Metzora: Chapter 7

The best man of the King and the best man of the Queen

Synopsis

Rabbi Shimon explains to Rabbi Yitzchak that Moses is greater than Aaron because Moses is the King's best man and Aaron is the Queen's best man; Aaron's duty as high priest is to bring Malchut to perfection. Rabbi Yehuda says that God draws the wicked toward Him so they will repent; if they do not, he destroys them even from the World to Come. And yet if they want to be purified they are helped and brought to peace.

Adam Enosh Hebrew Letters Moses Sanctuary Seth Tents

22. Rabbi Yitzchak opened the discussion with the verse: "And Hashem called to Moses, and spoke to him out of the tent of meeting, saying" (Vayikra 1:1). HE ASKS: Why is the word "called" (Heb. vaikra) SPELLED WITH a small Aleph? HE ANSWERS: The one who abides in the sanctuary, WHICH IS MALCHUT, is the one who called MOSES and invited Moses TO APPEAR BEFORE HER as one invites a guest. Here, IT IS WRITTEN with a small Aleph and in another verse, "Adam, Seth, Enosh" (Divrei Hayamim 1:1) is WRITTEN a big one, FOR A BIG ALEPH IS BINAH, which is the perfection of all. SMALL LETTERS ARE IN MALCHUT AND THE BIG ONES ARE IN BINAH.

22. רִבִּי יִצְחָק פָּתַח, וַיִקְרָא אֶל מֺשֶׁה וַיְדַבֵּר יְיָ' אֵלָיו מֵאֺהֶל מוֹעֵד לֵאמֺר. וַיִקְרָא אָלֶף זְעֵירָא, אֲמַאי. אֶלָּא בְּגִין לְאַחֲזָאָה מַאן הוּא הַהוּא דְּקָרָא, הַהוּא דְּשָׁרֵי בְּמַקְדְּשָׁא, וּכְדֵין זַמִּין לְמֺשֶׁה, כְּמַאן דְּזַמִּין אוּשְׁפִּיזָא. הָכָא א' זְעֵירָא, הָתָם א' רַבְּתָא, אָדָם שֵׁת אֱנוֹשׁ. דָּא שְׁלִימוּ דְּכֺלָּא.

Aaron Aramaic Bride Moses Samuel Zot (This, Fem.)

23. Come and behold: there is a difference between Moses and Aaron. Which one is superior? HE ANSWERS: Moses is greater, FOR Moses is the King's best man and Aaron is the Queen's best man. This is like a king who gave his exalted queen a best man to attend to her and her house so that the companion would never appear before the king without the queen. Thus, it is written about Aaron: "Thus (lit. 'with this') (Heb. zot) shall Aaron come into the holy place" (Vayikra 16:3), THAT IS, WITH MALCHUT, CALLED 'ZOT,' AS HER BEST MAN.

23. ת"ח, מַה בֵּין מֺשֶׁה לְאַהֲרֺן, הֵי מִנַּיְיהוּ עִלָּאָה. אֶלָּא מֺשֶׁה עִלָּאָה, מֺשֶׁה שׁוּשְׁבִינָא דְּמַלְכָּא, אַהֲרֺן שׁוּשְׁבִינָא דְּמַטְרוֹנִיתָא. מְתַל לְמַלְכָּא דה"ל מַטְרוֹנִיתָא עִלָּאָה. מָה עֲבַד. יָהַב לָהּ שׁוּשְׁבִינָא לְתַקְּנָא לָהּ וּלְאִסְתַּכְּלָא בְּמִלֵּי דְּבֵיתָא. וְעַ"ד, כַּד עַיֵּיל שׁוּשְׁבִינָא דָּא לְמַלְכָּא, לָא עַיֵּיל אֶלָּא עִם מַטְרוֹנִיתָא, הה"ד, בְּזֺאת יָבֺא אַהֲרֺן וְגוֹ.'

Aaron Dwellings Matron Moses Priests Zeir Anpin

24. Moses WAS the best man of the King. Therefore, he was invited to MALCHUT as a guest, WHICH IS THE SECRET OF THE SMALL ALEPH IN THE WORD VAYIKRA (LIT. 'CALLED'). Then "Hashem spoke to him." Aaron was the best man of the Queen, NAMELY MALCHUT, and all his discourse was for the purpose of the King making pleasing to the Queen, so that the King would be pleased with Her. AARON, who is the best man of the Queen, made a dwelling with Her to attend to her house. He was perfected for this after the supernal model, AS CHESED OF ZEIR ANPIN, and was called a "High Priest." Whence do we know that? It is written: "You shall be a priest forever, after the manner of Melchizedek," (Tehilim 110:4) MEANING THAT "A PRIEST FOREVER" IS CHESED, AND HIS DUTY IS TO BRING MALCHUT, WHICH IS CALLED 'MELCHIZEDEK,' TO PERFECTION.

24. מֺשֶׁה שׁוּשְׁבִינָא לְמַלְכָּא, בְּג"כ אִזְדָּמַן כְּאוּשְׁפִּיזָא, וּלְבָתַר, וַיְדַבֵּר יְיָ' אֵלָיו. אַהֲרֺן הוּא שׁוּשְׁבִינָא לְמַטְרוֹנִיתָא, וְכָל מִלּוֹי הֲווֹ, לְפַיְּיסָא לְמַלְכָּא בְּמַטְרוֹנִיתָא, וְיִתְפְּיָיס מַלְכָּא בַּהֲדָהּ. וְעַ"ד בְּגִין דְּאִיהוּ, שׁוּשְׁבִינָא לָהּ שַׁוֵּי מָדוֹרֵיהּ בַּהֲדָהּ, לְתַקְּנָא בֵּיתָא וּלְעַיְינָא תָּדִיר בְּמִלֵּי דְּבֵיתָא. וְעַ"ד אִתְתְּקַּן כְּגַוְונָא דִּלְעֵילָּא, וְאִקְרֵי כֺּהֵן גָּדוֹל. מ"ל. דִּכְתִּיב אַתָּה כֺהֵן לְעוֹלָם עַל דִּבְרָתִי מַלְכִּי צֶדֶק.

