Who is Messiah Ben Yoseph according to Kol Hator.
Who is Messiah Ben Yoseph according to Kol Hator.
Chapter 1
Contents:
Our mission,
the mission of the great Gaon, light of Mashiach ben Yosef, with regard to the final
generation, is as follows: “According to Rabbi Eliyahu,
all the steps,
all the rules and details
concerning the period from the beginning of the Redemption until its conclusion,
which include the ingathering of exiles
and settlement of the Holy Land--all these are the assignment of the first mashiach,
Mashiach ben Yosef. They derive from the left side, that is, from the quality of Din, which prevails when
the awakening starts from below,
naturally, as occurred at the time of the Second Temple, during the reign of Cyrus. Later on, the redemption will be completed
with the quality
of Chesed (i.e., Lovingkindness)on the right side, with Mashiach
ben David.”
The Gaon’s basic
approach is contained in the words od
Yosef Chai, which means, Yosef is still alive.-- “As we stand on the threshold of the Redemption, we must learn well all the 156 characteristics, aspects,
appellations, and special attributes of Mashiach ben Yosef. We
must also study well the secrets
regarding the beginning of the Redemption that are hinted at in the holy compositions of the Vilna Gaon--so that we
shall know the way and what will
happen as illuminated by the Gaon who lights up our path until, with God’s help, the day is established.”
1.
As we stand on the threshold of the beginning of Redemption (when “the songbird’s time has arrived,
” which is the year 542 of the 6th Millennium),
at the Vilna Gaon’s behest and with his holy blessing, and with the help of God, we are obligated to
learn and understand all the paths of
the footsteps of the Mashiach and the
manner of future deeds, in accord with the mission and instructions of the Vilna Gaon. The Gaon merited being the light of Mashiach ben Yosef, in order to promote
the ingathering of the exiles and to
reveal the hints in the Torah regarding the
footsteps of the Mashiach ben Yosef. He
was therefore sent down from Heaven
[this is based on the words, [Isa. 60:22]
“the smallest will become a
thousand, ” etc., and this hints at the number 999 which is in the sefira
Yesod, and the root of the or elyon at
the high level of the angel Metatron,
who is the Angel of Interior. All the
hints about the beginning of the
Redemption and the secrets concerning the footsteps of the Mashiach,
until and including the very end were revealed to the Gaon. He wrote about the final end at length in his commentary on the
Sifra Dezniuta, adjuring others in the
name of the God of Israel not to reveal it. After many of his students had promised him faithfully to go to Zion and begin working
there on gathering in the exiles
when the awakening starts from below, with the
help of God, then the Gaon revealed
to them all the steps of the beginning of the Redemption. According
to a major principle of the Gaon that appears
in Sifra Dezniuta,
everything that was, is, and will be in all the upper and lower worlds,
as well as all the general and personal things
that will happen
in every generation--all these are hinted at in the Torah (see below, Chapter
3, for hints in holy works).
2.
According to the Gaon, all the work involved in gathering in the exiles, building Jerusalem and broadening the
settlement of the land of Israel so that the Shechina will
return to it, all the principles of the work and all the major and minor details are connected to the mission
and role of the first mashiach, Mashiach ben Yosef. Mashiach ben Yosef is the miraculous power who will assist every act
done when the awakening starts from below, in a natural manner,
because he comes from the earth. Mashiach ben David, however,
will come from Heaven as revealed by the different
aspects of Rachel and Leah, and as known regarding the footsteps of the
Mashiach and the revealed end. Mashiach
ben Yosef himself is a composite of two aspects:
on the one hand, he is Yosef the son of Rachel of the land; on the other
hand, he is Yosef son of Jacob from Heaven.
It is therefore incumbent upon us to learn and to understand all the 156 characteristics
[qualities], appellations, and all aspects
and special attributes of Mashiach ben
Yosef (as explained below in
Chapter 2). These will be a light for our feet and direct us what to do and how, in connection with what
lies ahead, with the help of the Redeemer of Israel, may it be speedily in our day.
3.
According to the Vilna Gaon, if Israel does not have the merit, then the beginning of the Redemption will occur
with an awakening from below, as
occurred during the time of Cyrus, during the Second Temple, as an act from the left side, that is, from the
quality of Din. That is what is meant by “his left hand is under my head, ” which refers to Mashiach ben
Yosef. This will occur with the
permission of the kings of the nations. Later on, the complete Redemption will
come from the right side, that is, with the quality
of Lovingkindness, and by the line of Mercy according to what is written, [Isa. 43:5] “and with abundant
mercy I will gather
you.” According to the Gaon, the ingathering of exiles at the beginning
of the Redemption will proceed by means of deliverance
and
ransom, as is
written, “then the ransomed of the Lord will return, and come to Zion with glad song” [Isa. 35:10]. All this will be
accomplished by Mashiach ben Yosef: The deliverance will be from enslavement of the body and enslavement of the soul.
The word has two meanings:
it refers to the fact that they will return to Zion
as is written: “they will come to Zion.”
It also refers to the fact that they will repent [ comes from the same root as repentance] as revealed by
the words, “they will achieve joy and gladness.”
A most important principle
of the Gaon is that everything that will occur
upon completion of the Redemption will begin at the beginning of the Redemption and gradually proceed,
by the 999 footsteps of the Mashiach, which are compared
to the footsteps of the flock.
4.
The Gaon began revealing secrets of the Torah when he was 20 years old in 5500 [1740], during the first hour
of the morning on Friday in the 6th millennium. Then, the spirit of God, the spirit of the mashiach, began
to move in his holy spirit, to uncover mysteries in the Torah
little by little
in accord with the mission
of the first mashiach. These were revelations of the deep mysteries and profound secrets
associated with the footsteps
of the Mashiach, and no secret was
hidden from him [the Gaon]. As is known, the Gaon then began traveling
to the Holy Land at the beginning of
the second hour, that is in 5542 [1782]. That
was the period when Rabbi Eliyahu
became very agitated. Like a storm,
he turned his attention to the ingathering of exiles.
Generally speaking, the beginning of the Redemption, otherwise known as the footsteps
of the Mashiach, began the first
hour of Friday morning in the 6th millennium, that is the year 5500 [1740], and from hour to hour the
footsteps have continued to progress from many aspects. As is known, every hour consists
of 41 years and 8 months, counting
from the time that the bonds on the Mashiach’s steps were loosened, as it
says, [Ps. 116:16] “you loosened
my bonds” and as revealed
in the sentence: [Ps. 81:6-7] “He appointed it as a testimony in
Yosef... I have removed his shoulder from the burden; let his
hands stay away from the kettle.” Beginning with the second
hour (i.e., from 5042 [1782]),
the entire House of
Israel entered the picture, both as a whole, and with regard to each individual member of the nation, as an order from above, of the Mashiach of the beginning of the
Redemption, namely, Mashiach ben Yosef.
5.
Through his holy spirit, Rabbi Eliyahu, the Vilna Gaon, knew exactly where the name and destiny of each member
of Israel were hinted at in the
Torah, each man according to the flag of his forefathers, according to the root of his soul, and the merit of
his forefathers. The Gaon knew this on the basis of hints which he
understood based on the use of gematria
[numerology, a system in which every letter of the Hebrew aleph-bet has a numerical value] and
notrikun [acrostics--a system in which sets of letters,
such as the initial or final letters
of the lines, taken in order, form a word or phrase]. He even found many hints (52 hints) regarding himself and his own great and holy mission in connection with the ingathering of exiles (see below, Chapter
3).
6.
According to the Gaon, Rabbi Eliyahu of Vilna, below are the seven major principles connected with the approach
called the footsteps
of the Mashiach, which is
based on the sentence, “on each stone were seven eyes [apertures]” [Zach. 3:9]:
a. “Yosef
is still alive.”
The basic approach
of the Gaon is encapsulated in the principle “Yosef is still alive, ” meaning that the Mashiach ben Yosef is still alive and will live, because, as it is
written, every aspect of the
beginning of the Redemption is dependent on him. Thus the decree regarding his murder by Armilus the
Wicked will be canceled. It will be canceled by extending the period of the
exile, by afflictions that the Mashiach ben Yosef will suffer and
diseases he will bear, and also by deeds
that he will accomplish with great devotion, such as gathering in exiles, which is his mission. What will also help are messianic pangs and afflictions connected with Eretz Israel, and our regular,
daily prayers for the life and success of Mashiach ben Yosef. Those who occupy themselves with gathering
in the exiles, lighten the afflictions of Mashiach ben Yosef during the period
called “the footsteps of the Mashiach.” The decree regarding the
death of Mashiach ben Yosef will be nullified by subdivision into small
parts, as in the parable recounted in
the Midrash. There is a parable of a
king who became angry with his son
and swore to throw a big stone at him. Afterwards,
he regretted what he had said,
and had compassion on him. In order to fulfill
his vow nevertheless, he broke
up the big stone into many small ones and threw all these small stones at his son one by
one. Thus the son was not killed,
yet he suffered from the small stones.
These are the pangs of the Mashiach: the suffering will come gradually, together with the 999 footsteps of the Mashiach, in such a way that the decree is divided into 999 small parts.
In contrast, help will come as hinted in the sentence,
[Jer. 30:7] “a time of trouble it is for Jacob,
” from which he will be saved.
The general
mission of Mashiach ben Yosef is
three-fold: revelation of the mysteries
in the Torah, ingathering of the exiles,
and removal of the unclean spirit from the land. The ingathering of exiles encompasses three tasks: building
Jerusalem, gathering in the exiles,
and fulfilling the commandments
dependent on the Land. All these are
hinted at in the following sentences:
[Ps. 24:3] “who will ascend the
mountain of the Lord, ” referring to
the ingathering of exiles [initial letters — îáé-- are initials of Mashiach ben Yosef]. [Ps. 24:3] “who will stand up in the place of his sanctuary” referring to the
building [initial letters -- are initials of Mashiach ben Yosef]. Wherever
the word “to stand up” is mentioned,
it refers to the line of Mashiach ben
Yosef, as in the phrase [Gen. 37:7] “my sheaf rose” [Ps. 24:5] “he will receive a blessing from the Lord” refers to something that
carries with it a blessing, such as planting [the initial letters
are the initials
of Mashiach ben Yosef, though in reverse
order — îáé. And in the sentences [Jer 31:20] “return to your cities, ” “build Jerusalem, ” [Ps. 102:14]
“it is the time to favor her.” ‘To favor’
refers to planting as it states, “he will favor its dirt.” Each one of them accords with the gematria of “testimony in Yosef” that refers to Mashiach
ben Yosef.Also, these three tasks were given to Cyrus as it states:
“I am the Lord Who confirms the word of His servant,
and fulfills the counsel of his messengers; Who says
of Jerusalem: ‘It will be settled’... Who says to the depths,
‘Dry up, and I will dry out your rivers’.
Who says of Cyrus, ‘my shepherd’; he will fulfill
all my desire, ” etc. [Isa. 44:24-28]. According to the explanation of the Gaon, the word in Gematria
equals [131] because
the purpose of building Eretz Israel is to drive
out from the gates of Jerusalem. And therefore this is the mission of Cyrus as part of the mission
of Mashiach ben Yosef from the left side,
which means the quality of Din.
The might of Mashiach ben Yosef lies in the miraculous assistance he can offer in connection with the ingathering of exiles that will come about
when the awakening comes from below.
7.
[b]. Act and be successful. One of the special characteristics of Mashiach ben Yosef is
his successfulness when he acts, as it says with
regard to Yosef (son of Jacob), [Gen.
39:3] “whatever he did, the Lord made prosper
in his hand.” The following
great idea of the Gaon became known:
there are only two commandments which a person’s
entire body has to enter in order to fulfill
them--the commandment of the tabernacle,
and that of
Eretz Israel. This is hinted at in
the sentence, “And his tabernacle was in Shalem, and his dwelling-place in Zion, ” and the Gaon adds that the commandment regarding
tabernacles requires you to ‘do, ’ that is, to fulfill a positive commandment, not to take from what is done.
Likewise with regard to Zion. As it states in the Midrash
on the sentence: “a redeemer will come to Zion.” As long is Zion is not yet built, the redeemer will not come. As Our Sages of blessed memory said (Megillah
17b), “after Jerusalem is built, the son of David [Mashiach] will come.”
According to the Midrash, the son of David will not come until Jerusalem
is built.
8.
[c] [Isa. 60:22] “in its time,
I will hasten it.” Our Sages interpreted this
principle to mean that, if they [the People of Israel]
merit it, I will hasten it [the Redemption]; if not, I will bring it
in its own time (Sanhedrin 98a). Regarding
this, the Gaon commented that after all, the verse should be interpreted literally. According to the plain interpretation,
even if the Redemption comes at its proper time, I will hasten it. When? --”when
the smallest will become a thousand
and the youngest a mighty nation.”
The words smallest and
youngest refer to Efraim, who is Mashiach
ben Yosef. It is known that the highest level of Mashiach ben Yosef, who will come when the awakening comes from below,
is 1000 less one, or 999 in the
sefira of Yesod. When the smallest
one will become 1000, that is, when
his deeds reach the level just below 1000, then - I am the Lord; even in its time, I will hasten it. This is also the meaning of “and the things that are to come upon them, will
make haste” (Deut. 32). In the words of the Gaon (in which
there is also some hint regarding his name), “there is a time for every desire” means
that determination of the time depends on the objective
below, as it says with regard to Cyrus, “and he will fulfill all my desire.”
Cyrus was given his mission
in connection with Mashiach
bet Yosef from
the left side, that is, from the side of Din that is operative
when the awakening comes from below. Many
times I have witnessed the Gaon pacing around his room, speaking
agitatedly saying, “Lord of the Universe, don’t you have a
middle road between ‘its time’ and ’I
will hasten it.’” We insist on the plain interpretation of your promise:
“I am the Lord; in its time, I will hasten it.”
9.
[d]. ! by possession and
conquest in the revealed end. The
fourth principle is that at the
beginning of the Redemption in our time, i.e., the final redemption in the last generation--all activities must be
in accord with one of two lines or
paths: one is the line of Ezra and Nehemia; the other is the line of Joshua. Regarding
the sentence, [Deut.
11:31] “you
shall possess
it and you shall settle
in it, ” Rabbi Eliyahu,
the Vilna Gaon says
(in Aderet Eliyahu, on Deut. 11), “Because of your merit in taking possession of it, you will dwell in it, and how will you take possession of it, by establishing your claim.” How does
one establish a claim? This is done by building and planting as is the
law in general with regard to possession
of land. This is in line with what
was done by Ezra and Nehemia. However, when necessary, force may also be
used (in this case, there is a kametz
under the Het--meaning by force; if there is a
hataf-patach under the het, it means by establishing a claim, by possession),
and this is in line with what was done by Joshua. The Gaon showed us a wonderful
hint regarding this idea, i.e., that according
to gematria ! Ezra’ and Nehemia’ together equal Joshua’ [391] Joshua was a descendant of Efraim ben Joseph, the one who fought Amalek.
in gematria, when counting
the value of all the letters pronounced when
saying the word [that is, ], equals [490] Sitra Achra. The mission
of Joshua son of Nun, a descendant of Efraim, was to fight Amalek. Joshua
was the Mashiach ben Yosef, who was supposed
to counterattack [lit.: bring
the war back to the gates of Jerusalem] at the
entrance to the city. Here
would be the center of the war against Esau,
as it says [Ps. 76:4] “there
he broke the flames of the bow.” This mission of Mashiach ben Yosef was hinted at in the sentence
above, [Ps. 76:3] “his tabernacle [was/ will be] in
Shalem and his dwelling-place in Zion.”
By using gematria, the Gaon discovered a hint regarding
his own mission and a hint at his name in the words “his tabernacle in Shalem and his
dwelling-place in Zion.” Those words equal the value of 3 generations of the Gaon, ! “Eliyahu son of
Shlomo Zalman son of Yisachar Dov” (as explained below in Chapter
3).
These things
ensure us that in our war against Amalek, from every aspect our tabernacle will be complete with the help of God. And the
Gaon meant by his interpretation of the words ! “ you shall inherit it
by establishing your claim, ” that this refers to the time of the revealed end mentioned by our Sages (Sanhedrin 98a; Megillah 17b) on the sentence, [Ez. 36:8] “you, mountains of Israel, will give forth your branch,
and bear your fruit for My People, Israel, etc.”
This was the keen desire of the Vilna Gaon.
A major principle of the Gaon was that all activities regarding the beginning
of the Redemption have to be similar to the activities during
the time of Ezra and Nehemia
and in the time of Cyrus. The Gaon wrote specifically that ingathering of the exiles
can be merited by fulfilling the mitzvot dependent
on being in Eretz Israel. The second
meaning of ! is “take possession by force” in the words of the Gaon (that is, the het with a
kametz as noted above) is, as it says (Keddushin 26a) in accord with the sentence: [Jer. 40:10] “settle
in your cities that you have taken.”
