerning this David has said in Psalms 63,4: "For truly Your kindness is better than life itself; my lips declare Your praise." David meant that whereas when human beings practice acts of altruistic loving-kindness, this is almost always with the dead. You, G–d, perform deeds of loving-kindness for the living, by the very fact that You grant us our life. What could we possibly do in the way of compensating You!? All we can do is to pay You lip-service, extol Your virtues in song and prayer. Rashi referred to this in his commentary on 49,21, where he interprets the אמרי שפר as an allusion to the song of victory sung by Deborah after Israel defeated Sisera under her leadership. G–d performs the miracles and all we can do in return is to acknowledge them with our lips.

When people pronounce a ban, חרם, on someone or something, they have to be most circumspect even when the ban is in itself of a forbidden nature. One needs to be even more careful when one places someone in a ban in consequence of a permissible legal proceeding. We can examine and learn from the extreme caution practised by Joseph's brothers who entered into a conspiracy of silence not to reveal what had happened to Joseph. The secret was therefore kept. Even G–d Himself did not reveal the secret; the brothers had included Him in those upon whom the vow of silence was imposed. It was only shortly before Jacob's death, when the latter reproved his sons and blessed them, that The Holy Spirit revealed to Jacob what had transpired, so that Jacob might be able to admonish his sons prior to his death. During these blessings, Jacob referred pointedly to Shimon and Levi's part in the maltreatment of Joseph (Genesis 49,6 "they tried to uproot the ox"). When a person is close to death, it is time for him to dispense admonitions as well as blessings. Joseph never told his father that his brothers had sold him.

When people pronounce a ban, חרם, on someone or something, they have to be most circumspect even when the ban is in itself of a forbidden nature. One needs to be even more careful when one places someone in a ban in consequence of a permissible legal proceeding. We can examine and learn from the extreme caution practised by Joseph's brothers who entered into a conspiracy of silence not to reveal what had happened to Joseph. The secret was therefore kept. Even G–d Himself did not reveal the secret; the brothers had included Him in those upon whom the vow of silence was imposed. It was only shortly before Jacob's death, when the latter reproved his sons and blessed them, that The Holy Spirit revealed to Jacob what had transpired, so that Jacob might be able to admonish his sons prior to his death. During these blessings, Jacob referred pointedly to Shimon and Levi's part in the maltreatment of Joseph (Genesis 49,6 "they tried to uproot the ox"). When a person is close to death, it is time for him to dispense admonitions as well as blessings. Joseph never told his father that his brothers had sold him.

Adam ruined this state of affairs by interfering with the סוד היין, the mystical properties of the grapes. [I suppose that this is based on the tree of knowledge having been a grape bearing tree. Ed.] He followed an evil path by squeezing a cluster of grapes (and consuming its juice). Had he not done so, that "wine" would have remained in the state of what our sages call the יין המשומר בענביו, "the wine that remained preserved within its grapes (compare Berachot 34).” In that event he would have been like "the cistern that does not lose a single drop” [hyperbole for total recall, see Avot 2,11. Ed.]. He would have retained all the holiness that had been his when he was created. When Adam sinned, he did not only lose some of his former glory, fall from a "high roof" (to the ground), but he fell into a "very deep pit" (below the ground). This was a בור רק, an empty pit [allusion to the pit Joseph had been thrown in. Genesis 37,24], since it did not even contain the ingredients for the survival of the species. The species was wiped out at the time of the deluge as a direct consequence of Adam having polluted that "drop of sacred semen," and made it "evil smelling." Due to G–d's personal intervention, Noach was saved seeing he was righteous, and the righteous are the foundation of the universe. The present universe was founded by him as a result.

ולדן אמר דן גור אריה . How can we reconcile this description with Jacob's description of Yehudah as a גור אריה, while in the same blessing he called Dan a serpent? Did Dan possess the characteristics of a serpent or that of a lion?

The author tries to demonstrate at this point that the statement of our sages (Bereshit Rabbah 100,13) that Moses' blessings commenced with the words with which Jacob's blessings concluded, whereas David's blessings commenced with the words with which Moses' blessings ended indicate that David's blessings for the Jewish people were the most comprehensive.

There is also a story about lion-like heroic deeds which will be performed in the future during the reign of the משיח בן יוסף which are described in the Zohar on Parshat Balak. After these exploits the משיח בן דוד will materialize. This makes the connection between Yehudah, i.e. the dynasty of David, and Dan even more plausible. Our verse here in reality applies the words גור אריה to Yehudah, not to Dan. Rashi explained already in Genesis 49,9 why Jacob compared Yehudah to a lion.

