A Tower of Strength: The Bird has Found a Home
by tillerofthesoil
“The name of YHWH is a tower of strength; the righteous one runs into it and is secure (Proverbs 18:10). The Head of the Academy explained this verse. The name of YHWH—Assembly of Israel. The righteous one יָרוּץ (yaruts), runs, into it—רְעוּתֵיהּ (re’uteih), the desire of, the righteous one is always for it. Therefore, it is secure—that tower, so that it will never fall, as it did.
Rabbi Kruspedai, desired by the heart, explained this verse before he passed away, explaining it well. A tower of strength: the תֵּיבָה (teivah), pulpit, and the Torah scroll, which is strength, to be placed on it and taken out of the הֵיכָל (heikhal), ark—image of the inner heikhal, from which emerges Torah [cf. Zohar 3:134a (IR): ‘All depends on mazzal, even the Torah scroll in the heikhal’]. That tower is the name of YHWH and His image, and it must have six steps.
The righteous one runs into it. Into what: into the tower or in the Torah scroll? Well, he expounded the verse both ways. When he interpreted it as ‘into the tower,’ then this righteous one must be the ḥazzan of the synagogue—truly righteous, image of the supernal Righteous One. When he interpreted it as referring to the Torah scroll, the one reading must be righteous, and is called righteous.
Of all of them, who is called righteous? The sixth one ascending among those seven.
Rabbi Shim’on said, ‘Surely, for all his life he ascended only sixth among those ascending. The righteous one runs in it—in the Torah scroll run the words of this righteous one.
And is secure—from what? From fear of the Angel of Death, for he lived a long life. And is secure—never to be harmed.
In the tower rising among those towers stands a radiance in the image of a Torah scroll. When a bird comes, it takes that tower from its place and sets it in the middle of the courtyard beneath the wings of the cherubim. Whereas its height had reached the loft of the heavens, it now descends, entering beneath those wings, its wall between the heads of the cherubim.
Three hundred openings there [see BT Ḥagigah 15b]. In the middle opening stands this radiance—image of a Torah scroll, in which the king of Israel is destined to read the portion הַקְהֵל (Haqhel), Assemble. This will be King Messiah and no other, and in that Torah scroll of radiance” (Zohar 3:164a–b, Rav Metivta).
“Rabbi Shim’on said to his son, Rabbi El’azar, ‘El’azar, when King Messiah arouses, countless other signs, and miracles will arise in the whole world. Come and see: In the Garden of Eden below, there is a single place hidden, concealed, unknown—embroidered with many colors; within are hidden a thousand palaces of yearning. No one enters them except Messiah, who abides constantly in the Garden of Eden.
The entire Garden is encompassed by many crowns of the righteous, and Messiah stands over countless forces and camps of souls of the righteous. On festivals and Sabbaths, Messiah enters that place and delights in all those palaces.
Within, within those palaces is another place—concealed and hidden, completely unknown, called Eden. No one is capable of knowing it [cf. Isaiah 64:4]. Messiah is hidden outside, around that place, until a place called קֵן צִפּוֹר (qen tsipor), Bird’s Nest, is revealed to him—a place proclaimed by that bird who arouses in the Garden every day.
In that place are embroidered images of all other nations who have gathered against Israel to harm them. He enters that place, raises his eyes, and sees the patriarchs entering the ruins of the House of God, until he sees Rachel, tears on her face, and the blessed Holy One comforting her—but she does not want to be comforted, as is said: She refuses to be comforted for her children (Jeremiah 31:15). Then Messiah raises his voice and weeps, and the whole Garden of Eden trembles and all those righteous ones there scream and weep [cf. Pesiqta Rabbati 36:4–6]. He screams and weeps a second time, and the heavens above the Garden tremble, along with 1,500 myriads of supernal camps, until reaching the supernal Throne. Then the blessed Holy One beckons to that bird, who enters her nest and sits by Messiah, crying what she cries, arousing what is aroused.
From within the holy Throne, that Bird’s Nest and Messiah are summoned. All elevate them above, and the blessed Holy One swears to them to eliminate the wicked kingdom from the world by the hand of Messiah and to avenge Israel—and all the goodness that the blessed Holy One intends to do for His people. Then the Bird’s Nest, with Messiah in it, returns to its place, Messiah slipping into its hiding place as before….’
A voice will burst in the branches of the trees of the Garden, calling potently: ‘Awaken, high holy ones! Rise before the Messiah! Behold, the time has come for the Doe to unite with Her Husband. And Her Husband wishes to avenge Her in the world and raise Her from the dust.’
Then they will all rise and gird him with his weapons as before, Abraham on his right, Isaac on his left, Jacob in front of him, Moses the Faithful Shepherd above all the righteous, dancing along in the Garden.
