"And took from them Simeon"

165. He therefore "took from them Simeon" (Beresheet 42:24) so that he would not indict him together with Levi. For when they came together, Simeon and Levi might bring accusations. The phrase, "and bound him before their eyes" means that he arrested him only in front of their eyes. When they left, he gave him food and drink.

166. It may be said that Joseph acted according to the verse, "If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink" (Mishlei 25:21). FOR THIS REASON HE FED SIMEON, WHO WAS HIS ENEMY. How could the righteous Joseph have behaved in such a manner? As the verse ends with the words, "for you shall heap coals of fire on his head, and Hashem shall reward you." IT IS NOT SEEMLY FOR A RIGHTEOUS MAN TO TAKE REVENGE UPON HIS BROTHER.

167. HE ANSWERS, Heaven forbid that Joseph had such intentions. His conduct toward him was only that of a man toward his brother, and in no other way. And not to him alone, but to all his brothers he behaved so, as it is written, "Then Joseph gave orders to fill their sacks with grain, and to restore every man's money into his sack, and to give them provision for the way: and thus it was performed" (Beresheet 42:25), all to be brotherly toward them.

168. Rabbi Yosi continued with the verse, "Though they are at peace, and likewise many, even so they shall be cut down, and it shall pass away. Though I have afflicted you, I will afflict you no more" (Nachum 1:12). This verse has been explained as follows, When the people are peaceful, with no dissension in their midst, the Holy One, blessed be He, has pity on them, and Judgment has no sway. Even if they worship idols, if they are at peace, no judgment has power over them. It can also be explained in relation to the verse, "Ephraim is joined to idols, let him alone" (Hoshea 4:17). IT MEANS THAT EVEN THOUGH THEY SERVE IDOLS, IF THEY ARE JOINED, "LET HIM ALONE."

169. HE ASKS, What then is the meaning of the phrase, "even so they shall be cut down (also: 'shorn')?" HE ANSWERS, As it talks of peace in the beginning, here IT likewise TALKS of peace, which means charity. For charity is peace, and whoever promotes charity, promotes peace above and below. Hence the scripture reads, "even so they shall be shorn, and it shall pass away." The word "shorn" REFERS TO those who shear their money for charity. "EVEN SO" INDICATES THAT AS THE BEGINNING TALKS OF PEACE, HERE ALSO IT TALKS OF PEACE (NAMELY, CHARITY) AS HAS BEEN EXPLAINED. Of the phrase, "It shall pass away," HE ASKS, Should it have been written, "They shall pass away" IN THE PLURAL, JUST AS IT IS WRITTEN, "THEY WILL...BE CUT DOWN?" Why is it written, "it shall pass away?" HE REPLIES, The subject is wrathful judgment, just as in the verse, "until the indignation passes" (Yeshayah 26:20); IT MEANS until judgment passes away from them.

170. Another explanation is that the verse, "Thus says Hashem, though (if) they are a peace (also: 'whole')," refers to Yisrael, to whom the Holy One, blessed be He, gave an everlasting Covenant, NAMELY, CIRCUMCISION, to keep always, so as to be whole on all sides - CHESED, GVURAH, TIFERET AND MALCHUT above and below, THAT ARE NETZACH AND HOD. If man does not guard the Covenant at all times, he is defective in every respect. How do we know this? From the verse, "Walk before Me, and be perfect" (Beresheet 17:1). Perfect means whole, and we derive from this that before the Covenant was established in him, BEFORE HE WAS CIRCUMCISED, he was defective.

171. Therefore, "if they be whole" MEANS if they observe the precept OF CIRCUMCISION, and are therefore whole instead of defective; "and likewise many," NAMELY they will increase and multiply, for souls come into the world only through the Covenant. "And they shall be cut down" REFERS TO THE FIRST PHRASE, "If they be whole" and constantly guard THE COVENANT, namely, "they shall be cut down" those who are circumcised, and accept upon them the Covenant. "CUT DOWN" IS DERIVED FROM SHEARING AND CUTTING. Then "it shall pass away," the filth of the foreskin that was upon them.

