Musar su Isaia 30:78

This is a metaphor and means that Israel walks in darkness in this world, whereas the nations of the world walk in light. The moon in this world shines only at night when it is dark. When Israel is in exile it experiences an existence similar to that of the moon. Just as the moon, despite its temporary eclipse, re-emerges and shines, so will Israel re-emerge after its exile. The blackness [absence of moonlight. Ed.] of the moon is an allusion to its being in mourning over the fate of Israel in exile. Shemot Rabbah 15,26 makes the point that there were 15 generations from Abraham to King Solomon. These generations represented the rising star of the Jewish people, similar to the first half of the month when the moon is in its ascendancy. After Solomon the star of the Jewish people began to decline, much like the moon towards the end of the month. King Tzedekiah was the 29th generation after Abraham, and it was during his life that the Temple was destroyed, that the light of the Jewish nation was eclipsed. The fact that King Tzedekiah had his eyes gouged out by the Babylonians further re-inforces the allegory between the moon and the fortunes of the Jewish people. There will come a time, however, when the light of the moon will be as brilliant as that of the sun, when the Lord and His name will be one, when a new light will shine over Zion. The formula used in our benediction when we recite the prayer for sanctification of the moon each month contains the words עטרת תפארת לעמוסי בטן. We refer to the Lord who bade the moon to renew itself, "a crown of glory to those burdened from birth, who are likewise destined to renew themselves just like the moon, and to glorify their Maker because of the glory of His kingdom." I have dealt with this in the chapter mentioned earlier.

To return to the main issue that Aaron, the man of חסד, rehabilitated original Adam and that the universe is built on חסד. Since the world was constructed during the seven days of Creation, which in turn paralleled the seven emanations employed in its construction, seven days of inauguration of the Tabernacle were required before it commenced functioning as a microcosm in the fullest sense of the word. The Zohar quotes Rabbi Yitzchak on Isaiah 30,26: "The light of the moon will equal the light of the sun in brilliance, and the brilliance of the light of the sun will be seven times greater than during the seven days of creation." Rabbi Yuda said that the prophet referred to the seven days during which the Tabernacle was inaugurated. The world had been plunged in darkness so that it might re-emerge bathed in light on the occasion of the inauguration of the Tabernacle. On that occasion the moon shone brilliantly as it had done before it was diminished so as not to embarass it at a time when the universe had been rehabilitated. Rabbi Yuda based himself on the verse: ונרגן מפריד אלוף, "A quarrelsome one alienates a friend" (Proverbs 16,28).

