Chasidut do Wyjścia 4:22
וְאָמַרְתָּ֖ אֶל־פַּרְעֹ֑ה כֹּ֚ה אָמַ֣ר יְהוָ֔ה בְּנִ֥י בְכֹרִ֖י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃
I powiesz Faraonowi: tak rzecze Wiekuisty: Syn Mój, pierworodny Mój, jest Israel.
Kedushat Levi
Deuteronomy 23,4. “No Ammonite or Moabite shall be admitted to the congregation of the Lord……because they did not meet you with food and water on your journey after you left Egypt.”
We know that G’d has described the Jewish people to Pharaoh as “My first born son”. (Exodus 4,22) What this really means is that the Jewish people are the conduit through which G’d channels His largesse to the world. Ammon and Moav denied the principle that the major objective of channeling largesse to mankind was for the glory of Israel, who would be perceived as the most important single link in that chain, indirectly benefiting all of mankind. By describing the Ammonites and the Moabites as not offering “bread and water” to the Jewish people, the Torah hints that they did not recognize the existence of the Jewish people as something beneficial for all of mankind.
We know that G’d has described the Jewish people to Pharaoh as “My first born son”. (Exodus 4,22) What this really means is that the Jewish people are the conduit through which G’d channels His largesse to the world. Ammon and Moav denied the principle that the major objective of channeling largesse to mankind was for the glory of Israel, who would be perceived as the most important single link in that chain, indirectly benefiting all of mankind. By describing the Ammonites and the Moabites as not offering “bread and water” to the Jewish people, the Torah hints that they did not recognize the existence of the Jewish people as something beneficial for all of mankind.
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Likutei Halakhot
Therefore, the first redemption, which is the Exodus from Egypt, which includes all of the redemptions - because all of the redeemed are referred to by the name 'Egypt' as Rabbeinu z"l wrote in another place in Likutei Moharan 4. Therefore, the beginning of the redemption was in the middle of the night as it is written (Exodus 11:4) "Around midnight I will go out into Egypt". Because the essence of all the redemptions, especially the redemption from Egypt, came about through the aspect as seen above which was written in the lesson above. This was accomplished by means of divine providence which G-d drew down from the end of the earth, from the future world. At the time of the Exodus from Egypt, there was an upheaval in the constellations and then an overturning of nature, for G-d then revealed His divine providence through His awesome miracles and His overturning nature. All of this took place through the world of the future, for it came through the Yovel (Zohar I 21b, II 41b, 46b) which corresponds to the 50 gates of Binah, which corresponds to the world of the future. (Tikunei Zohar 79b). And therefore the redemption was specifically at midnight; in other words it broke the night and the darkness which are the aspect of the wisdom of nature, and it revealed divine providence in the world. Through this was the main essence of the revelation, as explained above. And this is the aspect of (Id.) “Every firstborn in the land of Egypt will die, and G-d will pass over… And save the Israelites' first born”. Because the first born is first, the aspect of knowledge, the aspect of (Proverbs 1:7) “First thing, knowledge”. In other words, the knowledge of the Other Side, which is the aspect of natural sciences, was subdued, and the knowledge of holiness, the knowledge of divine providence, the aspect of "my firstborn, Israel" (Exodus 4:22) - which is the knowledge of faith in divine providence, from which the holy offspring of the Jewish people are drawn-was increased. The Jewish people are above nature, for they are rooted in "Look to the heavens and count the stars". G-d told him this will be your offspring (Genesis 15:5), upon which our sages comment G-d lifted Abraham above the heavens (Genesis Rabbah, there). Therefore, the Jewish people are above nature, for according to nature, according to the arrangement of the constellations, Abraham should not have been able to have any children. It was only because G-d said to him "let go of your astrology", and raised him above the heavens, that he was able to have a child, as in 'that will be your offspring'. Therefore Jewish offspring are drawn from its root from beyond nature, which is represented by 'My firstborn, Israel'. Because G-d struck the Egyptian first born at midnight to subdue and break the knowledge of natural sciences, and to intensify the knowledge of divine providence, the aspect of the firstborn of Israel, as explained above.