172. Another interpretation of "Thus says Hashem, 'If they be whole and likewise many'" is that these are the children of Jacob, who, as long as they were with Joseph, were whole, because they were joined with the Covenant, WHICH IS JOSEPH. "Even so they shall be cut down (Heb. nagozu)" MEANS when they went away and left Joseph and Simeon. NAGOZU IS DERIVED FROM PASSING AWAY, AS IN "IT IS SOON PAST (HEB. GAZ), AND WE FLY AWAY" (TEHILIM 90:10). Then "it shall pass away" means that then Judgment is passed upon them, as it is written, "and Hashem will pass through to smite Egypt" (Shemot 12:23). IN BOTH VERSES, PASS ALLUDES TO JUDGMENT.

173. Come and behold, There is harsh Judgment and mild Judgment. The harsh Judgment is strong, and the mild weak. When the mild Judgment is nourished from the harsh, it becomes powerful.

174. When judgment is executed upon Yisrael, it is mild and not strengthened by harsh Judgment. When executed upon idolatrous nations, the mild Judgment is strengthened by the supernal harsh Judgment. This is the meaning of the verse "and Hashem will pass (Heb. ve'avar) through to smite Egypt." The word "ve'avar" also means that He was filled with wrath (Heb. evra) and indignation, which was supported by harsh Judgment. In this same verse, pass away MEANS THAT HE IS FILLED WITH WRATH, ALTHOUGH IT IS MILD JUDGMENT NOT POWERED BY HARSH JUDGMENT, BECAUSE IT IS EXECUTED UPON YISRAEL. And come and behold, When ten gather together in the synagogue and one of them leaves, then the Holy One, blessed be He, is angered with him. FOR THE BROTHERS OF JOSEPH WERE TEN. AFTER THEY SEPARATED FROM JOSEPH AND SIMEON THEY REMAINED NINE, AND THE HOLY ONE, BLESSED BE HE, BECAME ANGRY.

175. Another explanation of the verse, "Even so they shall be cut down (Heb. nagozu)" is that when evil actions are removed from them (NAGOZU EXPLAINING AS DERIVING FROM "IT IS SOON PAST [GAZ]), then "it shall pass away." Who shall pass away? Rabbi Shimon answered, When the soul leaves this world, it is sentenced to several punishments before going to its place. Afterward, all the souls have to pass through and wash in the flowing The Dinur River (river of fire). Of whoever will rise and pass the river fearlessly, it is written, "Who shall ascend into the mountain of Hashem?" (Tehilim 24:3) The soul of the righteous passes without fear and "shall stand in his Holy place" (Ibid.).

176. Whoever is charitable in the world and gives from his money to charity passes that place, THE DINUR RIVER, without fear. The crier proclaims before the soul, "and though I have afflicted you, I will afflict you no more" (Nachum 1:12), WHICH IS THE LAST PHRASE IN THE VERSE. For whoever merited to pass the Dinur River is free of judgments.

177. Come and behold, Why was all that passed between Joseph and his brothers RECORDED IN THE TORAH? HE ANSWERS, The Torah is of truth, all her ways are holy. There is not one word in the Torah that does not contain holy and supernal mysteries and ways in which men can be strengthened.

178. He opened the discussion with the verse, "Do not say, I will repay evil" (Mishlei 20:22). Come and behold, The Holy One, blessed be He, created man so he would strengthen himself in the Torah and walk the way of truth, staying on the right side and avoiding the left. Because MEN should walk on the right side, they have to increase love between them, AS LOVE IS OF THE RIGHT SIDE, and avoid hatred among them, AS HATRED IS OF THE LEFT SIDE, so as not to weaken the right, which is the place to which Yisrael cleaves.

179. Come and behold, For this purpose, the Good Inclination and the Evil Inclination exist. Yisrael should make the Good Inclination master over the evil through good deeds. If a man turns to the left, the Evil Inclination overpowers the good, and the defective one, THE EVIL INCLINATION, is made whole through his sin, for the ugly one only becomes whole through men's sins.

180. A man should therefore be careful lest the Evil Inclination be made whole through his sins. He should always be guarded, to make whole the Good Inclination instead of the evil. Therefore, "Do not say, I will repay (also: 'complete') evil" BECAUSE THROUGH HATRED YOU SHALL INCREASE THE POWER OF THE LEFT AND COMPLETE THE EVIL INCLINATION. Only say, "Wait on Hashem, and He will save you."

