Musar su Isaia 60:76

Let a man always be among the shamed ones rather than among those who shame others, and among those who hear insults and do not respond, for of them it is said in Judges 5:31 "But they that love Him shall be as the sun when he goes forth in his might". This is commented on in Shabbath 88b: "Measure for measure! Because he heard insult and his face turned pallid (and yet he was silent) God will cause his face to shine more than the light of the sun, as it is similarly said in Isaiah 60:1, 'And the glory of the Lord has shone upon thee.' "

And we also learned (Sanhedrin 90a), “All of the Jewish people have a share in the world to come, as it is stated (Isaiah 60:21), ‘And your people also shall be all righteous, they shall inherit the land forever [...].’ And these are the ones who have no share in the world to come: One who says [that] there is no resurrection of the dead [derived] from the Torah, and that the Torah is not from the Heavens, and an apikoros. And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, warned us in this statement to believe that faith in the resurrection of the dead is [to be found] in the Torah, and that it is one of its principles. And one of the places that resurrection of the dead is made explicit in the Torah is as it is stated (Deuteronomy 32:39), “I deal death and give life; I wounded and I will heal.” And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Pesachim 68a), “It might be, death is with one [person] and bringing to life with [another] - hence we learn, ‘I wounded and I will heal’: In the same way that the wounding and the healing are with one [person], so too is the death and the giving life with one [person].”

And the third is that the holy people who are servants of God, may He be blessed, should not humble themselves to flesh and blood. So it is not fitting that the fear of flesh and blood be upon them except for the sake of the Heavens. As it is stated (Leviticus 25:55), “For it is to Me that the Israelites are servants” - [they are] My servants, and not the servants of servants. And it is stated (Exodus 19:6), “But you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” The expression, priests, is [to mean] masters and officers; and like this [usage] is (II Samuel 8:18) “and David’s sons were priests.” And the whole nation is called a kingdom, from [the usage] (I Kings 18:10), “there is no nation or kingdom”; (Isaiah 60:12), “For the nation or the kingdom.” The explanation [of Exodus 19:6] is that you shall be a kingdom that is all officers, such that the yoke of flesh and blood shall not be upon you. And it is stated (Isaiah 51:12), “What ails you that you fear man who must die”; and it is [also] stated (Isaiah 51:7), “Fear not the insults of men.” And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Sotah 47b), “From the time when those who say to evil, good; and to good, evil,” proliferated, [they removed the yoke of the Heavens from upon themselves, and the yoke of flesh and blood was thrown upon them].” And King David, peace be upon him, said (Psalms 9:20-21). “Rise, O Lord; let not men have power; let the nations be judged in Your presence. Strike fear into them, O Lord; let the nations know they are only men. Selah.” We have learned from this that at a time when a man has power, he does not recognize that he is [only] a man. For dominion is not fitting for man, except for the sake of the Heavens.

And, in truth, every Jew wishes to observe the Torah in perfection and to omit nothing of it, as it is written (Isaiah 60:21): "And Your people are all righteous." But the reasons which cause people to be lax in the holy trait of guarding one's tongue are many. We shall explain them, G-d willing, below at length; but the chief reasons are three:

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.

ואתחנן אל ה' בעת ההיא . Our פרשה begins by extolling the virtues of the Holy Land, i.e. the second of G–d's gifts to the Jewish people. The atmosphere of ארץ ישראל which our sages (Baba Batra 158) have described as contributing to one's knowledge and intelligence is a necessary step for someone who wishes to acquire the "crown" of Torah, i.e. become a true Torah scholar. We have it on the authority of Isaiah 2,3 that: כי מציון תצא תורה, ודבר ה' מירושלים, "Torah comes forth from Zion and the word of G–d from Jerusalem." Thence it proceeds to the Celestial counterpart of ארץ ישראל, also known as עולם הבא. We know that this is so from Isaiah 60,21: ועמך כולם צדיקים לעולם יירשו ארץ, "As to your people, they are all righteous and will inherit ארץ forever." This is the context in which the land of Israel is mentioned at the beginning of our portion. The middle and last sections of the portion deal with the subject of how the Torah was given to the Jewish people.

