Ramchal on MBY, MBD and Binyomin

What follows is a beautiful piece from the Ramchal, which I 'happened' across last week while flipping through the fourth volume of Otzros Ramchal. This is the fourth of the Igros which can be found toward the back of the book. The main text is the Ramchal, and my own thoughts are separated by asterisks and different looking text.

Behold, all of the concepts that we find in the root need to be revealed below in the branches. This is the people of Israel, for whom the world was created. Behold, the Shechinah (Divine presence) itself is the root of Israel, and it has two aspects. These, themselves, are the secret depth of the concept of the inner aspect (pnimiyus) and outer aspect (chitzoniyus). These two are Leah and Rachel, and the secret depth is heh-heh, for Bilhah and Zilpah are just the backs of Rachel and Leah. Behold, from there come the tribes, whose secret depth is vav-vav, which are the twelve permutations of the Tetragrammaton, six on the right, and six on the left.

Behold, this is the secret depth of the concept of the two Moshiachs, for they are the perfection of rectification. This is a very great secret depth. For all of Israel are branches of the Shechinah, however the king is the revelation of the root itself. Since there is a dual aspect in the root (inner and outer), correspondingly there must be a dual aspect to the Moshiachs (Moshiach ben Yosef and Moshiach ben Dovid). The rectification is the secret depth of the verse, "And they will be one in your hand," for there were numerous times that the rectification was almost accomplished and was, so far, unsuccessful until the end of the matter in the days of Moshiach. We thus find that the king is the revelation of the root itself, and he therefore includes all the branches. This is the concept of the verse, "And a king was in Jeshurun with the gathering..." This indicates that the king gathers them and they are all included within himself. At the beginning, however, the people of Israel did not merit to have a king, for they had not accomplished the appropriate rectification. Rather, they had judges who arose for them from the aspect of Yesod, for this was necessary for their leadership. Afterwards, the kingship began, in the days of Sha'ul, who was from the tribe of Binyamin.

And the concept is that Yosef was fitting to receive kingship from the aspect of Rachel, and Yehuda from the aspect of Leah. And I already stated that the rectification is accomplished when these two aspects unite. Now I tell you who connects them - it is Binyamin who serves this function. Yosef is from the aspect of Yesod, and Yehuda is the aspect of Malchus. Binyomin, however, is the secret depth of 'the spirit left in her by her husband.' He is the one who connects the male and female aspects. It was for this reason that the first kingship was taken [by the tribe of Binyamin], for this would serve to connect the two of them [Yosef and Yehuda]. Then the kingship would be given to Dovid, who is the secret depth of the female concept, for it is this concept that rules over the lower realms, and it also includes within it the male concept, which is the kingship of Yosef. This was to be the rectification at that time, however, since Shaul himself, who was the one who was responsible for this rectification, did not accomplish it as he was meant to, this caused Dovid to stumble, when he said, "You and Tziva should apportion the field." This ultimately caused the kingship to be split between Yeravam and Rechavam, who represent Yosef and Yehuda, respectively. This was from Sha'ul, for the matter devolved through his son.

The final rectification will occur when these two aspects reconnect at the time of the two Moshiachs, as the verse says, "And they will be one in your hand." Moshiach ben Dovid will be the main one, in the secret depth of the statement, "Who is the main one? The son of Yishai is the main one." It comes out that this all extends from the root, which is the connection between the male and female aspects. This is "I am" - Malchus, "Kel Shakai" - Yesod, "Be fruitful and multiply" {*} - to bring about a result/offspring through this secret depth, which is Binyomin who connects the two branches, in the secret depth of Efraim and Yehudah through the two kings, in the secret depth of the two Moshiachs. This is the concept of "A nation and a congregation of nations," as well as "kings."

{*} This is the verse that contains the promise of Hashem that Binyomin is about to be born. This was concurrent with Yakov receiving the name Yisrael, and coincided with his return to Israel. Binyomin was the only one of the tribes that was born in Israel, and was the only one that did not bow down to Esav. This represents his superior status - his job as the one who accomplishes the final rectification.