181. Another explanation of the verse, "Do not say, I will repay evil," is that it has the same meaning as the verse, "Whoever rewards evil for good" (Mishlei 17:13). One should not repay a person who did him good with evil, because "whoever rewards evil for good, evil shall not depart from his house." But even if a person caused him evil, he must not reward evil with evil, but "wait on Hashem, and He will save you."

182. This verse has been explained in relation to Joseph the Righteous, who did not wish to repay his brothers with evil when they fell into his hands, AS IT IS WRITTEN, "DO NOT SAY, I WILL REPAY EVIL; but wait on Hashem, and He will save you." For he feared the Holy One, blessed be He, as it is written, "This do, and live, I fear Elohim" (Beresheet 42:18). He always waited on the Holy One, blessed be He.

183. Rabbi Aba opened with the verse, "Counsel in the heart of man is like deep water; but a man of understanding will draw it out" (Mishlei. 20:5). "Counsel in the heart of man is like deep water" refers to the Holy One, blessed be He, who gave counsel by bringing about events by the hands of Joseph to fulfill the decree of famine upon the world. "But a man of understanding will draw it out" refers to Joseph, who revealed the deep meanings of the decree of the Holy One, blessed be He, over the world THROUGH THE INTERPRETATION OF THE DREAM.

184. Come and behold, Joseph not only abstained from causing evil to his brothers, he also did kindness and truth by them. This is always the way of the righteous. Therefore, the Holy One, blessed be He, always has compassion for them in this world and the World to Come.

185. "Counsel in the heart of man is like deep water" can also refer to Judah when he approached Joseph on behalf of Benjamin. The phrase, "a man of understanding will draw it out," refers to Joseph WHEN HE MADE HIMSELF KNOWN TO HIS BROTHERS.

186. Rabbi Aba sat at the gate of the city Lod. He saw a man sitting on a ledge PROTRUDING from a mountainside. He was weary from the road, so he sat down and slept. While he was sleeping, he saw a snake coming toward him. A reptile emerged and killed the snake. When the man woke, he saw the dead snake. He stood up and the ledge, WHICH HAD BEEN TORN FROM THE MOUNTAIN, fell to the valley below. Thus, he was saved, FOR HAD HE RISEN A MOMENT LATER, HE WOULD HAVE FALLEN TOGETHER WITH THE LEDGE INTO THE VALLEY AND BEEN KILLED.

187. Rabbi Aba came to him and said, What have you done that the Holy One, blessed be He, performed for you two miracles - SAVING YOU FROM THE SNAKE AND FROM THE LEDGE THAT FELL - for these events did not happen without reason.

188. The man said, In all my days, I forgave and made peace with any man who did evil by me. If I could not make peace with him, I did not sleep on my bed before forgiving him and all those who grieved me. Thus, I did not harbor hatred all that day for the harm he did me. Moreover, from that day on, I tried to do kindness by them.

189. Rabbi Aba wept and said, This man's deeds exceed those of Joseph. As for Joseph, those WHO INJURED HIM were his brothers. Assuredly, he should have pitied them FROM BROTHERHOOD. But this one behaved so TO ANY MAN, so he is greater than Joseph and is worthy to have the Holy One, blessed be He, perform one miracle after the other for his sake.

190. He opened the discussion with the verse, "He that walks uprightly walks surely: but he that perverts his ways shall be found out" (Mishlei 10:9). "He that walks uprightly" refers to the man who walks the ways of the Torah. He will "walk surely" for no fiend in the world will be able to harm him. "...But he that perverts his ways shall be found out." HE ASKS, Who shall be found out? HE ANSWERS, He who deviates from the way of truth and plans to repay his friend EVIL FOR EVIL, THEREBY TRANSGRESSING THE STRICTURE IN THE VERSE, "YOU SHALL NOT AVENGE, NOR BEAR ANY GRUDGE" (VAYIKRA 19:18). The phrase, "shall be found out" means that he will be recognized by all the prosecutors, who will not forget the image of that man and will bring him to where they will execute vengeance upon him MEASURE FOR MEASURE. THE SCRIPTURE therefore READS, "Shall be found out."

191. Come and behold, He who walks the way of truth is hidden by the Holy One, blessed be He, so that he will not be found nor recognized by the prosecutors, "but he that perverts his ways shall be found out" and will be known to them. Happy are the men who walk the way of truth, walk surely in the world, and have no fear in this world or the World to Come.