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Kedushat Levi
Exouds 28,5. “whereas they will take (receive) the gold, the blue wool, the purple wool, the crimson yarns and the fine linen.” Compare Rashi according to whom the subject of the word: והם, are the חכמי לב, people endowed with skill, who received the materials required from the Israelites who had donated it. Keeping all this in mind, even the reversal of the letters דג to read גד does not need to indicate something negative as it does elsewhere, but is an allusion to the well known concept of G’d sending the cure before He activates the disease, or expressed differently: גומל דלים “He renders good to the poor.” (in that order).
We need to understand why the priestly vestments should have been constructed from public funds, seeing that although the priest would perform the service in the Tabernacle, presenting the offerings on behalf of the people, unless he “dressed himself” personally, indicating that he loved the people on behalf of whom he performed these services, he was not considered as having performed his duties. [According to the Zohar in Parshat Nasso, even nowadays when the priests have pronounced the blessing on the people, and the members of the congregation thank them for this, they do not thank the priests for the blessing, but for the love with which this blessing had been dispensed. This is why the benediction preceding the blessing mentions that it is to be performed with love, something that is unique in all such benedictions preceding fulfillment of a commandment. Ed.]
G’d has demonstrated His love for the Jewish people when He chose them from among all the other nations to be His “firstborn” son. (Exodus 4,22) Seeing that G’d loves us, He must hate those who hate us. When He chose the priests for special status among the Israelites He did not thereby remove them from the people at large, but was at pains that this elevation was only within the beloved Jewish people, i.e. מתוך בני ישראל, as is clear from Exodus 28,1 as well as regarding the Levites themselves in Numbers 3,12. It is because He loved us collectively, that He appointed the priests to act as means to achieve atonement for our sins.
We need to understand why the priestly vestments should have been constructed from public funds, seeing that although the priest would perform the service in the Tabernacle, presenting the offerings on behalf of the people, unless he “dressed himself” personally, indicating that he loved the people on behalf of whom he performed these services, he was not considered as having performed his duties. [According to the Zohar in Parshat Nasso, even nowadays when the priests have pronounced the blessing on the people, and the members of the congregation thank them for this, they do not thank the priests for the blessing, but for the love with which this blessing had been dispensed. This is why the benediction preceding the blessing mentions that it is to be performed with love, something that is unique in all such benedictions preceding fulfillment of a commandment. Ed.]
G’d has demonstrated His love for the Jewish people when He chose them from among all the other nations to be His “firstborn” son. (Exodus 4,22) Seeing that G’d loves us, He must hate those who hate us. When He chose the priests for special status among the Israelites He did not thereby remove them from the people at large, but was at pains that this elevation was only within the beloved Jewish people, i.e. מתוך בני ישראל, as is clear from Exodus 28,1 as well as regarding the Levites themselves in Numbers 3,12. It is because He loved us collectively, that He appointed the priests to act as means to achieve atonement for our sins.