Behold, we have a great, deep secret here, for after this, in the time of Achashverosh, our sages tell us that "they reaccepted it [the Torah] in the days of Achashverosh" - through Mordechai. The concept is that the original destruction was in this secret depth, which is the sin of Adam Harishon with the tree of knowledge, in which he separated between the two trees [the tree of knowledge and the tree of life], and caused the darkness of the outer [evil] forces, upon which the klipos (encrustments) take hold. Then the body was darkened in the secret depth of "leather clothes." At the giving of the Torah, the matter had reached its rectification, which is the depth of the verse, "Hashem came from Sinai..." For all the klipos are included in two, which are Yishmael and Esav, the inner and outer aspects, both of which are [together] the outer aspect of the outer aspect of Holiness, which is the Left side. Behold, at that time, the rectification began from below to above, and the Good of Esav, which is the outer aspect, was included in Yishmael {*}, which is the inner aspect of the Other Side [i.e. the forces of evil]. For this reason, the verse says, "...shined from Se'ir [which is a reference to Esav], appeared from the mountain of Paran [which seems to be a reference to Yishmael]." The two became the outer aspect of Holiness. Then, "And it came from the ten-thousands of Holiness," at which point the Holiness itself found the Left to be included in the Right. Afterwards, from this Right side, which now contains the Left - the Torah was given to the people of Israel, in order that they complete this rectification as one, and the secret depth of the verse, "From His Right, a Law of fire to them." This is what [Rabba bar bar Channa] saw [in reference to Sinai], "A scorpion with a white mule." And this is... [There is something difficult to read here in the original manuscript] ...around the mountain of Sinai.

{*} This idea gives new meaning to the midrash that talks about Hashem going to the nations and offering them the Torah, which they rejected. The midrash speaks of Him going to Edom and Yishmael and asking them each, to which they respond, "What is in the Torah." When Hashem answers, they reject it. This would seem to be a birur process, where Hashem removes the dross of the evil parts of Esav and Yishmael, which leaves only the Good of each, which are then brought to be contained within the other's aspect. Subsequently, they are then contained within the Right side of Holiness, allowing for the revelation of the Torah, as the Ramchal says. It would not be a far stretch to say that we are currently seeing an identical birur taking place in preparation for the revelation of the Torah of Moshiach's times, as the dross of Esav and Yishmael is slowly but surely removed, leaving only the the Good of each, which will then be contained within the side of Holiness.

And behold, if the people of Israel could have withstood the entire length of the exile of Egypt [instead of leaving after 210 years, leaving after a full 400], all would have been rectified. However, since they did not complete it in its entirety, the Erev Rav came out without being rectified. It was for them that there was an aspect of force in the giving of the Torah, as a result of which, the evil came out of them. However, since this matter was done with force, it did not last long, as a result of the deterioration of the Erev Rav. This brought the deterioration of Adam back into its place and resulted in the shattering of the tablets, which is the separation of these levels [the tree of knowledge and the tree of life], and the result was that the concept of death returned. This matter continued until the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash, for the rectifications that were intended in the interim did not take effect. Then, when they wanted to build the second Beis Hamikdash, which is the secret depth of the lower letter heh [which represents Malchus and Shechinah], the Outer aspect, an accusation was aroused in the secret depth of the original blemish. This was with Haman, in the secret depth of "המן העץ" - [when Adam sinned and Hashem asked Him,] "Was it from the tree..." This was because he was drawn from the tree of knowledge. Mordechai, however, who was from the tribe of Binyomin, returned the rectification of the connection of Yehuda and Yosef {**}. The truth is that Binyomin comes through the power of Yosef, which is the secret depth of the verse, "Let Hashem add on (יוסף) another child for me." {***} Mordechai was referred to as "Mordechai the Jew [Yehudi]" in reference to the fact that he was involved in the rectification of connecting Yehuda to himself {****}. The truth is that this concept began long before, for Binyomin was given into the hands of Yehuda to be brought to Yosef. I can not speak about this at length now. Mordechai, however, certainly rectified this connection, and Haman was hanged on the gallows (עץ), which is the tree of knowledge, which he wished to overcome, but ended up humbled by it {*****}. The tree was fifty (נ) cubits high, in the secret depth of the lower letter heh that we mentioned. Then, "they accepted it [the Torah] again," for the original rectification which had been accomplished at the original giving of the Torah - had already been weakened, and now was strengthened again. In truth, however, the second Beis Hamikdash did not complete this rectification. Rather, at the end of days, the matter will reach its true rectification with the two Moshiachs. This is all the secret depth of the verse, "A nation and a congregation of nations," which we mentioned.