Nachmanides has this to say on the expression of לכבוד ולתפארת, in 28,2: "As far as the mystical dimension of these instructions, i. e. ועל דרך האמת, is concerned: They should make prestigious garments for Aaron so that he could perform service in them to the G–d who represents true glory and splendour and who dwells amongst the Israelites. The might and glory of the Jewish people is their G–d, as we know from Psalms 89,18: כי תפארת עוזמו אתה, "For You are their strength in which they glory." We also know this from Isaiah 64,10 בית קדשנו ותפארתנו אשר הללוך אבותינו, "Our Holy Temple and the site of our glory where our forefathers praised You." The word קדשנו refers to our כבוד, honour, the word תפארתנו to the glory of Israel. We also have a verse in Psalms 96,6: עוז ותפארת במקדשו, "Strength and glory in His Sanctuary." Isaiah 60,13 speaks of לפאר מקום מקדשי ומקום רגלי אכבד, "To glorify the site of My Sanctuary and the place where My feet rest." The prophet evidently describes that the site of the Temple is to reflect G–d's splendour and honour. G–d is glorified through Israel viz: Isaiah 49,3: ישראל אשר בך אתפאר, "I glory in you Israel."

We have already explained that the mystical dimension of מעשר is expressed by the three dimensions of the letter י, which expanded into three gifts to the Jewish people, i.e. תורה, ארץ ישראל and עולם הבא. The concept Torah can be summed up by the letter י, i.e. the Ten Commandments which contain allusions to all the 613 commandments of the Torah. The total number of letters in the Ten Commandments is 613. The Ten Commandments are sacred; the tenth of the commandments (when counting from the last one backwards) is the statement: אנכי ה' אלוקיך. Being the tenth, it is even more sacred than the others seeing that it is the ראש, the head. It embraces all the others seeing it stipulates the existence of G–d and His relationship to us. The second gift is ארץ ישראל; the Mishnah Keilim 1,6 describes ten successive stages of sanctity of holy areas, explaining that ארץ ישראל as such is at the bottom of the list of these holy areas. The next higher degree of sanctity is found in walled cities (dating back to the time Joshua conquered the land) within ארץ ישראל, followed by sites within the city wall of Jerusalem, followed by the Temple Mount and so forth, until the Holy of Holies within the Sanctuary, the Holy Temple. The third gift to the Jewish people is the gift of עולם הבא, the world to come, which we know was created with the letter י -as distinct from the present world- which was created with the letter ה. The ארץ ישראל in our world is perceived as "opposite" a similar area in the "higher" world referred to by Isaiah 60,21: ועמך כולם צדיקים, לעולם יירשו ארץ, "Your people (Israel) all are righteous; they will inherit an eternal land." This "eternal" land is the mystical dimension of the ten directives with which G–d created the universe. We know that one single directive was the nucleus of all the other directives, just as the first of the Ten Commandments is the nucleus of all the other commandments. It can therefore be described as קדש קדשים, the holiest of the holy.

What applies to the vestments of the High Priest also applies in some measure to the vestments of Aaron's sons as we read in 28,40. Isaiah also uses this expression when referring to the value of the sacrifices offered up by Israel, such as Isaiah 60,7: יעלו לרצון על מזבחי ובית תפארתי אפאר, "They will be welcome offerings on My Altar, and I will add glory to My glorious House." The Altar represents G–d's goodwill, the Sanctuary His glory. These vestments had to be made for the express purpose of serving as the priests' garments. This is why G–d prefaced His instructions with the words: "You shall instruct all those whose heart is endowed with wisdom and whom I have endowed with a spirit of wisdom, etc." (28,3). All those participating in the weaving, sewing, etc. of these garments should be aware of what they were doing and why they were doing it. We have already been told in Yuma 69 that an image of the High Priest Shimon Hatzadik dressed in his sacred vestments appeared to Alexander the Great when the latter engaged in battle. Alexander was convinced that he had had a vision of a holy angel. Thus far Nachmanides.