The purpose of
gathering in the exiles is to wage God’s war against Amalek, which was the main mission of Joshua, in line with Mashiach ben
Yosef. The war against Amalek
includes every aspect, against all the enemies
of Israel, including
Armilus, the prince of the mixed multitude. It is also intended to remove the spirit of impurity from the Land, and to bring " Knesset Israel
and Shechina from below, from the earth.
The opening of
the war against Gog and Magog will start with the first redemption before the coming of the righteous mashiach -- Mashiach ben David, may
it be speedily in our day. The main
activity concerns building Jerusalem
and gathering in the exiles and fulfilling the commandments connected
with the Land according to secrets concerning the revealed end.
All of the
above are the mission of the Gaon, the light of Mashiach ben Yosef, according
to his exalted directives, both explicit and hinted at by way of Tsofnat Paneach, or by calculations, or by way of secrets in Kol HaTor
regarding the actual beginning of the revealed end. This was the keen desire of the Vilna Gaon and his
students. The Rabbi’s mission is hidden in the sentence ! [Isa. 33:20] “visualize Zion, the city of our designated times, ” which was said
regarding the mission of Mashiach ben Joseph. Likewise, based on known hints, the Holy Ari viewed his own mission as that of Mashiach
ben Yosef.
10. [e]. escapees [refugees] in Zion. The fifth principle
is that [Joel 3:5] “for in
Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be those who escape, ... and among
the remnant, those whom the Lord will call.” Since according to Midrash Tanchuma, Zion is in the line of Mashiach Ben Yosef, whatever
befell Yosef, befell Zion. The
Gaon said that this is hinted at also in the
word “among the remnant” which in gematria equals “Mashiach ben Joseph” [566], by means of whom, according to the Gaon, the ingathering of the exiles will be accomplished. As the number of ingathered increases, so the Sitra Achra will
increase its strength. Then
another
prosecutor will be added, against those who do not strengthen the ingathering of exiles after the
beginning of the Redemption has started with the ingathering, for then in “Zion and in Jerusalem
there will be those who escape, ... and among the remnant ... .” A word to the wise is sufficient. This worried the Gaon a great deal.
What is the
connection between abundance from above on the one hand, and the refugees in Zion and Jerusalem on the other hand?
The ingathering of exiles clears the
way for abundance from above to reach Israel. The abundance in all the upper special
characteristics that will come by way
of Zion and Jerusalem will be evident in life, salvation, blessings, peace, lovingkindness, mercy, goodness, etc. Such an abundance is mentioned specifically in the following
passages. Abundance of life, for example, is noted in: “there the Lord commanded the blessing of life forever” [Ps. 133:3], and in, “to look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living” [Ps. 27:133].
Abundance of salvation is noted in:
“for from Zion comes salvation for Israel” [Ps. 4:7]. Abundance of blessings is mentioned in: “may God bless you from Zion” [Ps. 128:5], etc., and in: “because
there the Lord commanded the blessing”
[Ps. 133:3], etc. Abundance of peace, as in: “peace of Jerusalem” [Ps. 122:6] and Jerusalem means the city of peace. Abundance
of lovingkindness, as in: “like the dew of the Hermon that descends on the mountains of Zion” [Ps. 133:3].
The “dew of the Hermon” refers to the attribute of lovingkindness. Abundance of mercy, for God builds Jerusalem with mercy, as
is written: “Who, in his mercy, builds
Jerusalem” [see Blessing after meal]. Abundance
of goodness, as is written:
“and see the goodness of Jerusalem” [Ps. 128:5], and “this good mountain and the Lebanon” [Ps. 128:6].
All of the above are the assignment
of Mashiach ben Yosef, because Zion
is in line with Yosef according to the Midrash
mentioned above. As long as Zion is desolate, a spirit of impurity prevails and places obstacles preventing the passage of abundance from above. Only building Jerusalem can strengthen the connection as it states:“built-up Jerusalem is like a city united together” [Ps. 122:3].
11. [f]. Torah from Zion. “for
from Zion will the Torah come forth” [Isa. 2:3]. This refers to the revelation of the secrets
of the Torah, whose principal
source is Zion and Jerusalem. The Gaon wrote much about
the fact that the
redemption depends on learning Kabbalism, for thus the teachings of our righteous Mashiach will be revealed gradually, which means the teachings
the Tora of Eretz Israel (which is the the Jerusalem Talmud).
This is
revealed in the words “and the gold of the land is good” [Gen. 2:12].
12. [g]. Tsofnat Paneach. At the beginning of the redemption when
“it is the time to favor her” [Ps. 102:14], which
will occur through
Mashiach of the beginning
of the Redemption, then hints in the Torah and in the works of our Sages of blessed memory will begin to be revealed. Thereby, people will begin to understand
the ways of the beginning of the
Redemption and the footsteps of the Mashiach
hinted at in the words,
“designated deeds, times and emissaries, ” as is written: “the buds were seen on the land, the songbird’s
time has arrived, and the voice of the turtle-dove is heard in our land” [Song 2:12]. Also, according to the command, “make straight
in the desert a highway for our God”
[Isa. 40:3]. As explained below in chapters 3 and 4, the Gaon came
down from Heaven
in order to reveal the hints of the Torah regarding
the footsteps of the Mashiach, hinted at in Tsofnat
Paneach, and accordingly to instruct us how to act during
the period known as the footsteps
of the Mashiach (see above section 9
[d], and below Chapter 3).
13. There are seven ways for the
beginning of the Redemption to occur in practice,
with the help of God. [a] pangs and
pleasure. We must know beforehand that the beginning of the
Redemption will come by way of suffering and pleasure, as hinted at in the sentence “pangs for Yosef.”
It will come with the quality
of Din
when the awakening starts from below.The
footsteps of the Mashiach come with pangs, and sometimes even indirectly. On the other hand, in contrast, the quality of Lovingkindness is present, as it says, “he [Israel]
stretched out his right hand,
and placed it on Efraim’s
head.”
We must know beforehand, that during the period of the footsteps of the Messiah, whenever there is trouble, help
will come, and the help will come out of the trouble, as it states:
“it is a time of trouble for Jacob; but out
of it he will be saved.” The Gaon, in his commentary on Habakkuk regarding the verse “I will rest on the
day of distress, ” states that this sentence refers to Mashiach ben Yosef, and that we should know beforehand that Eretz Israel
is obtained by suffering. But in that manner it is definitely obtained. The footsteps of the Mashiach comes with disturbances
and obstacles brought on by the Angel of Esau as well as by Armilus, the Angel of the mixed multitude. Finally, however, the Angel of Esau will fall into the hands of the Angel of Yosef--as
we find in
the Midrash Tanchuma (on the parsha “Ki Tezeh”)--with the help of the
Mashiach ben David, as
happened when Judah saved Yosef, and as meant
by the words: “out of the strong came forth sweetness, ” and by “He will accept the work of our hands.”
Therefore, God forbid that we retreat when difficulties arise or when an obstacle
appears to prevent
us from continuing to work.
On the contrary, we must trust that out of that obstacle, help will come to Jacob, and from the straits we will reach
the breadth [abundance] of Divine help.
14. [b]. to walk [act] modestly.Every act of the beginning of Redemption must be in accord with the verse “walk
modestly with your God, ” as revealed
in the words, “place it in the ears of Joshua, ” who was in line the line of Mashiach ben Yosef.The word ! “in the ears of” should be taken literally, but it also hints at
something concealed. In gematria, ! equals 70. Likewise,
the word equals
70. In addition, the Gaon mentions another hint. He quotes the verse: “the secret
counsel of the Lord is with those that fear him.” If we add up the letters of as pronounced, that is, , then the
total value of the letters is 366 which equals the value of Mashiach ben Yosef by means of whom the ingathering of the exiles
will be accomplished.
The Gaon also
commented on the words, “it is the glory of God to conceal a thing.”
In gematria, the words “to conceal a thing” equal “you have brought the tribes” [871].
With this in mind, the Gaon directed
us to call the prophecies concerning the ingathering of exiles the ! “Vision of Zion, ” rather
than “Return of the Exiles” [lit.: return of Zion]. The vision of Zion refers to the sentence, “visualize Zion, the city of our designated times,
” which means that the designated time of the redemption depends
on Zion. Thus the sentence
refers to the Mashiach ben Yosef. This concurs with what is found in the writings of the Holy Ari of blessed
memory. It also agrees with the sentence, “to visualize the pleasantness
of the Lord and seek deep understanding
in his Temple, ” as we know. See
below, chapter 2, regarding the 156 aspects
of Mashiach ben Yosef.
15. [c]. little by little. We
must know beforehand that the beginning of the
Redemption will come gradually, a little at a time. According to our Sages of blessed
memory (Yerushalmi: Brachot, ch. 1), the redemption of Israel will come about little by
little, like the first rays of light before dawn, [Micah 7:8] “though I sit in darkness,
the Lord is a light to me, ”
and [Prov. 4:18] “a light that increases more and
more until the day is established.”
Therefore, one should start any deed connected with the beginning of the Redemption, even to a small extent, as is
written: [Jer. 3:14] “one from a city, and two from a family.”
The Gaon states
that there is an important rule that anything that will occur when the Redemption is complete, will begin gradually at
its beginning. This is also true of
rebuilding Jerusalem. One should begin, even
with one stone. According to what is written, [Isa. 28:16] “behold I lay in Zion a foundation stone, a tried stone, ” for this stone will test the will
to rebuild Jerusalem and to enlarge the site of its tent, and God will help us do this.
We also asked
the Gaon about what is revealed by the words, [Gen. 33:14] “I will direct it at my slow pace, ” that is, why must the beginning of the Redemption occur slowly? If it comes when it is a time of favor on the part of God in connection with gathering in the exiles
of Israel, is the hand of God short [is it too difficult for God] to accomplish this task on a large
scale all at once? The Gaon then explained to us that the period
of the beginning of the Redemption will come into being if the Jews do not have
the merit, which means when it does not come because of our righteousness. In that case, if the Redemption comes suddenly, then on the one hand it will be impossible to
bear the suffering that will come with
the quality of Din, as explained
above. On the other hand, it will be impossible
to accept the great light that will come all at once from the side of Lovingkindness. We must understand all this beforehand in connection with the practical work involved in gathering in the exiles.
I asked the Gaon what to do if in reality it would be possible physically to bring all of
Israel to Eretz Israel all at once. For
so many questions and difficulties would arise in arranging the settlement. After
deep reflection upon this question.
the Gaon replied:
“If it becomes possible to bring to the
Eretz Israel 600, 000 at one time, that should be done immediately, because there is great and complete
[all-encompassing] power in the number 600, 000, and that could defeat Samael in the gates of Jerusalem. Then the complete Redemption would come
miraculously, aided by clouds of
Heaven, as it states: “then the ransomed of the Lord will return, and come to Zion with glad song, and with
everlasting joy upon their heads.”
According to our Sages of blessed memory, as well as the Gaon, this verse refers to the period of Mashiach ben Yosef (Shabbat 88a).
The verse includes
the letters of the number 600, 000.
We know
beforehand that in contrast to all the good things that will come gradually during the time of the Mashiach, according
to the important rule the Gaon explained
above, there will be obstacles caused by the Sitra Achra, obstacles
detailed by our Sages that will occur during the time of the Mashiach [the footsteps of the Mashiach],
God forbid. But, with the help of
God, we can overcome them, as our Prophets and
our Sages have promised us, and at the direction of the Gaon as well as with his holy blessing, at the beginning
of the Redemption by the ingathering of exiles when the awakening
of the Mashiach ben Yosef starts from below. Gradually then, the special good
attributes of the Mashiach ben Yosef will also appear. As is written: “open up the gates of salvation, ”“I was brought
low, and he saved me, ”“out of it he will be saved,
”“the Lord has saved his anointed” etc. All
this was said about the Mashiach ben Yosef, a good channel that
is [999] revealed in the words: “whoever sees the letter in a dream, ” etc. And so the blessing of E-l
Shad-ai is that all of these should be matters of holiness. All these
are the assignment of Mashiach ben
Yosef and of the light of Mashiach ben Yosef in the final generation,
that is, of the light of the Gaon whose light increases
until the day is established.
16. [d]. a poor man on a donkey. If the beginning
of the Redemption occurs without
merit, it will come about like a poor man riding a donkey, that is, in poverty, both with regard to the ingathering of exiles and the rebuilding of Jerusalem. As it states:
“they will come with weeping,
and with supplications will I
lead them” etc. “and Efraim is My
firstborn.” The Gaon hinted that in gematria
the word “supplications” equals Mashiach ben Yosef [566]. So it is written, “I was brought low, and
he saved me, ” which refers to
Mashiach son of Efraim. This is what David prayed
for, that Mashiach ben Yosef would
not die, as explained by the Gaon in his boor “Yahel Or”; and with regard
to building Jerusalem as it states,
“the Lord will lift Zion, and the poor of his People
will find refuge
in it” etc. All this will be like the image of a poor man riding a
donkey. It will occur when the
awakening of the beginning of the Redemption
comes naturally until
we merit the clouds from Heaven.
17. [e]. people of truth. One
of the main means for the survival of all our
work, is the establishment of a group of people of truth. According to our Sages of blessed memory (Shabbat 119b), Jerusalem
was destroyed only because truthful men were no longer
there, and so could not establish
men of truth, with integrity, in our Holy City. Without that, there
is no value
to all our labor and our deeds,
God forbid. This, according to all the bases and rules that we have set up with the help of God.
18. [f]. equal measures. The settlement of our Holy Land in general, and the construction of Jerusalem in particular must be according
to the principle of equal [balanced/ accurate]
measures for everyone.
According to our Sages of blessed memory,
Mashiach ben David will
not come until all the measures/
prices are equal.
Yet another interpretation by them is that Mashiach
ben David will not come until all the rates are accurately balanced (Sanhedrin 98a). See the commentary of our Sages
on equally measured gardens (Baba Batra 75b; and the Tosafot there). This, too, is included in the assignment of the Gaon as expressed in the verse: [Deut. 25:14] “your house should not have two different weights for measurement, a large one and a small
one, ” which is immediately followed
by: [Deut. 25:15] “a perfect and just
weight you should have.” In the last
verse, the Gaon found his name and his assignment in the Torah as is known. The
Gaon explained to us that the term “in your house”
refers to Eretz Israel, as it states: “in order that your days be long upon the Land, etc.” Afterwards it
states, “that the Lord your God gives you.” Likewise with respect to a built-up
Jerusalem: It states,
[Ps. 122:7] “peace be within
your walls, ” translated by Onkelos as “peace
regarding your possessions.” For there is no durable
peace unless there
is peace regarding possessions and equal measures, as stated above. In order to carry out the intention of the
text: “every valley will be lifted up,
and every mountain and hill will be made low, ” in accord with what is written “in righteousness will you be established, ” meaning in a way that
is just and equal for everyone, as it states, “I will make justice the line, and righteousness the plummet
[weight].” With regard to settling Jerusalem, our Sages of blessed memory have already
said that Jerusalem was not part of the division of
Eretz Israel into districts for each
tribe. Also, no house in Jerusalem
should be leased out. In chapter
6 of this work, this matter is explained in greater detail.
If this is fulfilled, then the verse ! “for as the seed of peace, the vine will give forth
her fruit” etc. will be
fulfilled (Zach. 8). According
to our Sages of blessed memory, the
statement that Eretz Israel will give forth its fruit, was said with regard to the revealed
end (Sanhedrin 98a), and this is the main foundation for the establishment of truthful men, discussed above.
Proof of this lies in the fact that in gematria the words: equals [457]. A hint to the wise is sufficient.
19. [g]. in righteousness [also: with charity-charity is considered a
deed of righteousness] will you be
established. Our Sages of blessed
memory said (Sanhedrin 98a) that Jerusalem will only be redeemed through charity, as it says [in juxtaposition]:
[Isa. 1:27] “Zion will be redeemed with justice; and those who return to her, with charity.” The word pidyon
[redemption or ransom] is in the line of Mashiach ben Yosef. This
is what the Gaon hinted at in the
words “it will be redeemed with justice” which
in gematria is equal to (the first Mashiach)
[920]. It states: “in righteousness will you be established.” The word righteousness should be taken
literally. Righteousness means
equality for everyone, as in “and I
will make ... righteousness the
plummet [weight].” The plain meaning
of righteousness should be understood here, i.e., a generous contribution. It was decreed and it is also an expression of pardon that the resettlement of Israel will be
accomplished through contributions, because God wanted to give all of Israel--the near and the far--credit for taking
part in the building of the property of God, according to what is written: “and gather from all of Israel
silver to strengthen the House of your
God (II Chronicles 24:5) and for the building of Jerusalem.” Many other commandments of the Torah are included
and concealed here, as explained below in chapter
7.