Once the Messiah is arrayed by the righteous in the Garden of Eden, he will enter that place called Bird’s Nest, as previously, and see the image of the destruction of the Temple and the many righteous who were killed there. Then he takes from there ten garments, called ‘garments of zeal,’ and hides himself there for forty days, totally unrevealed.
At the end of forty days a single voice arouses, and from the supernal Throne the Bird’s Nest is summoned along with the King Messiah hidden within. Then he is raised above, and when the blessed Holy One sees King Messiah dressed in garments of vengeance, girded with his weapons, He takes him and kisses him on the head….
He enters into one palace there and sees all the supernal angels called Mourners of Zion—those who weep over the destruction of the Temple, weeping constantly—and they give him a purple robe to wreak vengeance. Then the blessed Holy One hides him away in the Bird’s Nest, where he is concealed for thirty days [cf. Rut Rabbah 5:6]. After ward, within that bird’s nest, he will descend from above to below, arrayed in all those adornments, surrounded by countless holy camps. The whole world will see a radiance hovering between heaven and earth, persisting for seven days, and all inhabitants of the world will be astonished and confounded, totally unable to comprehend—except for the wise, who know these mysteries; happy is their share!…
On that day the whole world will tremble as before, from one end of heaven to the other, and then the whole world will know that King Messiah has been revealed in the land of Galilee. All those who study Torah assiduously will gather round him—though they are few in the world [see BT Sanhedrin 97a]—and through the merit of schoolchildren his strength will be vitalized, overpowering. This is the mystery of fledglings (Deuteronomy 22:6). And if these are not to be found, then infants sitting in their mother’s potent bosom, suckling, as is said: [Whom will he teach knowledge? To whom will he explain a message?] Those weaned from milk, taken from the breast (Isaiah 28:9)—namely, or eggs (Deuteronomy ibid.)—because for their sake Shekhinah dwells with Israel in exile, since as for the wise, few will be found at that time. Thus, and the mother crouching over עַל (al), for the sake of, the fledglings or for the sake of the eggs (ibid.).
Do not take the mother together with the children (ibid.). For the matter does not depend on him—to deliver Her from exile—but rather on the supernal King. Once these children and sucklings empower King Messiah, then supernal Mother, crouching over them, arouses toward Her Husband. For twelve more months, it will be delayed; then Her Husband will come and raise Her from the dust, as is said: I will raise the fallen booth of David (Amos 9:11)” (Zohar 2:8a–9a).
“Men of mysteries offer a pearl to their disciples, and if they do not understand the hint, it is explained to them in jest. For example, a man says that a single egg overthrew sixty villages, because the egg was dropped by a bird in the air and struck the villages. The jesters said that this is not what he meant, but that a man wrote [a note] ‘sixty villages’ and the egg dropped by the bird effaced ‘sixty villages.’ But perish the thought that the Masters of Torah should say jocular or trivial things in Torah [see BT Bekhorot 57b: ‘Once the egg of a bar yokhani fell and its contents swamped sixteen cities and destroyed three hundred cedar trees. But does it actually cast the egg? Is it not written: The ostrich’s wing joyously beats (Job 39:13)?—the egg was a rotten one’]!
And they taught: Fledglings—Masters of Mishnah. Or eggs—Masters of Scripture. And just as נָפַל (nafal), falling, from that נִפּוֹל (nipol), young bird, He is called, בַּר נַפְלֵי (Bar Nafli), Son of the Fallen [alluding to נֵפֶל (nefel), stillborn (Psalms 58:9; Job 3:16)]. For the the egg [Malkhut] falls, which is like a אֶתְרוֹג (etrog), citron, as it is the same size as an egg, and of Her it is said: I will raise הַנֹּפֶלֶת (ha-nofelet), the fallen, booth of David (Amos 9:11). And with Her fell sixty queens [i.e., the six lower sefirot each of which contains ten (Sullam)] (Song of Songs 6:8), since they are כְּרִיכִין (kerikhin), bound, with Her. It has the same sense as in, ‘How they did כּוֹרְכִין (korkhin), bind, the Shema [i.e., recitation of Shema without pausing between phrases]’ (BT Pesaḥim 56a), and these correspond to the sixty tractates [of Mishnah]. And young women beyond number (ibid.); maidens in train, her companions (Psalms 45:15), which are הֲלָכוֹת (halakhot), rulings, without number.
