"The Great Redemption" (26)

"The Great Redemption" by Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto

-- A Discourse on The End of the Exile and the Beginning of the Great Redemption

Translated by Rabbi Yaakov Feldman
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26.

I'll now (begin to) offer a full explanation of the Z'chirah stage.

The consummate goodness and peace that G-d promised the Jewish Nation in the ultimate future is expressed by the verse, "And G-d will be like a king over all the earth" (Zacharia 14:9). Notice that the verse doesn't read, "And G-d will be king” but rather that G-d will be *like a* king. The point is as follows.

All the sephira-levels created were (originally) arranged in order, with one under the other. And everything is right when the more extraneous levels are below the holy ones and are subservient to them, which is how things will be in the ultimate future. But everything was made imperfect when the husk rebelled against its Master, about which it's said, "A troublemaker separates a ruler" (Proverbs 16:28). For as soon as the husk took control of the sephira-levels, the supernal light reversed itself, the sephirot were no longer joined together, the Divine Flow diminished, and the Jewish Nation’s abilities weakened and lessened.

But all evil will be removed from the husk in the ultimate future, and what's left will return to the service of holiness. Everyone will recognize that holiness is the true source of and master over all. That's why the verse reads "And G-d will be *like a* king over all the earth". For G-d is already king over all the earth, and always has been. After all, nothing can do anything without His permission. It's just that not all His servants realize that now. But everyone will realize it, though, in the ultimate future, and will willfully prostrate themselves to Him. As it's said, "For then I will turn the peoples to a clear language so that they may all call upon G-d's name, and serve Him with one accord" (Zephaniah 3:9). So it's said that "G-d will be like a king over all the earth ..." -- because everyone will realize Him for who He really is then, and they'll recall His name and ways. That also explains why G-d's Ineffable Name is used in the verse, since it encompasses all the Luminaries.

But let's explain things in more detail.

Note that the entire verse reads, "And G-d will be like a king over all the earth; *on that day G-d will be one and His name one*" (Zacharia 14:9). (Let's see the significance of that.) Understand that the great reparation hinges on the mystery of G-d's "Yichud", when everything will be inexorably linked to everything else. All the Luminaries will conjoin and attach to each other, and all offshoots will reattach to their roots, and they'll all join together to the point where everything is a single tightly bound entity. Light will intensify more and more then, and every hour will bring its own blessings along with peace and joy.

The verse says "on that day G-d *will be* one and His name one" because the truth of the matter is that it's referring to Tipheret and Malchut. For the higher worlds (i.e., Keter, Chochma, Binah, Chessed, and Gevurah) which are concealed now, will amend the lower ones in which the world now lies later on. As such, there can be said to be "other gods" in the world at this point. For while in truth absolutely nothing can be done without the King's instructions, these lower worlds (still and all) willfully and arrogantly act now as if they were another source (of rule) in the world apart from G-d Himself, Heaven forfend!

It's because holiness (always) separates and removes itself from impurity that those lower worlds are called "other gods". But once everything is amended, once evil and all husks are undone, goodness will be drawn to holiness as it should. This then is the secret import of their converting (see Yevamot 24B). For everyone will then know that there's but one, unique, all-encompassing Source -- G-d. None other. That's when "G-d will be one and His name one".

(c) 2005 Rabbi Yaakov Feldman

(Feel free to contact me at feldman@torah.org )

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