20. Yosef is still alive. -- The independence of Mashiach
ben Yosef is
related to three
categories: a) the Mashiach
ben Yosef from
above is Metatron, the Minister of Interior; as is known,
Yosef is Metatron. Both of them are from the light from above,
and both are in the sefira Yesod, and active in the war against Armilus
(especially in the war of Gog and Magog). He is helped by Seraiah ben Dan. b) In every generation one Mashiach ben Yosef from below
appears. He is a righteous person, a foundation of the world, who because of his deeds and the
root of his soul, merits acting for
the salvation of Israel, carrying out helpful deeds and glorifying the Torah through his dedication. Thus he reaches to the high level of Mashiach
ben Yosef, which is 999 in the sefira
Yesod.c) Mashiach ben Yosef who is present in every house of
Israel in general, according to what is revealed by the words
“remnant of Yosef”
which was said about all of Israel in general and regarding
every man of Israel in particular. Mashiach ben Yosef resides within the
999 sparks of many a soul in Israel, in those who merit carrying
out deeds that promote the ingathering of exiles, etc. Whoever merits,
on the basis of his deeds as well as the merits of his forefathers, carrying
out deeds that are characteristic of Mashiach ben Yosef, is considered a spark from the
root of the soul of Mashiach ben Yosef -- each according to the level of his deeds.
21. Yosef is still alive.
All three Hebrew
words are from the sefira Yesod.The first word od’ is in the sefira
of Hod, on the left side line.
‘Yosef’ is from the sefira Yesod of the middle line. ‘Chai’ is from Nezach of Yesod on the right side line.
22. Yosef is still alive. The light of Mashiach ben Yosef has three levels: a) Mashiach ben Yosef from
the land, in line with Yosef, son of Rachel,
from the aspect
of recipient. b) Mashiach
ben Yosef from
Heaven in line with Yosef son of Jacob, from the aspect of one who gives and influences. c) Mashiach ben Yosef from both Heaven and Earth, revealed
in the words “even all in the Heavens and Earth.” is in the sefira Yesod.
In gematria “all in the Heavens and Earth” equals Mashiach ben Efraim”
[741]. Likewise the value of “horn of
salvation, ” is 741 in gematria, and, according to the Gaon, this refers
to Mashiach ben Efraim. Every act of ransom and saving by Mashiach
ben Yosef is
aided by Mashiach ben David in line with the incident in which Judah saved Joseph.
According to what is written: “What profit is it if we sell our brother and cover up his blood?” etc. By saving Yosef, Judah merited being the one from whom the kingdom
of David descended.
23. Yosef is still alive. Our forefathers and many of the Prophets
of God, kings of Israel, and many of
the Tannaim and Amoraim, many of the great men of Israel
and the men of deeds in every generation were in the line
of Mashiach ben Yosef. The first one was our forefather Abraham, as revealed in the words, “whereby will I
know that I will inherit it?” As known,
wherever the term inheritance’ is used in connection with Eretz Israel,
it is in the line of Mashiach ben Yosef.This is hinted at in the word “I will inherit” which in gematria
equals Mashiach ben Yosef [566]. Our forefather Abraham
started the beginning of the first
Redemption, that is the redemption of the holiness
from below, which is the land of the Land of
Israel [Eretz Israel]. Our forefather
Isaac was in the line of the Mashiach ben Yosef from the time he was
bound as a sacrifice. His name even hints at " end of life. Our forefather Jacob was in the line of Mashiach
ben Yosef from the time he fought the Angel of Esau, after which it says, “Jacob came to Shalem.”
Shalem, to Succoth.
Judah was in the same line, from the time he saved
Yosef; Yosef, from the time of his first
dream; Moshe Rebbeinu, from the time he took along the bones of Yosef. Joshua son of Nun was the first who fought in the battle of the
Lord against
Amalek. Both Saul and David fought in the war of the Lord. And it is known that every war of the Lord is considered to be in the line of Mashiach ben Yosef, etc., etc. During
recent generations, the Holy Ari and
his special student, the holy and pure R. Chaim
Vital, and the Holy Rabbi, author of Or Hachaim
were also in the line of Mashiach ben Yosef as is known. And in the last generation, it was the Gaon, our Rabbi, Rabbi Eliyahu, light of Mashiach ben Yosef whose light goes
before us, and whose light increases
until the day will be established. A few of his students, who fulfilled
his commandment regarding the vision of Zion to accept
and be inspired with his spirit and his great light, are also in the line of Mashiach ben Yosef.
Yosef is still
alive. A righteous person lives by
his faith. Together with all our activities connected with the mission of Mashiach ben Yosef, we are commanded
and it is incumbent upon us to pray a great deal for the life and success
of Mashiach ben Yosef. Our entire existence
is revealed by the words “remnant of Yosef, ” through
whom the ingathering of exiles will be accomplished. This refers to the Mashiach ben Yosef from
below who is present in every generation. We must pray that he not be killed by the wicked
Armilus, that he should not die before
he carries out completely
his holy mission, that he should be able to stand up against Armilus who seeks to cause him to fail in
all his ways; that he should maintain his faith in his great and holy mission until
his last day. This is what
is meant by, “a righteous person lives by his faith, ” referring to Mashiach
ben Yosef from above--that his light should not go out, the light that connects the middle column of
the [the Shechina] with our Father
in Heaven which is the center bolt that connects Yesod and Malchut as well as Yesod to Tiferet in the middle line, the line of Compassion. King David, of blessed memory, prayed many prayers on behalf of Mashiach
ben Yosef, that he should
not die, but Israel’s poverty
should help annul the decree against Mashiach
ben Yosef, as revealed by the words, “I was brought
low, and He saved me” which is one of the prayers
that King David, of blessed
memory, prayed on behalf of Mashiach ben Yosef, as explained by the
Gaon. We are especially obligated
to pray as follows (the English translation follows the Hebrew
paragraph):
The prayer “Yosef
is still alive”
(which begins: “Have
mercy, our Father
in Heaven, on the remnant
of Yosef, ” etc.), the prayer of Amidah
“On the throne of David your servant, ” in the blessing “Build Jerusalem, ” the prayer,
“The descendant of David, we
hoped for your help all day, who causes the horn of help to sprout.”“A prayer of the afflicted, when
he faints” (Ps. 102:1), and there also, “Have mercy on Zion, for
it is the time to favor her, etc.,
for your servants have cherished her stones etc., so nations will fear the name of the lord, ” etc. “I love [Him] for
the Lord hears” (Ps. 116:1). There,
too, “I was brought low, and He saved
me.”“From the straits” (Ps. 118), and
also there, “I will not die, for I
will live” etc. “The earth is the
Lord’s, and the fullness thereof” (Ps
24), and also there, “Who will ascend the mountain
of the Lord” [Ps. 24:3] etc. “Wait at my right hand” (Ps. 110),
“The Lord will answer you in the day of trouble” (Ps. 20:1). “For the waters have penetrated unto the soul” (Ps. 69:2),
and also there,
“Save me, O God, for the waters have penetrated unto the soul.”
Also there, “”For God will give salvation to Zion and build the cities of Judah; they
shall dwell there and shall take possession of it once more.”“The wilderness and the parched land shall be glad, ” etc. (Isa.
35: 1). Also there, “Then the ransomed
of the Lord will return,
and come to Zion with glad song” (Isa 35:10) etc. “I was jealous
for Zion with great jealousy”
(Zach. 8:2); and also there,
“For as the seed of peace, ” (Zach. 8:12) etc. “Even mount Zion, the
uttermost parts of the north” (Ps. 48:3). “Lord,
in Thy strength” (Ps. 21:2), and also there, “He asked life of you; you gave it
to him. You gave him length of days” (Ps. 21:5). Also
according to the Holy Ari regarding the Mashiach
ben Yosef in
the prayer: “The throne of David”
and according to the Gaon in ! Tikunei Zohar Chadash. “When God returns, etc., we will be like
dreamers” (Ps. 126:1). “O Lord, do not rebuke me in Your anger”
(Ps. 6:2). “Stir up jubilation to
God of our strength” (Ps. 81:2) “He
placed it as testimony in Yosef” (Ps. 87:6), “In distress you called out, and I rescued
you” (Ps. 81:8). “His tabernacle in Shalem” (Ps. 76:3), also there: “He broke the flames of the bow” (Ps. 87:4), etc.
“In you, O Lord, have I put my
trust” (Ps. 31:2). “Because of all my oppressors,
I have become a disgrace” (Ps: 31: 12). “I will exalt You, O Lord, for You have drawn me up from the depths” (Ps. 30:2). “Those
redeemed by the Lord will say it” (Ps. 107:2). “That He might send them His word and heal them” (Ps. 107:20). “The Lord is my light and my salvation”
(Ps. 27:1). “Though a camp should encamp
round about me (Ps. 27:3)
etc., to look upon the goodness of the Lord” (Ps. 27:13),
etc.
In our deeds and with our prayers
we help Mashiach ben Yosef, and by acting
with all our strength when the awakening comes from below, we will achieve the unity of Mashiach
ben Yosef and Mashiach
ben David who
are “the tree of Yosef and the tree of Judah.” At first
they will be in your hands individually, and
afterwards “they will be united in My hand.” The unity of both are the foundation for the unity
of the Holy One blessed
be He and the Shechina, and thus the completion of the Redemption.
We must learn and understand all the aspects,
qualities and various
attributes of Mashiach ben Yosef according
to the approach of the Gaon of blessed
memory who discusses this a great deal in his holy writings about what is revealed, and what concealed, so that we should know the entire road we must travel and all the ways of the
deeds that are before us, because his light and spirit go before us and with us with the help of God.
All the deeds
concerned with ingathering exiles in the Land of Israel in general,
and in Jerusalem in particular, every general and private act, everywhere
of everyone together or separately--all these depend on the existence and success of Mashiach
ben Yosef. The existence and success of Mashiach
ben Yosef depend on the awakening
from below, on the fulfillment of the things and acts that are given and concealed in the 156
qualities, appellations and aspects
of Mashiach ben Yosef as explained
above and below, so that we
participate with all our might in the suffering and special attributes until the highest level of “999
in the sefira Yesod, ” which means the 999 steps of the awakening from below.
It says about that, “the smallest will become a thousand.” that means until the level of 1000, “and the youngest [will
become] a mighty
nation.” The smallest
and youngest refer to Efraim, who is Mashiach ben Yosef. Then “I am the Lord; [even] in its time, I will hasten it.” All in all, there
is a great obligation to pray devoutly
for the life and success
of Mashiach ben Yosef.
Chapter 2
Visualize Zion, the city of our designated time
Your eyes will see Jerusalem a tranquil habitation. To visualize the pleasantness of the Lord and seek deep understanding in His Temple,
Teachings of “Efraim
My firstborn, ” height of his activity.
Cont e n t s :
It is a
commandment and manifold obligation for every man of Israel, for all those engaged in gathering in the exiles,
certainly for anyone who bears any responsibility whatsoever in
administering public affairs in the Holy Land,
even more so anyone engaged in settlement of the Holy Land--all of them must learn to know and understand well, profoundly, and completely, all 156 aspects
and characteristics of the Mashiach of the beginning
of the Redemption, Mashiach ben
Yosef, through whom the ingathering of the
exiles will occur as part of the beginning of the Redemption when the awakening
comes from below.
Below are the 156 aspects and characteristics of Mashiach
ben Yosef, which include
all the appellations and the good qualities involved in the beginning of the Redemption. The number 156 is significant because in gematira the value of
“Yosef” is 156, and so is the value of “Zion.” Both Yosef and Zion are in sefirat
Yesod. According to the Midrash (Tanchuma, end of parsha “Vayegash”), whatever happened to Yosef, happened
to Zion.
1.
[Jer. 31:9] “Efraim is my
firstborn”; [Jer: 31:5] “Mount Efraim, ” [Jer.
31:17] “Efraim wanders”; (Jer. 31:20)
“Efraim is my favorite son” -- all these are basic aspects
of Mashiach ben Yosef that appear
in the same chapter. Efraim is called God’s firstborn, because he is the first Mashiach through whom the ingathering of
the exiles will occur, which means
the exodus from exile. Mount Efraim
is so called because it leads Israel
up to Zion, as we learn from the verse:
“call out from Mount Efraim,
’Rise and let us ascend
to Zion.’” The aspect ‘Efraim
wanders, ’ signifies that Mashiach ben Yosef has no rest, he wanders from north to south,
and from south to north, as written: “wake
up North, and come to the South.” The
initial letters of the 4 Hebrew words, ,
are equal in gematria to the value of
Mashiach ben Yosef (566). “Efraim is my favorite son” is the aspect ‘Lovingkindness, ’ because Efraim
himself is from
the left side,
that means, from the side of Din, and always accepts
influence from the right side, that is, from the quality of Lovingkindness. This is the import of: “and he placed his
right hand on the head of Efraim.”
We are commanded to speak of him constantly: “for whenever I speak
of him, I remember him better” (Jer: 31:20) etc. Efraim is the one who wages war against Armilus.
In gematria, and are equal [331].
All the above-mentioned aspects are in the line of Yosef ben Rachel,
from the land;
thus this chapter
speaks about Rachel--Rachel who
weeps for her
children. “Refrain your voice from
weeping ... they will return from the land of the enemy” refers
to the exodus from exile; “your
children will return to their border” refers to the immigration (ascent)
to Zion.
2.
(Hab. 3:16) “that I might rest in the day of trouble”
-- In his commentary on Habakkuk, the Gaon explains that this
verse refers to Mashiach ben Yosef. Likewise “the Lord
will reply to you on your day of trouble, ” and,
in the same chapter, “the Lord will save his anointed one.” As is known, wherever the term “salvation” appears, it connotes
that characteristic of Mashiach
ben Yosef.
3.
“truth springs up from the land, and righteousness looks down from heaven” (Ps. 85:12) -- The verse refers to
Mashiach ben Yosef from the land, and to righteousness that is based on the quality of Din (Judgment). This is indicated
by the verse that follows
it: “yea, the Lord will give that which is good, and our
land will yield its produce” (Ps. 85:13).
4.
“the stone which the builders
rejected has become the chief cornerstone”
(Ps. 118:22) -- As noted in the Zohar (on Bamidbar), the verse refers
to an aspect of Yosef.
In gematria, the initials of this verse [
] equal [161]. In his blessings to his children, Jacob
said about Yosef: “from there he became the shepherd,
the stone of Israel” [Gen. 49:24].
5.
“[You shall have] a perfect and just weight” (Deut. 25:15) -- According to the Gaon, these words indicated that his first mission was
being the light of Mashiach ben Yosef. Following the command to use a perfect and just weight, we read about wiping out
Amalek, and immediately afterwards, we find: “when you come to the Land” [Deut.
26:1], which is similar
to the verse “when you come to the Land and plant” [Lev. 19:23], etc. All these
are thus related and of equal importance. From this the Gaon learned about his great
mission regarding the revealed end. The Gaon wrote that “a perfect weight” is
a characteristic of Din from the left side. Only when on his way to the Land of
Israel, did the Gaon realize
that he had reached the level of “faithful shepherd”
[appellation of Moshe Rabbeinu] in the verse: [Isa. 54:7] “with abundant
mercy I will gather you.” [Those words,
in gematria, equal the Gaon’s name: ! .] Therefore, the Gaon felt that he did not have the permission of Heaven to enter Eretz Israel. He then directed his
students to act like the aspect of Joshua: that is, to begin fulfilling the obligation of ingathering exiles.
6.
(Ps. 97:11) “light
is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright
of heart” -- This refers to another aspect of Mashiach ben Yosef. As is known, in general a righteous person is
in the line of Yosef. For more details,
see below (#109) concerning “when justice reverts
to righteousness, and all the upright of heart follow
it” [Ps. 94:15].
7.
(Lam. 2: 4) “the tabernacle of the daughter
of Zion” -- This is the middle
line, the line of compassion. Similarly,
the “stone of Israel” is on the right, and the “House
of Jacob” on the left.
8.
(Ps. 22:1) “the first rays of
light before the dawn” -- In this Psalm we find:
“my God, why have you forsaken me, ” which was the prayer of Queen Esther who was from the line of Mashiach ben Yosef. See below (#141). Our Sages said (Yerushalmi: Brachot,
ch. 1) that the redemption of Israel will come about like the first rays of light before the dawn. They were
referring to the beginning of the Redemption, the mission of Mashiach ben Yosef. In connection with this, as an additional explanation of , they also noted and referred to the mystery of
Jacob’s blessing of Naftali: [Gen.
49:21] “a hind let loose.” This is in the line of Mashiach ben Yosef, from the aspect
of “the firstborn
of his ox” [see 11] which is explained
by the Gaon in his commentary on Habakkuk (Ch. 2).
