"The Great Redemption" (67)
"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
_____________________________________________
67.
I’ll now return to the idea I was speaking about earlier that everything that happens in the world is a consequence of either the side of holiness overpowering the side of impurity, or the reverse. (My point now is that) once the husk will be removed in the days to come, all the luminaries will be shine very brightly. I wont expand upon this (now, though,) since I’d already explained these things well elsewhere.
I’ll now explain two verses from Isaiah that speak to the same issue with very little (apparent) difference between them (that help explain). In fact, they both incorporate a very great mystery. The first is “G-d’s redeemed will return and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads. They’ll achieve joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing will flee” (Isaiah 35:10); and the other is “G-d’s redeemed will return and come with singing to Zion. Everlasting joy will be upon their head; they’ll achieve joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing will flee” (Isaiah 51:11).
The only difference between the two is that one says “They’ll achieve” yaseigu, without the final Hebrew letter nun “joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing will flee” while the other one reads “they’ll achieve” yaseigun, with the final Hebrew letter nun “joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing will flee”. In truth there’s a good reason for the difference.
(But in order to understand this) you need to know that all gladness (sasson) is derived from Yesod. It’s written “And it will come to pass that just as G-d rejoiced (sass) over you to do you good and to multiply you, so too will G-d rejoice over you to destroy you and to bring you to nothing” (Deuteronomy 28:63), and this involves a great secret.
None of the reproaches and tribulations that have come upon the Jewish Nation in exile came from the husk so as to thus destroy them, G-d forbid. They came from G-d (Himself), and as it’s written, “G-d your L-rd has chastened you as a man chastens his son” (Deuteronomy 8:5). For just as goodness passes from Yesod to Malchut so as to give to the Jewish Nation, tribulations do too, for there’s nothing in the world that doesn’t emanate from this couple. Thus even when they were in exile the Jewish Nation was never uprooted from its source, and they have no Shepherd other than G-d and His Shechina.
It’s thus said of this mystery, “and yet for all that, when they’re in the land of their enemies, I will not cast them away nor will I loathe them (enough) to destroy them utterly and to break My covenant with them” (Leviticus 26:44). Now, understand this verse well and you’ll see great mysteries (revealed).
Know that the Jewish Nation can never be uprooted, G-d forbid. For they derive from the Source of holiness. And while evil does indeed attach itself onto them because of their sins, it will never do so to the degree where they'd all descend into evil and deserve to be termed “base”, as (is implied) in the secret (import) of “men will call them ‘base silver’ because G-d has rejected them” (Jeremiah 6:30).
Were that not so, they’d be cast from their Source and uprooted from holiness. But in truth that will never happen; their root is permanent for everything is conjoined. And it would be impossible to cast out the Jewish Nation without casting out the Source, G-d forbid (which is impossible). Thus it’s written “I will not ... break my covenant with them” (Leviticus 26:44). For were they to be cast out, G-d forbid, the covenant -- the Shechina itself -- would be, G-d forbid.
The statement that “I will not cast them away ... (enough) to destroy them utterly” (Leviticus 26:44) also incorporates a great mystery (touching upon the following). Understand that even if the husk would indeed chase after and take hold of the Jewish Nation because of their sins, it would never take hold of them in fact, for the King wouldn’t hand it over. Thus it’s said, “How could one man chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, were it not for the fact that their Rock had sold them, and G-d had shut them up” (Deuteronomy 32:30). Hence, the enemies of the Jewish Nation only did what they did because G-d handed them over to them. But He only did that to a point and not enough to destroy them.
For as it concludes, “... because I am G-d their L-rd” (Leviticus 26:44) -- G-d Almighty and His Shechina govern them at all times, even in exile. Understand this well.
(c) 2006 Rabbi Yaakov Feldman
(Feel free to contact me at feldman@torah.org )
********************************
AT LONG LAST! Rabbi Feldman's translation of "The Gates of Repentance" has been reissued at *at a discount*!
You can order it right now from here
Rabbi Yaakov Feldman has also translated and commented upon "The Path of the Just", and "The Duties of the Heart" (Jason Aronson Publishers). His new work on Maimonides' "The Eight Chapters" will soon be available.
Rabbi Feldman also offers two free e-mail classes on www.torah.org entitled
"Spiritual Excellence" and "Ramchal"
-- A Discourse on The End of the Exile and the Beginning of the Great Redemption
Translated by Rabbi Yaakov Feldman
_____________________________________________
67.