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Sha'ar HaEmunah VeYesod HaChasidut
On the subject of the connection of faith, the Zohar writes (Beshalach, 52b): Rabbi Yehuda said in the name of Rabbi Yitzchak, Pharaoh was smarter than all the sorcerers of his day. He looked into all of the crowns (Sefirot) and all of the knowledge, and didn’t see any sign of the Israel’s redemption. He did not see that the redemption was hinged on any of these crowns. However, though he looked into all the ways that Israel was connected to God, he failed to see the other connection – the connection of faith, which rules over all. For this reason his heart was hardened. Pharaoh knew that there was no place in the realm of Divine service346That is, within the created world, everything “under heaven,” as opposed to the level prior to creation, which he could not perceive. where Israel could overpower him. From this, he understood that he was given the authority to rule over them, enslaving Israel in their bodies and souls, and subjugating them to harsh labor. It is explained how he gradually accustomed the Israelites to ever greater levels of slavery, until they were thoroughly entrenched in bondage. This is as it is written in the Midrash (Mechilta Yitro 1), “No slave could ever escape from Egypt, because Egypt was filled with all the most powerful of worldly delights, to the point where it was more comfortable to be a slave in Egypt than a lord in another country.” In this way, he ruled over their minds and intellect.347It may be implied by this that even the Israelites themselves could not that escape from Egypt was possible, or even desirable – their minds and hearts having been so thoroughly enslaved. What they, and Pharaoh, did not realize is that Israel is connect to G-d on a level that transcends the intellect and the natural order - that is the dimension of faith and miracles. For this reason, he asserted that there was no way they could arouse the root of their souls in order to pray to God for deliverance, and as a result, God’s compassion would not be aroused to redeem them. To this, the Zohar responds, “He did not see the other connection – the connection of faith, which rules over all. ” All of the connection between Israel and God is through prayer and Divine service.348The author refers here to the revealed connection between Israel and G-d; not that of faith, which is concealed to the intellect. And all Divine service and prayer that is within man’s conscious grasp is only within the inclusion and unification of God’s revealed attributes (sefirot), as King David listed them when he said (Divrei HaYamim 1, 29), “Unto You, God, is the greatness, the strength, the splendor, the victory , and the majesty. For all that is in heaven and earth is Yours. Yours, G-d, is the kingdom; and You are exalted over all.”349In this verse, King David alludes to the seven lower sefirot, from hesed to yesod: Greatness - hesed; strength - gevurah; , splendor - tiferet; victory - netzah; majesty - Hod; all - Yesod; kingdom - Malkhut. This is explained in the Sifri, on the verse (Devarim, 11), “If you keep all these commandments that I command you to do, to love the Lord, your God, to walk in all His ways, and to cleave to Him.” Is it possible for man to cleave to God? asks the Sifri? Is it not written that God is a consuming fire? But the answer is: You should cleave to God’s attributes. Just as God is merciful, so you should be merciful (and in this way you cleave to Him).350The author is relying upon an implicit connection between the Divine attributes of loving-kindness, compassion, etc, their human parallels, and the sefirot. The seven lower sefirot are “revealed” – that is, their influence can be felt in the world. When man serves G-d by actualizing these potencies within himself (loving-kindness, mercy), so he clings to the supernal manifestation of these attributes. However, there are worlds far higher than these attributes, to which a human being cannot consciously connect to. Due to man’s limited knowledge, his Divine service only reaches these revealed attributes, which are included under the aegis of Tiferet (splendor), the Sefirah which contains the six lower attributes, which is also called Zeir Anpin (the microprosopus, or the “small face”). This attribute is Israel’s connection,351Tiferet is in the center of the middle column and connects to all of the six lower Sefirot: Hesed is to its upper right; Gevurah, its upper left; Nezah, at the lower right, Hod, at the lower left, and Yesod directly below, on the middle column. for through Tiferet, Israel is called, “my firstborn son Israel” (Shemot, 4:). As it is written in the Zohar (Balak, 191b): The secret of the matter is the secret above, “What is his name and what is his son’s name that I should know him?” (Mishlei, 30:4). His name is known, and it is Hashem Tziva’ot (the Lord of Hosts). His son’s name is Israel, as it is written, “My firstborn son Israel.” All of the keys of faith depend on Israel, who takes pride in this and says (Tehillim, 2), “God said to me, you are My son.” It is certainly like this, in that Abba and Imma352“Father and Mother” – the supernal constellations of sefirot that correspond to Hokhmah and Binah. crowned their son and blessed him with many blessings, telling him and commanding him for everything. They kissed their son’s hand, as it were, and gave him dominion over all, that all should serve him. It is also written in the Zohar (Yitro, 79a), And how does the verse end? “What is his name and what is his son’s name that I should know him?” He told him the secret of this matter. It is written, “My firstborn son Israel,” and it is written (Yeshayahu), “Israel, I shall pride Myself in you.” His name is Hokhmah (wisdom), and His son’s name is Tiferet (Adornment, Pride).353Here, the Zohar links the supernal persona of Israel to the sefirah of Tiferet, which is connected to Hokhmah, a higher sefirah, representing the Divine.