Keeping this in mind you will understand that the loss of refined "Man" is the reason that until this day we cannot regain this hidden light as it was בתחלה, "in the beginning." This then is the meaning of the saying "על שלא ברכו בתורה תחלה." This explains Rashi's meaning when he referred to the words "אשר נתתי לפניהם" i.e. the previous, or original condition when G–d had made Torah available to man at the time of creation as a source of absolute enlightenment. There is yet a deeper meaning of the whole episode. We could have asked: If G–d knew He was going to have to conceal this light almost immediately, why did He bother to create and provide it in the first place? The answer to this is that the Celestial Spheres respond to stimulants originating in our spheres. G–d is only waiting until we provide the necessary stimulus by our conduct to once more place this light at our disposal. In order for this to happen this light first had to exist. Without such a stimulus forthcoming from the terrestrial regions the hidden light will remain forever hidden. It is this fact which the sages and prophets had been unaware of. They did not expound on this aspect though they were all perfectly aware of the existence of the hidden light, and many prophets had prophesied concerning its eventual restoration. Our sages have based the text of many prayers on the assumption that this light will be restored. They had not known that this development would depend on the benediction of the Torah.

When Moses asks G–d to appoint a leader for the Jewish people (27,15) that would take his place seeing his death was imminent (27,13), he also asks for the appointment of someone visible now, i.e. יפקד איש. In verse 17, Moses repeats himself asking that this leader should perform two functions which sound alike, i.e. אשר יצא לפניהם ואשר יבא לפניהם, as well as ואשר יוציאם ואשר יביאם. What is the difference between these two requests? Do they not both mean "who will lead them in battle and bring them safely back home?" Actually, the first function of the leader Moses requests is one to be fulfilled immediately אשר יצא לפניהם. The second function referred to, ואשר יוציאם, refers to the ultimate redemption. G–d answered both of Moses' requests by telling him that the leader for the immediate future would be Joshua (27,18). At the same time, G–d showed Moses all the ensuing generations and their respective leaders until the arrival of the Messiah, as we have quoted earlier from the Midrash. He showed Moses how the generations would suffer a continual spiritual decline until the arrival of the Messiah who would be equipped with all the possible intellectual and spiritual attributes. As a demonstration that the decline would set in immediately, G–d told Moses that Joshua would receive only part of his glory, i.e. מהודך, "part of your glory, but not all your glory." The very decline in the quality of successive generations and their leaders leads to the increase in spiritual rejuvenation at the time of the Redemption. An excess of light over darkness will remain until messianic times. This means that the light of the future, the אור חדש, will exceed in intensity the light that had existed at the time of creation, before the original sin, the light which had remained hidden ever since (Bereshit Rabbah 3,6). This subject-matter requires a detailed explanation; it has been touched upon in our commentary on Parshat Balak when we discussed the verse מה טובו אוהליך יעקב (24,5), and demonstrated how the very destruction of the Holy Temple is the cause of the eventual building of an even holier enduring Temple. Due to the increasing diffusion of the pollution introduced into the world by the serpent there was a need for the exile of the Jewish people and the spiritual light in the world kept decreasing. Once wickedness will cease completely, a great light will shine, as we have explained at length in Parshat Balak. This will be further dealt with in the two portions Mattot and Massay. I have devoted a great deal of space there to demonstrate the spiritual value of exile for the Jewish people. The exile experience leads to purification of the Jewish nation, so that the future will bring with it not only a purification of the spirit but also of the physical, i.e. of matter itself. The whole world will become filled with knowledge of [G–d]; everything will be אור, light. I believe that the same approach is correct when we evaluate the gradual spiritual decline of successive generations which is all due to the pollutant the serpent has introduced into the world which infests more and more of our universe. This decline will be reversed in the future and the halachic rule: אין מיעוט אחר מיעוט אלא לרבות, "when we find successive restrictions in the language of the Torah, the purpose is to teach us something of an expansionary nature instead," will apply. Applying this rule to the messianic age when it arrives, this means that the amount of light in the world will exceed even that which existed at the time it began to fade. It is this light which Isaiah (60,1) refers to when he says: קומי אורי כי בא אורך, "Arise, shine forth, for your light has dawned!" It is just because the darkness was so dense that there will be a compensating excess of light.

