"The Great Redemption" (64)

"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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64.

Until now I’ve informed you of some great and mighty mysteries and you’ve come to see that the process of redemption will be lofty and exalted, in keeping with our Creator’s thoughts and pure counsel. I’ll now inform you of some other great mysteries that will allow you to see how things are connected to each other.

At first the Creator fashioned a side of holiness and a side of impurity. Everything in this world hinges upon that fact, from great to small. But let me inform you of a very lovely mystery (that touches upon this).

It’s written, “Behold, days are coming, says G-d, when the plowman will overtake the reaper and the treader of grapes who sows seed” (Amos 9:13). But I’ll have to introduce some things to you before I can present all this correctly.

Know that before the Shechina will shine with all its great emendations, a single Luminary, which no other light can compare to in greatness and beauty, will assume its place. This Luminary is termed “peace”. All of creation from great to small will unite thanks to this Luminary when it becomes strong, and everything will enjoy a great degree tranquility when it emanates upon them.

But know, too, just where this Luminary comes from. It’s from within Yesod itself. This Luminary became very strong when Tipheret conjoined with Malchut at the beginning in order to (help) create the world.

How did it become so strong? It conjoined with the Celestial Yesod which is also called “peace”, and it too assumed the name "peace", like the one above it that illumines it. It’s said about the time when the upper and lower peace conjoin, “I will create a new expression of the lips: Peace, peace for him who is far off and for him who is near” (Isaiah 57:19), because the emanation will be complete, and tranquility will spread all about.

Now, the husk hates this peace, thus it’s written “My soul has long dwelt with those who hate peace” (Psalms 120:6). A war breaks out against it from the side of impurity wherever peace from the side of holiness appears. The verse “a time of war and a time of peace” (Ecclesiastes 3:8) alludes to this mystery. For Lillith is (likened to) “a time of war” while the holy Shechina is (likened to) “a time of peace”. (Knowing this,) you’ll now understand the matter even better.

Everything will continue on with great happiness and love when the holy groupings grow stronger and establish their rule, because they’ll be joined in their roots. But impurity is just the opposite, since all (its elements are) disparate, due to the harsh Judgment that overtakes them. And there’s no love, brotherhood, or unity between them whatsoever. In fact, only rifts and quarrels come about when they gather the strength to do things. That’s what’s being referred to by the statement that “all the evil doers will be scattered about” (Psalms 92:10).

That’s why “a time of war and a time of peace” is mentioned; for wherever the peace of holiness is found, a war of impurity is found as well. All these things are known to those familiar with the ways of wisdom, which they’re very deep. And thus it’s written about this, “an illiterate strikes and cohabits” (Pesachim 49B), since they’re that way in their roots, but I won’t expand upon this now.

(c) 2006 Rabbi Yaakov Feldman

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

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