And that נִיפּוֹל (nipol), young bird, is the בֶּן יָהּ (Ben Yah), Son of God [Ze’eir Anpin], he is within the Fifty Gates of בִינָה (Binah), Understanding, namely יָהּ (Yah), God—י״ (ten) times ה״ (five) [cf. BT Rosh ha-Shanah 38b; Nedarim 38a]. ו (Vav) is a נִיפּוֹל (nipol), young bird, because He fell, as it is said: How are you fallen from the heavens, O bright star, son of the dawn! (Isaiah 14:12). He is called נִיפּוֹל (nipol), ‘young bird,’ but not נָפַל (nafal), falling, and not נוֹפֵל (nofel), falls [since it is not Him who falls but Malkhut who falls from Him]. י ו (Yod, vav)—He descends through them [in order to raise] ה ה (he, he) [upper and lower] Malkhut, of whom it is said: And the two of them went (Ruth 1:19). It is also written: You shall surely send off [lit., sending off, you shall send off] (Deuteronomy 22:7)—the first [sending off] is the First Temple. The second [you shall send off] the Second Temple, in order to raise them up, as is written: יִשְׂמְחוּ הַשָּׁמַיִם וְתָגֵל הָאָרֶץ (Yismeḥu ha-shamayim ve-tagel ha-arets), Let the heavens rejoice and the earth exalt [יהוה (YHWH)] (Psalms 96:11)” (Zohar 3:215a, Ra’aya Meheimna Pineḥas).
“The Faithful Shepherd said: How obscure these matters are for one who does not know them, and how transparent for one who does! Certainly that bird is the Shekhinah and Her nest is the Temple. And Israel are the fledglings, upon whom the mother [Shekhinah] sits. And the mother is crouched over the fledglings (Deuteronomy 22:6)—Masters of Mishnah, who fly with Her decrees. Or eggs (ibid.)—Masters of Scripture.
But when Israel sinned, and the Temple was destroyed, what is written? You shall surely send off the mother (ibid., 7), as is written: And for your transgressions is your mother put away (Isaiah 50:1). And about the masters of the six orders of Mishnah, it is written: And the sons you may take for yourself (ibid.)—six [orders], from the aspect of six sons [i.e., the six lower sefirot], which are under upper Mother [Binah], and which are alluded to in the six words of the recitation of Shema Yisra’el, or in the six orders of Mishnah. It is all the same, whether [one offers] much or little, if only he directs his mind towards Heaven [Tif’eret], and binds it with the knot of the tefillin on the head and on the hand….
And for this reason, fledglings are from the aspect of ו (vav) which includes the six orders of Mishnah [the six lower sefirot]. Or eggs—Masters of Scripture. And it is said of them: At ה״ (five) years old, one is fit for the study of Five [namely, the Five Books of Moses], and this is Malkhut, [which is] ה (he). Sons—aspect of the Son of יָהּ (Yah), God, and these are the Masters of Kabbalah, of whom it is said: You shall not take the mother together with the sons (Deuteronomy 22:6)” (Zohar 3:254b, Ra’aya Meheimna Pineḥas).
“If one says, ‘May Your Compassion extend to a bird’s nest,’ ‘May Your name be mentioned for well-doing,’ or ‘We give thanks, we give thanks’ he is silenced’ (Mishnah). We understand why he is silenced if he says ‘We give thanks, we give thanks’ because he seems to be acknowledging two powers [as the Zoroastrians do]; also if he says, May Your name be mentioned for well-doing’ because this implies, for the good only and not for the bad, and we have learnt, ‘A man must bless God for the evil as he blesses Him for the good’ (BT Berakhot 54a). But what is the reason for silencing him if he says ‘May Your Compassion extend to a bird’s nest’?—two Amoraim in the West [i.e., the land of Israel], Rabbi Yose son of Avin and Rabbi Yose son of Zevida, give different answers; one says it is because he creates jealousy among the blessed Holy One’s creatures [by implying that this one is favored above others], the other, because he makes the qualities of the blessed Holy One into Compassion whereas they are decrees only [see Bereshit Rabbah 44:1: ‘What difference does it make to the blessed Holy One whether one slaughters an animal from the neck or from the throat (as Jewish law dictates)? The mitsvot were given only to purify people, as is said, Every saying of God is pure (Proverbs 30:5).’].
A certain [reader] went down [before the Ark] in the presence of Rabbah and said, ‘You have shown Compassion to the bird’s nest, show You pity and mercy to us [see Deuteronomy 22:6].’ Said Rabbah: How well this student knows how to placate his Master! Said Abbaye to him: But we have learnt [he is silenced]?—Rabbah too acted so only to sharpen Abbaye” (BT Berakhot 33b, cf. Megillah 25a).