Every addition of holiness to our status has a mystical connection with the Additional Sacrifices and furthermore contains allusions to a future time. The Torah says in connection with ראש חודש: "This month shall be to you the first (head) of the months" (Exodus 12,2). It means that the Jewish people's calendar is patterned after the lunar cycle. Shemot Rabbah 15,26, comments on this that the great achievements of the Jewish people from the time of Abraham to that of King Solomon spanned 15 generations during which they rose to ever greater stature. At that point, when the light of the moon is at its most potent, "Solomon sat on the throne of the Lord" (Chronicles 1,29,23). Just as the light of the moon diminishes progressively from the fifteenth of the month onwards until it is totally extinct at the end of the month, so the generations of the Jewish people after Solomon progressively declined in greatness until, after another fifteen generations, the last Jewish King, Zedekiah was totally blinded, as stated in Kings II 25,7: "He blinded the eyes of Zedekiah." In the future, however, a new light will shine upon Zion, "and the brightness of the moon will match the brightness of the sun" (Isaiah 30, 26). The "light of the sun" referred to in that verse is the mystical dimension added by the offering of the מוסף-sacrifices on the days we celebrate the appearance of the New Moon. The mystical dimension provided by the Sabbath is the concept of a world which is constantly wrapped in the holiness represented by the concept of the Sabbath. The mystical dimension provided by the Passover sacrifice is that it is the anniversary of our original redemption from the bondage in Egypt, which is also the date of the month on which the redemption of the future will occur. (Rosh Hashanah 11) The scriptural source for this opinion is found in Michah 7,15: "I will show miracles as in the days when you departed from the land of Egypt." Israel will then become endowed with an additional level of רוח הקודש, Holy Spirit, and the earth will be filled with the knowledge of G–d. The festival of Tabernacles, devoted to our reposing in "shade" i.e. the shade offered by the covering of the huts being the spiritual equivalent of sitting under G–d's direct protection- will provide an even greater amount of the Holy Spirit. New Year's Day, of which it says in our מוסף prayer: "This day is the day that recalls the beginning of Your handiwork, a reminder of the first day of Creation," will become the date on which the work of Creation will be renewed once it will resume the direction envisioned by G–d originally. At that time G–d will truly enjoy His works (Psalms 104,31). יום כפור, of course, represents the day in the future when all sins will have been atoned for, and the time of which the prophet Jeremiah 50,20, says: "The sins of Israel shall be sought and there shall be none; the sins of Yehudah, and none shall be found; for I shall forgive those I allow to survive." In the future then these are "My holidays." As long as Israel was steeped in sin, however, we are told in Isaiah 1,16: "Your new moons and holidays fill Me with loathing; they have become a burden to Me." In contrast with this, they will be called: "Holy Convocations," proclaimed by a holy congregation, at a time when we shall have merited eternal life. At that time body and soul will have achieved the mystical union hinted at by the words אך אשר יאכל לכל נפש, in Exodus 12,16. "Eating" is a dimension of the body's needs. The word נפש in that verse describes a dimension of the soul. The "food" (nourishment) of that element of man then is "knowledge of the Lord," as we know from Isaiah 11,9. The verse in Exodus hints at a time when even the body, i.e. "secular" matter, will be filled with such knowledge of the Lord. At that time we will experience fulfilment of the promise or commandment "שאו את ראש," in Numbers 26,2, which is a moral imperative to the Jewish people to elevate themselves to the highest moral/ ethical level they are capable of. The people who were counted at that time were rightly described by our sages as דור דעה, a generation which possessed knowledge (of G–d). This count took place "after the plague," after all those involved in the sin of בעל פעור had died. The term "אחר המגפה" can be understood more broadly as also referring to that time in the future of which it is said in Isaiah 25,8: "He will destroy death forever." During the first count of the people in the desert, the attribute of Justice predominated over the Jewish people, seeing they were all going to die during their trek through the desert, and would not be found worthy to enter the Holy Land. [That count had taken place after the episode of the golden calf, Ed.] Of this latter count, however, it states: "To these (the people to be counted now) the land will be distributed as an inheritance" (26,53). The prophet Isaiah (60,21), has already said of this future ועמך כולם צדיקים, לעולם יירשו ארץ "And your people, all of them righteous, shall possess the land for all time." The story of Pinchas is an allusion to this point in the future.