9.
(Ps. 69:36) “God will save Zion
and build the cities of Judah” -- This is similar
to the verse “I was brought low, and he saved me, ” which, according
to the Gaon, was said about Mashiach ben Yosef, and thus is also in the line of Yosef.
10. (Ps. 4:2) “in my distress, you relieved me -- Likewise,
“in distress ... the Lord answered me and brought me relief”
similar to the verse “He placed it as
testimony in Yosef.” Whenever the verb “to call” to God from distress is used, and followed by God answering, this is in the line
of Mashiach ben Yosef.
11.
(Deut. 33:17) “the firstborn of
his ox is glory to him” -- an ox is the aspect of Yosef from the north side, from where Yosef comes when the awakening starts from below.In
Tikunei Zohar it states:
“Mashiach from below
will awaken” (p. 30). See the Gaon’s explanation there. Similarly, in Midrash
Tanchuma (on Genesis), it states that in the verse “those who send forth
an ox to roam freely”
[lit., the leg of an ox], the ox refers
to Mashiach ben Yosef.
See below (Section
85) for the aspect: “His land is blessed by the Lord.”
12.
(Gen. 28:3) “that God Almighty
bless him" [Isaac’s blessing to Jacob when Jacob left for Padan-Aram] -- When spelled
out as pronounced, "# " " becomes , its value equals 1000 minus 1, that is,
999, which is in Yesod, according to the Gaon in his explanation of the Hebrew alphabet (See Extracts of the Gaon). Also see The
gates of heaven on the verse: “that
God Almighty bless etc. The number
999 is the highest level of Mashiach ben Yosef
when the awakening
comes from below, as written:
“the smallest will become a thousand, ” etc.
13. (Ps. 126:6) “he will surely come with rejoicing, bearing his sheaves”
-- According to the Gaon’s
commentary on Habakkuk (Ch. 2), this
verse refers to the two meshichim
because the same verb is used twice,
with a slight modification (lit.: come, he will come). The first one refers to the first mashiach:
Mashiach ben Yosef; the second one, ,
to the last mashiach: Mashiach ben David.
14.
(Ps. 5:4 ) “in the morning, I
will direct my prayer to you, ” and wait expectantly -- The word “morning” is in the line of Mashiach
ben Yosef. In
gematria, equals [643] “as testimony
in Yosef.”
15.
(Gen. 39:5) “the blessing of God ... in the house and in the field” -- This verse was said regarding Yosef. This
blessing is included in the secret of
the six names of God which, together, in gematria equal 156 (26x6). “Yosef”
equals 156, and so does “Zion.”
16.
(Isa. 30:15) “in quietness and
in security will be your might” -- In the same
chapter, we find, “in returning and rest you will be saved.” The meaning of “in quietness” is like the verse “place it ! ‘in the ears of’ Yehoshua.” The word ! in gematria equals
(70). “In returning and rest you will be saved” means ‘heh’ will return
to ‘vau, ’ As it says in the Zohar
about the word ‘Teshuva.’ Then ‘vau’ will return to ‘heh’ as explained
in the Zohar which is the revelation of the Redemption, and in this
manner you will be saved [see 21]. Also, there is a hint of this in the word which in gematria equals
Eretz Israel [832].
17.
(Ov. 1:18 ) “the house
of Jacob shall
be a fire, and the house of Yosef a flame”
-- The House of Esau will be stubble as our Sages said (in Tanchuma on ), because the Angel of Esau
will fall into the hand of the Angel of Yosef.
18.
(Num. 25: ) [ (Num. 25:12)] “ my covenant of peace” -- Both
words are in Yesod and are used in connection with Pinchas, who is from the root of
the soul of Yosef. Mashiach ben Yosef is also from the root
of the soul of Pinchas.
19.
(Ps. 81:8) “in distress you called out, and I rescued you” -- This
relates to the verses “as testimony in Yosef” and “in distress
I called out to the Lord
and He answered me with expansiveness [i.e., by bringing me relief]”
(Ps. 118:5).
20. (Joel 3:5) “among the remnant whom the Lord calls” -- The term ‘remnant’
refers to Mashiach
ben Yosef. In gematria
both and equal 566. In the verse quoted it states: “And it
will be that whoever calls on the name
of the Lord will escape, for in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be refuge,
and among the remnant whom the Lord calls.”
21. (Isa. 30:15) “in returning
and rest you will be saved” -- That is, when the letter
‘heh’ returns to the letter ‘vau, ’ as explained in the holy Zohar, then the letter ‘vau’ comes down to ‘heh.’
The holy Zohar explains that the Redemption is at ‘vau’ that is after the ‘heh, ’ which refers to Knesset Israel, draws near ‘vau’ during the
awakening from below--this is the mission
of Mashiach ben Yosef in the line of
Yosef son of Rachel. (See above, 16, regarding the aspect, “in quietness and in confidence”).
22. (Ps. 22:1) “the lustre of the dawn and the fleetness
of the dawn” -- Both are in the line of the first Mashiach.
23. (Jer. 31:8) “with entreaties I will lead them” -- The word , which appears in the verse “weeping they will come and
with entreaties I will lead them”
etc., has the same numerical value in gematria as (566). The verse concludes
with “Efraim is my firstborn, ” referring to Mashiach ben Yosef. “With entreaties, ” in order to atone for
the sin noted in “when he entreated us, we did not listen.”
In the holy Zohar we find that the word in gematria
equals [34]. (See below, 27, regarding the aspect, “I was brought
low, and He saved me”).
24. Gavriel -- The angel Michael
mitigates the quality of Din in
Gavriel, because the root of Mashiach ben Yosef is in the line of Gavriel,
meaning the quality of Din, as
it says, “And the man Gavriel” (Daniel 9:21).
Through Gavriel, Yosef fell into distress; and through him, Yosef became great. This is the explanation of my colleague, R’ Saadiah.
25.
(Ps. 103:4) “who redeems your
life from the pit” -- This is preceded by the verse:
“who heals all your diseases.” Redemption is in Yesod hinted at in the numerical value of the letters
of as pronounced: .The value is 1194 as is the value of “His tabernacle [was] in Shalem,
and his dwelling place in
Zion, ” which makes the verses comparable, and thus part of the mission of the Gaon.
26.
(Song 4:12) “like a locked garden ... a
sealed fountain” -- These are in the
line of Tsofnat Paneach. The Gaon
hinted that in gematria equals [156]. This is explained
below in 98 from the aspect of “mystery.”
27.
(Ps. 116:6) “I was brought low,
and He saved me” -- King David, of blessed
memory, said this prayer to save Mashiach
ben Yosef so that the latter would not die, as explained by the Gaon is his work . Mashiach ben Yosef is in the line of Joshua bin Nun.
28. (Es. 9:30) “words of peace and truth” -- That means the unification of
Yesod and Malchut, which is the mission of Mashiach ben Yosef.
29.
(Ps. 20:7) “the Lord has saved
his anointed one” -- The entire Psalm that begins
with “the Lord will answer
you in your day of distress, ” is a prayer
to save Mashiach ben Yosef so that
the latter should not die. This is explained by the Gaon in his commentary on Habakkuk regarding
the verse: “that
I might rest on the day of distress”; and also in connection with !# [Ps. 20:3] “‘your
help from the sanctuary”’ which hints at “Mashiach ben Efraim’” because
it equals it in gematria [741].
30.
(Ps. 126:5) “those
who sow in tears
will reap in joy” -- The footsteps
of the Mashiach will be like this. Every
good thing will come out of pain and
distress. As written, “he who walks
along weeping, bearing the measure of seeds, will certainly return with rejoicing, bearing his sheaves” (Ps. 126:6).
This is in the line of “my sheaf rose and remained
standing.” The verb ‘to come’ appears twice: , referring to the two Meshichim, as explained
by the Gaon in his commentary on Habakkuk.
31.
(Ez. 36:8) “you, mountains of
Israel, will send forth your branch” -- In the
same chapter we find: “...and the cities will be inhabited, and the ruins will be rebuilt” (Ez. 36:10).
Preceding this is the verse: “behold [I have
spoken] in my jealousy.” All these are signs of the revealed end, according to our Sages (Sanhedrin 98a, Megillah 17b), as is also the verse: “for as the earth sends forth its sprouts, and as a garden causes
its seeds to sprout forth,
so will the Lord God cause righteousness and
praise to
sprout forth before the eyes of all the nations” (Isa. 61:11). This was the main aspiration of the Gaon, Rabbi Eliyahu.
It is called the ‘revealed’ end after the ‘revealed’
world, from the aspect of Yosef ben Rachel,
and after God who is ‘revealed’ by
the purification of the holiness of
the Holy Land and its fruit from the spirit of the [the Sitra Achra], which is accomplished when fulfilling the commandments pertaining to the Holy Land.
32.
(Ps. 48:3) “Mount Zion on the
sides of the north” -- For it is “fairest of
sites, joy of the whole earth, ” a description similar to what was said about Yosef. According to the Midrash (Tanchuma),
everything that happened to Yosef happened
to Zion. For Mashiach
ben Yosef is
in the North according to the Midrash. Also, in gematria equals [156].
In the same Psalm is the
verse: walk around Zion and encircle her, count her towers, etc. (v. 13), which refers to the five circles of
holiness around Jerusalem.
33.
(Gen. 48:16) “the angel who
redeems me” -- “The angel who redeems” is
the Angel of Yosef. This means that
as soon as Yosef was born, Jacob was
able to overpower Esau. As known, the
redeemer is in Yesod.
34.
(Ps. 111:3) “Hod and
Hadar are His work,
and His righteousness endures forever” -- Hod has the quality of Din. has
the same meaning as in the verse:
like the firstborn of his ox is his glory. Both
Hod and Hadar are in the line
of Mashiach ben Yosef according to
the Gaon, as revealed in the mystery
of the Hebrew alphabet (Likutei Hagr”a, p.40).
35.
(Isa. 60:22) “the smallest will
become a thousand and the youngest a mighty
nation” -- The ‘smallest’ refers to Efraim as is written: “his smaller brother will be more numerous than
he, and his seed will be filled with
nations.” The ‘youngest’ also refers to Efraim. The meaning is that if he reaches the level of 1000 minus one, that is 999 in the sefira Yesod,
which is the final level of the awakening from below, then I am the Lord, [even] in its time, I will
hasten it. The term ‘thousand’ means until 1000 exclusive
of the number 1000, for the thousandth level will be completed
with the clouds of heaven,
completely miraculously.
36.
(Isa. 54:2) “expand
the site of your tent,
” etc. -- The commandment to expand the
borders is the mission of Mashiach ben
Yosef as God had told the prophet Jonah,
who was on the level
of Mashiach ben Yosef, to
restore the
border of Israel (II Kings 14:25). Likewise
the verse: “in distress...in
expansiveness, ” means that it was his mission to expand the boundaries in the war against Amalek, who was the
destroyer, according to the Midrash. “The enemy, the destructions are gone forever” which is related to the verse: “God wages war against
Amalek.” The verb “expands”
is used in opposition to the verb “destroys” [the order of the letters and are in reverse order in the two words].
37.
(Ps. 125:1) “Mount Zion never falters, but abides forever” -- Likewise, a righteous person never falters
(Prov.12:6). As brought in the
Midrash: whatever occurred
to Yosef, occurred
to Zion.
38. (Song 2:12) “the buds were
seen in the land, the songbird’s time has arrived,
and the voice of the turtle-dove is heard in our land” -- This refers to designated missions, designated times and designated people.
The buds are the designated missions, that is, the footsteps of the Mashiach.
The songbird’s time has arrived: these are the designated times, that is, the ends and the times of remembrance. The voice of the songbird
is heard: that is, the designated people,
the special messengers. All of these are included
in the mission of the first Mashiach.The
voice of the turtle-dove is the sound that precedes the turtle-dove. The turtle-dove is Moshe Rabbeinu
who comes with Mashiach
ben David, the final redeemer.
39.
(Gen. 42:8) Yosef recognized
his brothers, but they did not recognize him
-- This is one of the traits of Yosef not only in his own generation, but in every generation, i.e., that Mashiach ben Yosef recognizes his brothers,
but they do not recognize him. This is the work of Satan,
who hides the characteristics of Mashiach
ben Yosef so
that the footsteps
of the Mashiach are not recognized and are even belittled because of our many sins. (See below 103). Otherwise,
our troubles would already have ended.
Were Israel to recognize Yosef, that is, the footsteps
of ben Yosef the Mashiach which
is the ingathering of the exiles etc., then we
would already have been redeemed with a complete
redemption.
40.
(Gen. 49:24) “but his bow was
emplaced firmly” -- This is a basic important
principle for us: we must stand firm and very stiff-necked with regard
to our holy work of gathering in the exiles that will be accomplished by the first Mashiach.
41.
(Gen. 42:6) “now Yosef [was]
the ruler over the land” -- That is, he had
overpowered all the forces of impurity, and this is one of the great
tasks of the first Mashiach -- to eradicate
the spirit of impurity from the land by settling the Holy Land, for the spirit
of impurity rules in the Holy Land where
it is desolate, and this is revealed in the words, [gematria: 832] “and the land will not become desolate.”
Though this was said about Egypt, the
reference was to [gematria: 832] Eretz Israel, in accord with the spirit of Yosef, and as affirmed
in gematria.
42.
(Ps. 76:3) “His tabernacle
[was] in Shalem, and his dwelling place in Zion” -- We have already
explained that all the characteristics of Zion are in the line of Yosef as explained in the
Midrash (Tanchuma, end of the parsha “Vayegash”). The Gaon saw in this verse [gematria
1200] a holy hint regarding
his name including three generations of his family, i.e., ! [gematria 1200]. He adds: Just as the commandment regarding a succah is a command to do something, not to take from what is already
made, so is the commandment regarding Zion.
43.
The upper light (in the Zohar,
and in the Ari’s Book on Gilgulim) -- is the root of Yosef, the root of Metatron the minister of Interior whose value in gematria
is 999. This is the meaning of (Deut. 60:22) “the smallest will become a thousand, ” which was said
regarding Efraim as explained above (#35).
44.
(Deut. 32:7) “remember
the days of old, understand the years of generation
after generation” -- This refers to the first Mashiach who fights Amalek
in an eternal war. The Lord wages war against
Amalek in generation after generation. That is the mission of Joshua who was Mashiach ben Yosef.
45.
(Zach. 8:12) “the seed is of
peace” -- Shalom [peace] is in the sefira Yesod, and therefore the seed of peace
is ben Yosef, and the force of “‘shalom’”
is the one that subdues “Esau.’” In
gematria they are equal (376). We learn this from the verse: “...the
seed is of peace, the vine will give forth its fruit, and the land...its produce.” The gematria relates
this to the revealed end.
46. (Ps. 21:5) “life he requested of You; You gave him length of days” -- This was said about Mashiach ben Yosef, as explained at length in the works of the holy Ari, in the section on intentions. This is one of the
prayers included in the Psalms,
that King David
of blessed memory
prayed for the life of Mashiach
ben Yosef.
47.
([mentioned in] Ex. 17:13) “the sword of Joshua” -- This is the sword of the first Mashiach who fights Amalek as revealed in the great force of the name of God that is concealed in the
words “the war of the Lord” and in
the combination of two names of God, "" (value of 91), that is also the value of the word [91] go out,
used in connection with fighting Amalek.
48.
(Isa. 33:20) “visualize Zion, the city of our designated times” -- This is in the line of Rachel,
as hinted at in the initial letters
of the verse: , which in gematria
[value: 238] equals
[238]. It refers
to Mashiach ben Yosef. The holy Ari
considered this verse a hint that his own name was that of Mashiach
ben Yosef (as brought in the section on gilgulim
and in the section on kavanot in Pri Etz Chaim on the prayer beginning “and the throne of David,
your servant” in the Amidah.
49.
(Ps. 16:6) “lots...in pleasant
places” -- This refers to the lot of the first
Mashiach.This is also hinted
at in the verse: [ ] (Ez. 47: 13) two
lots for Yosef.
50. “the wisdom of scribes” (See
! Tikunei
Zohar, Tikun 70, the Gaon’s commentary there) -- One of the matters listed by our Sages as connected with the footsteps
of the Mashiach is that the wisdom of the scribes
will stink (Sotah, 49). The Gaon explains in Tikunei Zohar (p. 139)
that this refers to the wisdom in gematria hints, in the mystery of the chariot, and in numerology (commentary
of the Gaon in Tikunei Zohar, p. 5), that are revealed by Mashiach
ben Yosef. These are the mission of Rabbi Eliyahu, the Vilna Gaon,
the light of Mashiach ben Yosef, who, as is known suffered
greatly from derision regarding this.
51.