“And so that which they said, ‘He makes the qualities of the blessed Holy One into Compassion whereas they are decrees only,’ is to say that God did not worry about the bird’s nest and His Compassion does not reach it and its child; as His Compassion does not extend to creatures with an animal soul, to prevent us from doing what we need to them. As were it so, slaughtering would be forbidden. But [rather], the reason for the decree is to teach us the quality of Compassion and that we not become cruel. Since cruelty permeates the soul of a man, as it is known with butchers that slaughter large oxen and donkeys, that they are ‘people of blood,’ ‘slaughterers of men’ [and] very cruel. And because of this they said ‘The best of butchers are the partners of Amalek’ (BT Qiddushin 82a). And behold, these mitsvot with animals and birds are not compassion upon them, but [rather] decrees upon us, to guide us and to teach us the good qualities. Until here are the interpretations of Naḥmanides, may his memory be blessed” (Sefer ha-Ḥinnukh, 545).
“Rabbi Pinḥas in the name of Rabbi Shim’on: Like one who is challenging the measures of the blessed Holy One: It is upon a bird’s nest that Your mercies extend, but upon this man [euphemism: i.e., me] Your mercies have not extended.
Rabbi Yose in the name of Rabbi Shim’on: Like one who is assigning a limit to the qualities of the blessed Holy One. As far as a bird’s nest have Your mercies extended.
Says Rabbi Yose son of Rabbi Bun: They do not act properly who make the measures/qualities of the blessed Holy One into Mercy, and those who render ‘My people the Children of Israel, even as I am merciful in the Heavens, so shall you be merciful on Earth—And a bull or sheep, you shall not sacrifice it with its young on the same day (Leviticus 22:28). They are not acting properly, since they are making the measures/qualities of the blessed Holy One into Mercy” (JT Berakhot 9c).
“If you fulfill this mitsvah [of the bird’s nest], you hasten the coming of King Messiah” (Devarim Rabbah 6:7).
“You shall surely send off the mother, and the children you may take for yourself so that it may go well with you and you will enjoy length of days (Deuteronomy 22:7). Now, if one’s father said to him, ‘Ascend to the loft and bring me young birds,’ and he ascends to the loft, dismisses the mother and takes the children, and on his return falls and is killed—where is this man’s happiness and where is this man’s prolonging of days? But So that it may go well with you, means on the day that is wholly good; and, You will enjoy length of days—on the day that is wholly long” (BT Qiddushin 39a).
“Eggs—Masters of Scripture; fledglings—Masters of Mishnah; and the children—Masters of Kabbalah. About them it is said, And the mother is crouched over the fledglings or over the eggs (Deuteronomy 22:6); You shall surely send off the mother, [and the children you may take for yourself] (ibid.). However, about the Masters of Kabbalah it is said, Do not take the mother above the children (ibid.). Our understanding does not comprehend the Shekhinah like these Masters of Kabbalah who make for Her and the blessed Holy One a dwelling place. And they fly with Her everywhere She flies and they all wander with Her as messenger. But the fledglings do not have complete wings to fly, which are the positive commandments; certainly the eggs do not. Because of this it says, You shall surely send off the mother….
חָסִיד (Ḥasid), devout, men are from the side of חֶסֶד (Ḥesed), kindness, the rung of Abraham. As we have said, ‘there is no devout man except for the one who is kind with his Master, who makes for Him a nest which is His dwelling place.’ This is the Shekhinah, His nest, house, palace, and inn. And the Holy Land is Her private residence and house, and there is no inn except if there is a man that makes it for Her; thus, the quality of kindness was given to Abraham….
And about the Bird’s Nest it says, And there shall be a סֻכָּה (sukkah), hut, for a shadow in the daytime [from the heat, and for a place of refuge, and for a shelter from storm and from rain] (Isaiah 4:6). And this is in the tongue of סְכָך (sekhakh), covering, with which Mother covers, Her children [perhaps alluding to, לָשׁוֹן אִימָּא (lashon imma), mother tongue i.e., Jewish languages such as Yiddish and Ladino which preserve Jewish identity in exile, cf. Psalms 31:21: Hide them in Your סֻכָּה (sukkah), from the quarrel of tongues]. Her fledlings are the three הֲדַסִּין (hadassin), myrtle branches, the two עֲרָבוֹת (aravot), willow fronds, and the לוּלָב (lulav), palm branch. Eggs are the אֶתְרוֹגִין (etrogin), citrons, each one’s amount is like an egg. It is sealed in them, You shall not take the mother together with the children (Deuteronomy 22:6). Three הֲדַסִּין (hadassin), myrtle branches, are the three patriarchs [Ḥesed, Gevurah, Tif’eret]. Two עֲרָבוֹת (aravot), willow fronds, are the two true prophets [Netsaḥ and Hod]. The לוּלָב (lulav), palm branch, [is] the Righteous One springs up like the palm tree, [like the Lebanon cedar he towers] (Psalms 92:13). The אֶתְרוֹג (etrog), citron, is the Shekhinah. The סֻכָּה (Sukkah), Hut, is Mother that covers them. This is eight to represent the Name יְאֲהדֹוָנָהי (YAHDWNHY) which is numerically equivalent to סוּכָּה (Sukkah), Hut [spelled with a ו (vav), equaling ninety-one]. And those that do not take these symbols in their hands it is written about them, surely send off (Deuteronomy 22:6)—Keter and Ḥokhmah, for these do not dwell with those eight. There will be a complete ten sefirot through each and every shaking of the לוּלָב (lulav), palm branch, and the other species with each and every command.