Birds Priests Purification Sanctuary

25. Therefore, he took everything he needed from the residence of the King. And he had to purify all those coming to the house of the Queen, so that there would be none who were unclean among those who entered the sanctuary. Hence, it is written: "Then shall the priest command to take for him to be cleansed two clean, live birds" (Vayikra 14:4).

25. ובג"כ כָּל מַה דְּאִצְטְרִיךְ מִבֵּי מַלְכָּא, נָטִיל, וְלֵית מַאן דְּיִמְחֵי בִּידֵיהּ. וְעַ"ד הוּא קָאֵים לְדַכְּאָה לְכָל אִינּוּן דְּעָאלִין לְבֵי מַטְרוֹנִיתָא, בְּגִין דְּלָא יִשְׁתְּכַּח מִסְאֲבָא בְּאִינּוּן בְּנֵי הֵיכָלָא. ובג"כ כְּתִיב, וְלָקַח לַמִּטַּהֵר שְׁתֵּי צִפֳּרִים וְגוֹ.'

Heaven Heavens Isaac Judgment Wicked Wickedness Wine Zeir Anpin

26. Rabbi Yehuda opened the discussion with the verse: "He who sits in the heavens laughs, Hashem has them in derision" (Tehilim 2:4). "He who sits in the heavens laughs" is "Isaac (lit. 'he will laugh')," who comes from the side of wine, that first smiles and laughs and then rages and bewilders. Hence, it says "who sits in the heavens," and it is not written, 'who sits (in) heaven,' FOR HEAVEN IS ZEIR ANPIN, WHICH INCLUDES CHESED, GVURAH, TIFERET, NETZACH, HOD AND YESOD. WERE IT WRITTEN 'WHO SITS (IN) HEAVEN,' I WOULD SAY IT IS ZEIR ANPIN, BUT IT IS WRITTEN: "HE WHO SITS IN THE HEAVENS," THAT IS, IN ONE SIDE OF THE HEAVEN, WHICH IS GVURAH AND THE ATTRIBUTE OF ISAAC. Isaac laughs, THAT IS, laughs and illuminates, and therefore the Judgment illuminates and laughs upon the wicked.

26. רִבִּי יְהוּדָה פָּתַח וְאָמַר, יוֹשֵׁב בַּשָּׁמַיִם יִשְׂחָק יְיָ' יִלְעַג לָמוֹ. יוֹשֵׁב בַּשָּׁמַיִם יִשְׂחָק, דָּא יִצְחָק דְּאָתֵי מִסִּטְרָא דְּחַמְרָא, נָהִיר בְּקַדְמֵיתָא, וְחַיִיךְ, וּלְבָתַר זָעִים וְתָרִיךְ. הה"ד יוֹשֵׁב בַּשָּׁמַיִם וְלָא כְּתִיב, יוֹשֵׁב שָׁמַיִם. יִשְׂחָק, נָהִיר וְחַיִיךְ. וְעַל דָּא דִּינָא נָהִיר וְחַיִיךְ, לְהוּ לְרַשִׁיעַיָּיא.

Peace Purification Repentance Wicked Wickedness Wine World to Come, The

27. Then it is written: "Then shall He speak to them in His wrath, and terrify them in His burning anger" (Tehilim 2:5). Such is the way for the wicked. The Holy One, blessed be He, at first shines on them and shows them favor, as the wine sheds light at first, and then rages and kills. The Holy One, blessed be He, draws the wicked to Him, SO THEY WILL REPENT. If they turn to Him, all is well. If they do not turn to Him, He destroys them and removes them from the World to Come. They have no share in it and they are lost to everything. If they desire to be purified, they are helped. The Holy One, blessed be He, purifies them and brings them close to Him and calls peace upon them, as it is written: "Peace, peace, both for far and near says Hashem" (Yeshayah 57:19).

27. וּלְבָתַר מַה כְּתִיב, אָז יְדַבֵּר אֵלֵימוֹ בְאַפּוֹ וּבַחֲרוֹנוֹ יְבַהַלֵמוֹ. וְכַךְ אָרְחֵי דְּחַיָּיבַיָּא, קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא נָהִיר לְהוּ בְּהַאי עָלְמָא, וְנָהִיר לוֹן אַנְפִּין כְּחַמְרָא, דְּנָהִיר בְּקַדְמֵיתָא, וּלְבָתַר זָעִים וְקָטִיל. וְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא מָשִׁיךְ לוֹן לְחַיָּיבַיָּא, אִי יְהַדְרוּן לָקֳבְלֵיהּ, יָאוּת, וְאִי לָא שָׁצֵי לוֹן מֵהַהוּא עָלְמָא דְּאָתֵי, וְלֵית לוֹן בֵּיהּ חוּלָקָא, וְיִשְׁתֵּצוּן מִכֺּלָּא. אַתּוּן לְאִתְדַכְּאָה, מְסַיְּיעִין לוֹן. וְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא מְדַכֵּי לוֹן וְקָרִיב לוֹן לְגַבֵּיהּ, וְקָארִי עָלַיְיהוּ שָׁלוֹם. הֲדָא הוּא דִּכְתִּיב שָׁלוֹם שָׁלוֹם לָרָחוֹק וְלַקָּרוֹב וְגוֹ.'

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