Anyone while dwelling in ארץ ישראל must take to heart the lesson that he must be like a stranger in that land; only in such a way will he merit his place in the World to Come. This is what is meant by Ketuvot 111 that anyone who walks a distance of four cubits in the Holy land is assured of his share in the Hereafter. The significance of the "four cubits" is that someone progresses within the ארבע אמות של הלכה; he who has made his guiding principle in life the adherence to Halachah will enjoy such a future. G–d Himself is described by our sages as having retained only the four cubits of Halachah on earth ever since the destruction of the Holy Temple (Berachot 8). A person who conducts himself in that fashion merits an abode in the ארץ ישראל העליונה, about which it is written ועמך כולם צדיקים לעולם יירשו ארץ, Your people are all righteous, they will inherit the earth forever" (Isaiah 60,21). The reference is to the Hereafter, a region "opposite" the ארץ ישראל on earth. G–d told Abraham these glad tidings when He said to him (Genesis 15,15) ואתה תבא אל אבותיך בשלום, תקבר בשיבה טובה, "And you will join your fathers in peace and be buried in a ripe old age." The word שלום refers to Abraham entering the World to Come immediately after his death on this earth, whereas the word טובה is an allusion that the earth, the country he will be buried in, is a "good" land, i.e. ארץ ישראל. The reason it is called "good" is that anyone buried in that land will be spared the wanderings of the bones of his body until they come to rest in ארץ ישראל (Ketuvot 111). All of the aforesaid was revealed to Abraham in the first recorded communication to him from G–d when he was seventy years old. We have previously referred to this period as ראשית הבריאה, the "beginning" of creation, i.e. the first "day."

G–d has granted me the insight to find the answer to this problem with the help of a Midrash Tanchuma on our verse. It is customary in civilised countries that when a king places a divan and table in his room that he places the candlestick to the left of the table. In the Holy Temple, however, this was not so. The Candlestick was placed on the right side of the Table to make it plain that G–d is not in need of any light supplied by us. The purpose of the Candlestick is to light the way for you to the World to Come at the time when darkness will sweep the Gentiles, for we know from Isaiah 60,2 that at that time החשך יכסה ארץ וערפל לאומים ועליך יזרח ה' וכבודו עליך יראה, "The darkness will envelop the earth, and thick clouds the nations; but upon you the Lord will shine and His Presence will be seen over you." Thus far the Midrash.

The letter ק in the word יצחק is an allusion to the gift of עולם הבא. That gift is perceived as the reward for performing G–d's commandments in this world. Torah observance became a practical consideration only at the time Abraham and Sarah began converting (12,5). Only then did the 2000 year period described by our sages as Tohu, come to an end. Whereas this process of revealing the "Torah" began with Abraham, it was concluded only at the time the Jewish people, the descendants of Jacob who had not sired any פסולת, stood at the bottom of Mount Sinai. Of the Torah's commandments it is said in Eiruvin 22: היום לעשותם ומחר לקבל שכרם, "the commandments are to be performed today, (in this world) and their reward will be received tomorrow" (in the World to Come). The letter, (number) ק alludes to the age of Abraham at the time Isaac was born when he began to contemplate all aspects of the Torah. When that letter is spelled as a word, i.e. קוף, its numerical value equals 186 or מקום. The word מקום is another name of G–d seeing that it is made up of the letters in the Ineffable Name being squared, thus: 10 ,י-ה-ו-ה times 10, +5 times 5, +6 times 6, +five times 5=186. The "upper" earth [in the Celestial Regions] is holy "soil," i.e. the מקום is holy, and when Isaiah 60,21 says: ועמך כלם צדיקים לעולם ירשו ארץ, "your people who are all holy, they will inherit an eternal earth," the reference is to the עולם הבא. That is the region where G–d directs blessings which continue indefinitely. This is the mystical dimension in which the one hundred blessings are rooted, the hundred gates in the spiritual world which we discussed on pages 159-160. When you look at the numerical value of the name יעקב, which equals 182, and add 4 for his four wives with whom he sired all the children who were loyal to Torah precepts, you have the number 186, the same as the letter קוף, or the name for G–d when His celestial dimension מקום is described. The Torah describes יעקב as part of G–d in Deut. 32,9:. כי חלק ה' עמו, יעקב חבל נחלתו.

