"And he saw Benjamin"

209. "And he lifted up his eyes, and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother's son" (Beresheet 43:29). Rabbi Chiya opened the discussion with the verse, "Hope deferred makes the heart sick (lit. 'is a heart sickness'), but desire fulfilled is a Tree of Life" (Mishlei 13:12). From this verse, we have learned that a man should not, when he prays to the Holy One, blessed be He, check whether HIS SALVATION has come or not. What is the reason for this? When he looks for it, many accusers come to examine his deeds.

210. It is a secret that his examination during prayer causes a heart sickness. The sickness of heart is he who always stands by man to indict him above and below, NAMELY THE SATAN.

211. "But desire fulfilled is a Tree of Life." We have learned that he who wants the Holy One, blessed be He, to accept his prayer, should study the Torah, which is the Tree of Life. Then, "desire is fulfilled (lit. 'comes')." Desire is the grade presiding over all the prayers in the world, NAMELY THE NUKVA. It brings them before the highest King, ZEIR ANPIN. This verse says "comes" just as elsewhere it is written, "in the evening she comes" (Ester 2:14). IN BOTH VERSES, THE WORD 'COMES' ALLUDES TO THE NUKVA. The meaning of "desire comes" is that she comes before the highest King TO BE JOINED WITH HIM in order to grant the wish of he WHO PRAYS TO FULFILL HIS REQUEST.

212. Another explanation of the verse, "Hope deferred is a heart sickness" is that it refers to a place where prayer is misdirected, A PLACE CALLED "SICKNESS OF HEART." It is slow in coming and is passed from hand to hand. Sometimes SALVATION never comes. Why? Because it is passed FROM HAND TO HAND by all the chieftains to be brought down into the world.

213. "...But desire comes is a Tree of Life:" When hope is not passed by all the chieftains and Chariots FROM HAND TO HAND, the Holy One, blessed be He, gives it immediately. For when it is passed by the chieftains and Chariots, numerous accusers are given permission to examine it and look at the indictments before granting him HIS SALVATION. But whatever comes from the King's house and is given to man, whether he deserves it or not, is given to him at once. This is the meaning of the phrase, "but desire comes is a Tree of Life;" IT COMES IMMEDIATELY.

214. Another explanation of "hope deferred" is that it refers to Jacob whose hope to see Joseph was long deferred. And "but desire comes is a Tree of Life" refers to Benjamin, for only a short time elapsed between Joseph's request for him and his arrival; the time elapsed was short. It is written, "And he lifted up his eyes, and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother's son." Why does the scripture read, "His mother's son?" Because he had his mother's image, he was her very image. Therefore the verse reads, "And he lifted up his eyes, and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother's son."

215. Rabbi Yosi said, It is written earlier, "And Joseph saw Benjamin with them" (Beresheet 43:16), and now "he lifted up his eyes, and saw his brother Benjamin." What did he see here? HE ANSWERS, He saw through the Holy Spirit that Benjamin will have a place in the Holy Land along with his brothers, and that the Shechinah will dwell in the place of Benjamin and Judah, for he saw the Temple standing upon their portion. This is the meaning of the phrase, "And Joseph saw Benjamin with them." But Joseph, his brother, did not see HIMSELF sharing the portion IN WHICH THE TEMPLE WOULD STAND.

216. When "he lifted up his eyes, and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother's son" AND SAW THE TEMPLE STANDING ON HIS PORTION, then it is written, "And Joseph made haste, for his affection was kindled towards his brother and he sought where to weep; and he entered into his chamber, and wept there" (Beresheet 43:30), BECAUSE HE SAW THE DESTRUCTION OF THE TEMPLE.

217. Rabbi Chizkiah quoted the verse, "The burden of the valley of vision. What ails you now, that you are wholly gone up to the housetops" (Yeshayah 22:1). Come and behold, It has been said that when the Temple was destroyed and consumed by fire, all the priests went up to the roofs of the Temple with all the Temple's keys in their hands. They said "until now we have been Your treasurers, from now on take what is Yours."

218. Yet come and behold, "The valley of vision" is the Shechinah who used to be in the Temple, and all the people in the world drew prophecy from Her. And although the prophets used to prophesy from a different place, THAT IS, NETZACH AND HOD OF ZEIR ANPIN, they used to draw their prophecies from Her, THE NUKVA. BECAUSE NETZACH AND HOD OF ZEIR ANPIN GAVE PLENTY TO THE SHECHINAH, WHO GAVE THE ILLUMINATION OF NETZACH AND HOD TO THE PROPHETS, She is therefore named after prophecy "the valley of vision." It has been explained THAT SHE IS CALLED vision, because She reflects all the upper hues. THE FOUR HUES OF ZEIR ANPIN, CHOCHMAH AND BINAH, TIFERET AND MALCHUT, ARE REFLECTED ONLY IN HER. SHE IS THEREFORE CALLED VISION.

219. "What ails you now, that you are wholly gone up to the housetops?" When the Temple was destroyed, the Shechinah stood in all the places She used to inhabit and wept for Her apartment, for Yisrael who went into exile, and for all the righteous and the pious who perished there. How do we know this? From the words, "A voice was heard in Rama, lamentation, and bitter weeping; Rachel weeping for her children" (Yirmeyah 31:14). RACHEL WAS THE NAME OF THE SHECHINAH, as we have already learned. The Holy One, blessed be He, then asked the Shechinah, "What ails you now, that you are wholly gone up to the housetops?"

220. HE ASKS, Why does it say that "you are wholly?" It would have been sufficient to say that "you are gone up TO THE HOUSETOPS." What does wholly mean? HE REPLIES, It includes all the other legions and Chariots that all wept with Her for the destruction of the Temple. IT IS THEREFORE WRITTEN "THAT YOU ARE WHOLLY GONE UP TO THE HOUSETOPS."

221. Therefore, HE ASKED HER, "What ails you now..." She replied, My children are in exile and the Temple burnt, AND YOU DO NOT KNOW, and as for me, whatever shall I do here. She said, "You that are full of uproar, a tumultuous city, a joyous city: your slain men are not slain with the sword, nor dead in battle." "Therefore, said I, 'Look away from me; I will weep bitterly'" (Yeshayah 22:2, 4). We have learned that the Holy One, blessed be He, replied, "Thus says Hashem; keep your voice from weeping..." (Yirmeyah 31:15).

222. Come and behold, Since the Temple was destroyed, not a day has passed without curses. This is because as long as the Temple existed, Yisrael could worship and offer burnt offerings and sacrifices. The Shechinah hovered about them in the Temple, as a mother about her children. All faces were shining, until blessings would abide above and below. Not a day passed without blessings and delight. Yisrael dwelt securely in their land, and all the world was nourished for their sake.

223. Now that the Temple is destroyed and the Shechinah has gone with them into exile, there is not a day without curses. The world is accursed, and joys do not dwell above or below.

224. In days to come, the Holy One, blessed be He, will raise the Congregation of Yisrael, THE SHECHINAH, from the dust, as it is written, "Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer" (Yeshayah 56:7). It is also written, "They shall come with weeping, and with supplications will I lead them" (Yirmeyah 31:8). Because at first, it is written, "She weeps sore in the night, and her tears are on her cheeks" (Eichah 1:2), they will afterward return weeping FROM THE EXILE, as it is written, "They shall come with weeping."