The Sifri quotes Rabbi Nehorai as saying that the people's request for a king was only a pretext to enable them to worship idols. The author based his theory on the words (Samuel I 8,20): "and we shall then become like all the nations." Rabbi Abravanel challenges this statement saying that if this were true how could G–d possibly have concurred in providing a king for the people when He said to Samuel: (Samuel I 8,22) "Accede to their request and crown a king for them?" Why did G–d not at least warn the people not to make the incidence of monarchy a pretext for idol-worship? I believe that such a warning is alluded to in Samuel I 8,7, where G–d told Samuel: "It is not you they have rejected; it is Me they have rejected as their king." Nachmanides, referring to Genesis 49,10, where Jacob assures Yehudah that the sceptre signifying royalty will not depart from his tribe, explains that the sin of the Jewish people at the time was that they rejected Samuel who was such an excellent judge. If that were so, why did Nachmanides single out Samuel? Did our sages not say that the authority of every judge in his period equalled that of Samuel? They even considered an ignoramus such as Yiftach as being Samuel's equal in authority (Rosh Hashanah 25b)! The clearest of all our early commentators is the Ran who appears to adopt the approach of Rabbi Eliezer when he distinguishes between two kinds of leadership. 1) Authority which is based on Biblical law. The Sanhedrin was appointed to ensure the proper administration of that law. 2) The second kind of authority, which usually expresses itself in rulings which contradict Biblical law, is called הוראת שעה, decrees promulgated in order to meet certain emergencies. Our sages have said that the reason Jerusalem was destroyed was because the judges insisted on applying Biblical law (Baba Metzia 30b) when they should have taken into consideration the circumstances prevailing at the time and have made allowances before convicting certain people. There is an allusion to this in 21,9: ואתה תבער דם הנקי, "You will remove from your midst guilt for the blood of the innocent." This verse could also be translated as "you are destroying the blood of the innocent," i.e. that on occasion innocent blood is spilled by inflicting punishment on the innocent due to prevailing pressures, such as in emergencies and in times of war. Appointment of a king enables the nation to be administered expeditiously during emergencies; the king has the right to ignore certain Biblical laws. This subject is meant in Psalms 122,5: "There the thrones (literally chairs) of judgment stood, thrones of the house of David." The "thrones of judgment" are the Sanhedrin, whereas the "thrones of the house of David" refers to the thrones of the dynasty of the house of David.

And see further that the Holy One Blessed be He does not withhold [any] reward [that is due]. We have already mentioned above that in the counsel of Judah there was also great good for Joseph, for he rescued him from death. It was in this regard that Jacob said about him (Bereshith 49:8): "Judah — you, will your brothers praise" (see Rashi there). Our sages of blessed memory have said that because he saved Joseph from death the L-rd pitied the kingdom of the house of Judah, not destroying their seed until the destruction of the Temple, unlike the other kings of Israel, who were all temporary. When one finished his [allotted] time, another arose and killed him and his entire household, not leaving a trace — as opposed to the kings of the house of David, of the seed of Judah.

And from all of this awesome episode we can understand how much one must guard his tongue and his deeds. And also, from [the account of] Joseph, we can understand his holy trait, viz. (Ibid. 45:5): "And now, do not be grieved, and do not vex yourselves that you sold me here." And, similarly, at the end of the parshah (Ibid. 50:21): "And he comforted them and he spoke to their hearts." And witness further the greatness of Joseph, who did not tell his father what had been done to him, until it was revealed to him prophetically before his death, as it is written [(Jacob speaking)] (Ibid. 49:23): "They [the brothers] embittered him and they antagonized him and they hated him, etc." And, more than this, we find in the words of Chazal that Joseph took care not to be alone with his father, so that his brothers not suspect him of telling his father what he had suffered at their hands.

האספו ואגידה לכם את אשר יקרא אתכם באחרית הימים . Jacob wanted to reveal to the brothers details about the final redemption; this is why he used the expression האספר, "gather together," since redemption cannot come when there is strife and unprovoked hatred between them.

Nachmanides, in his commentary on Numbers 2,2, states that the flag of the camp of Yehudah featured the image of a lion, in accordance with Genesis 49,9, which compares him to a lion. The flag of the camp of Reuben featured the image of Adam, reminding us of the דודאים containing the letters "אדם," as we read in Genesis 30,14. The flag of the camp of Ephrayim featured the image of an ox, שור, seeing Moses had described Joseph as בכור שורו הדר לו, in his blessing in Deut. 33,17. Lastly, the flag of the camp of Dan featured the image of an eagle, based on Deut. 32,11, "כנשר יעיר קנו,” "like an eagle who rouses his nestlings." This was appropriate since Dan's position as the rearguard of the army required him both to protect the rear and hurry up the slow moving ones in front of him to move faster. The overall effect of these camps and their flags corresponded to the vision of Ezekiel of the מרכבה, as we have mentioned earlier. [Although Yonathan ben Uzziel has the flag of Dan displaying a snake instead of an eagle, as in Genesis 49,17, this need not contradict Nachmanides, since the Tziyoni quotes Kabbalists as saying that the body of the picture was indeed a snake, but that the snake had the wings of an eagle. The latter suggests the attribute of mercy, רחמים.]

Nachmanides, in his commentary on Numbers 2,2, states that the flag of the camp of Yehudah featured the image of a lion, in accordance with Genesis 49,9, which compares him to a lion. The flag of the camp of Reuben featured the image of Adam, reminding us of the דודאים containing the letters "אדם," as we read in Genesis 30,14. The flag of the camp of Ephrayim featured the image of an ox, שור, seeing Moses had described Joseph as בכור שורו הדר לו, in his blessing in Deut. 33,17. Lastly, the flag of the camp of Dan featured the image of an eagle, based on Deut. 32,11, "כנשר יעיר קנו,” "like an eagle who rouses his nestlings." This was appropriate since Dan's position as the rearguard of the army required him both to protect the rear and hurry up the slow moving ones in front of him to move faster. The overall effect of these camps and their flags corresponded to the vision of Ezekiel of the מרכבה, as we have mentioned earlier. [Although Yonathan ben Uzziel has the flag of Dan displaying a snake instead of an eagle, as in Genesis 49,17, this need not contradict Nachmanides, since the Tziyoni quotes Kabbalists as saying that the body of the picture was indeed a snake, but that the snake had the wings of an eagle. The latter suggests the attribute of mercy, רחמים.]