Good is in the sefira Yesod -- See the explanation of the Gaon regarding “tet” in the sefira Yesod: “whoever sees good in a dream, ” etc. This is a trait of Yosef, about whom it says: “A
good eye will be blessed.” It is 999 in the sefira Yesod
( Likutei Hagr’a, p.41).
52. “what is hidden is good” or “the North is good” -- according to the verse
(Ps. 31:20) “how abundant is
your goodness that you have hidden away” or “...that you have placed in the North.” This is the same aspect
as mentioned above. The Gaon
explains in the Song of Songs that
the verse refers to the northern side, where all the good things are, as
explained in the Midrash where it states that Mashiach ben Yosef is in the North.
53.
(Prov. 22:9) “one who has a
good [bountiful] eye will be blessed” -- (in
Likutei Hagr’a). That means 999 in the sefira Yesod, which refers to Yosef, as explained above, because he gave of his bread to the poor.
54. “Yosef, son of Rachel and
son of Jacob” -- Mashiach ben Yosef from two aspects: as son of Rachel from the
land, and as son of Jacob from heaven. Sometimess both aspects are combined:
Yosef, son of Jacob and Rachel.
-- “even all in the Heavens and Earth.” In gematria has the same value as Yesod [80],
55. (Ex. 17:16) “the hand is on the throne
of God” [God swears]: “the Lord wages war against
Amalek from generation to generation” -- This is the mission
of Joshua who is Mashiach ben Yosef.
56.
“the unification of Yesod and Malchut” -- This is one of the principal missions
of Mashiach ben Yosef:to unify heaven and earth, to unify the two
meshichim, which means the tree of
Yosef with the tree of Judah during
the awakening from below with the joining of Jerusalem above with Jerusalem below by a rebuilt
Jerusalem. Then it will be like a
city that is united together
(Ps. 122:3).
57.
(Ps. 118:18) “God has chastened
me considerably, but has not given me
over to death.” The entire Psalm, that begins with “in distress, I called out to the Lord, ” was said about Mashiach ben Yosef, as explained below (#88), from the aspect
of the expansiveness on the part of God.
In this sense it is connected to the verse: “I was brought low, and He saved me, ” according to the
commentary of the Gaon, as explained
below. This is one of the prayers that King David, of blessed memory,
prayed so that Mashiach
ben Yosef would
not die.
58.
(Gen. 42:6) “Yosef [was/is] the
ruler over the land” -- This refers to the fact that Yosef overpowers all the outer
layers of impurity
of Ismael and Esau.
59.
(Ps. 72:17) “may his
name be perpetuated” -- “may his
name be perpetuated forever, for as long as the sun endures.” In that
same Psalm we find: “may the righteous
flourish in his days, abundant
peace beyond the days of the moon” [Ps. 72:7]. According to our Sages
(Sanhedrin 98b)., the word is one of the names of mashiach, that is, it refers to Mashiach ben Yosef.
60.
(Jer. 31:16) “there is hope
regarding your end... and your
children will return to their
border” -- The entire Psalm, particularly from the verse beginning “behold I am bringing you from the North” was said
about Mashiach ben Yosef and the ingathering of the exiles. Four traits of Efraim are mentioned in the Psalm (as explained above in 1 on
“Efraim is My firstborn”), and all
of them are from the aspect of Yosef ben Rachel,
which means when the awakening comes from below until the final level of 999 in the sefira Yesod, which is divided into two:
499 1/2 on the left, the quality of Din; and 499 1/2 on the right, the
quality of Lovingkindness. This is the meaning of “the smallest will
become a thousand...” as explained above. Then the number 1000 will be completed
on both sides when there will be [] 500 in vau, and [] 500 in heh. This is what is meant by .
61. (Ps. 110:6) He will judge the nations filled with corpses -- The
entire Psalm, beginning with “Sit on
my right” was said about Mashiach ben Yosef, whose name is hinted at in the
initial letters of the words going from
left to right, just like the quality of Din
starts at the left side. It is also written in this Psalm,
from a river along the way he will drink.
This refers to the quality
of Lovingkindness, which is hinted at in the initial letters from right to left, just as the quality of
Lovingkindness starts at the right side.
62.
Joshua bin Nun -- together with Mashiach
ben Efraim who wages war against
Amalek. Akiba ben Yosef is in the
line of Joshua, and this is affirmed
in gematria [391]. Likewise, it
states [Ps. 132:6] “we heard about it in Efrata, ” which refers to
Joshua from the tribe of Efraim (Zevachim
54b).
63.
(Isa. 14:32) “for God founded Zion, and in it the poor of his people take shelter” -- Yosef and Zion are in the sefira Yesod. Their rebuilding comes
through poverty according to the trait of Mashiach
ben Yosef, like the verse “I was brought
low, and He saved me, ” and as it says, “in weeping
they will come, and with entreaties I will lead them, ” as explained above (#23)--from the aspect of entreaties I will lead them.
64.
(Isa. 40:3) “make a straight
path in the desert” -- The initial letters of
these words from left to right hint at Mashiach ben Yosef. As is known,
all the activities concerned with preparing the way and paving the road for the Redemption are part of the
mission of Mashiach ben Yosef. “in the
desert” hints at the revealed end; they are equal in gematria [279]. With this, the Gaon hinted to me
concerning my mission from heaven, with the help of God.
65.
(Isa. 42:13) “like a man of war
he will stir up zealousness” -- All war waged against
enemies of God occur as part of the mission
of Mashiach ben Yosef. The first one given this mission was
Joshua bin Nun. The term means
zealousness on behalf of God and Zion, and indeed, in gematria the value
of is 156, as is the value of .
66. (Ps. 102:14) “for it is the time to favor her” -- The Psalm also
states: “You will have mercy on
Zion.” All matters of mercy and comfort for Zion are part of the mission
of Mashiach ben Yosef, and this is hinted at in the gematria of the words
which equal [643].
67.
(Isa. 9:6) “David’s throne” --
This refers to Mashiach ben Yosef.In
the same verse we find: “to establish
it and sustain it through justice and righteousness.” Preceding this verse, the Psalm states:
“for a child has been born to us” etc. According to the holy Ari (on the blessing
)[see 127], there is a great and holy obligation when we say the prayer
that we always concentrate on praying that Mashiach ben Yosef will not be killed by the wicked Armilus. As it says: “I will raise [] the fallen tabernacle of David” (Amos 9:11). Wherever
the verb is used, it refers to Mashiach ben Yosef. See above (#133) about the aspect of “My sheaf rose.” This idea is also hinted at in the
world (with a )which is equal to 566
[as is ]. The purpose of his work in
gathering in the exiles is to establish
David’s throne in our war against the wicked Armilus as revealed in the verse “the Lord wages war against
Amalek.”
68.
(Isa. 61:10) “like a bridegroom
who adorns himself with splendor” -- Adornment
is part of the mission of Mashiach
ben Yosef from
the aspect of Yosef ben Jacob in the sefira Tiferet.
69. (I Chron. 29:11) “even all in the Heavens and Earth”
-- That is, in the sefira Yesod in the line of Yosef. The words in gematria equal [80]. Likewise, in gematria the words equal . [741] Mashiach
ben Efraim..
70. (Isa. 44:28) “he will fulfill all my
desires” -- This was said about Jerusalem by Ezra and Nehemiah as part of
the mission by Cyrus as noted in this Psalm: “who says of Cyrus, ‘he is My shepherd,
’ he will
fulfill all my desires,
and who says of Jerusalem ‘it will be built, ’ and of the
Temple ‘it will be established.’” All this will be according to the quality of Din from the left side, as the mission of Mashiach ben Yosef.
71.
(Malachi 3:24) “the heart of fathers to the children” -- “Behold, I send you Elijah the prophet, ” etc. and he will return the heart of fathers to the children.” One of his missions is to revive the soul of Mashiach ben Yosef.This is hinted at in the words which is equal
to the value of [643],
and as is known, Messiah ben Yosef
is from the root of the soul of Elijah.
72.
(Isa. 28:6) “counterattack” [lit.: return the war to the gate] -- The word is composed of the initial
letters of Mashiach ben Yosef, whose
mission it is to wage war against
Amalek in the gates of Jerusalem at the entrance
to the city.
73.
(Ps. 24:3) “who may ascend the Lord’s
mountain” -- The initial letters
of the first three words are the initial
letters of Mashiach ben Yosef [though not in the same order], whose duty it was to gather in the
exiles. Likewise the initial letters
of [in that same verse] “who may rise within
His holy place” are the initial letters of Mashiach ben Yosef .The term refers to building from the aspect ofô My sheaf rose.ö
The words [24:5]
“he will receive a blessing from the Lord, ” also begins with the
initial letters of Mashiach ben Yosef. The word ‘blessing’ refers to planting, which can be affected by a blessing.
The initial letters
of the noun form of the second words in the three
quotations just mentioned, that is, ' ' , form
the word , and thus refer to the direction of the footsteps of the Mashiach
.
74.
(Ps. 31:12) “because of all my
enemies, I became a disgrace” -- The entire
Psalm is one of the prayers that King David, of blessed memory, prayed
on behalf of Mashiach ben Yosef, as it says: “you have known of the
troubles of my soul” [Ps. 31:8]. Similarly, we find written in connection with Yosef: “because
we have seen the distress
of his soul, I was forgotten like a corpse from the
heart. "how abundant is your goodness that you placed in the North []
for those who fear you.” The word
indicates that this refers to Mashiach
ben Yosef, because he is from the
north [ ]. See above (#52) on the aspect “the North is good.” It says about the footsteps of the Mashiach, “for they have taunted the footsteps
of Your Mashiach” (Ps. 89:52).
75.
admonish to repent. -- not only Israel, but also the other nations, in
the line of the prophet Jonah, who
was the Mashiach ben Yosef in his generation, as explained in midrashim and
in the holy Zohar. As is written:
(Isa. 2:4) he will admonish many peoples; also, [ ] (Prov. 24:25) “for the admonishers it will be pleasant, and a good blessing will come upon them”; and also, (Isa. 11:4) “and admonish righteously the humble of the earth.”
76.
(II Sam. 22:34) “who made my legs like the hinds’” -- ‘My legs like those
of hinds, ’ refers to both meshichim who
lament in Netzach and
Hod and stand in the
gates of rebuilt Jerusalem. It is the
mission of Mashiach ben Yosef to make these legs, the legs
of the footstool of God in an equal and righteous manner
499 for the left section
and 499 for the right section--together 999 in Yesod.
77. ( Gen. 49:24) “by the hand
of the Mighty Power of Jacob; from there he
became the shepherd, the stone of Israel” -- This is the blessing of Yosef with regard
to the existence of Mashiach ben Yosef. The
meaning is like the verse “ one stone has 7 eyes [apertures]” (The Holy Zohar on
Numbers, p. 243).
78.
(Ex. 17:16) “God wages war against Amalek from generation to generation” -- All
this is the task of Joshua, who was Mashiach
ben Yosef, and this task has continued in every generation and has become
more and more difficult in the footsteps of Mashiach ben Yosef,
and this is the war against Armilus
(as explained above in 67 from the aspect of David’s throne).
79.
a fountain of salvation. -- This is in line with joy according to our Sages
(Succah 48), and refers to Mashiach ben Yosef. So in gematria equals Mashiach
ben Yosef [566]. The Gaon told us that if he had been created solely
in order to comprehend what our Sages
meant (Ibid.) with regard to joy and happiness -- he would
be satisfied.
80.
(Gen. 49:10) “nor a lawgiver
from among his descendants” -- In the line of Yesod this is said about
Mashiach ben Yosef. This
is the explanation of the
Gaon in Tikunei Hazohar (p. 36).
There it is written: “The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver
from among his descendants”
refers to the fact that both meshichim will
exist in every generation.
81.
(Isa. 52:7) “he announces
salvation” -- In that chapter, we find the words
“the footsteps of the herald, ” which refer to both meshichim. But the verse, “he announces salvation, ” is written
in the singular form because
it refers to Mashiach
ben Yosef. This
is so, because whenever salvation during the footsteps of Mashiach appears, it refers to the mission of Joshua bin Nun and the mission
of Mashiach ben Yosef. This is explained by the Gaon in his
commentary on the verse “I will bear the cup of salvation.”
82. (Num. 17:20) “his staff will
blossom” -- Note the hints in this verse: the
man I choose . The initial
letters of the last three words [ ' ' ] are the initials of [ ' '] Mashiach ben Yosef, though in a
different order. In addition,
in gematria equals
[358].
83.
(Isa. 32:20) “those that send forth the ox to roam freely” -- The Midrash (Tanchuma on
Genesis) explains that in , the ox refers to Mashiach ben Yosef. [See 11.] Preceding these
words, in the same sentence, we find: “happy are those who sow every wet place.” Also,
in the same chapter it says:
“and my people will dwell in a peaceful habitation and in secure dwellings
and in tranquil resting places”
[Isa. 32:18].
84.
“brings a redeemer” -- This is the mission of Mashiach ben Yosef. Redemption
is in the sefira Yesod, which is
hinted at in the gematria of the word (see the GaonÆs commentary on Tikunei Zohar).
85.
(Deut. 33:13) “his land is
blessed by the Lord” -- This was said in the
blessing of Yosef. It is on
the right side, in opposition to “the firstborn of his ox is his glory” which is on the left side, the quality of Din.
This is explained above as a matter of balanced measures. In gematria equals
[985].
86.
(Lam. 1:16) “a comforter to
restore my soul” -- This is one of the appellations
of mashiach according to our Sages (Sanhedrin 98b), by comparison with the verse: “and the soul
of the child was restored to his insides,
” which was said about Mashiach
ben Yosef and
according to what is explained in the Tosafot (Baba Metzia
114a).
87.
(Midrash Rabba) “Mashiach
in the North” -- This refers to Mashiach ben Yosef who is in the North on the left
side which is the quality of Din. Similarly, the verse: “how abundant is
your goodness that you have placed in the North for those who fear you, as explained above (#52)
from the aspect “the North is good.” See the Gaon’s commentary on the Song of Songs,
where he explains
that indicates the northern side.
88.
“expansiveness” -- (Ps. 118:5)
“in distress I called out to the Lord, he answered me with expansiveness” [i.e., he brought
me relief] -- Likewise,
(Ps. 31:9) “You set my feet in a wide
space.” Also there, (Ps 31:20) “how
great is your abundance that you have placed in the north for those who fear you [see 19]. Similarly, (Ps. 81:8) “in distress you called
out, and I rescued you, I answered you, ” etc.
Also there, (Ps. 81:6) “as
testimony in Yosef.” (Ps. 126) [118:5] from “distress” to “expansiveness.” Likewise, (Isa. 54:2) “expand the site of your tent, ” which is the task of Mashiach ben Yosef to restore the border of Israel which is the mission of the prophet
Jonah who was Mashiach
ben Yosef as explained above (#36), from the
aspect of “expand the site of your tent.”
Merchavia is one of the appellations of Eretz Israel, and this is revealed in the letters of the line of Mashiach ben Yosef as revealed by the word: the expanses of the river,
because now God has expanded
us, and we have multiplied in the land (Likutei Hagra revealed in the letters
and the explanation there), and it reveals the secret concealed in (I Kings 17:21) “please return this child’s
soul.” This is also the intent of the verse (Jer. 31:16)
“your children will return to their border,
” that is, after returning
from the enemy’s land, they will return to their own border.
89. “equal measures”
-- Mashiach ben David will not come until all measurements are equal [/accurate]. Mashiach ben David will
not come until all the prices are equal (Sanhedrin 98a). This is related to the equally measured
gardens mentioned by our Sages.
90.
(Jer. 32:12) Neriah -- This is
one of the names of Mashiach ben Yosef. In gematria equals [265]. See below
(#96) from the aspect of the revealed book. Likewise, the verse (Ps. 132:17) “I have prepared
a lamp for My anointed.”
91.
(Ps. 126:6) “bearing the measure of seeds” -- This is a characteristic of Mashiach
ben Yosef--going from distress to salvation--as explained by the Gaon in his commentary on Habakkuk
regarding the verse: “that I might
rest on the day of distress” [Hab. 3:16]
[see 2]. Likewise, other verses:
“it is a time of distress for Jacob, from which he will be saved”; “in distress” till “expansiveness”; “its weepers will become joyful”; “the bearer
of sheaves will come in joy.” These
are from the aspect “my
sheaf rose.” The entire Psalm speak of the return
to Zion, i.e., the ingathering of exiles, and that is the mission
of Mashiach ben Yosef.
92.
pursued -- “God always seeks the pursued” as is written (Koh. 3:15) “what has been, already
exists; and what is to be, has already been; and God always seeks the pursued.” The pursued is the Mashiach
ben Yosef who appears in every generation. I have already explained that there are hints in the words “God always seeks the
pursued.” The hints are revealed through
gematria, for the words equal [832] which is epitomized by Zion, which is in the line
of Yosef according to the Midrash (Tanchuma on the parsha “Ki Tezeh”):
whatever occurred to Yosef, occurred
to Zion.
