"The feasts of Hashem"

Synopsis

Rabbi Yitzchak says that when God saw the evil that would prevail in the world, He hid the light for the righteous in the World to Come. He tells us about the unity that only exists when night and day are united, when light and darkness are united. Since the Congregation of Yisrael is in exile it is not presently considered to be 'one,' and only when it goes out of exile can it be united with God.

Evil Job Light Righteous Wicked Wickedness World to Come, The

94. "Speak to the children of Yisrael, and say to them, The feasts of Hashem, which you shall proclaim to be holy gatherings, these are My feasts" (Vayikra 23:2). Rabbi Yitzchak opened with the verse, "And Elohim called the light day" (Beresheet 1:5). We learned that the light that was present in the beginning used to shine from one end of the world to the other. When the Holy One, blessed be He, saw the evil that will live in the world, He hid it for the righteous for the World to Come. This is the meaning of, "And from the wicked their light is withheld" (Iyov 38:15), and, "Light is sown for the righteous" (Tehilim 97:11).

94. דַּבֵּר אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵיהֶם מוֹעֲדֵי יְיָ' אֲשֶׁר תִּקְרְאוּ אוֹתָם מִקְרָאֵי קֹדֶשׁ אֵלֶּה הֵם מוֹעֲדָי. רִבִּי יִצְחָק פָּתַח, וַיִקְרָא אֱלֹהִים לָאוֹר יוֹם וְגוֹ.' תָּנֵינָן, אוֹר דַּהֲוָה בְּקַדְמֵיתָא, הֲוָה נָהִיר מִסַּיְיפֵי עָלְמָא לְסַיְיפֵי עָלְמָא, כַּד אִסְתָּכַּל קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא לְחַיָיבִין דִּזְמִינִין לְמֵיקָם בְּעָלְמָא, גָּנִיז לֵיהּ לְצַדִּיקַיָּיא לְעָלְמָא דְּאָתֵי, הֲדָא הוּא דִּכְתִּיב וְיִמָּנַע מֵרְשָׁעִים אוֹרָם. וּכְתִיב אוֹר זָרוּעַ לַצַּדִּיק.

Congregation Darkness Light Morning Zeir Anpin

95. Come and see, "And Elohim called the light day, and the darkness He called night." Yet we learned that "Let there be light" (Beresheet 1:3) REFERS TO light that already existed. Here, if you say THAT light MEANS day only (THAT IS, ZEIR ANPIN ALONE), it continues, "and the darkness He called night," WHICH IS MALCHUT THAT IS CALLED NIGHT, AT WHICH TIME ONLY ZEIR ANPIN IS CALLED LIGHT. You may argue that they are separate, NOT UNITED WITH EACH OTHER, and so it continues, "And there was evening, and there was morning, one day" (Ibid. 5). THIS MEANS ZEIR ANPIN IS NOT WHOLE SAVE WHEN UNITED WITH MALCHUT, AND MALCHUT IS NOT WHOLE SAVE WHEN UNITED WITH ZEIR ANPIN. They are called one only when they are joined as one. The Holy One, blessed be He, and the Congregation of Yisrael, WHO ARE ZEIR ANPIN AND MALCHUT, are called one, but without each other they are not called one.

95. ת"ח, וַיִקְרָא אֱלֹהִים לָאוֹר יוֹם וְלַחֹשֶךְ קָרָא לָיְלָה, הָא תָּנֵינָן, יְהִי אוֹר, אוֹר דִּכְבַר הֲוָה. וְהָכָא, אִי תֵּימָא אוֹר דְּאִיהוּ יוֹם בִּלְחוֹדוֹי, הָדַר וְאָמַר וְלַחֹשֶךְ קָרָא לָיְלָה. אִי תֵּימָא כָּל חַד בִּלְחוֹדוֹי, הָדַר וְאָמַר וַיְהִי עֶרֶב וַיְהִי בֹקֶר יוֹם אֶחָד. דְּלַיְלָה לֵית בְּלָא יוֹם, וְלֵית יוֹם בְּלָא לַיְלָה, וְלָא אִקְרֵי אֶחָד, אֶלָּא בְּזִוּוּגָא חַד, וְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא וּכְנֶסֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל אִקְרֵי אֶחָד, וְדָא בְּלָא דָּא לָא אִקְרֵי אֶחָד.