I have found among the various booklets of the Arizal that he defines the differences in these levels of the Hereafter as follows: "Know that the righteous enters into a marriage (union) both in this world and after his death. Every צדיק does so in accordance with his individual spiritual powers. There are also צדיקים who enter into a union (embracing the Hereafter) in this world such as בניהו בן יהוידע. (the exploits of this warrior who was among David's body-guards are listed in Samuel II chapter 23). Some enter into an union with the Celestial partner, i.e. אבא ואמא, already while in this world, since in those regions unions can be consecrated only through what we know as קדוש השם, martyrdom by glorifying the name of G–d. An example of this kind of זווג, union with one's partner in the Hereafter, were the Ten Martyrs tortured to death by the Romans including Rabbi Akiva. The same rule applies during any period Jews suffer religious persecution and defiantly go to their death as Jews." When we recite the קריאת שמע we experience a faint echo of such an affinity to the Hereafter. The name of בניהו בן יהוידע also alludes to the emanation בינה יה-ו י-ה למעלה. This is the deeper meaning of בניהו being described in Samuel II 23,20 as בן איש חי, someone who had established his claim to life in the Hereafter. When said בניהו is reported as having killed a lion, הארי, the numerical value of the word הארי=216 is equal to three times the fully spelled Ineffable Name 72. The prophet describes this encounter with the lion as having occurred on יום השלג, which has its own mystical dimension. When our sages say in Sanhedrin 90a: כל ישראל יש להם חלק לעולם הבא, they mean that the soul of every Jew has access to the Hereafter. When the sages use the expression that someone is מזומן, "invited," they refer to the future when the light of the moon has become as brilliant as the light of the sun. This is the future we have in mind when we add to the words of the שמע ישראל the 24 letters of the formula ברוך שם כבוד מלכותו לעולם ועד, "May the Majesty of His glorious kingdom be blessed forever." Nowadays when we are in exile the twenty-four letters in that formula are reversed i.e. have become ד"ך. This is the mystical dimension of Psalms 74,21: אל ישוב דך נכלם, "Let not the downtrodden turn away disappointed." When the Holy Temple was standing, G–d's Majesty consisted of 24 letters; when it will be rebuilt it will again consist of 24 letters. This is meant in Isaiah 54,12: ושמתי כד-כד שמשותך, "I shall make your suns twice 24." [The standard rendition of this verse is: "I shall make your battlements of rubies." Ed.] During Solomon's reign the moon was considered as having reached its zenith, i.e. in the history of the Jewish people whose fate is compared to the fate of the moon. This is what is alluded to by the 24 letters in the formula we recite when saying the קריאת שמע, when we express our absolute faith in this future display of G–d's Majesty. This number 24 equals one third of the possible amount of light. In the messianic future the full extent of the light, i.e. the other two thirds i.e. the ones alluded to in Isaiah 54,12 as כדכד,=48 will be revealed. When combining the three times 24 we have the number 72, i.e. the Ineffable Name spelled fully as words. In other words, G–d's name will be whole when this light will be displayed in all its power. The mystical dimension of the destruction of the Temple is alluded to in its name. It is called בית, house. The numerical value of בית is 412. By adding the number 2 for the two kinds of light it represents we get 414. This is the numerical value of אור, light, multiplied by two, i.e. 207 x2. The removal (destruction) of the בית, robbed us of two thirds of the light in store for us. The root of this light remains in the domain of אצילות. In those regions the only ones who can derive pleasure from it are those who unite in a זיווג, marital "union," the creatures we know as אבא ואמא. Anyone who will be privileged to do so in the seventh millennium (the millennium during which according to Talmudic sources this world will undergo destruction prior to its re-emergence, totally renewed) are the people our sages have referred to as having been invited to the World to Come. This is the secret meaning of the voice from the Celestial Regions which called out to Rabbi Akiva: "hail to you for you have been invited to life in the World to Come" (Berachot 61b). When the sages speak of someone being assured of the World to Come, i.e. מובטח לו שהוא בן עולם הבא, this is the highest level of life in the World to Come. People of the caliber of בניהו בן יהוידע are slated for such a level of experience in the עולם הבא. People of this caliber experienced death on earth only because mankind as such was sentenced to such a fate, not because they individually became guilty of death. On the contrary, these people used their stay on earth in order to totally perfect their personalities.

ופניהם איש אל אחיו, "their faces facing each other." This is an allusion to the saying that one should face one's teacher.

From all this we learn how careful a husband has to be to keep his distance from his wife while she is menstruating, so as not to defile himself additionally. The impurity associated with a menstruating woman is viewed so gravely by our sages that they compare it to idol worship. We know this from Shabbat 82a, where Rabbi Akiva compares the impurity conferred upon a person who carries some object that has been used for idol worship with the impurity of a menstruating woman, basing himself on Isaiah 30,22: תזרם כמו דוה, "You will cast them away like a menstruous woman." Rachel may well have had this interpretation in mind so as not to be guilty of lying; her father, however, accepted her words at face value, and that is why he did not reply.