This bird is hinted to by the sages in the stories of Baba Batra, ‘Rabbah son of Son of Ḥanah once travelled on board a ship and saw a bird of the sea reaching up to its ankles while its head reached the sky’ (BT Bava Batra 73b). Who was this bird, one of these fledglings or one of these eggs? Fledglings—flowers, their fruit unripe, from below to above, or from the six children from above to below under supernal Mother? Or eggs—from the side of lower Mother because She is an egg [cf. Zohar 3:79a: ‘an egg of truth’]. Fledglings—from the side of the Righteous One from below to above. It was not from these fledglings, its name is Righteous One, a pillar reaching from the earth to the heavens. ‘The sea reaching up to its ankles,’ these are Netsaḥ and Hod and supernal Mother is the יָם (Yam), Sea, that spreads out to fifty gates ‘up to the ankles’ of that bird.
Like this: י (yod) is ten, ה (heh) is five, ten times five equals י״ם (fifty). Ten within each sefirah from the five sefirot of Ḥesed to Hod. Yesod takes everything thus it is called כֹּל (Kol), All, which includes these fifty within it [כֹּל (kol) is numerically equivalent to fifty]. And this is the lower throne, the Salt Lake, Throne of Judgment [i.e., the Dead Sea, see BT Shabbat 108b]” (Tiqqunei ha-Zohar 1b–2a).
“When I came before the Rabbis they said to me: Every Abba is an ass and every son of Son of Ḥanah is a fool” (BT Bava Batra 74a).
“Four died through the incitement of the serpent, namely: Benjamin the son of Jacob, Amram the father of Moses, Jesse the father of David, and Chileab the son of David” (BT Shabbat, 55b).
“Rabbi Naḥman said to Rabbi Yitsḥaq: ‘Have you heard when בַּר נַפְלֵי (bar nafli), Son of the Fallen, will come?’ ‘Who is Bar Nafli?’ he asked. ‘Messiah,’ he replied. ‘Do you call Messiah Bar Nafli?’ He said, ‘Even so, as is written, In that day will I raise up the booth of David הַנֹּפֶלֶת (ha-nofelet), that is fallen (Amos 9:11). He replied, ‘Thus has Rabbi Yoḥanan said: in the generation when the Son of David will come, scholars will be few in number, and as for the rest, their eyes will fail through sorrow and grief. Multitudes of trouble and evil decrees will be promulgated anew, each new evil coming with haste before the other has ended'” (BT Sanhedrin 96b).
בַּר נַפְלֵי (Bar nafli), Stillborn (lit., Son of the Fallen), is numerically equivalent to בֵּן יִשָׁי (ben yishai), Son of Jesse:
“Rabbi Shim’on said, ‘… Before King David existed, he had no life at all, but Adam gave him 70 years of his own; so David’s existence totaled 70 years, while Adam’s came to 1000 minus 70. Thus Adam and King David shared these first 1000 years'” (Zohar 1:168a).
“Rabbi Berekhiya in the name of Rabbi Levi: As was the first redeemer so is the last redeemer: Just as the first redeemer was revealed and then hidden from them—and how long was he hidden? Three months, as it says, And they encountered Moses and Aaron [implying a sudden encounter after an absence] (Exodus 5:20)—so the last redeemer will be revealed to them, and then hidden from them” (Rut Rabbah 5:6, cf. Pesiqta de-Rav Kahana 5:8; Shir ha-Shirim Rabbah on 2:9; Pesiqta Rabbati 15, 72a–73b; Bemidbar Rabbah 11:2).
“During these times when Shekhinah goes back and forth to the cave of Moses, the Messiah will be concealed for nine months, like the months of a pregnant woman. During these nine months—how much pain and torment he endures!…” (Zohar Ḥadash 56c).
“Fortunate is he who waits and comes to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days (Daniel 12:12)—Forty five years are added to the above number, for our King Messiah is destined to be hidden after he is revealed and to be revealed again. So we find in Rut Rabbah, and so did Rabbi El’azar ha-Kalir establish [in the concluding poem of the morning service of the portion dealing with the month of Nisan]: ‘and he will be concealed from them six weeks of years'” (Rashi on Daniel 12:12).