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Kedushat Levi
When the psalmist, in psalms 111,4 says of G’d: זכר עשה לנפלאותיו, “He has made a memory for His wonders,” the question arises why ”wonders” need to be commemorated by a special זכר? We would have thought that their very having occurred is their memorial! The psalmist answers this unspoken question in the latter half of the same verse when he says: חנון ורחום ה', “Hashem is gracious and compassionate.” At the sea of reeds G’d demonstrated that in spite of His being compassionate He deliberately suppressed this attribute by drowning the Egyptians in order to “save” the Israelites. This “canceling” of one of His major attributes on account of the interests of the Jewish people is what are referred to both by the psalmist, and by Moses in the shirat hayam, the song of thanksgiving, as נפלאותיו or פלא, “wonderful, amazing.”
The second type of ישועה, “rescue” is when G’d garbs Himself in the “clothing” worn by nature, i.e. makes use of natural law without disturbing its normal function. A well known example of such an event is the “miracle” of Purim, which according to all that we know about it did not contain any elements that could be described as interference with the natural course of events.
Achashverosh married Esther, and due to his jealousy of Haman who he thought had tried to rape his wife Esther, he hanged Haman. A similar “miracle” resulted in the festival of Chanukah, the king or chief general of the Seleucids lusting after Yehudit and trying to rape her, resulting instead in his being killed by her, and his army becoming demoralized. In both the examples mentioned, many thousands of gentiles, antisemites, were killed in due course.
The subject becomes easier to understand by means of a parable. A King built a palace for his son; originally, he had meant for his son to live in that house. After a while, some wicked people expelled the son from this house. It would be appropriate for the house that had served as the protector of its inhabitants to not only protest this action but to take counter measures. However the house, i.e. the stones, are immobile, as pointed put by Chabakuk 2,11. Seeing that the stones of the house are immobile, they are powerless. The world was created for the sake of the Jewish people, i.e. the world is our “house,” as G’d has told Pharaoh that the Jewish people are His firstborn son when viewed in terms of the parable. (Exodus 4,22) When the gentile nations dispossess us or kill us, the “world” ought by rights to rise up in our defense. As this is not possible, the owner of the world, G’d, will do this instead. This is why the numerical value of the word טבע, nature loosely translated as “world,” is the same as the numerical value of the word אלה-ים, G’d, i.e. 86. When “nature” smites the gentile nations, it is the same as G’d smiting them. The world is the sum total of the Creator’s creative activity. G’d may be perceived as its father. The expression מעשה בראשית, a simile for the 6 days of G’d’s creative activity, contains the word ראשית, “beginning,” i.e. that the final product of G’d’s creative activity had been planned from the very beginning, i.e. as a home for the Jewish people, who are the whole purpose of G’d’s beginning the creation of the universe. At the conclusion of this process, אחרית, the Creator garbed Himself in what we are fond of calling טבע, “nature,” and all that this term entails. When Moses said in Deuteronomy 32,18 צור ילדך תשי, “you (his people) neglected the Rock that begot you,” his words expressed similar sentiments.
Before someone opens his mouth to say something, a person considers if the words he is about to utter are the ones appropriate for expressing his wish. If he wishes to make a request, he thinks about how best to phrase such a request in order that it may be granted. By changing his mode of speech, he becomes a totally new person. When G’d issued directives to create the universe, He created the whole world with these oral directives. (Compare psalms 33,6 בדבר ה' שמים נעשו, “the heavens came into existence by a single word of the Lord”.) When it comes to “saving” this world from impending destruction, using the טבע, “nature,” as His instrument, He deals with something that is established, and therefore employs a different means than the one He had employed when bringing something into existence. According to our author the word טבע is closely related to the word חנוכה, completing a training program, consecration, i.e. establishing a kind of order, norms, imprinting a form on something, as in מטבע, coin. G’d no longer needs to resort to something brand new, i.e. miracles.
When Esther is described as אילה, a strong animal, (feminine of איל, ram) i.e. fully mature, our sages referred to the period of overt miracles in Jewish history having come to an end in her time, so that the salvation of the Jewish people in which she was instrumental did not require G’d’s intervention by upsetting the rules of nature through a miracle.