Similar promises by G–d are quoted as rewards for our having constructed the table in the Tabernacle, as a reward for which Israel is told it would neither suffer hunger nor thirst. As a reward for making the candlestick, G–d is quoted as promising to ensure that we shall not lack light in the future, that the original light which illuminated the earth at the time Adam was created would be restored. Finally, in return for having constructed the Holy Ark to house the Torah, G–d promises all His goodness.

We have now learned that the three parts of the Tabernacle correspond to the three parts of the universe concerning which King David said in Psalms 103,20: "Bless the Lord, O, His angels, mighty creatures who do His bidding, ever obedient to His bidding. Bless the Lord all His hosts, His servants who do His will; bless the Lord all His works, through the length and breadth of His realm." David's son Solomon also adopted his father's outlook when he alluded to this in three consecutive verses in Song of Songs 5,13-15. Three different parts of the human body form the subject of those verses, each one representing a different aspect of the universe and how man's composition reflects this division of the universe into three constituent parts. I (Rabbenu Bachyah) have explained this in detail when I discussed Jacob's dream of the ladder." Thus far the quotation from Rabbenu Bachyah.

The reason that Kabbalists call only the emanation בינה Teshuvah, is twofold. Firstly, it is the place to which everything returns in the "great" Jubilee, i.e. the completion of the world's cycle of 7000 years. We are familiar with the basic concept from the Torah's יובל, the jubilee year legislation. The second reason is that a certain "inner spirit" reposes in that region. This is a spirit which comes directly from the emanation חכמה, which in turn is fed by the אין סוף, the ultimate of all causes, G–d's Essence, at all times. The philological origin of the expression תשובה, is derived from Isaiah 30,15, בשובה ונחת תושעון, "Through returning and rest will you be saved."

David was at times self-propelled, whereas at other times he waited for Divine inspiration, as we have explained in connection with the usage of מזמור לדוד, or לדוד מזמור, as the case may be. The words מגדול and מגדיל express similar ideas. מגדול is the house of the Lord i.e. the manifestation of some Divine Presence rising from earth heavenwards, since the vowel Chirik, the "dot" under the letter מ symbolises earth, and it concludes with the "dot" above the letter ו i.e. above the consonant instead of below it. מגדול therefore symbolises upward mobility, that David strove to elevate himself.

The fact is that the luminaries were of the same size, but that G–d foresaw the "fall" of man. One of the luminaries had to be reduced in size to symbolize this "fall" of man. This is the reason that in the story in the Talmud the moon (לבנה) is called ירח, something unusual. Whenever the Bible refers to the moon before its diminution or after its rehabilitation in the Messianic age, it always refers to the light of the לבנה, not to the light of the ירח. The basic difference between the two names for the moon is that the name לבנה cannot be pluralized, just as the name אדם, or שמש cannot be pluralized. We do find plural endings for the name ירח however, i.e. ירחים. The important thing to remember is that the moon only asked a question, it did not express an objection to having to reduce itself. The moon only hinted that instead of one of the parties having to reduce itself there might be a different solution. The moon may have hinted that, in view of G–d's decision, it was up to itself (inasmuch as it symbolizes Israel) to engage in good deeds which ultimately would refine its body to enable it to regain its lost size. The argument was that used in Avot 3,22: כל שמעשיו מרובים מחכמתו למה הוא דומה לאילן ששרשיו מרובים וגו' "'that anyone whose good deeds exceed his wisdom…. such deeds are firmly planted like a tree with many roots," proving that performance outranks study in importance.