Joseph is still alive (Genesis 45:26).
“Rabbi Ḥama son of Ḥanina said: The righteous are greater in their death than in their life” (BT Ḥullin 7b).
“Consequently we have learned: Even though a righteous person has departed from this world, he has not disappeared or vanished from all the worlds, since he exists in all those worlds more than in his lifetime. During his life he exists only in this world; afterward he exists in three worlds and is welcome there, as is written: Therefore, maidens, love you (Song of Songs 1:3)—do not read עֲלָמוֹת (alamot), maidens, but rather עוֹלָמוֹת (olamot), worlds. Happy is their share!” (Zohar 3:71b, cf. BT Bava Metsi’a 85b; Qohelet Rabbah on 10:10; Sefer Ḥasidim [ed. Margaliot] 450, 452; Freud, Totem and Taboo, p. 143: ‘The dead father became stronger than the living one had been’).
“Moses did not die… Well the righteous are always referred to as dying, but what is death? From our perspective it is called so” (Zohar 2:174a).
“Jacob our father did not die…, as is said: Do not fear, My servant Jacob—declares YHWH—do not be dismayed, O Israel! For I will save you from afar, your seed from the land of their captivity. The verse compares him to his seed; just as his seed is alive, so he too is alive” (BT Ta’anit 5b, cf. Zohar 2:141b).
“[Rabbi Yehudah ha-Nasi said about the time after his death:] ‘The light shall continue to burn in its usual place, the table shall be laid in its usual place [and my] bed shall be spread in its usual place.’ What is the reason?—He used to come home again at twilight every Sabbath Eve. On a certain Sabbath Eve a neighbour came to the door speaking aloud, when his handmaid whispered, ‘Be quiet for Rabbi is sitting there.’ As soon as he heard this he came no more, in order that no reflection might be cast on the earlier saints” (BT Ketubbot 103a).
I can’t find this passage in Zohar Parshas Pinchas. ““Rabbi Shim’on said to his son, Rabbi El’azar, ‘El’azar, when….”
Is there a link to this? Thanks!
You want Zohar 8:a to Shemot. Glad you’re following along!
I believe it’s Kabbalah Center translation with Sulam commentary. There are pdf’s of it floating on the web. Shemot can be found here:
found it. thank you so much!
My pleasure. What edition are you using?
That’s good. Also, do you mind me asking how you found this blog? Best regards.
this post came up in search when I was looking for sources on nehama d’ksufa https://thenutgarden.wordpress.com/2015/02/27/bread-of-shame/
thanks for posting!
Very good. Thank you!
Hi, are you saying Moshiach has lived and died? How’s the comment about the righteous connected to the earlier comments?
Perish the thought no! Please read all of the posts tagged “Messiah,” and “footsteps of messiah” before you draw any conclusions.
“Even Jesus the Christian, who thought he was the Messiah… was the subject of a prophesy in the Book of Daniel: The lawless sons of your people shall be raised up to fulfill the vision, but they shall stumble (Daniel 11:14). Could there be a greater stumbling block than this [Jesus]? For all the prophets spoke of the Messiah who will redeem and save Israel, who will ingather all its exiles, and who will strengthen them in the fulfillment of the Torah’s commandments—while he [Jesus] caused Israel to be killed by the sword, their remnants to be dispersed and humiliated, the Torah to be switched for something else, and most of the world to worship a God other than the God of Israel! But the thoughts of God cannot be fathomed by human minds. For our ways are not like His, and our thoughts are not like His. All these activities of Jesus the Christian, and the Ishmaelite who came after him, are all for the purpose of paving the way for the true King Messiah, and preparing the entire world to worship God together, as is written: For then I will convert the nations to a pure language, that they may all call in the name of God and serve Him together (Zephaniah 3:9)…. How will this work? For by then, the world will already be filled with the idea of Messiah, and Torah, and commandments, even in far-off islands and in closed-hearted nations, where they engage in discussions on the Torah’s commandments: some say that the Torah’s commandments are true but are no longer binding in these times, while others say that there are hidden, deep meanings to them, and that the Messiah has come and revealed their hidden secrets. But when the true King Messiah arrives, and will succeed and will raise them up, all the peoples will immediately realize that they had been taught lies by their forefathers, and that their ancestors and prophets had misled them” (Maimonides, Mishneh Torah, Laws of Kings 11:4).