As a general rule we may stipulate that the sacrifice is intended to the whole, i.e. unified name of the Lord, the four-lettered Name. It is offered on the altar so that its remains will rise to the Celestial Altar as alluded to in Isaiah 60,7: יעלו לרצון על מזבחי ובית תפארתי אפאר "They shall be welcome offerings on MY altar and I will add glory to My glorious House."

Afterwards, as a result of Bileam "walking" i.e. setting out on an errand that was meant to harm the Jewish people, G–d transformed the intended curses into blessings in inverse ratio to the wickedness intended by him. As Solomon says in Proverbs 10,24: "The fear of the wicked will come upon him; the desire of the righteous will be granted." When Bileam next announces "ואדעה מה יוסף ה' דבר עמי," "I will know what else G–d will speak to me" (22,19), he is already inadvertently hinting that he will become the instrument by means of which G–d will bless Israel. An example of this additional blessing can be seen in the words "how goodly are your tents O Jacob, your dwellings O Israel." Whereas, originally the blessing was valid only while Israel was secure in its land, the additional words referring to temporary abodes of Israel, i.e. משכנותיך, include periods during which Israel will be exiled (24,5). The very exile is a source of blessing, since it produces repentance and subsequently a rejuvenation of the Jewish people. This is why the name Jacob, and the temporary nature of the dwellings called "huts," is associated with the former temporary residence of the Jewish people, on their own land, whereas "Israel," the choicest of names for this people, as well as "dwellings," is employed when it describes-paradoxically,-its state of exile. The Talmud in Baba Metzia 68a, in trying to define a mortgage which is called in Aramaic mashkanta, a word resembling the Hebrew Mishkan, dwelling, describes it as something that constantly “dwells” with the owner of the field against which a loan has been made. The constant awareness of one's dependence acts as a spur to rid oneself of such an obligation. The exile experience of the Jewish people is meant to do the same, to imbue us with the urgent desire to do all in our power to become worthy of redemption. At that time G–d's promise (Leviticus 26,11) ונתתי משכני בתוככם "I will give My dwelling to be in your midst," will be fulfilled. The destruction of the Temple and the Jewish state was a necessary prelude to building a better Jewish nation. This is the meaning of the prophecy וירד מיעקב והאביד שריד מעיר, "A victor will issue forth from Jacob to wipe out what is left of ‘lr’" (24,19). Bileam saw a vision of the greatness of the Messiah, someone greater than himself. What he did not appreciate was that purity could be rooted in impurity, just as Abraham came forth out of a Terach. When the Messiah arrives, the last vestiges of the dross remaining from former efforts at distilling the pure out of the impure will vanish. The מלאך רע, "evil angel," who is personified by Bileam, had to acknowledge this, i.e. say Amen" to this concept. Bileam expanded on this theme of redemption when he said: "What I see for them is not yet, what I behold will not be soon" (24,17). He seems to be repeating himself. Another difficulty in Bileam's words is the fact that they seem to be contradictory. First he says: "I can see it," suggesting a clear vision, whereas immediately afterwards he describes this as in the distant future, i.e. not being so clear. What is meant is that every single day that passes contains elements of the eventual total Redemption. This is what Bileam realises clearly. What he does not see so clearly is the date on which this process will be complete. Our Rabbis have described this process as "a single sheep resides amongst seventy wolves. These wolves attempt daily to devour the sheep, but the Almighty saves it from their clutches," as in Pessikta Rabbah 9,2. The very fact that the Jewish nation continues to exist is part of the proof that the Redemption is an ongoing process. G–d is busy performing such miracles without the person for whom such miracles are being performed even becoming aware of them. This is why Bileam says "I see it," i.e. as an ongoing process, "but not now," i.e. the true Redemption, the arrival of the Messiah, has not yet come to pass. Subsequently, Bileam turns to the vision of the Redemption, of which he says: "I see it, but not in the near future." He reveals that there is a date that G–d has fixed for it, though if the people were deserving that date could be advanced. This is parallel to the explanation of the sages on the apparent paradox in Isaiah 60,22, "at its appointed time, I will hasten it." The meaning is that though there is an appointed time beyond which the Redemption will not be delayed, it may occur sooner if Israel deserves it (Sanhedrin 98a). אשורנו, means "I can see it if Israel does penitence," whereas ולא קרוב, means that if they were not worthy then that Redemption would not be in the near future. It is at that time that all previous curses will turn into blessings, for the Redemption was brought about sooner as a result of Israel responding positively to the curses it has had to suffer. We read in Deuteronomy 23,6: "G–d transformed the curse (Bileam's) into a blessing for you, for the Lord your G–d loves you." The last words seem superfluous, since no one would assume that someone who hates you turns your curses into blessings. The meaning, however, may be that repentance is "great," since it has the power to convert former misdeeds into merits. Such repentance indeed has such power when it is the result of love of G–d and not the fear of punishment. Curses may be a hidden display of G–d's love, for once they have fulfilled their purpose, they eventually enable Him to turn them into blessings. Love for G–d by the repentant sinner is reciprocated by Him so that what used to be demerits are accounted as merits retroactively.