We must remember that though the redemption from Egypt was indeed a great redemption, it was not an ultimate redemption. Such a redemption will occur only in the future when the Messiah comes, at which time the impact of the remaining two letters in G–d's Ineffable Name will also be felt. The fact that during the episode of the Exodus only the first two letters of G–d's Ineffable Name had manifested themselves is alluded to in Exodus 17,16: כי יד על כס י-ה מלחמה לה' בעמלק, which alerts us to the fact that only the first two letters in G–d's Ineffable name carry on the war against Amalek. Our sages have confirmed this when they point to the שירה חדשה, song in the feminine gender, that the Jewish people sung in appreciation of G–d's salvation at that time. This song will be replaced by a שיר חדש, song in the masculine gender, which will be composed and sung by the Jewish people in the future when the final redemption will occur. The redemption from Egypt was rooted in the עולם הנקבות, the "female" world. We read in Jeremiah 31,21 (22) where the prophet speaks about the ultimate redemption, that: ברא השם חדשה בארץ נקבה תסובב גבר, "For the Lord has created something new on earth; a woman courts a man!" This is an allusion to the type of redemption that still awaits us. I have elaborated on this theme in my commentary on the הגדה של פסח. The time of the redemption is the time when all the letters in the Ineffable Name combine and form the dual-faced, male-female Name, i.e. the concept that prevailed at the time the prototype of אדם -who was created male and female combined- was conceived. The prevalent name then was masculine, as is clear from the word אדם as opposed to אדמה.

This is why he instructed Israel to offer a male goat as a sin offering each New Moon in compensation for having reduced the moon's size (i.e. Israel's size in this world). The Rekanati, in his commentary on Exodus 12,2, explains at length that the function of this sin-offering on the New Moon is very similar to the function of the scapegoat which is tendered to Azzazel on the Day of Atonement. Allegorically speaking, the reduction in size symbolizes the diminution of the forces of holiness due to Adam's sin. This results in the powers we call חיצוניות experiencing an uplift, increased strength. By sacrificing the male goat on the New Moon as a sin-offering to G–d we are symbolically sacrificing the קליפה, the symbol of negative influences which in turn undermines the influence of this קליפה. By doing this we re-convert some of the forces that though they originated in a holy domain had become active as negative forces. Such a positive act results in atonement. Rashi describing Genesis 32,2,1 explains Jacob's motive in sending gifts to Esau with the words: אכפרה פניו, to mean קנוח, "wiping clean." Atonement then is a way of "wiping the slate clean." Sin is considered to be a stain on our soul or character. Atonement is the removal of the stain in question. We follow this procedure every month whenever the moon renews itself. This process will continue until the קליפה has been reduced so much that the moon can regain its former size and its light equals that of the sun. At such a time, when the world will be filled with knowledge of G–d, the physical part of our bodies as well as matter in the universe will be imbued with sanctity similar to that intangible part of man, his soul.

When the Gentiles count according to the solar calendar, the sun represents this "fire." At some state in the future G–d will denude the sun of its sheath [remove its potentially destructive force. Ed.] (Kohelet Rabbah 1,5), something He does not have to do with the moon because the moon is only אור, light, has no potentially lethal side-effects. We find this fact mentioned in this same Midrash. Just as the sun is made of fire, so the Gentiles will be judged in fire in the future as we know from Maleachi 3,19: "For lo! the day is at hand, burning like an oven. All the arrogant and all the doers of evil shall be straw, etc." Just as the moon is made up of light, so Israel will inherit light, as we know from Psalms 97,11: "Light is sown for the righteous, joy for the upright." Isaiah 60,1 also says: "Rise and shine, for your light has arrived." Now we understand the second part of the Midrash which described the "big one" as counting according to the big luminary. The "big one" is none other than the firstborn Esau. He is not referred to as the "firstborn" since the sanctity belonging to the firstborn belongs to Jacob. Esau can only be referred to as the "big one," not as the "firstborn." The bigness of Esau refers to the preponderance of the body in his personality. When the body is burned the result is חושך, darkness, the very opposite of אור, light. The holiness of Israel by comparison is twofold, predominance of mind and soul, and light. There is a similar twofold sanctity which G–d has granted us through the gift of the Torah; it is described by our sages as אחת דיבר ושתים זו שמענו, "G–d spoke one thing whereas we heard two." One element of such sanctity is the individual commandment described by Solomon as נר מצוה, the other is תורה אור, the comprehensive understanding of the totality of Torah, something which will be granted us in Messianic times. At that time the vision of Isaiah 30,20: "Your eyes will behold your Guide," will be fulfilled.