Also, as I understand the Kabbalah and I may be wrong, “Messiah” is a gradual historic process:
“The עִקְּבוֹת מְשִׁיחַ (iqvot Meshiaḥ), footsteps of Messiah, began the first hour of Friday morning in the Sixth Millennium, that is the year Five Hundred [1740 C.E.], and from hour to hour the footsteps have continued to progress from many aspects [cf. M Avot 1:1; BT Sanhedrin 38a]. As is known, every hour consists of forty-one years and eight months, counting from the time that the bonds on the Messiah’s heels were loosened, as it says, You have loosened my bonds (Psalms 116:16), and as revealed in: A decree He declared it for Joseph… ‘I delivered his shoulder from the burden his palms were loosed from the hod’ (Psalms 81:6-7). Beginning with the second hour [i.e., from 5542 (1782 C.E.)], the entire House of Israel was within purview, both as a whole, and with regard to each individual member of the nation, as a decree from above, of Messiah of the beginning of redemption, namely, Messiah Son of Joseph.
… Those who occupy themselves with gathering in the exiles, lighten the afflictions of Messiah Son of Joseph during the period called the Footsteps of Messiah. The decree regarding the death of Messiah Son of Joseph will be nullified by subdivision into small parts, as in the parable recounted in the Midrash: A king became angry with his son and swore to throw a large stone at him. Afterwards, he regretted what he had said, and had compassion on him. In order to fulfill his royal decree nevertheless, he broke up the large stone into many small stones and threw all these at his son one by one (Midrash Tehillim 6:3 in the name of Rabbi Ḥanina). Thus the son was not killed, yet he suffered from the small stones. These are the birth pangs of the Messiah; the suffering will come gradually, together with the nine hundred and ninety-nine footsteps of the Messiah, in such a way that the decree is divided into nine hundred and ninety-nine small parts. In contrast, help will come as hinted in the verse, וְעֵת צָרָה הִיא לְיַעֲקֹב (ve-et tsarah hi le-Ya’aqov), and a time of distress it is for Jacob [from which he will be saved] (Jeremiah 30:7) [this verset is numerically equivalent to 999]” (Rabbi Hillel Rivlin of Shklov in the name of the Gaon of Vilna, Qol ha-Tor 1:4; 1:6).
“And Joseph recognized his brothers but they did not recognize him (Genesis 42:8)—one of the traits of Joseph not only in his own generation, but in every generation. This is the work of the Adversary, who hides the traits of Messiah Son of Joseph so that the heels of Messiah are not recognized and are even belittled because of our many sins. Otherwise, our troubles would already have ended. Were Israel to recognize Joseph, that is, the heels of the Messiah Son of Joseph which is the ingathering of the exiles and so forth, then we would already have been redeemed with a complete redemption…
Your enemies reviled עִקְּבוֹת מְשִׁיחֶךָ (iqvot meshiḥekha), Your anointed one’s steps [lit., heels] (Psalms 89:52)—wherever heels of Messiah are mentioned, they refer to the mission of the first Messiah, Messiah Son of Joseph. As is known, the enemies of God and the enemies of Israel cause trouble to the entire process of the beginning of redemption that occurs with the heels of Messiah. In the verse, it states regarding this matter: Your enemies reviled (Psalms 89:52). Our sages have already enumerated all the tribulations that come during the footsteps of Messiah [see BT Sotah 49b]. We have no one to lean on except our Father in Heaven but His will is that we occupy ourselves with the arousal from below, and stand firmly against all disturbances and taunts. We must act in the spirit of Ethan the Ezrahite [see 1 Kings 5:11], who is our forefather Abraham, and according to a parable of the Gaon, the first Messiah Son of Joseph. The Gaon added the hint: How shall I know that I shall inherit it? (Genesis 15:8). The numerical value of אִירָשֶׁנָּה (irashenah), I shall inherit it, equals מָשִׁיחַ בֶּן יוֹסֶף (Mashiaḥ ben Yosef), Messiah Son of Joseph.
Your anointed one’s heels (Psalms 89:52)—they are called heels for two reasons. First because they come step by step and second because all the special qualities of redemption come like the heels of a person, indirectly, in a curved way, so that impure layers do not fasten themselves securely” (Qol ha-Tor 2:39; 2:103-104).
“The beginning of anything, whether great or small, connected with the footsteps of Messiah must be by designated people, that is, the emissaries, messengers of the Above at the beginning of redemption, which will happen with designated deeds, designated activities. The two together will hasten the designated times, that is, the times of the ends of the footstep levels [which number nine hundred and ninety-nine in the sefirah Yesod] that are connected with the beginning of redemption when the arousal comes from below. The emissaries will begin the deeds and hasten the designated times. This is attested to in, You, may You rise, have mercy on Zion, for it is the hour to pity her, for the fixed time has come (Psalms 102:14). When will this be? For Your servants cherish her stones and on her dust they take pity (ibid., 15), then And the nations will fear the name of YHWH, and all the kings of the earth, Your glory. For YHWH has rebuilt Zion, He is seen in His glory (ibid., 16–17). Our Sages, in the Jerusalem Talmud and in Tosefot Yom Tov, revealed that redemption will begin, as in the days of Cyrus, just like the Second Temple, with the permission of the kings of the nations. The Gaon comments [That says of Cyrus, He is My shepherd,] and shall perform all My pleasure: [even saying to Jerusalem, You shall be built; and to the Temple, Your foundation shall be laid] (Isaiah 44:28) refers to the revealed end mentioned by our Sages. When will this occur? It will occur when the voice of the turtle-dove is heard and the buds are seen on the land (Song of Songs 2:12).