93.
(Ps. 31:13) “like the dead, I have been forgotten from the heart”
-- In the same Psalm we
find: “how abundant is the goodness that you have placed in the North for those who fear you, ” etc. Also in the same Psalm, we find: “you set my feet in a wide space.”
He was forgotten like a dead man from the heart, means: he was
forgotten from the heart-- from the
heart of Jacob, because there is a decree regarding the dead that he is forgotten from the heart of a person, though
not from his soul. Therefore, it is written about Jacob, “and he refused to be comforted.”
94. “a youth” -- (Gen. 37:2) “and he was a youth” -- Four
individuals were given the appellation ’ youth’: Yosef, Joshua, Metatron,
and David.
95.
“a man’s soul is the lamp of the Lord”
(Prov. 20:27) -- The words
“lamp of the Lord” include
the union of the three names of God: ' '. Altogether, in gematria, they equal [250]. Their uniqueness comes from the mystery of the sefira Yesod.
96.
the unsealed deed in Anatot” (Jer. 32)
-- The two deeds mentioned in this
chapter refer to the two meshichim. The open deed refers to Mashiach ben Yosef who
is from the aspect of the revealed
world . This is the mystery of the revealed
end mentioned by our Sages.
The sealed deed is from the aspect
of Mashiach ben Dav id from
the aspect of the h idden world . The unsealed deed is related
to the four aspects o f Efraim
as noted above (#1) in the discussion o f the aspect “ Efraim is My firstborn
, ” and this is the in tention of the revealed
end.
97.
(Gen. 28:12) “a ladder was set
on the Land and its top reached to Heaven”
-- This is a quality of Yosef as known: whatever occurred to Jacob, occurred to Yosef, that all his deeds are in the awakening from
below and he is
helped by Heaven. See above (#69),
for the aspect “even everything in
the Heavens and Earth” [1 Chron. 29:11]. For Mashiach ben Yosef has two aspects: the
aspect of Yosef ben Rachel, and the aspect of Yosef ben Jacob.
98.
“the secret of the Lord is for those who fear him” (Ps. 25:14)
-- Whenever the word is
mentioned, it refers to the mission of Mashiach ben Yosef as hinted at in the verse: “place
it into the ears of Joshua.” In gematria, ! in the ears of, equals [70] and when the value
of the letters of as pronounced are added up [i.e., ' '], they equal [566].
99. (Song 4:16) “North, wake up;
South, come” -- In gematria, the initial letters of the words:
equal [566] Mashiach ben Yosef who
first awakens in the North. As it states in the Midrash: The mashiach is in the North. Therefore the beginning of the ingathering of the exiles is from the land of the north, as is written:
“behold, I will bring them from the land of the North” (Jer. 31:7). In the same chapter
we find: “Efraim is My firstborn, ”
and “call out on Mount Efraim, ’Rise and let us go up to Zion’” (Jer. 31: 5) etc., as explained above (#1), in
the discussion of the aspect “Efraim is My firstborn.”
100. (Jer. 30:7) “it is a time of distress for Jacob, from which he will be saved” -- All of this refers to Mashiach ben Yosef, as explained by the Gaon on Habakkuk on the verse: “that I
might rest on the day of distress.” Wherever the term salvation
occurs, it refers to the mission of Joshua bin Nun, who is in the line of Mashiach ben Yosef with
his great strength. This is revealed in the number 999 in the sefira Yesod in opposition
to “it is a time of distress for Jacob.” This is affirmed in gematria [this verse equals 999]: “from
which he will be saved” means that from it, with the strength
of this number, he will be saved.
101. (Ez. 37:19) the wood of Yosef -- This refers to Mashiach ben Yosef for the
entire Redemption depends on the unification of the two pieces of wood: the wood of Yosef and the wood of
Judah (as it states in this chapter). They are the two meshichim: Mashiach ben Yosef and
Mashiach ben David, who at
first, i.e., when the Redemption starts naturally
from below, will be separate individuals in “your hand” [Ez. 37:17].
Afterwards, they will become one in “My hand” [Ez. 37:19], the hand of God--that is, miraculously, with the help of the clouds
from Heaven.
102.
(Ez. 37:16) the wood of Efraim û This is the wood of Yosef. In the same verse we find Yosef is the wood of
Efraim. Regarding this, the Gaon added a hint that in gematria equals
, the ingathering of exiles.
103.
(Ps. 89:52) the footsteps of your Mashiach --
In the verse “who taunted
the footsteps of your Mashiach.” Wherever footsteps of mashiach are mentioned, they refer to the mission of the first Mashiach, Mashiach ben Yosef.As is known, the enemies of God and the enemies
of Israel cause
trouble to the entire process of the beginning of the Redemption that occurs in the footsteps of the Mashiach. In the Psalm, it states regarding
this matter: “who taunted the footsteps of your Mashiach” [Ps. 89:52]. Our Sages have already enumerated
all the tribulations that come
during the footsteps of the Mashiach.
We have no one to lean on except our Father in Heaven and His will that we occupy ourselves
with the awakening
from below, and stand firmly against all disturbances and taunts.
We must act in the spirit of Eitan HaEzrachi, who is our forefather Abraham,
and according to a parable
of the Gaon (as explained in Chapter 1), the first Mashiach ben Yosef. The Gaon added the hint in the verse:
“How will I know that I will inherit it .” The word ‘’ in gematria
equals [566].
104.
“the footsteps of the Mashiach”
-- They are called footsteps for two reasons;
one, because they come step by step; two, because all the special attributes of the Redemption come
like the heels of a person , indirectly,
in a roundabout way, so that impure layers do not fasten themselves securely.
105.
(Isa. 26:1) “the city is a
stronghold for us; He will grant salvation to its high walls and outer wall.”
-- There is a strong
tower against the enemy, like the words in the verse: ”out of the mouths of babes and those who nurse, you established strength.” The term salvation
and ! strength are in the sefira Yesod. ’City’ is
in the line of Malchut. Together they unite Yesod and Malchut, which means the city will
become united together, which will
take place in rebuilt Jerusalem. So
Efraim is referred to as the “stronghold of my head.”
106.
(II Chron. 31:21) “he acted and
he succeeded” -- This is one of the characteristics
and special attributes of Yosef, that his success comes only by doing, as it says about Yosef: “everything that he did,
the Lord made succeed in his hand”
(Gen. 39:3.. The Gaon added that there is a
hint to this in the fact that the verse:
, equals 613 in gematria.
107.
(Gen. 2:9) “the tree of
knowledge of good and evil” -- Both are in the
sefira Yesod. As is known, the decision between them
depends on a hairbreadth.
108.
[Gen.: 45:26]) “Joseph is still alive” -- All are in the sefira Yesod, and within these words are concealed the essence of the existence
and life of Mashiach ben Yosef as well as the existence
of Mashiach ben David. For as long as Yosef is still alive, King David of Israel is
still alive and exists. Therefore, we pray daily for the life of Mashiach
ben Yosef in
the prayer that contains the
words: “the throne of David, your servant, ” in the blessing “who builds Jerusalem.” This is explained above (#67) from the aspect of David’s throne (see above,
chapter 1, section 21). The Gaon, who was the light of Mashiach ben Yosef used to pray daily
the prayer “Yosef is still alive” for
all 999 footsteps of the Mashiach during the beginning of the Redemption depend on
him. When saying this prayer the Gaon would mention also the
merit of the his own great- grandfather, Rabbi Eliyahu Chasid,
who was Mashiach ben Yosef in
his generation. This is the meaning of the verse about Efraim:
“I will yet remember him” that is, the characteristic of “Yosef is still alive.”
109.
(Ps. 94:15) “justice will
revert to righteousness, and all the upright of heart will follow it” -- Both are in the line of Mashiach ben Yosef, as is written: “righteousness and justice are
the foundation of his throne.” Establishing the throne, David’s
throne, is the mission of Mashiach ben Yosef, as explained above (#67) from the aspect
of “the throne of David,
your servant.” The Gaon added a hint to this. The words in gematria equal Eretz Israel [832]. The term “righteousness” is also used in connection with Cyrus, who was in the line of Mashiach ben Yosef: “I awakened
him with righteousness” [Isa. 45:13].
110. (Ex. 13:19) the bones of Yosef -- This contains the secret of the independence of Mashiach ben Yosef. From
here we learn that all the qualities
and special attributes come not only from the channel of abundance in the sefira Yesod, but also from his own nature. His nature is connected with the final complete Redemption of Mashiach
ben David that will come together with Moshe
Rabbeinu, the final redeemer. This is what is meant by: “and Moshe took the bones of Yosef with him.”
111. (Ps. 122:3) “a city that is united together” -- That is, the complete connection between Jerusalem above and
Jerusalem below. When will this occur?
When Jerusalem will be rebuilt,
as stated in the same verse.
This connection
will be brought about by the two meshichim who are like the feet of God--Netzach
and Hod-- as written in this
Psalm: “our feet stood within your gates, O Jerusalem.” And the building
of Jerusalem below is the mission of Mashiach
ben Yosef, and
this entails establishing David’s throne, as it says in the prayer about the rebuilding of Jerusalem. See above (#67)
on the aspect “David’s throne.”
112.
(Koh. 10:20) “for a bird of the
skies will carry the sound, and some winged
creature will relate the matter” -- This was said about Metatron, the Minister of Interior, as brought in Tikunei Zohar.He is the Angel of Mashiach
ben Yosef.The word hints at , and in gematria the two words are equal [156].
113.
(Jer. 5:1) “one who executes
justice, who seeks faithfulness” -- That verse
states: “wander about the streets of Jerusalem ..., if you see a man, ” like Gabriel, who seeks faithfulness, as revealed in the words:
“a faithful city” [Isa. 1:21] which precedes:
“Zion will be redeemed
through justice” (Isa. 1:27). Similarly,
“a righteous person lives by his faith” (Hab. 2:4). With
regard to the verse: “one who executes justice, who seeks faithfulness, ” our Sages explained that it refers to men
of faith [they also explained that it refers
to men of truth] in Jerusalem.
114.
(Zach. 9:9) “a lowly person,
riding on a donkey” -- (Midrash Tanchuma on
Bereshit) Mashiach ben Yosef
is a lowly
person, see above
(#27), on the aspect of “I was brought low, and he
saved me.” His lowliness protects him from death..
115. (Deut. 11:12) “the eyes of the Lord your God are
always on it, from the beginning of the year till the end of the year” -- The word “eyes”
in plural form refers to the two meshichim. The beginning of the year refers to Mashiach ben Yosef who
is the quality of Din; the
end of the year refers
to the month of mercy -- to Mashiach
ben David, who is the quality of Mercy. “The eye of the Lord is on those who fear
him, who await his lovingkindness"
[Ps. 33:18]. This is from the aspect of Mashiach
ben Yosef. This is what is meant by (Job 8:8) inquire now of the first generation. The word equals
[566].
116. Ezra and Nehemia-- ! Ezra Nehemia
are from the aspect of . In gematria, they are the same [391], as noted by the
Gaon in his hints: Joshua is Mashiach ben Yosef. Likewise, Ezra and Nehemia had the mission
of Mashiach ben Yosef. We have already explained
that the entire
beginning of
the final Redemption, all its details, even minor details, of all the work during the footsteps of the Mashiach--all are included in the mission of Ezra and Nehemia, as occurred
during the time of Cyrus, during the Second Temple
period.
117.
(Ps. 81:6) “He placed it as
testimony in Yosef when He went forth over the
land of Egypt -- This means that the rulership of Yosef overcomes every impure spirit,
and the task of Mashiach ben Yosef is
to drive away the
impure spirit from the Land by gathering in the exiles, rebuilding Jerusalem, and planting the desolate areas. Thus the Gaon hinted
at the following principles: Return to your cities -- in gematria
these words equal a testimony in Yosef [643]; likewise, [643] build Jerusalem; likewise [643] for the time has come to favor it [/to plant it]. The word
means planting, as is written , which means planting a desolate place. See above (#73) on the aspect “who will
ascend the mountain of God” (in
connection with this too, see the Gaon’s hint regarding his own mission:
in gematria equals
[479].
118.
(Isa. 35:10) “the redeemed [ransomed] of the Lord will return,
and come to Zion with glad song” -- Whenever
redeem is mentioned, it refers to the
mission of Mashiach ben Yosef through
whom the exiles will be gathered in,
as explained by the Gaon at length in his paper on the secret of the letters (Likutei
Hagra). From this we learn that
the main ingathering of exiles is not less that 600, 000, according
to the interpretation of our Sages regarding this verse (Masechet Shabbat
88a) in connection with the two crowns and the Golden Calf and the atonement for the sin. With regard to the verse: “they will obtain joy and happiness, ” our Sages said (Succah 48b). The Gaon commented about this verse,
that had he been born solely to understand the meaning of the Talmud on this matter, he would have
considered it worthwhile. In essence,
the verse speaks about the two meshichim.
119.
(Ps. 116:16) “You have released
my bonds” -- This was said in connection
with “I was brought low and He saved me, ” that was mentioned in the previous chapter as referring to Mashiach ben Yosef, according to the Gaon. Likewise in connection with “You have released my sack and girded me with joy.” See
above (#27), on the aspect of: “I was brought
low, and He saved me.”
120.
(Jer. 1:15) “the entrance of Jerusalem’s gates”
-- This is the entrance
of the city where our Sages maintained would be the main battle
of the two
meshichim against the Angel of Esau. This is a revelation explaining the verse: from Emeq Achor to [999] (Hos. 2:17), which is 999 in the sefira Yesod, as well as in gematria.
This is the explanation of the Gaon regarding
the mystery of the Hebrew alphabet in connection with the line of Yosef in the revelation of “a good
eye [bountiful man] will be blessed.” It is divided
into two: 499 on the left side, and 499 on the right side as revealed
by the fact that there will be two armies, and in gematria this is 999 footsteps of the Mashiach as is known. This is the beginning of the completion of the 500 in vau on the right and 500 in on the left. This is what is meant that
“there is hope regarding your end, ” that is said regarding Mashiach ben Yosef, as
explained above (#60) on the aspect “there is hope regarding your
end” [Jer. 31:16]. This is the beginning of the victory
and the fulfillment of the commandments dependent on living in Eretz Israel. This is the Gaon’s explanation of the verse mentioned above: Emeq Achor to
Petach Tikva (as explained below in
Chapter 5). (Deep revelations about
this matter, etc., were explained to me by the Gaon privately, etc.).
The entrance of
the city, which is located halfway between the area of the walls and the area of the gates on the west on a place referred
to as ôthe top of the hill, ö as written: ôupon your walls, O
Jerusalem, I have posted guardsö
[Isa. 62:6]. The plural form [guards] is used to refer to two meshichim.
121.
(Prov. 11:8) “a righteous
person is rescued from trouble” -- Likewise,
“Mount Zion will not collapse, it will always be inhabited” (Ps. 125:1).
Wherever the term righteous person is mentioned in general, that is, when it does not refer
to a specific person, then it is in the line of Yosef the righteous person. See above (#32) on the aspect “Mount
Zion.” Likewise, “a righteous person
will flourish like a palm tree” (Ps. 92:13).
Whenever a righteous person is mentioned, it is in the line of Yosef the righteous person. Similarly, ’it will blossom, ’ in the sense of “his staff will blossom, ” refers to Mashiach ben Yosef. This is affirmed in gematria
where equals mashiach [358]. See above (#82) on the aspect “his staff will blossom.”
122. (Gen. 41:45) Tsofnat Paneach “one
who explains what is hidden”
-- This was said about Yosef, and it is one of the missions of Mashiach ben Yosef that in every generation he explains the hints in the
Torah, especially as the footsteps
of the Mashiach
come nearer, as is known.
123.
(Ps. 89) [97:2] “his throne is established on righteousness and justice” -
- Similarly,
“establish the throne of David within it quickly.” A sign that this is so, is that in gematria equals
[832] Eretz Israel. See above (#67) for more details on the aspect “David’s
throne.” This is revealed in the mystery
of as explained by the Gaon in his commentary on Tikunei Zohar.
124.
(Isa. 1:27) “Zion will be redeemed through
justice and those who return
to her through righteousness” -- Zion is the light of Yosef as is known: whatever occurred to Yosef, occurred to
Zion. Wherever the term redeem
[or ransom] is used, it is in the line of the first Mashiach. As the Gaon hinted: in gematria, equals [920]. This is explained above (#118) on the aspect “the redeemed
of the Lord will return.”
125.