{**} Yosef would seem to correspond to the tree of knowledge (דעת) , as this is the connecting Male aspect, which is also the concept of Yosef as the Tzaddik Yesod Olam. Yehuda would then correspond to the tree of life, which would then be the female aspect (Malchus). Their reconnection through the liaison of Binyomin would serve (and will serve in the future) as a rectification of the sin of Adam Harishon. As is generally the case in Kabbalistic thought, it could also be thought of from another perspective, where the tree of knowledge of Good and Evil corresponds to the female aspect, which is the aspect of separation and judgment, the Left side. This would still seem to correspond to Yosef and Moshiach ben Yosef, who are the aspect of dealing with the physical world, a more natural Moshiach process, one that seems separate from Hashem, as it were. The tree of life would be the Male aspect, the Right side, which is the greater unifying concept, corresponding to Yehuda and Moshiach ben Dovid, whose advent is typified by a more miraculous, all encompassing and overarching characteristic.

{***} This was the prayer of Rochel when Yosef was born, where she used Yosef's name as part of the prayer, and asked for another child, who was to be Binyomin.

{****} Here it seems that Mordechai, who is from Binyomin, actually includes Yosef, and therefore connects all three aspects - Yosef, the Left; Yehuda, the Right; via Binyomin, the center.

{*****} Mordechai is the tree of knowledge, or Da'as, because he represents Binyomin who is the center column, the connector between the Left and Right. Haman tried to overcome Mordechai, but instead, ended up falling to him, and was hanged on the tree which corresponds to Mordechai.

Gr"a on Redemption notes III

3. This Redemption will only occur through the learning of Torah. The main Redemption is dependent on the learning of Kabbalah (*) (**).

(*) Raya Mehemna (2:2), Tikkunei Zohar (4:4), Tikkunei Zohar Chadash (36:3). For this reason, the blessing of Ahava Rabba, which is the blessing of the Torah (Berachos 11), was ordered as we have it - First we ask to learn and teach, and afterwards we ask Hashem to enlighten our eyes, which refers to the hidden aspects of the Torah; we then ask that Hashem bring us, in peace, from the four corners of the Earth (See the Gemara in Baba Basra 8).

(**) It is interesting to note that this Gr'a is oft-quoted, but most commonly, only the first half of his statement is actually mentioned. It is a lesser known fact that the Gr'a holds that the main learning that is necessary to bring the Geulah is the study of Kabbalah. For some reason, the learning of Kabbalah is shunned by certain segments of the Jewish world, in line with the concept that Moshiach ben Yosef, who is to reveal this wisdom, himself is shunned. Interestingly, we see here a manifestation of the idea that Moshiach ben Yosef first reveals himself to the less religious parts of the Jewish people, and only afterwards reveals himself to the ones who are most faithful to the Torah. This strange twist can be seen in the current thirst in the non-religious Jewish world for Kabbalistic knowledge, although it unfortunately is given over by many who are unworthy. This parallels the fact that Yosef first was known to the Egyptians, then was later revealed to his brothers, and finally was revealed to his father, Yakov. This corresponds to the progressive way Moshiach ben Yosef reveals himself. If one thinks about it, it is truly remarkable that Hashem is using all parts of Klal Yisrael to bring about the redemption, even the non-religious world, who one could think is excluded from the process. Here we see that the truth is exactly the opposite of what it seems on the surface (as is always the case with Yosef), that each part of the Jewish people is involved in bringing the Geulah in a different way, and each part has its role to play in the cosmic drama.