What will hasten the designated time? It is possible to hasten deeds, but how can one hasten a designated time that is determined beforehand? In the Sixth Millennium, referred to as כִּי לְמוֹעֵד מוֹעֲדִים וָחֵצִי (it shall be for a time, times, and a half) (Daniel 12:7), which signifies every period of time according to its designated activity, and the half to half and so on. For whenever a deed is done, when the arousal comes from below, the quality of Judgment on the left side will be aided by the quality of Kindness from the right side, as explained below. Thus every designated time will be halved, and this is what is meant by for the fixed time has come (Psalms 102:14). It means we will not have to go as far as the designated time, rather the time will come to us after Your servants cherish her stones and on her dust they take pity (ibid., 15). And it will be completed from the middle line, with the quality of Compassion by way of the middle pillar as said at the beginning of the verse: You, may You rise, have mercy on Zion… (ibid., 15). Similarly, the Midrash on the verse, And a redeemer will come to Zion (Isaiah 59:20) denotes that the coming of the Redeemer depends on the rebuilding of Zion.
Everything has a season, and a time for every matter (Ecclesiastes 3:1). According to the Gaon, the season and time accord with the matter, and that is what is meant by every matter. In the Talmud we note four sections regarding the manner of redemption: a) If the people repent, they will be rescued; otherwise, they will not be. b) If they do not repent, God will place a king over them whose decrees are harsher than those of Haman; so the Jews will repent and be rescued. c) Redemption will come at first by the return of the captivity of Zion, even if there is only one from a city or two from a family (Jeremiah 3:14), according to Reb Yehoshu’a. This is what is meant by the Revealed End. d) Redemption will come in any case at its designated time, which is referred to as the Concealed End. However, beforehand one must consider that all of the views expressed are those of the Living God. Therefore the Gaon told us that we must progress and select the manner that is within our power, that is, the third manner. Should we accomplish this and fulfill this manner, then there will be no need for our Sages’ warnings regarding harsh decrees. Since the fulfillment will stimulate universal repentance, there will be no need to set up a king whose decrees are harsher than Haman’s decrees. The Revealed End will thus hasten the culmination of redemption.
Regarding the view that all ends have ended [see BT Sanhedrin 97b], this refers to the designated times during which designated deeds by designated emissaries were not carried out, as explained above. Regarding the statement that the bones of those who try to discover the ends should swell [or: be blasted], this refers to those who [merely] calculate figures without considering the deeds that are necessary when the arousal comes from below. They do not take into consideration the beginning that comes with the first Messiah, Messiah son of Joseph, in order to prepare the way for the great redemption by deeds. ‘Bones,’ indicates that such people sin against the bones of Joseph which contain the mystery of Messiah son of Joseph as revealed in: And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him (Exodus 13:19). Should we hasten redemption, by Your servants cherish her stones, and on her dust take pity, then redemption will come closer, as revealed in the verse: ‘when the time comes,’ and as is written: return to Me and I will return to you (Malachi 3:7)—to this extent the holy hints about the designated times and the Revealed End will be disclosed to us in the final generation which will reach the final end, the wondrous end (Daniel 12:6), until the end of days when the blessing will be fulfilled as indicated by: His right hand on Ephraim’s head (Genesis 48:17). Some of this matter is revealed through ‘explaining what is hidden.’ In the following chapter, with the help of God, we will discuss this matter to the extent we are permitted to reveal the hints” (Rabbi Hillel Rivlin of Shklov in the name of the Gaon of Vilna, Qol ha-Tor 4:3).
It’s a beautiful reply. Thank you.
Why do you equate Moshiach ben Joseph with the ingathering of the exiles, ie. the political process of the last century? Isn’t it problematic? Given that Moshiach ben Joseph does not bring complete redemption and is, G-d forbid, killed?
It’s a deep matter I cannot fathom. Therefore, I am not making any statements. I started this blog only in order to share the words of our Rabbis.
AND YOU ARE DOING A GREAT JOB AT IT! THANK YOU.
That’s nice of you to say. Thank you. I’m glad to have someone reading and commenting on the blog. כל טוב
Bar
Of Course its read!
What good is a garden of nuts unless the King sends the hungry to Eat??
Todah