לא יסור שבט מיהודה ומחוקק מבין רגליו עד כי יבא שילה . It is of the utmost importance to understand the true meaning of this verse in order to be able to refute apostates, Christians, etc. Nachmanides expresses himself as follows on this subject: The meaning of this verse is not that the kingdom will never depart from Yehudah. After all, the Torah writes very clearly in Deuteronomy 28,36: "The Lord will drive you and the king you have set over yourself, to a nation unknown to you or to your ancestors." If both Israel and its king will be in exile, then they will obviously not have kings or aristocracy. History has shown that Israel has been in this condition for many hundreds of years. No prophet has ever assured Israel that it would not be exiled so that the tribe of Yehudah could continue to rule over it. What the verse does tell is that the sceptre, symbolising kingdom, would not depart from the hands of Yehudah in favour of a member of another tribe. The same is true of the second half of the verse which discusses scribes. Any scribe in Israel who is authorised by the signet ring of the king will be so authorised by a king from the tribe of Yehudah. This state of affairs will continue until his son, the Messiah, will arrive, at which time the kingdom of Yehudah will extend over all the nations. The word שבט is an allusion to David, the first king from the tribe of Yehudah, whereas the word שילה, his son, is the Messiah around whom all the nations will gather. Thus far Nachmanides.

If man and his wife had been able to maintain their state of innocence, the drop of semen from which a fetus develops would not be called a טפה סרוחה, an evil smelling drop. Instead, it would be called זרע קודש, holy seed. The subject of copulation and sex would not then be a subject surrounded by shame and embarrassment. It would be an act of מצוה performance no different from that of putting on phylacteries, and would be performed publicly without shame or embarrassment. An act which is not inspired, at least partially, by the evil urge is not something associated with shame or embarrassment. Now that Adam and Eve had sinned, the act became associated with shame. Jacob, who is described as the "beauty," i.e. the spiritual level of an Adam before sin, began to repair the damage caused through Adam's sin. This is the significance of the oft repeated slogan that "his bed was pure." It means that Jacob only sprouted זרע קודש, "holy seed." Jacob never experienced impurity through the emission of semen for any purpose other than procreation. He was able to say of Reuben his first born, who was conceived when Jacob was at least 84 years old, ראובן בכורי אתה כחי וראשית אוני, "Reuben you are my firstborn, my strength and the first of my vigor" (Genesis 49, 2). Jacob's principal firstborn was Joseph, however, since when he cohabited with Leah, he was under the impression that it was Rachel, the wife he worked for for seven years. This is the reason he could deprive Reuben of his rights as a firstborn and transfer that birthright to Joseph. As a result, it was no more than fair that Joseph's children would receive a double share in the land of Israel, that Menasseh and Ephraim were each considered a tribe. The spiritual identity of Jacob and Joseph is even more evident when we consider Joseph's experience with the wife of Potiphar. Joseph maintained the purity displayed by his father in all matters sexual when he resisted the seduction of Mrs. Potiphar. [He cited as the only reason that it would be a sin against G–d and against her husband. Ed.] It is a well known fact that the צדיק, the righteous individual, is the foundation, יסוד of the world. The emanation ברית העליון, is the source of the תפארת, the covenant emanating in the "highest" regions, a term familiar to students of the Kabbalah. It is a direct continuation of the forces activated in the emanation, תפארת, the emanation which mirrors the attribute of Jacob.

If man and his wife had been able to maintain their state of innocence, the drop of semen from which a fetus develops would not be called a טפה סרוחה, an evil smelling drop. Instead, it would be called זרע קודש, holy seed. The subject of copulation and sex would not then be a subject surrounded by shame and embarrassment. It would be an act of מצוה performance no different from that of putting on phylacteries, and would be performed publicly without shame or embarrassment. An act which is not inspired, at least partially, by the evil urge is not something associated with shame or embarrassment. Now that Adam and Eve had sinned, the act became associated with shame. Jacob, who is described as the "beauty," i.e. the spiritual level of an Adam before sin, began to repair the damage caused through Adam's sin. This is the significance of the oft repeated slogan that "his bed was pure." It means that Jacob only sprouted זרע קודש, "holy seed." Jacob never experienced impurity through the emission of semen for any purpose other than procreation. He was able to say of Reuben his first born, who was conceived when Jacob was at least 84 years old, ראובן בכורי אתה כחי וראשית אוני, "Reuben you are my firstborn, my strength and the first of my vigor" (Genesis 49, 2). Jacob's principal firstborn was Joseph, however, since when he cohabited with Leah, he was under the impression that it was Rachel, the wife he worked for for seven years. This is the reason he could deprive Reuben of his rights as a firstborn and transfer that birthright to Joseph. As a result, it was no more than fair that Joseph's children would receive a double share in the land of Israel, that Menasseh and Ephraim were each considered a tribe. The spiritual identity of Jacob and Joseph is even more evident when we consider Joseph's experience with the wife of Potiphar. Joseph maintained the purity displayed by his father in all matters sexual when he resisted the seduction of Mrs. Potiphar. [He cited as the only reason that it would be a sin against G–d and against her husband. Ed.] It is a well known fact that the צדיק, the righteous individual, is the foundation, יסוד of the world. The emanation ברית העליון, is the source of the תפארת, the covenant emanating in the "highest" regions, a term familiar to students of the Kabbalah. It is a direct continuation of the forces activated in the emanation, תפארת, the emanation which mirrors the attribute of Jacob.