I’ll now return to the idea I was speaking about earlier that everything that happens in the world is a consequence of either the side of holiness overpowering the side of impurity, or the reverse. (My point now is that) once the husk will be removed in the days to come, all the luminaries will be shine very brightly. I wont expand upon this (now, though,) since I’d already explained these things well elsewhere.
I’ll now explain two verses from Isaiah that speak to the same issue with very little (apparent) difference between them (that help explain). In fact, they both incorporate a very great mystery. The first is “G-d’s redeemed will return and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads. They’ll achieve joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing will flee” (Isaiah 35:10); and the other is “G-d’s redeemed will return and come with singing to Zion. Everlasting joy will be upon their head; they’ll achieve joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing will flee” (Isaiah 51:11).
The only difference between the two is that one says “They’ll achieve” yaseigu, without the final Hebrew letter nun “joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing will flee” while the other one reads “they’ll achieve” yaseigun, with the final Hebrew letter nun “joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing will flee”. In truth there’s a good reason for the difference.
(But in order to understand this) you need to know that all gladness (sasson) is derived from Yesod. It’s written “And it will come to pass that just as G-d rejoiced (sass) over you to do you good and to multiply you, so too will G-d rejoice over you to destroy you and to bring you to nothing” (Deuteronomy 28:63), and this involves a great secret.
None of the reproaches and tribulations that have come upon the Jewish Nation in exile came from the husk so as to thus destroy them, G-d forbid. They came from G-d (Himself), and as it’s written, “G-d your L-rd has chastened you as a man chastens his son” (Deuteronomy 8:5). For just as goodness passes from Yesod to Malchut so as to give to the Jewish Nation, tribulations do too, for there’s nothing in the world that doesn’t emanate from this couple. Thus even when they were in exile the Jewish Nation was never uprooted from its source, and they have no Shepherd other than G-d and His Shechina.
It’s thus said of this mystery, “and yet for all that, when they’re in the land of their enemies, I will not cast them away nor will I loathe them (enough) to destroy them utterly and to break My covenant with them” (Leviticus 26:44). Now, understand this verse well and you’ll see great mysteries (revealed).
Know that the Jewish Nation can never be uprooted, G-d forbid. For they derive from the Source of holiness. And while evil does indeed attach itself onto them because of their sins, it will never do so to the degree where they'd all descend into evil and deserve to be termed “base”, as (is implied) in the secret (import) of “men will call them ‘base silver’ because G-d has rejected them” (Jeremiah 6:30).
Were that not so, they’d be cast from their Source and uprooted from holiness. But in truth that will never happen; their root is permanent for everything is conjoined. And it would be impossible to cast out the Jewish Nation without casting out the Source, G-d forbid (which is impossible). Thus it’s written “I will not ... break my covenant with them” (Leviticus 26:44). For were they to be cast out, G-d forbid, the covenant -- the Shechina itself -- would be, G-d forbid.
The statement that “I will not cast them away ... (enough) to destroy them utterly” (Leviticus 26:44) also incorporates a great mystery (touching upon the following). Understand that even if the husk would indeed chase after and take hold of the Jewish Nation because of their sins, it would never take hold of them in fact, for the King wouldn’t hand it over. Thus it’s said, “How could one man chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, were it not for the fact that their Rock had sold them, and G-d had shut them up” (Deuteronomy 32:30). Hence, the enemies of the Jewish Nation only did what they did because G-d handed them over to them. But He only did that to a point and not enough to destroy them.
For as it concludes, “... because I am G-d their L-rd” (Leviticus 26:44) -- G-d Almighty and His Shechina govern them at all times, even in exile. Understand this well.
(c) 2006 Rabbi Yaakov Feldman
(Feel free to contact me at feldman@torah.org )
********************************
AT LONG LAST! Rabbi Feldman's translation of "The Gates of Repentance" has been reissued at *at a discount*!
You can order it right now from here
Rabbi Yaakov Feldman has also translated and commented upon "The Path of the Just", and "The Duties of the Heart" (Jason Aronson Publishers). His new work on Maimonides' "The Eight Chapters" will soon be available.
Rabbi Feldman also offers two free e-mail classes on www.torah.org entitled
"Spiritual Excellence" and "Ramchal"
posted by Rabbi Yaakov Feldman at 11:43 AM
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