[If G’d were forever to have to resort to miracles to achieve His purpose in the universe, this would reflect a basic flaw in that universe. When at the end of the Purim story the Jews are described as voluntarily accepting what they had accepted at Sinai under tremendous pressure, this too is a compliment to G’d, whose children had matured. Ed.]
The sages (at the beginning of 40,10) are quoted as seeing in one of the branches which the cup bearer saw in his dream, the young priests, the ones who would perform the sacrificial service in the Temple in due course. If we revert to the allegorical approach that the author has adopted, the פרחי כהונה that the Talmud spoke about are the sacrifices offered in the Temple, which are symbolic of how miracles become converted into norms, טבע, seeing that most communal offerings are closely tied to certain days, weeks, months, or years, and these in turn symbolise how what had come into existence as an overt miracle at the creation, had been transformed into what we call natural phenomena, i.e. manifestations in nature that are not only predictable but can be calculated thousands of years in advance.
[The author tries again to bring the subject of Chanukah into this portion, as the portion is always read around that time of year, draws on the Talmud Shabbat 21 where the subject is Chanukah. Ed.] The Talmud there stipulates that the best time for lighting the Chanukah candles is the period immediately following sunset until it has become so dark that no more pedestrians are about. (There was no street lighting in those days) Our author sees in this a symbol of the gradual switchover from G’d performing overt miracles to working through letting טבע perform most of His intervention in the affairs of man. The expression for complete darkness, used by the Talmud is עד שכלתה רגל מן השוק, usually translated as “until the pedestrians have ceased walking in the public domain.” Seeing that the word רגל does not only mean “foot, but is also directly related to רגילות, something habitual, he understands the Talmud as hinting at this “getting used to seeing no more brilliant miracles,” as the period following “sunset.” The expression used by the Talmud for sunset is שקיעת החמה, the word חמה, “sun,” referring to something overt, highly visible.
The second type of ישועה, “rescue” is when G’d garbs Himself in the “clothing” worn by nature, i.e. makes use of natural law without disturbing its normal function. A well known example of such an event is the “miracle” of Purim, which according to all that we know about it did not contain any elements that could be described as interference with the natural course of events.
Achashverosh married Esther, and due to his jealousy of Haman who he thought had tried to rape his wife Esther, he hanged Haman. A similar “miracle” resulted in the festival of Chanukah, the king or chief general of the Seleucids lusting after Yehudit and trying to rape her, resulting instead in his being killed by her, and his army becoming demoralized. In both the examples mentioned, many thousands of gentiles, antisemites, were killed in due course.
The subject becomes easier to understand by means of a parable. A King built a palace for his son; originally, he had meant for his son to live in that house. After a while, some wicked people expelled the son from this house. It would be appropriate for the house that had served as the protector of its inhabitants to not only protest this action but to take counter measures. However the house, i.e. the stones, are immobile, as pointed put by Chabakuk 2,11. Seeing that the stones of the house are immobile, they are powerless. The world was created for the sake of the Jewish people, i.e. the world is our “house,” as G’d has told Pharaoh that the Jewish people are His firstborn son when viewed in terms of the parable. (Exodus 4,22) When the gentile nations dispossess us or kill us, the “world” ought by rights to rise up in our defense. As this is not possible, the owner of the world, G’d, will do this instead. This is why the numerical value of the word טבע, nature loosely translated as “world,” is the same as the numerical value of the word אלה-ים, G’d, i.e. 86. When “nature” smites the gentile nations, it is the same as G’d smiting them. The world is the sum total of the Creator’s creative activity. G’d may be perceived as its father. The expression מעשה בראשית, a simile for the 6 days of G’d’s creative activity, contains the word ראשית, “beginning,” i.e. that the final product of G’d’s creative activity had been planned from the very beginning, i.e. as a home for the Jewish people, who are the whole purpose of G’d’s beginning the creation of the universe. At the conclusion of this process, אחרית, the Creator garbed Himself in what we are fond of calling טבע, “nature,” and all that this term entails. When Moses said in Deuteronomy 32,18 צור ילדך תשי, “you (his people) neglected the Rock that begot you,” his words expressed similar sentiments.