He then proceeded to reveal to them additional insights of great depth, whereupon Rabbi Yehudah and Rabbi Yitzchak came and kissed him on the head and said, “Blessed is the Merciful One who allowed us to hear these things. And blessed is the Merciful One for not allowing these things to be wasted on that old man.” Then they arose and began walking. They spied a grapevine growing in a certain garden and the child began, “He will bind his donkey-foal to the vine and the son of the donkey-mare to the vine-branch” (Bereishis 49:11) — “The idea is this: The ‘foal’ and the ‘mare’ are two potent shells of impurity. In order to weaken their power so that they will not confuse the world the Holy One Blessed is He formed the world with the name Ya-h, as it is written, ‘For with Ya-h Hashem formed the worlds’ (Yeshayahu 26:4). “This is what is hinted at here, that the Holy One Blessed is He took the name Ya-h (י-ה) and included it within the word for ‘his foal.’ For the verse should have said simply ‘foal’ (עיר), but it said ‘his foal’ (עירה) instead, to include the letter heh of the name Y-h within it. “Similarly, the word ‘branch’ should have been written soreik (שׂורק) but instead it is written with an extra heh at the end, soreikah (שׂורקה), while the word ‘son’ is written with an extra yud — b’ni (בני) instead of ben (בן).” The child then went on to reveal to them other esoteric insights.

Experience also taught us in past days when the plague was rife, may the Merciful One save us, that whoever submitted to the burden of the doctors’ orders¹⁵Literally: bowed his shoulder to bear [the weight of] the doctors’ instructions. Compare Genesis 49:15. vis-à-vis diet, etc., wisely, not foolishly, was not affected by plague or disease, may the Merciful One save us. Thus, since all religious behavior is altered, according to halakhah itself,¹⁶R. Salanter is saying that one should not view the shift away from mourning and grief as the interference of a “secular” or “outside” approach in halakhic practice. Rather, halakhah itself commands us to follow the instructions of physicians. This is in keeping with R. Salanter’s leadership during the cholera epidemic in Vilna in 1848. R. Salanter insisted not only on doing life-saving work on Shabbat (and eating on Yom Kippur to protect life), but that all should follow doctors’ orders and do anything that promotes health, without trying to minimize medically prescribed halakhic changes or seeking exemptions for religious activities. at this time, one should not be excessively bitter on the holidays. This is the time to observe and serve God in joy, and this will be our strength.¹⁷See Neḥemiah 8:10. There is a tension between joy and dread during the Days of Awe. Here, R. Salanter is instructing his disciples to tilt the balance away from dread by alluding to Ezra the Scribe’s admonition of those who were weeping on Rosh HaShanah that they should prepare festive meals and rejoice, for it is a joyous day. He is also responding to the doctors’ instructions that grief and mourning make the individual more vulnerable to illness, while joy strengthens resistance to the plague. The shift of balance from dread to joy is appropriate in a time of plague.

יששכר חמור גרם . The Zohar (Sullam edition Vayechi page 246) asks: "Was then Issachar a donkey?" If the reason he was called thus was because he studied Torah, why was he not called "lion," or "horse," or "leopard?" What is the special significance of the "donkey?" The answer is that the donkey is an animal which willingly shoulders heavy burdens and does not protest to its master as do other animals. It is humble and undemanding. It is willing to sleep in uncomfortable quarters. It is not concerned with its own dignity but with that of its master.

Take a good look at what is written here: וירא מנוחה כי טוב. This refers to the written Torah. ואת הארץ כי נעמה, ויט שכמו לסבול ויהי למס עובד. The words הארץ כי נעמה, refer to the oral Torah. The next few words refer to the willingness to shoulder the yoke of the Torah and to cleave to it by day and by night. The last words express the willingness to be G–d's servant to the point of weakening one's physical prowess.