This imprint of G–d is the mystical factor that causes the Presence of the שכינה in Israel since the spirituality of the Torah is represented by the souls of Israel. These souls enable G–d to fulfil His promise ושכנתי בתוכם, "I shall dwell among them" (Exodus 25,8). The Torah refers to messianic times and the revelation of G–d's Presence at that time. Concerning that era we have the prophecy of Isaiah 25,9: "On that day it (the people of Israel) will say: "This is our G–d; we trusted in Him, and He delivered us; this is the Lord in whom we trusted." This whole development depends on the progressive evolution of many souls to higher levels. The Ari zal has explained the verse הקטן יהיה לאלף, והצעיר לגוי גדול, נאום ה' בעתה אחישנו "the smallest shall become one thousand; the least, a mighty nation; I the Lord will speed it in due time" (Isaiah 60,22). The obvious difficulty here is that either the redemption comes at a time appointed by G–d, i.e. בעתה, or there is no timetable for redemption, and G–d is free to bring redemption at any time. Different commentators deal with this problem in different ways. The Arizal sees in the verse an allusion to a statement in the Talmud that אין בן דוד בא עד שיכלו כל הנשמות שבגוף, the Messiah will not come until all the souls of the body have been "exhausted" (Yevamot 62). The meaning is that nowadays, while we are in exile, the existing souls of Israel are mostly revolving around themselves and not progressing to higher dimensions. Once these souls have all exhausted their stay on earth, and "new" souls arrive, redemption will occur, and with it the revelation of the original light that G–d withdrew from this earth after the seven days of Creation. G–d called this "the smallest will become one thousand." It is a process of increasing the Jewish birth-rate so that the "store" of souls that has not yet been placed in bodies will be exhausted sooner. In this way the date for the redemption can be advanced dramatically. There is then no contradiction between the words בעתה, and אחישנה. As a result the Presence of the שכינה is directly related to fulfillment of the commandment to procreate. Even though we have quoted proof from a verse in Numbers 10,36 that the Presence of G–d is possible when there are 22,000 souls present (compare page 2 of this chapter), this was only meant to illustrate that G–ds Presence does manifest itself on earth. The extent to which this is possible when all the souls that have been assigned to bodies have fulfilled their task is beyond our experience, and cannot be compared with what occurred in the desert.

Abraham hinted to Lot later that there is an ארץ ישראל העליונה, a spiritual equivalent to the terrestrial land of Israel, as we know from Sanhedrin 90 based on Isaiah 60,21: "Your people are all righteous, they will inherit an eternal land." Abraham hinted to Lot that both he and Lot would qualify for that future and that they would both reside in Heaven close to G–d. Yalkut Shimoni on Psalms 110,1: The Lord said to my lord "sit on my right side while I make your enemies your footstool," quotes Rabbi Yudon saying that in the future G–d will seat the Messiah on His Right and Abraham on His Left, and that Abraham will feel aggrieved at being assigned the left saying "how can my grandson be assigned the right side while I have to be content with the left side?" G–d will placate him saying: "Your grandson sits on My right, whereas I sit on your right side, וענותך תרבני, "and Your providence has made me great" (based on Samuel II 22,36). Thus far the Yalkut.

