Vayigash: Chapter 9

"And he fell on his brother Benjamin's neck and wept"

Synopsis

The neck is like the Tower of David, it is not of this world, but rather of the celestial Jerusalem. Joseph weeps because he foresaw the destruction of the Temple and the exile of the tribes of Yisrael. He is able to see such things because the Holy Spirit dwells in him - although it does not dwell with his brothers. The destruction of the great Temple darkens the whole world, we learn. This was the painful foreknowledge Joseph was obliged to carry with him.

Relevance

Our planet contains many spiritual energy centers. These serve as portals through which the supernal Light of the Upper Worlds flows into our dimension. Israel, we are told, is the energy center of the entire planet. The city of Jerusalem is the energy source of Israel. The Holy Temple is the primal source of energy for Jerusalem. And the Holy of Holies is the Fountainhead of spiritual energy for the Temple. Reading this passage connects us to Jerusalem, the Temple, and ultimately to he Holy of Holies. This ensures that all our prayers, deeds, and meditations draw their appropriate Light from this wellspring of spiritual energy.

Benjamin Temple, The

88. "And he fell on his brother Benjamin's neck and wept; and Benjamin wept on his neck ..." Rabbi Yitzchak said, It has been already explained that he wept for the first Temple and for the second Temple - THAT WILL BE BUILT ON BENJAMIN'S PORTION AND BE DESTROYED.

88. וַיִּפּוֹל עַל צַוְּארֵי בִּנְיָמִן אָחִיו וַיֵּבְךְּ וּבִנְיָמִן בָּכָה עַל צַוָּארָיו. רִבִּי יִצְחָק אֲמַר, הָא אוֹקְמוּהָ, דִּבְכָה עַל מִקְדָּשׁ רִאשׁוֹן וְעַל מִקְדָּשׁ שֵׁנִי.

David Jerusalem Jerusalem, Celestial Righteous Shields Tower

89. He opened the discussion with the verse, "Your neck is like the Tower of David built with turrets, on which there hang a thousand bucklers, all shields of mighty men" (Shir Hashirim 4:4). HE ASKS, What is the "Tower of David?" It is the Tower of David IN JERUSALEM that was built by David, NAMELY, THAT STANDS inside Jerusalem. Yet "the Tower of David" IN THE SCRIPTURE IS NOT THIS "TOWER OF DAVID," BUT is the celestial Jerusalem - NAMELY, THE NUKVA - about which it is written, "The name of Hashem is a strong tower: the righteous run into it, and is set up on high" (Mishlei 18:10). HE ASKS, Who "is set up on high" - THE RIGHTEOUS OR THE TOWER? HE ANSWERS, the tower is, for into it the Righteous, YESOD, run.

89. פְּתַח וַאֲמַר, כְּמִגְדַּל דָּוִד צַוָּארֵךְ בָּנוּי לְתַלְפִּיּוֹת אֶלֶף הַמָּגֵן תָּלוּי עָלָיו כֹּל שִׁלְטֵי הַגִּבּוֹרִים. כְּמִגְדַּל דָּוִד, מַאן מִגְדַּל דָּוִד. דָּא מִגְדַּל דָּוִד וַדַּאי, דְּבָנָה לֵיהּ דָּוִד, וְסָלֵיק לֵיהּ גּוֹ יְרוּשָׁלַיִם. אֶלָּא כְּמִגְדַּל דָּוִד, דָּא יְרוּשָׁלֵם דִּלְעֵילָא, דִּכְתִיב בֵּיהּ, מִגְדַּל עֹז שֵׁם ה' בּוֹ יָרוּץ צַדִּיק וְנִשְׂגָּב, מַאן נִשְׂגָּב. אֶלָּא הַהוּא מִגְדַּל נִשְׂגָּב, בְּגִין דְּבֵיהּ יָרוּץ צַדִּיק.

Body David Nukva Temple, The Tower

90. "Your neck" is the Lower Temple, WHICH RESEMBLES THE TOWER OF DAVID, WHICH IS THE NUKVA AND IS SO CALLED because it is beautifully built, like the neck. As the neck symbolizes the beauty of the whole body, so the Temple symbolizes the beauty of the whole world.

90. צַוָּארֵךְ: דָּא בֵּית מַקְדְּשָׁא דִלְתַתָּא, דְּאִיהוּ קָאֵים בְּתִקּוּנָא דְּשַׁפִּירוּ, כְּקַדְלָא לְגוּפָא. מַה צַּוָּאר, אִיהוּ שַׁפִּירוּ דְּכָל גּוּפָא, הָכֵי נָמֵי בֵּי מַקְדְּשָׁא, אִיהוּ שַׁפִּירוּ דְּכָל עַלְמָא.

Hebrew Letters Praise Prayer

91. The phrase, "built with turrets (Heb. talpiot)" means a hill on which all the children of the world look TO PRAISE AND TO PRAY. It has been explained that the word 'talpiot' consists of the letters Tel-Piot (lit. 'a mound of mouths'). It is a mound which all the mouths of the world praise and pray.

91. בָּנוּי לְתַלְפִּיּוֹת, תִּלָּא דְּכָל בְּנֵי עַלְמָא הֲווֹ מִסְתַּכְּלָן בֵּיהּ, וְהָכֵי אוֹקְמוּהָ, תַּלְפִּיּוֹת: תֵּל דְּכָל פִּיּוֹת דְּעַלְמָא מְשַׁבְּחָן וּמְצַלָּאן לְגַבֵּיהּ.