We read in Chronicles I 16,27: הוד והדר לפניו, עז וחדוה במקומו, "Glory and majesty are before Him, strength and joy are in His place." This verse contains a lesson about the exiles of the Jewish people, i.e. that they are for the good of the Jewish people. The chapter quoted describes an ongoing activity, i.e. בשרו מיום אל יום ישועתו, that even the redemption that has not occurred yet should be spoken of daily, or better still, it refers to a period of over one thousand years. Considering that in our eyes G–d's day is equal to a millenium, it follows that this is why Adam died on the day he ate from the tree (as he was warned he would in Genesis 2,17), though he lived close to one thousand years, the verse quoted in Chronicles, clearly refers to a period of exile. Lamentations 1,13, which describes the exile as already lasting כל היום,-at least one thousand years,- prompts the Zohar to comment that "my very glory," הודי, has proven to be my ruin." When you re-arrange the letter of the word הוד, you get דוה, as in כל היום דוה, "suffering constantly" (ibid.). I have already elaborated on this elsewhere, where I wrote that the word "הדר," is derived from "היפוך, i.e. "turning something around, reversing it," similar to the meaning of the expression "הדרן עלך," i.e. הפוך בה והפוך בה," (keep reviewing it, keep busy with it). What the Zohar meant was that the original "הוד," glory, will eventually lead to an even greater degree of "הוד" in the messianic future, just because that "הוד" had been converted to "דוה." We are told of that day in the future that ישמח ה' במעשיו, "that G–d will delight in His works" (Psalms 104,31). When you re-arrange the letters of the word ישמח, you have the word משיח, a reference to when that time will come. Concerning that day, the Midrash says that the Messiah will be given the combined “הוד, glory of Moses and הדר (its reversal) of Joshua, meaning that from the time of Joshua the spiritual decline set in, and the glory, הוד, kept turning into progressively more דוה, suffering. The הדר, decline would then reverse itself, i.e. the meaning of that term would no longer be negative. This process will lead to the cessation and disappearance of the iniquity due to the pollutants that the serpent spread throughout the world, and will enable the Messiah to make his appearance, and the new dimension of "light," the glory of the Messiah to manifest itself. The הדר (reduced measure of majesty in relation to Moses) of the new leader Joshua will be reversed at that time, a time described in Ezra 2,63 as the period when there is once again a High Priest who can stand in front of the אורים ותומים, the time when Elijah will have appeared. This period is alluded to when the Torah tells us in Numbers 27,21 that the new leader of the Jewish people will have to consult G–d by means of the אורים ותומים, i.e. the Ineffable Name worn by the High Priest Elazar in his breast plate. We also find an allusion to messianic times when the Jewish people are counted in our portion; the name of the son of Dan is given as שוחם (26,42), whereas in Parshat Vayigash, (Genesis 46,23) it is given as חשים. I have found that the Ari comments on this that the reason why the letter ו is missing in the spelling of that name in Genesis is to allude to the letters in the word משיח. In the time immediately preceding the arrival of the Messiah, one of the descendants of Dan will conduct a great battle. All this is mentioned in the Zohar's commentary on Parshat Balak (page 68-69, Sullam edition). It is based on Genesis 49,17: "Dan shall be a serpent (נחש) by the road, a viper (שפיפון) by the path, that bites the horse's heels so that its rider is thrown backwards." According to the Zohar, the "serpent" is a reference to Shimshon whereas the "viper" is a reference to Elijah who rescued Tzaliah a descendant of Dan when the latter "flew" in pursuit of Bileam. The latter, escaped by means of sorcery and Tzaliah was at a loss what to do. When Numbers 23,3 describes Bileam as וילך שפי, this is a reference to Bileam's profound identification with the negative forces in this world as symbolized by the serpent. Jacob's blessing to Dan referred to above and resulted in two descendants of Dan referred to as Tzaliah and Ira asserting mastery over the evil forces of this world. Ira was one of David's warriors. This is what is alluded to in Samuel II 8,4: "David hamstrung all the horses (of his adversary)…"The רכב referred to in that verse alludes to Genesis 49,17, i.e. an exploit of Dan. The words ויפול רוכבו אחור in that same verse refer to someone called Shalyah from the tribe of Dan who will assist the משיח בן יוסף in the war preceding the coming of the Messiah. The verse in Genesis concludes with the word לישועתך קויתי השם, to indicate that looking forward to imminent redemption at that time will be justified. The reason why the son of Dan here is referred to as שוחם is to express the hope that this descendant of Dan at the time mentioned will be equivalent to the משוח מלחמה, the Priest whose special task it was to accompany Israel in battle (Sotah 42 on Deuteronomy 20,2). [Active participation in war was certainly not the Priest's normal function. In fact any priest who had killed a person was no longer fit to perform Service in the Temple. Ed.] Pinchas too, seeing that he was descended maternally from the tribe of Joseph, whose descendants will play the leading role in the battle preceding the coming of the Messiah, was such a משוח מלחמה. At a later stage this very שוחם is "transformed" into a חומש. When someone has inadvertently used sacred property, i.e. Temple property, for personal or mundane purposes, he must make restitution of the principal amount plus twenty per cent so that the total amount paid back is twenty percent (חומש) larger than the original. The people of Israel are considered as קדש לשם "sacred to the Lord," as Rashi explains on Song of Songs 8,12: האלף לך שלמה, ומאתים לנוטרים את פריו. Israel is considered G–d's vineyard, and anything stolen from it must not only be replaced, but the חומש, in this case מאתים, must be added to make the restitution legal.

But right away Pinchas raised his voice and spoke to the shadow by means of which Bilaam had cloaked himself in the five levels of the atmosphere and commanded that it become transparent once more and cease to conceal that evildoer. So the atmosphere became transparent once more and Tzalyah flew towards him. He succeeded in overpowering the wicked Bilaam and constrained him, forcing him to come before Pinchas. How did he constrain him? Tzalyah knew how to constrain the male as well as the female aspect of the chief impure forces of sorcery, both of which are called “Shefi.” Bilaam, on the other hand, knew only how to overpower the male aspect. Therefore regarding Bilaam it is written, “And he went [through the power of] Shefi” (Bamidbar 23:3). Whereas regarding the tribe of Dan it is written, “And Dan was a snake along the road, Shefifon along the path” (Bereishis 49:17). The “path” referred to is the path through the atmosphere in which the wicked one cloaked himself.