Yalkut Shimoni item 191 on Exodus 12,1 has this to say: "You (Israel) count according to the lunar calendar, whereas the Canaanites do not count according to the lunar calendar. Rabbi, quoting Rabbi Yehudah bar llai-i, said it is good manners that the "senior" counts according to the great luminary whereas the "junior" counts according to the lesser luminary. Seeing that Esau was senior to Jacob, he counts according to the solar calendar, whereas Jacob counts according to the lunar calendar. Rabbi Nachman added that it is a good omen that the senior rules by day and not by night; as a result the wicked Esau's rule extends only during the present world whereas the rule of the junior Jacob will extend to both the present world and the Hereafter. He added that while the light of the senior is still shining brightly, the light of the junior cannot be noticed widely; as soon as the light of the senior has set, the light of the junior will become manifest and widespread. We have scriptural proof for this from Isaiah 60,1: קומי אורי כי בא אורך, "Arise, shine, for your light has arrived." Thus far the quote from the Yalkut.

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.

There are numerous hints in Jacob's vow, and his use of the word אם was most appropriate. He used the word in the same sense as in Numbers 36,4: ואם יהיה היובל, "and even when the Israelites observe the Jubilee." I have already mentioned that the Jubilee year legislation contains allusions to the Great Redemption in the future which may occur sooner than its ultimate date, (אחישנה, G–d says: "I will hasten it,") in the event Israel is worthy, or it may arrive according to a pre-determined timetable set by G–d which is known as בעתה (cf. Isaiah 60,22). The word אם also consists of the respective first letters of אליהו and משיח, both of which symbolize the redemption of the future. When Jacob asks for G–d's protection ושמרני בדרך הזה, he refers to the journey through exile during which protection from Esau/Edom is needed. When he says: אם יהיה אלוקים עמדי, this is a reference to the day when the name of G–d will be One.

The land of Israel which is under the constant direct supervision of G–d (Deut. 11,12), is in this respect an allusion to the corresponding ארץ עליונה, "earth of the Celestial Regions" all of which belongs to Israel. This is the meaning of Isaiah 60,21: ועמך כולם צדיקים לעולם יירשו ארץ, "As for your people who are all righteous, they will inherit an earth in another world." The Hereafter (the rejuvenated planet earth), [alluded to in פרשת בהר as the seventh year, Ed] is called שבת, as opposed to the six years, i.e. the 6,000 years of mankind's physical existence on this earth as it is now.

Rabbah said in the name of Rabbi Yochanan that in the future G–d will make a hut for the righteous out of the hide of Leviathan as we know from Job 40,31: התמלא בשכות עורו, ובצלצל דגים ראשו.” [The traditional translation of this verse is too different from this aggadah to be relevant. Ed.] If the person is deserving, G–d will make a סוכה, hut, for him; if not, a shade-giving heave-to without walls. If he is still less deserving, G–d will make him some kind of jewelry as we know from Proverbs 1,9: "and graceful ornaments around your neck." If he is still less deserving, G–d will make him an amulet, seeing that we have a verse in Job 40,29: "And you will tie it around your maidens." G–d will scatter the remainder on the walls of Jerusalem, and its glitter will sparkle from one end of the earth to the other, as we read in Isaiah 60,3: "And nations will walk by your light; kings by your shining radiance." Thus far the Talmud in Baba Batra 75.

From all that I have written the significance of Yehudah, Joseph and Benjamin is quite apparent. The Temple, which was built on tribal property belonging to Benjamin, was the site on which the feet of the שכינה rested, as we know from Isaiah 60,13: "To adorn the site of My Sanctuary, to glorify the place where My feet rest." We also have Exodus 3,5 in which Moses is told at the burning bush: "Take off your sandals from your feet for the ground you are standing on is holy ground. It is also significant that the price received by the brothers for the sale of Joseph is described by the prophet Amos 2,6 as the price of a pair of sandals, whereas in 8,6 the prophet described that G–d will not forgive those who buy the needy for the price of a pair of sandals. [In all these examples the sandals symbolize the foundation, basis. Ed.]