4. In the merit of distancing from those who are involved in the teachings of spiritual philosophy, in study and nature, in the future they [who have distanced themselves] will merit to bask in the light of Hashem (Yeshaya 2:6) (*) (**).

(*) See Yoreh De'ah Siman 179:13, where he writes about false philosophy in a negative light, and see Aliyos Eliyahu (17:2). This is clearly not like the other opinion who says that the statement in Yoreh De'ah is not really from the Gr'a. I heard from an extremely trustworthy source that those words were in the original manuscript, written in the holy handwriting of the Gr'a himself, as is clear over here. See also Yoreh De'ah 246:18.

(**) This is also extremely interesting, because the opinion of the Gr'a was that one must be well-versed in the seven wisdoms in order to properly understand Kabbalah, as they are two sides of the same coin (see Sha'ar Be'er Sheva in Kol Hator, only in certain editions). The Gr'a states that according to how much information one lacks in his understanding of Kabbalah, he will lack an understanding in the seven wisdoms, and vice versa. The teachings of philosophy, however, are a completely different area, and they are forbidden because they attempt to divorce reality from a Godly source. The Gr'a there in the first reference in Yoreh De'ah says openly that the Rambam made certain mistakes because he relied on philosophy to understand reality, due to the information he was missing from the deeper sources.

5. The redemption is referred to as the morning, as the verse says, "The morning has come, and also night." It is also referred to as a birth (**), as the verse says, "For Tzion has... also given birth..." Just like the greatest darkness is immediately before the day, and the pregnant woman has the greatest pain just before the birth, so too, before the redemption, the exile will be heavier [at the point of redemption, more] than the entire length of the exile (*).

(*) (Just as in Egypt, where the greatest difficulty of the Jews' subjugation directly preceded the redemption, as the verse says, "Make the work heavier on the people...") These are the birth-pangs of Moshiach. There are seventy words in the psalm "יענך ה' ביום צרה" - "Hashem will afflict you on the day of oppression," which correspond to the seventy years of birth-pangs of Moshiach, through which they will be redeemed. (This is what it says there, "Now I know that Hashem has saved his Moshiach..." And it could be that this is why we say this immediately before "ובא לציון גואל" - A redeemer will come to Tzion.) This is found in his explanation of Raya Mehemna 21:2 32:1, Tikkunei Zohar 86:2, Tikkunei Zohar Chadash 27:2, and see there 7:2.

(**) These two analogies are so apt, because both in the case of the fetus in the womb, as well as the darkness of night, one can not see, but can only hear. When the child is born, and when the day breaks, one is able to see all that he had only been able to hear only moments before. In our current state of spiritual darkness, we can only sense spirituality using our capacity to 'hear,' that is, by putting the pieces of information together, noticing many different occurrences that, when brought together, clearly show us that Hashem is running the show (as is wonderfully brought out in the story of Esther). In the times of Moshiach, however, we will no longer have deduce Hashem's presence, but rather the light of day will finally shine on us, and His presence will be absolutely apparent - we will 'see it' and believe it. The transition between these two states of existence is one of a transcendental nature, moving out of our current state of darkness into a world of spiritual light. This involves a difficult transition, which, like all transitions, is bound to be painful. This is the reference that the Gr'a makes to the verse, "The morning has come, and also night." The morning comes, but it brings with it an inevitable experience of the darkest part of the night. As my brother-in-law recently explained to me, everything in creation must show its greatest strength as it is coming to the end of its existence. This is analogous to a star that lets off the greatest amount of light just as it is coming to the end of its life. So too, as the darkness is ending, we experience the greatest intensity of darkness. This is why the world we live in is more atheistic than it ever was in history, and why it is so extremely difficult for us to connect to our spiritual sensitivities. This could also be said to parallel the darkness that Egypt experienced in the ninth plague. It is the final plague before the plague of the first-born that finally causes the Egyptians to usher the Jewish people out of Egypt. This darkness was so intense that the Torah says the darkness was actually tangible. This parallels the spiritual darkness we are experiencing today. What is interesting in this parallel is that although the Egyptians experienced an intense darkness, the Jewish people's experience was one of intense light, at the very same time. This contrast could parallel the contrast between the world at large, which is currently engulfed by an intense spiritual darkness, as opposed to those who are faithful to the Torah, who can experience an intense spiritual light, despite the darkness that surrounds us. Another parallel is that during the plague of darkness, a large portion of the Jewish people lost their lives, due to the fact that they were not ready to give up the culture they had grown accustomed to in Egypt. Corresponding to this, many Jewish lives have been lost in the spiritual holocaust that is evident in the Western world today. The darkness has succeeded in once again engulfing these lost souls, causing us to lose many in the uphill battle to maintain our spiritual connection. There is nevertheless comfort in knowing that those who survive this battle, and indeed experience the light of spirituality, can be assured that the final redemption is not far off, as we are traversing the final moments of darkness, about to enter a world of intense spiritual light.