Similarly, in the future the vengeance against Hashem’s enemies will also be executed by Serayah of the tribe of Dan. Thus when Dan arises one should be on the lookout for Israel’s redemption, as it is written, “I have awaited Your salvation, Hashem” (Bereishis 49:18). When Bilaam came before Pinchas the latter said to him, “Wicked one! How many evil tribulations have you brought upon the holy people!” Then Pinchas addressed Tzalyah, “Go ahead and execute him. But not with a holy Divine name lest his request be fulfilled in which he asked, “Let my soul die the death of the upright” (Bamidbar 23:10). Several types of gruesome deaths were executed upon him on the spot, but he did not die until Tzalyah took a sword upon which was a snake was engraved on both sides. Pinchas said to Bilaam, “Through the very defilement with which you were engaged shall you die.” Whereupon he killed him and Bilaam was judged with that defilement in the other world. Meanwhile in this world all of his bones disintegrated and his flesh and body turned into snakes, evil snakes. Even the worms that consumed his flesh were transformed into snakes and from his bones were also fashioned great snakes.

All this is alluded to in Psalms 39,3: נאלמתי דומיה, החשתי מטוב וכאבי נעכר. "I was dumb, silent; I was very still while my pain was intense." The word דום-י-ה must be broken up so that we see that G–d decreed dumbness on the speaker in the verse. Being "silent from טוב," is an allusion to not having Torah inspiration; the only true טוב is Torah. The end of the verse describes Moses' reaction to this diminution of his intellectual/spiritual powers. According to סדר הדורות, at the beginning of his career Moses' name was שממה; it subsequently became משה. This is what is meant by Isaiah 52,13: "Indeed My servant shall prosper," meaning that Moses will be the משיח, the numerical value of the letters משה=345 being equal to the numerical value of the letters in the name שילה (a reference to Genesis 49, 10 where the word is understood to refer to the Messiah). Our sages in Bamidbar Rabbah 11,3 comment on the above that the first Redeemer will have the same name as the Ultimate Redeemer. The Ultimate Redeemer will be revealed to them only to be subsequently hidden from them, just as was the case with the first Redeemer. This is supposedly also alluded to in Kohelet 1,4: "A generation goes and a generation comes."

Other Rabbis in that Midrash add that the "ox" is a reference to Joseph, that the "donkey" is a reference to Issachar who is described in terms of a patient and hard working donkey in Jacob's blessings in Genesis 49,14. Joshua, a direct descendant of Joseph, would defeat Amalek in battle. The sons of Issachar, steeped in Torah study, know how G–d rules His universe. This is why the emissaries they sent to attend the crowning of King David are referred to as יודעי בינה לעתים, (Chronicles I 12, 33) "who know how to interpret the signs of the times." At that point in history they knew what was required from the people of Israel. The עבד and שפחה may allude to David and Abigail. A Biblical allusion is also cited for this. Thus far the Midrash.

Originally it was customary to make twelve stitches when sewing together the upper and lower parts of the housing of the phylacteries. This corresponded to the twelve tribes. Maimonides, in Hilchot Tefillin 3,10 allows for either 10 or 14 stitches. The Ari Zal noted that there were different customs in this matter. Jews from Italy, Spain, North Africa and Eastern Europe had different customs in that regard. Since there are twelve gates in the Heavens corresponding to the twelve tribes, the Ari Zal did not see any reason why these customs could not co-exist. This is all based on Ezekiel. Every tribe's prayer is perceived as ascending to Heaven via his particular gate. This does not mean that all these gates are of the same size, nor that access to them is equally easy. In view of this we understand why the various tribes have different nuances in their respective liturgy, though they all pray to the same G–d. Everybody has to retain his particular custom since nowadays we do not know who belongs to which tribe. Concerning the liturgical details found in the Talmud, these are equally valid for all the tribes, however^{Author's comment}When the Torah stresses in 49,28 that Jacob blessed each of his sons according to his particular blessing, no doubt this is meant to emphasize that despite the fact that all the sons together were extensions of Jacob, there were individual differences and that these individual differences were worth preserving..

Another difficulty is that we have mentioned earlier is that the brothers had included the שכינה in their conspiracy not to reveal the sale of Joseph to anyone. If Jacob, who was flesh and blood, refused to be associated with the conspiracy of Shimon and Levi, as he said on his deathbed (Genesis 49,6), how could the שכינה have become a party to such a conspiracy?

We have a tradition that in this prayer Jacob invoked a number of G–d's Holy Names. The words כי במקלי, when split into כ-י-ב-מ, are an allusion to the name מכבי which amounts to 72, or the same number as the Ineffable Name spelled as words (יוד-הי-ויו-הי) That name of G–d is derived from the respective first letters in the verse: מי כמוך בא-לים י-ה-ו-ה, Next we have the letters קלי, which are the respective first letters of the verse: לישועתך קויתי י-ה-ו-ה.