Before someone opens his mouth to say something, a person considers if the words he is about to utter are the ones appropriate for expressing his wish. If he wishes to make a request, he thinks about how best to phrase such a request in order that it may be granted. By changing his mode of speech, he becomes a totally new person. When G’d issued directives to create the universe, He created the whole world with these oral directives. (Compare psalms 33,6 בדבר ה' שמים נעשו, “the heavens came into existence by a single word of the Lord”.) When it comes to “saving” this world from impending destruction, using the טבע, “nature,” as His instrument, He deals with something that is established, and therefore employs a different means than the one He had employed when bringing something into existence. According to our author the word טבע is closely related to the word חנוכה, completing a training program, consecration, i.e. establishing a kind of order, norms, imprinting a form on something, as in מטבע, coin. G’d no longer needs to resort to something brand new, i.e. miracles.
When Esther is described as אילה, a strong animal, (feminine of איל, ram) i.e. fully mature, our sages referred to the period of overt miracles in Jewish history having come to an end in her time, so that the salvation of the Jewish people in which she was instrumental did not require G’d’s intervention by upsetting the rules of nature through a miracle.
[If G’d were forever to have to resort to miracles to achieve His purpose in the universe, this would reflect a basic flaw in that universe. When at the end of the Purim story the Jews are described as voluntarily accepting what they had accepted at Sinai under tremendous pressure, this too is a compliment to G’d, whose children had matured. Ed.]
The sages (at the beginning of 40,10) are quoted as seeing in one of the branches which the cup bearer saw in his dream, the young priests, the ones who would perform the sacrificial service in the Temple in due course. If we revert to the allegorical approach that the author has adopted, the פרחי כהונה that the Talmud spoke about are the sacrifices offered in the Temple, which are symbolic of how miracles become converted into norms, טבע, seeing that most communal offerings are closely tied to certain days, weeks, months, or years, and these in turn symbolise how what had come into existence as an overt miracle at the creation, had been transformed into what we call natural phenomena, i.e. manifestations in nature that are not only predictable but can be calculated thousands of years in advance.
[The author tries again to bring the subject of Chanukah into this portion, as the portion is always read around that time of year, draws on the Talmud Shabbat 21 where the subject is Chanukah. Ed.] The Talmud there stipulates that the best time for lighting the Chanukah candles is the period immediately following sunset until it has become so dark that no more pedestrians are about. (There was no street lighting in those days) Our author sees in this a symbol of the gradual switchover from G’d performing overt miracles to working through letting טבע perform most of His intervention in the affairs of man. The expression for complete darkness, used by the Talmud is עד שכלתה רגל מן השוק, usually translated as “until the pedestrians have ceased walking in the public domain.” Seeing that the word רגל does not only mean “foot, but is also directly related to רגילות, something habitual, he understands the Talmud as hinting at this “getting used to seeing no more brilliant miracles,” as the period following “sunset.” The expression used by the Talmud for sunset is שקיעת החמה, the word חמה, “sun,” referring to something overt, highly visible.
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Kedushat Levi
Exodus 13,1. “Hashem said to Moses, saying; sanctify for me every firstborn, etc.”
In order to better understand the subject introduced here by the Torah it is well to go back to Exodus 4,22 where G’d for the first time refers to the Jewish people as: בני בכורי ישראל, “My firstborn son, Israel.” [G’d had referred to the Jewish people as “My people,” already in Exodus 3,7, but He had not referred to this people being G’d’s “firstborn.” Ed.]
The following parable may help us understand the difference between the two descriptions of the Jewish people. There are people who devote time to the study of Torah and after a certain number of hours of daily study they turn their attention to business in order to earn a living to support their families. This group of people may be divided into 2 separate categories. A member of category one, due to lack of understanding, considers his preoccupation with trade and commerce his principal occupation and purpose, whereas a member of the second category is well aware that preoccupation with the study of Torah, performing its commandments, and performing deeds of loving kindness for his peers, is his principal duty in life, but seeing that he does not want to depend on miracles for supporting his family, he sets aside time to secure his livelihood with G’d’s support, of course, during the time required for this.
