Musar su I Samuele 15:63

I have written about the mystical dimension of the prohibition to carry objects on the Sabbath from the private domain into the public domain in my treatise on שבת. I have found an interesting article by the Ari zal on the subject of תחומים, the restriction of man's movements beyond a certain distance outside his home or city on the Sabbath. These are his words: "I have now decided to tell you that the biblical injunction is not to walk on the Sabbath beyond י"ב מיל (14,4 km.). The rabbinic injunction has reduced this to 1,2 km. You, the reader, are already aware that the emanations נצח, הוד, יסוד of the עולם העשיה unite with the emanations חסד, גבורה and תפארת. A חלל, vacuum is created by such a union. The numerical value of the word חלל is the same as the numerical value of the word חיים, life. This is an allusion to the disappearance or removal of the "life" of the קליפות (on the Sabbath). You have already learned that these קליפות had their hold on life exclusively in the region which has now become a vacuum by the union of the above-mentioned emanations; only death remains for these קליפות. Anyone performing work of the forbidden categories on the Sabbath thereby fills the vacuum and enables the קליפות to regain access to the three domains of of נצח, הוד and יסוד. Each of these domains represents one פרסה (4,8 km). The emanation מלכות is also included with them. Every פרסה consists of 4 מילין giving us a total of 12 מילין. In earlier times when the קליפות had not yet attained such predominance in our society, a person was permitted to walk on the Sabbath as far as the biblical limits, i.e. 14,4 km. Since the destruction of the Holy Temple -proof of the pervading influence of the קליפות which had penetrated into half the domain of נצח- the Rabbis decided to restrict the domain we can walk in on the Sabbath. This was alluded to in the words of the prophet Samuel (Samuel I 15,29) when he upraided Saul about not having killed Agag, king of the Amalekites: וגם נצח ישראל לא ישקר, "the domain of Netzach will not be forfeited by Israel." [My translation, to accommodate this רמז of the Ari zal. Ed.] Samuel only promised that Israel would not forfeit the entire domain of נצח. He did not promise that half of it would not be forfeited.

Come and see the greatness of the eminence of one who upholds the Torah, and benefits a Torah scholar with his possessions and draws close to him, Scripture considering it as if he [thereby] cleaved to the Shechinah. As Chazal (Kethuvoth 111a) say on the verse (Deuteronomy 4:9): "And you that did cleave to the L-rd your G-d are all alive this day." Now is it possible for a man to cleave to the Shechinah? Is it not written (Ibid. 24): "For the L-rd your G-d is a consuming fire!" The intent is, rather, if one weds his daughter to a Torah scholar, or does business for a Torah scholar, or benefits a Torah scholar with his possessions, it is accounted to him as if he cleaved to the Shechinah." And they stated further (Ibid. 10b): "All who lodge Torah scholars in their homes and offer them of their fare are regarded by Scripture as presenters of daily ['continual'] sacrifices." And (Ibid. 63b): "R. Nechemiah opened [his discourse] in honor of the host, expounding (I Samuel 15:6): 'And Saul said to the Keni: Go, depart, go down from the midst of Amalek, lest I destroy you with him — and you have done lovingkindness with all the children of Israel': Now does this not follow a fortiori? If Yithro, who befriended Moses only for his own honor had this accorded [to his descendants, the Keni], then one who is host to a Torah scholar, and feeds him, and gives him to drink, and treats him of his possessions, how much more so!'… R. Elazar b. R. Yossi Haglili opened [his discourse] in honor of the host, expounding (II Samuel 6:11): 'And the L-rd blessed the house of Oved-Edom… because of the ark of G-d' [which he kept in his house]. Now does this not follow a fortiori? If the ark, which did not eat and did not drink — because they swept and sprinkled before it, thus [were they rewarded], then one who is host to a Torah scholar, and feeds him, and gives him to drink, and treats him of his possessions, how much more so!'"

Samuel hinted to Saul about these mysteries when he said to him: "Even if you deem yourself "small" in your own eyes, you are nonetheless the head of the tribes of Israel. The Lord anointed you king over Israel" (Samuel I 15,17). Samuel meant that the reason Saul became king was that he belonged to the youngest tribe of Israel. Had he not belonged to the tribe of Benjamin, his forefather would have been one of those who bowed to Esau. As it is, he was saved from this ignominy by the fact that Benjamin had not yet been born at the time. As a result, Saul, the king from the tribe of Benjamin, was entrusted with the task of destroying Amalek, the descendant of Esau. The thigh presented to Saul symbolized a thigh that was free from the "tattoo" of Esau, the residue of the original serpent.

The effect of the serpent's pollutants had continued unabated until the birth of the twin brothers Jacob and Esau. At that point, most of the pollutants absorbed by Esau, remained tattooed on the thigh of Esau, so that it could be said of Jacob (as did Bileam) that he was not infected by the serpent. Samael, the spiritual patron of Esau, touched and injured the thigh joint of Jacob, causing a degree of impurity conferred through bodily contact; this was transferred to the ירך of the tribes because they bowed before Esau who represented an alien deity. Ever since then the tribes were in need of spiritual refinement. Benjamin, on the other hand, was above the need for such refinement; this is why one of his descendants, Saul, was first able to wear the "crown" of kingdom. Thus it came about that every Jew bowed before Saul the representative of Benjamin. Such a situation, however, could not endure for long because Saul was not anointed by means of a קרן. Only David and his descendants could be anointed by oil poured from the קרן. The kingdom of שאול was only a "borrowed" kingdom, as the name שאול implies. שאול was anointed from a cruse because the time was not yet ripe for אדם to be rehabilitated, a task that was reserved for David, who was Adam's reincarnation. The mystique of פכים קטנים is alluded to in Samuel I 16,17 where Samuel says to Saul: הלא אם קטון אתה בעינך, "Even though you regard yourself as small (insignificant), etc." The reference to Saul's "smallness" was to the fact that Benjamin was the youngest of the brothers. Samuel told Saul that the reason he had been chosen to become king was precisely because he was a member of the youngest (smallest) tribe, since his ancestor had not bowed to Esau because he had not had a chance to, not having been born yet.

In verse 10 David continues: "What is to be gained from my death, from my descent into the Pit?" Scripture is replete with similar statements as well as requests to G–d to avenge Jewish blood. What good are all these requests unless there was another future in store for us? This is why David stresses the reversal of lament, מספד, into מחול, dancing in verse 12. In verse 11 David appeals for the redemption, the gathering in of the exiles; this is similar to our prayer , והוא ישמיענו ברחמיו שנית לעיני כל חי "He will let us know a second time in His mercy in the presence of all things living" (Kedushah prayer of Mussaf).