The word אנכי is the mystical dimension of אחד, since when you "square" the letters of the word אחד, the total equals the numerical value of אנכי. The calculation is as follows: you multiply each letter in the word אחד by itself, i.e. 1 by 1=1; +8 by 8=64; +4 by 4=16. This adds up to a total of 81. The word 81=אנכי. The conceptual common denominator between the two words is that just as G–d is unique, i.e. אחד, so Rebeccah as potential founder of the twelve tribes making up the people of Israel is unique. The letters in אחד can also be read as follows: "The nation Israel consisting of 8 tribes born by Jacob's major wives ח, and 4 tribes born by Jacob's minor wives ד, together form one nation, א-אחי. The word אנכי is equivalent to the numerical value of כסא, G–d's throne, where Jacob's likeness is inscribed. After Jacob had received assurances that he would be the founder of twelve tribes, and that these tribes would enjoy G–d's blessings and be the forerunners of the eventual redemption when G–d would be "walking in their midst," he exclaimed that he had absorbed this information and that he had now received the answer to what had troubled his mother when she had questioned the value of her existence, i.e. her אנכי. The Talmud Chulin 91 even describes the ascent and descent of the angels as motivated by their desire to compare the features of Jacob with the image engraved on the throne of G–d. The angels tried to cause Jacob trouble, when G–d intervened. This is the reason why the Torah says: "Here G–d stood on top of him."

The third element of repentance, that it be performed while a person is in his prime, when he is still subject to the temptation of the evil urge, is represented here by the tribe of Gad. The Mishnah in Avot 4,1, which describes a hero as a person who can conquer his passions, clearly shows that unless one has such passions, one does not qualify for the reward of having suppressed them. On Psalms 112,1, אשרי איש ירא את ה', "happy the man who fears the Lord," Rabbi Joshua ben Levi says that it refers to someone who does penitence while he is yet a man, in full possession of all his virility (Avodah Zarah 19a) [After all, why should a G–d-fearing woman not be described as happy? Ed.] The men of Gad were known as heroes. We know this from Genesis 49,19, when Jacob described him as turning the tables on any raiders. Compare Jerusalem Talmud Sotah 8,5. The heroism described there refers to his repentance, his sin having being due to his haste. Moses accused the members of that tribe by saying: "Shall your brothers go to war and you will sit it out here?" (Numbers 32,7) Note that although Gad was junior to Reuben, he was the first to make the request to stay in Trans-Jordan. Having been chastened by Moses, this tribe did more than it had been asked to do so as to compensate for its unbecoming conduct. This teaches that when repenting one should do so as wholeheartedly as the members of Gad and Reuven.

As soon as Israel left Egypt, the Psalmist tells us: בצאת ישראל ממצרים … היתה יהודה לקדשו, ישראל ממשלותיו. "When Israel went forth from Egypt,…. Yehudah became His holy one, Israel His dominion" (Psalms 114,1-2). Later in Numbers 10, 14, when the people were divided into four camps, Yehudah again was the first army to break camp and march ahead of the people. Yehudah was also the first of the twelve princes to offer his offering in honor of the dedication of the Holy Tabernacle (Numbers 7,12). This pre-eminence of the tribe of Yehudah also continued after the people inherited the land of Israel, until the days of Samuel, when the people demanded to be led by a king, and the choice fell on Saul from the tribe of Benjamin. As already explained, the position of king was only on loan to the tribe of Benjamin, as apparent from the very name שאול, "something borrowed." Within less than a generation, a scion of the tribe of Yehudah, David, became the king of Israel. Ever since, Jacob's blessing in Genesis 49, 10 that "the scepter of Royalty will not depart from members of the tribe of Yehudah" has been fulfilled.

When the people sinned, the sin resulted in the splitting of the kingdom between the tribe of Yehudah (Rechavam) and the tribe of Joseph (Ephrayim). Joseph, the pipeline from the emanation יסוד which is the pillar on which the world is founded, then demonstrated that his influence was not limited to what goes on in Jerusalem, the source of the kingdom of David, but that he had sufficient influence to ensure that the kingdom of the Ten Tribes who had denied allegiance to Rechavam son of Solomon was given to a descendant from his tribe, Yerovam ben Nevat (Kings I chapter 12). This development caused untold grief; it divided the hearts of the Jewish people. Hosea 10, 2 already stated: חלק לבם עתה יאשמו, "once their hearts are divided (in their attitude to G–d) they will become guilty" (in a number of areas). Yerovam himself began by erecting two golden calves to prevent the people from making the pilgrimage to the Temple in Jerusalem, leading the people to worship those calves. Even the tribe of Yehudah copied the example of the Northern Kingdom and practiced all manner of abominations, many of which are described in Ezekiel chapter 16 et al. This kind of conduct by the Jewish people continued right up to the destruction of the Temple and the subsequent Babylonian exile. Even the return to Zion with Zerubavel and the building of the second Temple did not lead to a repair of the spiritual damage the Jewish people had caused during the reign of Yerovam and others. Proof of this is the fact that the five most prominent manifestations of the Divine Presence were never restored to us. [The holy ark, the tablets with the Ten Commandments, the breastplate with the Urim Vetumim, to name but some.] During the entire period of the second Temple the dynasty of David did not exist, and the only period that the Jewish people had a king at all was after the successful rebellion of the Hasmoneans against the Syrians who had introduced anti religious legislation and who had demanded that the Jewish people adopt Hellenism. This rebellion culminated in the festival of Chanukah. The Hasmoneans committed a grave error when, in addition to claiming the "crown" of the Priesthood, they also claimed the crown of Royalty in defiance of G–d's command. They were severely punished by G–d, and did not only lose the crown after four successive Hasmonean kings died a violent death, but Herod, son of a Gentile slave, became the next king after he had murdered nearly all the Hasmoneans still alive. All this is part of Nachmanides' commentary on Genesis 49, 10: לא יסור שבט מיהודה. The Talmud Baba Batra 50 goes so far as to say that anyone claiming to be descended from the Hasmoneans is bound to be a slave, i.e. have Herod's blood in him (Herod had married Miriam, a sister of the Hasmoneans). The failure to re-instate the house of David when there was a chance to do so will not be repaired until the coming of the Messiah. At that time, reinstatement of the dynasty of David will be preceded by the Kingdom of Joseph, since the משיח בן יוסף will precede the arrival of the משיח בן דוד. After the arrival of the משיח בן דוד the damage caused by the house of Joseph ever since the splitting of the Kingdom of David (Rechavam) under Yerovam will be repaired. The משיח בן יוסף, when he comes, does not come in order to establish his own dynasty, rather he comes to help re-establish the Davidic dynasty. He will even sacrifice his life in order to accomplish this. His blood will atone for the sins of the Jewish people. This atonement will take the form of the Davidic dynasty being restored to the Jewish people as an everlasting kingdom. When that stage in history will have been reached, both of Joseph's dreams will have been fulfilled. His two dreams foreshadowed his reign in Egypt, and his reign in the future as the משיח בן יוסף respectively. In both instances his reign preceded or will precede that of the reign of David or the in משיח בן דוד respectively. Both periods of the reign of the kingdom of Joseph were or will be beneficial for the whole Jewish people because in both instances they were or will be designed to pave the way for the permanent kingdom of David.