Congregation Exile

96. תָּא חֲזֵי, בְּגִין דִּכְנֶסֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל הַשְׁתָּא בְּגָלוּתָא, כִּבְיָכוֹל לָא אִקְרֵי אֶחָד. וְאֵימָתַי אִקְרֵי אֶחָד. בְּשַׁעֲתָא דְּיִפְּקוּן יִשְׂרָאֵל מִן גָּלוּתָא, וּכְנֶסֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל אַהֲדְרַת לְאַתְרָהָא, לְאִזְדַּוְּוגָא בֵּיהּ בְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, הה"ד בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא יִהְיֶה יְיָ' אֶחָד וּשְׁמוֹ אֶחָד. וְדָא בְּלָא דָּא לָא אִקְרֵי אֶחָד.

Congregation Earth Likenesses Samuel Zeir Anpin

97. Come and see, "The feasts of Hashem, which you shall proclaim (or: 'summon')," NAMELY, to summon everything into one place. FOR THE FEASTS OF HASHEM ARE THE SECRET OF CHESED, GVURAH AND TIFERET OF ZEIR ANPIN THAT NEED TO BE SUMMONED SO THEY WILL BESTOW UPON ONE PLACE, MALCHUT. Thus everything will be complete by the secret of one. FOR WHEN CHESED, GVURAH AND TIFERET OF ZEIR ANPIN ARE UNITED WITH MALCHUT, THEY ARE CALLED ONE, and when Yisrael will be below "one nation in the earth" (II Shmuel 7:23). HE ASKS, It is true that the Holy One, blessed be He UNITED with the Congregation of Yisrael, MALCHUT, is called one, yet Yisrael below, when established as the likeness of above, how shall they be called one, LIKE ZEIR ANPIN AND MALCHUT ABOVE?

97. ת"ח, מוֹעֲדֵי יְיָ' אֲשֶׁר תִּקְרְאוּ וְגוֹ.' לְזַמְּנָא כֹּלָּא לַאֲתַר חַד, וּלְאִשְׁתַּכְּחָא כֹּלָּא בִּשְׁלִימוּ, בְּרָזָא דְּאֶחָד. וּלְמֶהֱוֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לְתַתָּא גּוֹי אֶחָד בָּאָרֶץ. תִּינַח קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא בִּכְנֶסֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל דְּאִקְרֵי אֶחָד, יִשְׂרָאֵל לְתַתָּא דְּאִינּוּן זְמִינִין כְּגַוְונָא דִּלְעֵילָּא, בְּמָה יִקְרוּן אֶחָד.

Earth Jerusalem Jerusalem, Terrestrial Likenesses Zeir Anpin

98. AND HE ANSWERS, In terrestrial Jerusalem, Yisrael are called one, WHEN THEY DWELL IN IT. Whence do we know that? From the words, "one nation in the earth." Assuredly in the earth, BOTH IN THE LAND OF YISRAEL AND IN JERUSALEM, they are one nation. With it they are called one, but not on their own. "And what one nation...is like Your people, like Yisrael" (Ibid.) should have sufficed; WHY THEN IS IT WRITTEN, "AND WHAT ONE NATION IN THE EARTH IS LIKE YOUR PEOPLE, LIKE YISRAEL?" This is because they are called one only in the earth, united with this land as the likeness of above, FOR ZEIR ANPIN IS CALLED ONE ONLY WHEN UNITED WITH MALCHUT CALLED EARTH. For that reason everything is interconnected into one union BOTH ABOVE AND BELOW. Happy is the lot of Yisrael. "Six days shall work be done" (Vayikra 23:3). This has already been learned and explained.

98. אֶלָּא, בִּירוּשְׁלֵם דִּלְתַתָּא, יִקְרוּן יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶחָד. מְנָא לָן. דִּכְתִּיב גּוֹי אֶחָד בָּאָרֶץ. וַדַּאי, בָּאָרֶץ הֵם גּוֹי אֶחָד, עִמָּהּ אִקְרוּן אֶחָד, וְלָא אִינּוּן בִּלְחוֹדַיְיהוּ. דְּהָא וּמִי כְעַמְּךָ יִשְׂרָאֵל גּוֹי אֶחָד סַגֵּי לֵיהּ, אֲבָל לָא אִקְרוּן אֶחָד, אֶלָּא בָּאָרֶץ, בְּזִוּוּגָא דְּהַאי אֶרֶץ כְּגַוְונָא דִּלְעֵילָא. וּבְגִין כַּךְ, כֹּלָא קָשִׁיר דָּא בְּדָא בְּזִווּגָא חֲדָא, זַכָּא חוּלְקֵיהוֹן דְּיִשְׂרָאֵל. שֵׁשֶׁת יָמִים תֵּעָשֶׂה מְלָאכָה אִתְּמַר, וְהָא אוּקְמוּהָ.