Judgment Shields

92. The phrase, "on which there hang a thousand bucklers" (ibid.), refers to the thousand reconstructions fixed upon it, THAT IS, ON THE ILLUMINATION OF CHOCHMAH ALLUDED TO BY THE NUMBER ONE THOUSAND. AND "all shields of mighty men" are called thus because they come from the side of harsh Judgment.

92. אֶלֶף הַמָּגֵן תָּלוּי עָלָיו, אִלֵּין אֶלֶף תִּקּוּנִין, דִּמְתַקְּנִין בֵּיהּ כִּדְקָא יָאוֹת. כֹּל שִׁלְטֵי הַגִּבּוֹרִים, דְּכֻלְּהוּ קָא אַתְיָין מִסִּטְרָא דְּדִינָא קַשְׁיָא.

Ornaments Temple, The Women

93. As all a woman's jewels hang round her neck, so do all ornaments of the world hang about and dwell within the Temple. It has already been explained that the verse, "We are pursued to our necks" (Eichah 5:5) alludes to the Temple, which is the neck and beauty of the world. "We are pursued to our necks; we labor, AND HAVE NO REST--" we who labored building it twice - THE FIRST TEMPLE AND THE SECOND TEMPLE - "and have no rest," for we were not allowed any. The Temples were destroyed and not rebuilt.

93. מַה צַּוָּאר כָּל תִּקּונִין דְּאִתְּתָא בֵּיהּ תַּלְיָין, כָּךְ בְּמַקְדְּשָׁא, כָּל תִּקּוּנִין דְּעַלְמָא, בֵּיהּ תַּלְיָין וְשָׁרְיָין. וְהָא אוֹקְמוּהָ, דִּכְתִיב עַל צַוָּארֵינוּ נִרְדָּפְנוּ, עַל בֵּי מַקְדְּשָׁא, דְּאִיהוּ צַוָּאר וְשַׁפִּירוּ דְּכָל עַלְמָא. נִרְדָּפְנוּ, יָגַעְנוּ, לְמִבְנֵי לֵיהּ תְּרֵין זִמְנִין, וְלֹא הוּנַח לָנוּ, דְּהָא לָא שָׁבְקוּהָ לָן, וְאִתְחָרַב וְלָא אִתְבְּנֵי לְבָתַר.

Astrology Body Earth Heaven Stars Sun Temple, The

94. As when the neck is destroyed the whole body perishes, so, when the Temple was destroyed and darkened, the whole world became dark too, and the sun, heaven, earth, and stars did not shine.

94. מַה צַּוָּאר, כֵּיוָן דְּאִשְׁתֵּצֵי, כָּל גּוּפָא אִשְׁתֵּצֵי עִמֵּיהּ, הָכֵי נָמֵי בֵּי מַקְדְּשָׁא, כֵּיוָן דְּאִיהוּ אִשְׁתֵּצֵי וְאִתְחַשַּׁךְ, כָּל עַלְמָא הָכֵי נָמֵי אִתְחַשַּׁךְ, וְלָא נָהֵיר שִׁמְשָׁא, וְלָא שְׁמַיָא וְאַרְעָא וְכֹכְבַיָא.

Exile Temple, The Tribes

95. For that reason - FOR THE TWO TEMPLES THAT WERE DESTROYED - Joseph cried. After he wept for this, he wept for the tribes that went into exile. For shortly after the Temple was destroyed, all the tribes were sent into exile and dispersed among the nations, as it is written, "And he kissed all his brethren, and wept on them," meaning, on account of their GOING INTO EXILE.

95. בְּגִין כָּךְ, בָּכָה יוֹסֵף עַל דָּא. וּלְבָתַר דְּבָכָה עַל דָּא, בָּכָה עַל שִׁבְטִין דְּאִתְגָּלוּ, כַּד אִתְחָרֵיב בֵּי מַקְדְּשָׁא, כֻּלְּהוּ שִׁבְטִין אִתְגָּלוּ מִיָּד, וְאִתְבַּדְּרוּ בֵּינֵי עַמְמַיָא, הה"ד וַיְנַשֵּׁק לְכָל אֶחָיו וַיֵּבְךְּ עֲלֵיהֶם, עֲלֵיהֶם וַדַּאי.

Exile Temple, The Ten Tribes

96. He wept for everything - for the Temple that was twice destroyed and for his brothers, the ten tribes, who went into exile and were scattered among the nations. " ...And after that his brethren talked with him," not 'wept.' He wept because the Holy Spirit come upon him AND HE SAW ALL THAT; but they did not weep, because the Holy Spirit did not dwell upon them - THEY DID NOT SEE IT.

96. עַל כֻּלָּם בָּכָה, עַל בֵּי מַקְדְּשָׁא דְּאִתְחָרֵיב תְּרֵין זִמְנִין, וְעַל אֲחוֹי עֲשֶׂרֶת הַשְּׁבָטִים, דְּאִתְגָּלוּ בְּגָלוּתָא, וְאִתְבַּדְּרוּן בֵּינֵי עַמְמַיָא. וְאַחֲרֵי כֵן דִּבְּרוּ אֶחָיו אִתּוֹ, וְלָא כְתִיב וַיִּבְכּוּ, דְּהָא אִיהוּ בָּכָה, דְּנִצְנְצָה בֵּיהּ רוּחָא קַדִּישָׁא, וְאִינוּן לָא בָּכוּ, דְּלָא שָׁרָא עֲלַיְיהוּ רוּחַ קוּדְשָׁא.

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