This camp had three distinct features. 1) גמילות חסדים, the practice of kind deeds. 2) צדקה, performance of charity. 3) מעשר, tithing. The practice of kind deeds extends to rich and poor alike, to the living as well as to the dead, to the individual as well as to a group of people. The finest way of practising this virtue is by providing the needs of the community faithfully, without exploiting one's position. By upholding the principles of justice, truth and peace, one assures that G–d in His Heaven will deal with us on the basis of חסד. All of this is alluded to in Genesis 49, 16, דן ידין עמו, "Dan will judge his people." There was no other public-spirited person such as the famous Samson who devoted his life to judging the people. The reason the verse quoted adds "like one of the tribes of Israel," is explained by Rashi as a comparison with King David. It is written of King David that he "practiced justice and charity to all his people" (Samuel II 8,15). In addition to these two virtues, the attribute of חסד is added as belonging to this camp, similar to Jeremiah 9,23: כי אני ה' עושה חסד, משפט וצדקה בארץ, "for I the Lord, perform kindness, justice and charity on earth."

Immediately afterwards the Torah mentions the prohibition of shaving off corners of one's beard seeing that imitating pagan practices has been forbidden. One must not destroy the very symbols representing the emanation חד. This is a profoundly mystical aspect to which I have already alluded when discussing Genesis 49,22: בן פורת יוסף, where we discussed the mystical dimension of man's features, that the hair alludes to divine forces found in אדם העליון, the Celestial equivalent of terrestrial Man. Some of these are spiritual outgrowths of the attribute of חסד, whereas others are outgrowths of the attribute of דין. The former are the ones that one must not destroy by shaving them off. This is the mystical dimension of the injunction in 21,5 that: לא יקרחה קרחה בראשם, "The priests must not make bald spots on their heads (in mourning for someone who died). The priests, who more than anyone, originate in the emanation חסד, are forbidden to do this, whereas the Levites who originate in the emanation גבורה, are on occasion even instructed to shave off all the hair on their bodies (Numbers 8,7) in order to weaken the forces of דין. We observe that Gentiles, especially their clergymen, who are the recipients of abundant influences from the emanation גבורה, i.e. the attribute of Justice, and upon whom the spirit of impurity rests, make a point of destroying the hair around the corners of their beards, even though they act like a blind man looking for a window [they do not realize the mystical dimension of what they are doing. Ed.]. Similar considerations are at the root of the prohibition to inflict tattoos on one's flesh (19,28). Once you understand this you realize the reason that women are not subject to the injunctions not to shave off the hair on their heads. They are comparable to the Levites.

Jacob, when he said these words, may possibly have experienced a moment of divine inspiration about the need for the kingdom of Joseph to precede that of Yehudah. What plagued Jacob was 1) that he simultaneously foresaw that the kingdom of David would be split when Jerovam of the tribe of Joseph would command the allegiance of ten of the twelve tribes. At that time Yehudah and Benjamin alone would remain loyal to the house of David. This was one factor which led to the destruction of the first Temple; 2) because Jerovam erected the golden calves which the Ten Tribes worshiped. Later on, Israel committed many other grievous sins. Even the tribes of Yehudah and Benjamin were infected eventually, until this brought about their exile. During the second Temple the Hasmoneans appropriated the "crown" of Royalty which should have been Yehudah's. We have already quoted Nachmanides who explains how the ascent of the slave Herod to the throne in Jerusalem was a punishment for that error of the Hasmoneans, and became the beginning of the end of the second Temple which was eventually destroyed by the Romans.