“a righteous sprout” -- in the verse (Jer. 23:5) “I will raise a righteous sprout from David.” A righteous sprout
refers to the first mashiach, Mashiach ben Yosef. Like David’s throne,
as explained above, it prepares the way for Mashiach ben David. We
are greatly obligated to pray on his behalf that he not be killed in the war by Armilus.
Therefore we focus on this daily in the Amidah
prayer that includes:
“the sprout of David”
and “raise his horn in your salvation.” All this is revealed in the mystery of the words: “the horns of an ox.” At the conclusion of
the blessing it states: “who causes to sprout ’the horn of salvation’” which
in gematria equals Mashiach
ben Efraim (741).
We also have to focus on this
number. See below (#135) on the
aspect “a scepter has risen in Israel” [Num. 24:17].
126. (Hab. 2:4) “a righteous person lives by his faith”
-- See above (#113) for the
aspect “one who executes justice, who seeks faithfulness.” From this we learn of the promise that Mashiach ben Yosef will live also because of the merit of men of faith
[also, men of truty] and a faithful city [also, a city of truth].
Additional proof of the promise,
is that in the verse that precedes “a righteous person
lives by his faith, ” it states “there is another vision
for the designated time, ” etc.
127.
(Prov. 10:25) a righteous person
is a foundation of the world -- Both are in
the sefira Yesod, for one of the
principle missions of Mashiach ben Yosef is founding
and building a world, which refers to the rebuilding of Jerusalem, as
explained above (#67) on the aspect “David’s throne” in the blessing of “build Jerusalem.”
128.
(Prov. 13:17) “a faithful emissary
brings healing” -- The verse
states: “a messenger of the wicked falls into evil,
but an emissary of the faithful brings healing.” The wicked messenger
refers to the angel of Esau who, because of his wickedness, will fall into the hands of the angel of Yosef, as is written in Midrash Tanchuma (on ), who, as an emissary of
the faithful, brings healing. This can be compared with “through his wounds, we were healed”
[Isa. 53:5).
129.
Zion (Jer. 31 [Jer. 30:17])
“Zion, I will heal you of your wounds” -- The
healing of Zion is in the line of Mashiach ben Yosef, as
in the sentence, “An
emissary of the faithful brings healing” which is quoted above. Likewise,
“who heals all your ailments” [Ps. 103:3], “who redeems your life
from the pit” [Ps. 103:4]. Similarly, we find the verse: [Ps. 107:20] [ in gematria: 897] “he would send his word
and heal them, ” that is said of Mashiach ben Yosef, and
in gematria equals [897].
130.
“righteousness” -- the aspect of Yosef son of Rachel
in Malchut. So it is written
about Cyrus: “I awakened him with righteousness and will smooth
out all of his paths;
he will build my city and set free my exiles, said the Lord of Hosts” (Isa. 45:13). As
is known, Cyrus was under the command
of Mashiach ben Yosef. The meaning is similar in the verse: “till
justice reverts to righteousness.” See above (#109)
for more details
on that aspect.
131.
“horns of an ox” -- as is written, (Deut. 33:17) “his horns are like those of an ox, with them he gores nations.” The main idea refers to Mashiach
ben Yosef, as the Gaon explains at length in his remarks on this
verse (in his work Aderet Eliyahu), for Mashiach ben Yosef is in the line of Joshua,
who took part in the war “the Lord wages against Amalek
from generation to generation.” The horns of an ox is refer
to the war of Gog and
Magog, which is divided into many parts, like the parable in the Midrash.
In the parable, a king became angry at his son, and swore to throw a huge stone at him. Later on, he regretted what he had said, etc.It’s an important principle that all pain and anguish that Israel suffers because of the nations of the world,
generally and well as personally, even more so in connection with the ingathering of the exiles--all these decrease the
amount and intensity of suffering during the war of Gog and Magog (see the beginning of the section
on Efraim is My fistborn
as is known). Happy are you, dear sons of Zion who stand
in the breach against savage
descendants of Hagar,
as promised to us that Mashiach
ben Yosef will
gore nations, and the Lord will provide
the salvation.
Now the best
and surest path and medicine to lighten, even remove all the tribulations of Gog and Magog and all the tribulations of Eretz Israel,
is to correct one’s conduct by setting up people of Truth in the Holy City. This
will lead to the redemption of Truth and sanctification of the Holy Name, which are the main purpose of
all our deeds during the beginning of
the Redemption. We have already
explained above that, according to
the Gaon, while the footsteps of the Mashiach
progress through the ingathering of the exiles,
the Sitra Achra becomes stronger and stronger
in his main purpose, which is to deny and uproot truth and righteousness, as our Sages have said:
“during the footsteps of the Mashiach, truth will be missing”
[Sota 49b], etc. In order to counter
this, we must act and fight
with all our strength with the help of God, to
overcome the Sitra Achra
with good deeds and with all the corrections, as noted and explained below.
132.
“the revealed end” -- (Sanhedrin 98;
Megilla 17) on the verse (Ez. 36:8) “you, mountains
of Israel, will give forth your branch,
and bear your fruit for My people, Israel, when they are
about to come.” Rashi, in his commentary
on this verse, writes that the revealed end will make the end of the Redemption come closer, and
this is the task of the first Mashiach, for anything that prepares for
the Redemption is part of the task of
Mashiach ben Yosef and is called the
’revealed’ end, after the ’revealed’
God, and after the ’revealed’ document of Anatot from the aspect of the ’revealed’ world in the line of Rachel.
133.
(Gen. 37:7) “my sheaf rose and
also remained standing” -- Anywhere the
term arise is used, it is in the line of Yosef. See above (#73) on the aspect : “who will ascend ... and who will rise, ” etc.
134.
(Zach. 1:14) “I have become exceedingly jealous on behalf of Jerusalem and Zion”
-- All this is in the line of Yosef, as brought in the Midrash (Tanchuma,
end of ), in comparison with “his brothers were jealous of him.”
135.
“the horn of salvation” -- This refers to Mashiach ben Efraim,
and equals it in gematria
(741). See above
(#125) on the aspect “a righteous sprout, ” and further on (#138) on the
aspect “a scepter has risen in Israel.”
136. (Isa. 60:1) “rise and shine! for your light has arrived, and the glory
of the Lord has been shining upon you” -- Wherever the term is used, it is
in line with Yosef, according
to what is written: “my sheaf rose and remained standing.” Likewise in gematria equals
[156].
137.
(Gen. 49:26) “let them be upon
the crown of the head of the one who was separate
from his brothers” -- This referred
to Yosef --.
138. (Num. 25 [Num. 24:17]) “ a
scepter has risen in Israel” -- This refers to
Mashiach ben Yosef who
rises by himself
naturally during the awakening from below (as explained by the Gaon, writer of Or Hachaim with regard to this verse). The words equals
in gematria [457].
139. (Jer. 31:5) “rise and let us ascend to Zion” -- This refers to Efraim
who is Mashiach ben Yosef through whom the ingathering of exiles will be accomplished. See above (#1), on the aspect “Efraim is My firstborn.” As known, wherever the term is used, it is
in line with Yosef, like the reference: “my sheaf rose.”
140. (Isa. 66:6) “a sound of tumult comes from the city” -- The verse continues: “a sound from the Sanctuary,
the sound of the Lord paying back his enemies.” The next verse
reads: “before she feels labor
pains, she gives birth”
[Isa. 66:7]. Similarly, we find “the sound [or voice] of the herald, ” which refers
to Eliyahu who is the foundation of the root of Mashiach ben Yosef.
141.
(Song 2:12) The sound [voice] of the turtle-dove --This is the voice of Joshua in the line of Mashiach ben Yosef. Moshe Rabbeinu was in this line until the Torah was given, which is
revealed in the words “and Moshe took the bones of Yosef
with him (according to the Gaon’s hints equals [747] Moshe son of Amram in
gematria. This belongs to the footsteps
of the Mashiach, as it states there: “the buds were seen on the land”). After the Torah was given, Moshe
Rabbeinu of blessed memory rose to the level of Tiferet,
and learned the mysteries of the TO”R. Later on, he passed on his previous level as
revealed in “the voice of the turtle-dove,
” to Joshua. In the word the Gaon saw
a hint in that his name ! equals it
in gematria [606]. Besides, (without
the vav as in the turn of Esther)
equals [741] in gematria.
I also merited noting a holy hint in the words according
to the Gaon, which is that in gematria the phrase [Zach.
8:2] “I have become jealous
on behalf of Zion” equals
[747].
142.
as in and he laid his right hand on the head of Efraim [see Gen. 48:14 ( and Gen. 48:17 }] -- The head of Efraim is the spiritual
side of Mashiach ben Yosef who is aided by the abundance of Lovingkindness from the
right side. This is what is meant by “his right hand
on the head of Efraim.” Among the
hints of the Gaon, is that in gematria equals [832]. Also, among the hints of the Gaon (according to my father,
my teacher, R’ Benyamin), equals
! [1062 ] [Isa. 33:20] “visualize Zion, the city of our designated time”.
143. (Song of Songs 4:8) [double entendre:] “the peak of Amana” (a mountain in the north of Israel);
or, “the beginnings of your covenant
of faith [/Truth]” -- This is
in the line of Hod and Malchut from the north- west aspect, because Mashiach ben Yosef is in the north, and the Shechina in the west. See above (#126) on the aspect “a
righteous person lives by his faith.”
144. the head of Yosef -- as in
(Gen. 49:26) “they will be on the
head of Yosef.” The term ’head’ or
’first’ is used in reference to Yosef because
he himself was, and from him will come, the first Mashiach.
145. (Gen. 1:2) “the spirit of
God hovered upon the surface of the waters” --
The spirit of the mashiach, as is written
about Yosef: “a man in whom is the
spirit of God”; and like the verse: “there is a spirit in man, and it is the soul from the Almighty that gives them understanding” (Job 32:8).
146. (Isa. 57 [Isa. : 52:7]) “the
feet of the herald” -- The feet of the herald
refer to the two meshichim, in
Netzach and in Hod, as is said about them:
“our feet were standing within your gates, O Jerusalem” (Ps. 122:2).
A herald is in the sefira Yesod in
the category of the first Mashiach.
147.
“joy and gladness” -- as in the verse, (Isa.
35:10) “then the ransomed of the Lord will return,
” etc., “they will attain joy and gladness.” -- Joy and gladness
refer to the two meshichim. Joy refers to Mashiach
ben Yosef, for it is said of him: “the ransomed of the Lord will return.”
According to the Gaon (in his book, Likutei Hagra), the letters reveal this,
and this is what is meant in the
Talmud (Succah 48b) with regard to
joy and gladness. And the Gaon merited understanding the
intention of the Talmud in this
matter completely, and the Gaon said about this matter that if he had been born solely
to understand this matter, it would have been
worth his while. As is know, the Gaon
himself was the light of Mashiach ben Yosef, and he was meant to
arouse people about first gathering
in the exiles as revealed in the words his left hand under my head, which was on the level of Hod. This is revealed by the words !
“Efraim is the
stronghold of my head” [Ps. 60:9]. Later on, when the Gaon traveled to the Holy Land, he rose to the level
of Netzach of Tiferet (a few of my colleagues have written
about this mystery. Since two are better than one, I will mention
two of them: R’ Saadya
and R’ Menachem Mendel, son of Baruch,
Ner Israel).
148. (Ex. 17:14) “place it in the ears of Joshua, that I will surely erase
the memory of Amalek, ” etc.-- In
gematria, the word ! “in the ears of” equals
[70] “secret” for the way to fight Amalek is at first secretly, as already explained above, because work in
gathering in the exiles is the waging of war against
Amalek in order to subdue
Samael in the gates of Jerusalem. Joshua is part of the mission of Mashiach ben Yosef. The Gaon
also hinted at what is found in the verse: It is the honor of God [Prov. 25:2]
to conceal a matter, and those two words equal [871], see above (#98) on the aspect the secret of
the Lord is for those who fear him.
149. (Jer. 32:44) “they will buy fields with money” -- This is a decree as punishment to atone for “selling a righteous person
for money” (Amos
2:6), which refers
to Yosef. The matter of buying fields is juxtaposed to the chapter
(Jer. 31) where
it speaks of the four qualities of Efraim who is Mashiach ben Yosef as
explained above (#1),
on the aspect Efraim is My firstborn.
150.
Seraiah son of Dan -- He helps Mashiach
ben Yosef to overthrow the wicked Armilus,
as brought in the Zohar.
151.
(Gen. 42:23) “Yosef understood” -- in the verse: “and they did not know that Yosef understood them.”
Without the vau in the first word, the two words in gematria equal Mashiach
ben Yosef [566]. This means that the brothers did not know that the mission of Yosef was that he was Mashiach ben Yosef. The Gaon has already explained the first thought
of Yosef’s brothers. They knew
that when the soul of our forefather Abraham went down into the world, a “layer”
from the right side attached itself to him. Therefore Ismael came out of him: in order
to separate that layer from him. When the soul of our forefather Isaac went down into the world, a layer from the
left side attached itself to him. Therefore Esau came out of him in order to separate
that layer from him. The brothers thought that the center
layer had attached itself to Jacob, who
is the middle line. But when they saw that Yosef was acting in line with the traits of arrogance, they felt certain that Yosef was the layer that
had separated
itself from Jacob. They did not know
his holiness and great mission
to prepare the way for the Redemption.
152.
(Amos 5:15) “the remnant of Yosef” -- According to the Midrash,
and as brought by Rashi on this verse: all of Israel is called Yosef
because he supported his brothers in Egypt. As the Gaon explained, the remnant of Yosef means the remnant
of Israel’s existence
relative to Yosef’s
mission as Mashiach ben Yosef. Accordingly, it is written: “for God sent me ahead of you to be a provider.”
This mission has continued generation after generation.
153.
(Ps. 127 [126:1])
“the captivity of Zion” -- In the same sentence
we find: “we were like dreamers.” All of the aspects found in this Psalm beginning: “when God returns the captivity
of Zion, ” etc., were said about the
mission of Mashiach ben Yosef, as
explained in the Midrash (Tanchuma, end of the parsha “Vayegash”). Regarding this matter, the Midrash states: Whatever
happened to Yosef happened to Zion, because the ingathering of exiles in the
footsteps of the Mashiach is accomplished through Mashiach ben Yosef. The
Gaon added his own hints: (Psalm
46:6) “toward morning”
was said regarding the end of the Redemption (see Metsudat David there). Also, the words equal [868] in gematria. In addition, the word equals Mashiach
ben Yosef [566] from the aspect “the dawn” that is mentioned in the Talmud [Bavli,
Masechet Yoma, 29a].
154.
(Jer. 31:20) “return to your
cities” -- The entire Psalm was said about Mashiach ben Efraim. See above (#1), on the aspect “Efraim is
My firstborn” through whom the exiles will be gathered. The Gaon added
a hint: The three words
( without the vau) equals “as testimony in Yosef” in gematria (see above 117) on the aspect
“as testimony in Yosef.” In that same verse (Jer. 31:20) it states: “set up road markers for yourself
... set your heart toward
the road, ” etc.
155. apple -- as in (Song 2:3) “like an apple tree among the trees of the forest,
so is my beloved among the sons.” This is in the line of Mashiach ben Yosef.
156. “repair of the world in the Malchut of the Almighty” -- Wherever repair
is mentioned, it is part of
the mission of Mashiach ben Yosef. This is the ultimate purpose of all the work connected with the beginning
of the footsteps of the Mashiach, whose main goals are as follows:
to gather in
the exiles,
rebuild Jerusalem, remove
the impure spirit
from Eretz Israel,
redeem Truth, sanctify the name of God, and repair the world in the Malchut of
the Almighty, as is written:
“with their own eyes they will see when God returns to Zion” (Isa.
52:8). This refers to the ingathering of the
exiles. “Burst out, sing glad songs together, O ruins of Jerusalem” (Isa. 52:9). This refers to rebuilding Jerusalem and
reviving the land that has been desolate.
“God has comforted
his people, he has redeemed Jerusalem” (Isa. 52:9), refers to God’s redemption of
Truth, for Jerusalem is called “the
city of Truth” (Zach. 8:3). “God has
exposed His holy arm before all the nations” (Isa. 52:10), refers to sanctifying the name of God. “All ends of the earth will see the salvation
of our God” (Isa. 52:10), refers to
repairing the world in the Malchut of the Almighty. All of these
are the mission
of the mashiach of
the beginning, the first Mashiach,
Mashiach ben Yosef, who comes at the time of the awakening from below, and
will find completion when Mashiach
ben David comes, speedily in our day, Amen.
The above constitute the 156 aspects
and appellations of the Mashiach of
the beginning, Mashiach ben Yosef. I repeat that there is an obligation and commandment to pray daily
for his life and success as explained above in Chapter
1. There is an additional important commandment
to speak of him continuously, since doing so arouses the mercy of Heaven on his behalf and on behalf of the entire
House of Israel. As is written about Efraim, who is Mashiach ben Yosef: “for whenever
I speak of him, I remember him better; therefore my inner self yearns
for him; I will surely have mercy on him, says the Lord” (Jer. 31:19).