The relationship between the gentile nations and the Jewish nation is parallel to the above, in that the gentiles by and large also devote some of their time to duties prescribed by their respective religions. However, except for a minute fraction, who devote their lives to their deities as priests of some type, they consider the demands made upon them by “life” on earth as paramount. Seeing that the entire universe including the gentiles were created in order to somehow serve as an appendix to the Jewish people, this people must not copy the gentiles by seeing in the mundane tasks to be performed daily the essence of their existence. Israel’s destiny is to serve as a holy nation, and anyone wishing to sanctify itself with a mirror like replica of G’d’s holiness, will in the process draw down from the celestial domain not only G’d’s attribute of Mercy, but also His largesse in helping to make the mundane tasks such people have to perform becoming crowned with success. By being accorded the title: בני בכורי, “My firstborn son,” G’d brings home to us that we are the principal reason that G’d undertook the creation of the universe. The author suggests that the meaning of the word רחם in פטר כל רחם, usually translated as “each first opening of the womb,” should be understood as a reference to the task of the Jewish people to ensure that the source of Mercy, רחמים, be opened through the Jewish people’s prayers so that all of mankind will be provided with its needs, be it directly or indirectly through G’d’s largesse. He quotes Proverbs 17,14 פוטר מים ראשית, as an allusion to this idea by Solomon. [possibly linked to Reshit Chochmah, Teshuvah 7,14. Ed.]
In order to better understand the subject introduced here by the Torah it is well to go back to Exodus 4,22 where G’d for the first time refers to the Jewish people as: בני בכורי ישראל, “My firstborn son, Israel.” [G’d had referred to the Jewish people as “My people,” already in Exodus 3,7, but He had not referred to this people being G’d’s “firstborn.” Ed.]
The following parable may help us understand the difference between the two descriptions of the Jewish people. There are people who devote time to the study of Torah and after a certain number of hours of daily study they turn their attention to business in order to earn a living to support their families. This group of people may be divided into 2 separate categories. A member of category one, due to lack of understanding, considers his preoccupation with trade and commerce his principal occupation and purpose, whereas a member of the second category is well aware that preoccupation with the study of Torah, performing its commandments, and performing deeds of loving kindness for his peers, is his principal duty in life, but seeing that he does not want to depend on miracles for supporting his family, he sets aside time to secure his livelihood with G’d’s support, of course, during the time required for this.
The relationship between the gentile nations and the Jewish nation is parallel to the above, in that the gentiles by and large also devote some of their time to duties prescribed by their respective religions. However, except for a minute fraction, who devote their lives to their deities as priests of some type, they consider the demands made upon them by “life” on earth as paramount. Seeing that the entire universe including the gentiles were created in order to somehow serve as an appendix to the Jewish people, this people must not copy the gentiles by seeing in the mundane tasks to be performed daily the essence of their existence. Israel’s destiny is to serve as a holy nation, and anyone wishing to sanctify itself with a mirror like replica of G’d’s holiness, will in the process draw down from the celestial domain not only G’d’s attribute of Mercy, but also His largesse in helping to make the mundane tasks such people have to perform becoming crowned with success. By being accorded the title: בני בכורי, “My firstborn son,” G’d brings home to us that we are the principal reason that G’d undertook the creation of the universe. The author suggests that the meaning of the word רחם in פטר כל רחם, usually translated as “each first opening of the womb,” should be understood as a reference to the task of the Jewish people to ensure that the source of Mercy, רחמים, be opened through the Jewish people’s prayers so that all of mankind will be provided with its needs, be it directly or indirectly through G’d’s largesse. He quotes Proverbs 17,14 פוטר מים ראשית, as an allusion to this idea by Solomon. [possibly linked to Reshit Chochmah, Teshuvah 7,14. Ed.]
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