Banishing exile's darkness

Last week, I got a surprising phone call. I was asked if I would sing at a yeshiva's siyum on Thursday, right after the fast of the 17th of Tamuz. As the the three weeks would have already begun, this meant that there would be no music, just my voice to lead the dancing and to provide a musical interlude between speakers. I was happy to join the Yeshiva in their simcha.

I got tremendous chizzuk from the siyum, which was made by the bachurim and yungerleit who were mostly ba'alei teshuva (and extremely bright ones at that). A number of different speakers gave over their thoughts and inspirations, but one of them - the last speaker - caught my attention the most. The entire time he spoke, it was with pronounced emotion and sincerity, and he regaled us with stories of his father's rebbe, Rav Shlomo Heiman. One of the things that caught my attention was his theme about Torah, geulah, and churban, which I will soon share with you.

After he finished speaking, I asked one of the members of the staff of the yeshiva who the speaker had been, and he told me that his name is Rav Samuels, and he is one of the Rabbonim of the kabbalah yeshiva, Sha'ar Hashamayim in Jerusalem. Rav Samuels speaks once a week to the guys in the yeshiva that was making the siyum, although his discussions do not center around kabbalah. It struck me that I had only seen a similar type of truly joyous and sincere personality once before, and it was Rav Gamliel Rabinovich, one of the other Rabbonim at Sha'ar hashamayim.

In his speech, Rav Samuels pointed out that although all joyous occasions are pushed off until after the three weeks, we still join for the joy of a siyum. Not only that, but the joy of completion of a maseches of gemara even allows us to eat meat during the nine days! Clearly, the mourning that we are to be aware of during this time of destruction is completely banished by the simcha of Torah.

Another interesting thing we see is that in the kaddish that is said after a siyum, there is an unusual text that is said. We say Yisgadal... Hashem's name should be made great, in the world which will be renewed, and the dead brought to life, and bring to the next world, and rebuild Jerusalem, and bring the Temple into it, and remove idolatry from the land, and bring the service of Hashem therein, and make Hashem king... It then continues with the regular kaddish. The obvious question here is, Why is this whole concept of Moshiach spoken of at a siyum?

What we clearly see is that the light and power of Torah is what has the ability to banish the darkness of exile and bring Moshiach. When we complete a maseches in Shas, there is a powerful light that is brought down from heaven, bringing the redemption closer. This is also true on a certain level whenever we learn Torah. The higher the level of learning, the greater the light that is brought down. This very light takes away the sadness of exile, and replaces it with the joy of redemption, even in middle of the exile itself!

ע"כ דבריו - end quote of Rav Samuels.

The deeper sources state that in fact, the learning of the inner wisdom of the Torah is what will ultimately bring the final Geulah to our people. The more we connect with that light, the more the light of the Torah will shine. Only this light has the power to remove the darkness of exile and bring the ultimate Light of Moshiach.