Chapter 2
Section
2
The Two Meshichim
of the Generations
Contents
“We must do our utmost to promote
the complete union of the two meshichim, Mashiach ben Yosef and
Mashiach ben David, ’the
wood of Yosef and the wood of Judah.’ This is the great foundation for the
unification of
the Holy One Blessed Be He and the Shechina
to bring about the return of the Shechina [to Zion]. -- We must participate in God’s assistance to the heroes,
i.e., to the two meshichim alluded to in the verse: “and saviors will ascend Mount Zion.’ The saviors wage war against the coupling of Seir and his
father-in-law [Ismael] on Mount Zion. We can assist by gathering
in the exiles, by rebuilding Jerusalem, and by establishing and maintaining people
of truth -- Just as in the case of the general
Redemption, the first mashiach is Mashiach
ben Yosef and the one who completes the task is Mashiach ben David, so in the case of every activity--general or personal--related to the footsteps
of the beginning of the Redemption naturally, the first supporter is Mashiach ben Yosef; the supporter who completes the task is Mashiach ben David. This is on the level of the two meshichim of the generations, which is
considered the aspect of ’Judah saves Yosef.’”
1.
In the case of the general Redemption, the first mashiach is Mashiach ben Yosef, and the one who completes
the mission is Mashiach ben David. Likewise in the case of each and every activity, general or private, carried out in connection with
the footsteps of the beginning of the Redemption, when the awakening
comes from below naturally, little
by little--all the activities demonstrate the Gaon’s important principle: the first heavenly assistance comes through Mashiach ben Yosef, and the task completed by Mashiach ben David. The
two meshichim of the generations are the miraculous powers that
maintain the existence of Israel, and
strengthen it during the exiles; they are also the miraculous supporters during
the footsteps of the Mashiach. Mashiach ben Yosef is
the miraculous power behind the physical and material existence and strengthening, whereas Mashiach ben David is the miraculous
power behind the spiritual existence
of Israel generally and particularly. Both meshichim
of the generations play a role in many of the aspects, as explained
in the Gaon’s compositions.
The two meshichim cooperate and help one
another: Mashiach ben Yosef, as revealed in the words “Yosef
still lives”; and Mashiach ben David, as revealed in the words
“David, King of Israel is alive and exists.”
They are alive and exist in every generation, carry out their missions,
and affect one another with their powers and special
attributes. Thus they need one another. Without the abundance of their strength, their might, and their
endowments, Israel could not exist for even one moment, God forbid. However,
they--their powers, images, and
endowments--are
hidden as long as our many sins cause Israel and the Shechina to remain in exile. We must know that these two great
powers can operate
and their strength
can affect, even totally affect
events, only when no one disturbs or separates them.
At times, the
tasks of the two meshichim are
apportioned differently, both with
regard to levels and with regard to influences, depending on whether the aspect of Leah or Rachel, that
is, of Daat or Malchut is involved. Mashiach ben David is the one who causes the upper abundance
to flow. Mashiach ben Yosef, on the other hand, is the one who receives and carries out what is
included in the aspect of Judah saving Yosef.
If the aspect of Yosef
and Judah together
is involved, i.e.,
Yesod and Malchut, then Mashiach ben
Yosef causes the abundance to flow,
and Mashiach ben David is the
recipient. All this is true at the beginning of the Redemption, when the wood
of Yosef and the wood of Judah are
“pieces of wood in your hand, ” when they are still divided into two, on the level of the awakening
from below. At the time of the complete redemption, however, when the two
pieces of wood have become “one in My hand” (the hand of God), then the meshichim will
be like two inseparable
friends; they will have become one, they will have become the King Mashiach who
is on the level of the trustworthy friend of the final redeemer, Moshe Rabbeinu, may he rest in peace. This is on the level of the great thousand, when God
will become king over all the land,
etc. (this is affirmed in gematria: [and] together,
equal 1000). Since we are standing
on the threshold of the beginning of the Redemption, we must learn and know all the
aspects and tasks of the two meshichim, the meshichim from below, regarding the paths of the beginning, with the help of God.
2.
The purpose of our work in ingathering the exiles is to set up people of Truth
who will promote
the unification of both meshichim in
the gates of Jerusalem so that the Shechina will return.
The purpose of the Redemption is that there be a true redemption and sanctification of God. According to the Gaon, may he rest in
peace, we must participate in God’s
assistance to His heroes, who are the two meshichim. We must
learn well all the practical aspects and tasks in order to carry out whatever
is required.
In
all generations, the major tasks of the two
meshichim together, Mashiach ben Yosef and Mashiach ben David, are self-defense and
to wage war against the three heads
of the outer shells or layers: Esau,
Ismael and the mixed
multitude. The special
task of Mashiach ben Yosef is to counter Esau, the outer shell
on the left. The special task of Mashiach ben David against Ismael is to counter Ismael,
the outer shelf on
the right. The two meshichim together are duty-bound to
operate against Esau and Ismael, who
are likened to an ox and a donkey of impurity.
Armilus, the
angel of the mixed multitude, is the one who attempts to couple Esau and Ismael, and this could destroy Israel and the
entire world, Heaven forbid. The main desire of the mixed multitude is
to couple Esau and Ismael and to
separate the two meshichim. Our main
task to counter, even battle such deeds; we must destroy the might of the mixed multitude, the layer of the wicked
Armilus, and drive
them out of Israel. The mixed multitude is our greatest
enemy, for it separates the two meshichim. The outer shell of the mixed multitude operates only by delusions
and indirectly. Therefore the war against the mixed multitude is the most difficult and bitter, and we
must wage war against it and overpower
it with all our might. Anyone who does not participate in the war against the mixed multitude, is
actually becoming a partner of the “layer”
of the mixed multitude. Whoever he
is, he would have been better off had
he not been born. The primary power
of the mixed multitude is at the gates of Jerusalem, particularly at the entrance
to the city, which is on the western middle
line.
3.
The two meshichim are the
guards and defenders of the existence of Israel
throughout all the generations, even during the exile. Their main place is
at the gates of Jerusalem, the opening of the walls. This is revealed by the words: “our feet were standing
in the gates of Jerusalem.”“Our feet” refers to the two meshichim in the line of of Netzach
and Hod. But when is it possible to stand with a sense of security? When Jerusalem is rebuilt like a
city that has been joined together. Concerning this, it is written: “On your
walls, O Jerusalem, I have appointed
guards for all day and all night.”“All night” includes during the darkness of the exile. But as long as Jerusalem is desolate, the guards have only enough
strength to guard,
not to wage war against
the Sitra Achra. For they guards cannot stand on the Holy
Land in its destruction because of
the fastness of the outer layers of impurity.
When, then do “our feet stand”? When Jerusalem is rebuilt. Then the
city is joined together: Jerusalem of below is joined with Jerusalem of above. Their central spot is at the entrance
to the city on the middle line,
to the west of the walls.
Regarding the
two meshichim it says: “and saviors
will ascend Mount Zion.” The word
“ascend” means that the two meshichim will
prevail: that is, the wood of Yosef
and the wood of Judah will prevail on the levels of Heaven and Earth. Their levels are determined by their actions,
and their actions are determined by their missions. An activity at the time of the awakening from below, naturally, from the left line
which is the quality of Din, is part of the task of Mashiach ben Yosef from the land, and the level is the aspect
of Yosef ben Rachel (Yesod of Malchut). An activity designed to draw down help and mercy, goodness and
the blessing of God Almighty
that come from abundance from above, belongs
to the aspect of Yosef son of Jacob (Yesod of
Tiferet).
When the
activity occurs at the time of the awakening from below, but from the right line, then the quality of
Lovingkindness is involved, and this is the task of Mashiach ben David.The level
in this case is the aspect of Judah son of Jacob
(Malchut of Tiferet).
When the activity is designed to generate a great amount
of Chesed and Rahamim,
then it is from the aspect of Judah ben Leah (Malchut of Tevunah).
When the
activity comes at the time of the awakening from below, but from the middle
line, at the level of 999 in Yesod, then it is the mission
of Mashiach ben Yosef, as revealed in the words: “even all that is in
the Heavens and Earth.”
4.
As explained by the Gaon, the two meshichim
play a role in many aspects
depending on their tasks, as discussed below, and depending on the repairs entailed (?). The missions of the meshichim from below and
from above depend on their deeds, and the deeds depend on the root of their
souls. The two meshichim
from below are the first involved in leaving the exile. They are the two Hebrew midwives in Egypt,
as mentioned by the Gaon in his Tikunei Zohar Chadash regarding the verse: “and they [the midwives] let the
children live” because they occupied
themselves with saving Israel. Likewise
in every generation there are meshichim
from below who are the forefathers of the meshichim
of the generations; their helpers belong to their categories. The two meshichim appear in many different aspects according to their missions and deeds, each one by his flag with the letters of his forefathers. They are “a scepter and a lawgiver.” It was promised that “the scepter will not leave
Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet.”
This means that
they appear in all generations. They
are “the wood of Yosef and the wood
of Judah.” Whenever they appear, at first the wood will be in pieces “in your hand.” Finally, they will become one
in the hand of God. They are the holy ox and holy donkey who
wage war against the impure ox and
impure donkey, i.e., Ismael and Esau. They hold fast to two hosts that are 499 from
the right section and 499 from the left section, which
equal 1000 minus
one, like the gematria of [999] “’the foot of an ox and donkey’, ” as
revealed in the verse: “happy are you
who sow on all water.” They are the “’feet
of God’” that are in Netzach and Hod. They stand firmly in
the gates of Jerusalem. This is what is meant by “our feet in your gates,
O Jerusalem, ” as already mentioned.
5.
There are many appellations to cover different
aspects of the two meshichim. These are: “a star has come out of Jacob,
and a scepter has risen from Israel”
[Num. 24:17] -- “Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephuneh”
[Num. 14:6] -- “they will obtain joy and gladness” [Isa. 35:10]
-- “the sons of
Jacob and Yosef, Selah” [Ps. 77:16]
-- the light of the moon and the light of the sun [Isa. 30:26].
-- There are
references and hints regarding two meshichim
in the Bible [i.e., a duality or plural form appears]: “your children will be students
of the Lord, and your
children’s peace will be abundant” [Isa. 54:13];
the two cherubim; the two apples (“spread
apples about me” [Song 2:5],
as is known); “rivulets of water” [Song
5:12]; the two hosts, of the right and of the left;
“they will certainly come with joyful
song” [the verb ’to come’
appears twice, though in a different grammatical form] (the words quoted go together with: “the one who bears the measure
of seeds” [Ps. 126:6]); the learning of Torah and performance of deeds of lovingkindness
-- “saviors on Mount Zion” [Ov. 1:21];
guards of the walls of Jerusalem -- the quality
of Din and the quality of Lovingkindness;
“the horns of an ox” [Deut. 33:17];
“the holy ones in the earth, and the
mighty; all my delight is in them” [Ps. 16:3];
“the humble [the plural form is used]
of the earth” [Ps. 76:10]; “the
humble [the plural form is used] shall inherit the earth” [Ps. 37: 11]; “’the sealed
deed and the open deed’” that were hidden in pottery in Anatot [Jer. 32]; “the feet of the herald” [Isa. 52:7]; the homes of the righteous about which it is written: “those who trust in
the Mount of the Lord, in Mount Zion”; “the sound of your observers; they raise their voices [in unison]
... because every eye [the word ’eye’ appears
twice] will see when the Lord returns
to Zion, ” etc. [Isa.
52:8];
“a strong city;
it will be our
salvation” [Isa.
26:1]; “and you strong foundations of the earth” [Micha 6:2]; the two aspects of “we will do and we will obey” [Ex.
24:7] and the return of their crowns
shortly, as our Sages said on the verse: and “the redeemed of the Lord will return and come to Zion with glad song, ” etc. “they
will obtain joy and gladness”; north and south as is written: “awake,
you from the North; and come, you from the South” [Song 4:16] as is known
--
“You will raise up generations-old foundations” [Isa. 58:12] (this verse is included among the hints of my father, author of -- the words: “’generations-old foundation’” equals [546] “‘the students of Elijah’” in gematria) -- The words “the covenant
of the forefathers” is in the line of Mashiach
ben Yosef.The words ! “the merit of the forefathers” is in the line of Mashiach ben David. This [the Shechina] will also be restored at the
time of the ingathering of the exiles, with the help of God. -- Regarding
the words: “affection” and “love”: “affection is in the line of Mashiach ben Yosef, as is written
in the Midrash: “abundant affection
is known to Zion”; and it is
known that Zion is in the line of Yosef. “Love” is in the line of Mashiach ben David, as it says: “I have loved you with an everlasting love” [Jer. 31:2].
-
- - God will establish
our handiwork over us to unify the two meshichim, as explained above,
according to the verses “every
eye will see when God returns to Zion, ” etc.. The ‘handiwork’ refers to bodies set up to handle the process of the
Redemption, which includes: the ingathering
of exiles; the rebuilding of Jerusalem; the routing of the impure spirit from the land and the
fulfillment of the commandments related
to the land; the redemption of Truth by setting up people of truth; and the revelation of mysteries of the Torah
- - -.
- ---Likewise the wisdom from below.
- - - - For with the revelation of
the Mashiach, and the 999 footsteps involved, the upper wisdom and the lower
wisdom will be revealed, as written in the Holy Zohar: “In the 600th year of the Sixth Millennium, the gates
of the upper wisdom and of the lower wisdom will be opened, the world will be repaired... in order to raise the Knesset Israel
from the dirt,
” etc. All these are the
mission of Rabbi Eliyahu, the Gaon of Israel,
whose light will last till the day is established with the aid of the Rock of Israel
and its Redeemer. Therefore, the Gaon
tried to understand with his holy spirit also the seven wisdoms from below which are known to
be like
mixtures and samples at the bottom of the mountain, in order to explain
the wisdom of the Torah and to hasten the Redemption -- whose great purpose is sanctification of God as is written:
“and all the peoples of the earth will see the salvation
of our God, ” also in order to repair
the world in the Malchut of
the Almighty, etc.
As mentioned
above, the goal of our work is to promote
the fulfillment of the commandment of ingathering the exiles and settling the holy land as the way of the beginning
of the Redemption, as explained
in the following chapters, -- in order to hasten the Redemption in deed with the awakening from below, and to rout the
spirit of impurity from the land. Then
there will be a unification of the Holy one blessed be He and the Shechina
through the unification of the two meshichim in a union and strong, everlasting, bond, which is the
mission of the two advocates of the
Jews, Hanoch and Eliyahu -- Metatron and Sandal ) and together equal in gematria--a fact that is revealed in
the great mystery of “Kol HaTor”). This is the path to our God so that the Shechina will return to Zion, and the Redeemer
will come, speedily
in our day, Amen.
Chapter 3
Holy Hints on the Beginning
of the Redemption
Contents
“There is no
holy hint concerning the footsteps of the Mashiach
that is not alluded to in the
Torah; or that is not alluded to in the Mishna. ‘Likewise, there is nothing about
the footsteps of the Mashiach
that is not alluded to in the Gaon’s Megillat Storim’. While
we were standing in darkness on the threshold
of the Redemption, at the first sounds of ‘the
voice of the turtle- dove, ’ with neither priest nor prophet nor Urim v’Tumim (priest’s breastplate) to teach us the essentials of the road,
let alone its details, even minor ones--
then God sent us the light of Mashiach
ben Yosef, that is, Rabbi Eliyahu, the Vilna Gaon. The Gaon came down from Heaven
to uncover for us the hints in the Torah regarding the footsteps of the Mashiach, and the paths revealed in deed and gematria, ’ as he explained in his writings.
The Gaon also explains what wonderful hints
led him to change his mind about
his own settlement in Eretz Israel
while on the way there,
and urge his students to fulfill the
command,
according to wonderful hints. The Vilna
Gaon states that the coming
of the Redemption depends on learning Kabbalah.”
1. special help from Heaven is given when gathering in the exiles at the beginning of the Redemption. The task with all its major and minor details--# its designated deeds, designated times and designated emissaries’--are hinted at in the the Torah, the Prophets, and the Writings, as well as in the writings of our Sages, both openly and concealed, according to the holy and wonderful revelations of the Vilna Gaon. The Gaon was sent from Heaven to uncover the hints in the Torah, as the footsteps of the Mashiach approached in the process of the revealed end. No secret was hidden from him. The Gaon knew where the holy Torah hints at the name of every man of Israel, as well at his destined role in the salvation of Israel, in deed and in numerology, based on ‘the name causes, ’ as revealed in gematria and acrostics. The Gaon, whose name equals 52 in gematria, saw