238. Let us return to the former subject: "And to Joseph were born two sons before the years of famine came" (Beresheet 41:50). Rabbi Yitzchak quoted the verse, "And the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many peoples like dew from Hashem, like the showers upon the grass, that tarries not for man, nor waits for the sons of men" (Michah 5:6). Come and behold, Every day, when light breaks, a bird awakens on a tree in the Garden of Eden and crows three times. The twig is straightened, and the crier loudly warns, Whoever among you see but see not; exist in the world, yet do not know why; do not care for the glory of their Master; and do not study the Torah even though it stands before you -- it is better for you never to have been born. Why should you exist without understanding? Woe to you, when the days of evil shall bestir themselves against you and banish you from the world.

239. HE ASKS, What are the days of evil? Can they be days of old age? Not so, for days of old age, if man has children and grandchildren, are good days. What, then, are days of evil?

240. They are mentioned in the verse, "Remember now your creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come" (Kohelet 12:1). These are not days of old age. The mystery here is that when the Holy One, blessed be He, created the world, He did it through the letters of the Torah. Each letter came before Him, until they came to be established by the letter Bet, WHICH IS IN THE SECRET OF BLESSING (HEB. BERACHAH), FOR WHICH REASON THE WORLD WAS CREATED BY IT. All the alphabets along with their various permutations, THE 231 FORWARD ALPHABETS AND THE 231 BACKWARD ALPHABETS, AS WE KNOW, are means WITH WHICH to create the world, HAVING RECEIVED THE SECRET OF BLESSING FROM THE LETTER BET.

241. After the letters were permutated INTO AN ALPHABET IN WHICH THE LETTERS Tet and Resh appear together, the Tet ascended and would not settle together WITH RESH. The Holy One, blessed be He, rebuked her and said, Tet, Tet, why do you ascend and not settle in your place?' She replied, You have made me the first letter in the word Tov (good), and the Torah opened by saying "that it was good" IN THE VERSE, "AND ELOHIM SAW THE LIGHT, THAT IT WAS GOOD" (BERESHEET 1:3). How could I be united with Resh, WHICH IS THE FIRST LETTER IN THE WORD Ra (evil)?

242. He said to her, return to your place, for you have need OF THE LETTER RA. For I wish to create man and include both of you together in him. Then he will be created, but with you on the right and her on the left. The letters Tet and Resh settled together with each other.

243. The Holy One, blessed be He, then divided them, AND SEPARATED THEIR ILLUMINATION, THE ONE BEING WHOLLY GOOD AND THE OTHER WHOLLY EVIL. And He created for each certain days and years, THE SECRET OF THE 28 TIMES IN KOHELET, the ones to the right and the others to the left, FOURTEEN TIMES FOR GOOD AND FOURTEEN FOR EVIL. The ones to the right are called days of good, and the ones to the left are called days of evil. Solomon said, "Before the evil days come" and encompass man on account of the sins he committed. Once the days of good and days of evil were created, TET AND RESH settled together again to be included within man.

244. David therefore asked, "Why should I fear in the days of evil, when the iniquity of my persecutors compasses me about" (Tehilim 49:6), the days of evil assuredly. There is a mystery in that THE ILLUMINATION OF THE LEFT is called days of famine and years of famine, and THE ILLUMINATION OF THE RIGHT is called days of plenty and years of plenty.

245. The secret is that one should not draw forth the source of the Holy Covenant, THAT IS, NOT PERFORM MARITAL DUTY, in days or years of famine. Joseph, therefore, the secret of the Covenant, closed his spring in the year of famine and did not allow it to multiply in the world. HENCE THE WORDS, "AND TO JOSEPH WERE BORN...BEFORE THE YEARS OF FAMINE CAME" (BERESHEET 41:50). When the year of famine reigns, it behooves man to withhold the spring of his Hholy Covenant and not enable THE LEFT to multiply in the world.

246. Rabbi Shimon said, It is a very deep mystery that when the year of famine, THE ILLUMINATION OF THE LEFT, has sway, it behooves man to stop his source FROM BEGETTING CHILDREN FOR TWO REASONS, (1) If he does not stop his source, he would draw upon the baby a spirit from the LEFT side, and (2) He would thus give a place to that side, thereby strengthening the side of defilement in this world at the expense of the side of holiness. Regarding this secret, the scripture also reads, "For three things the earth quakes" (Mishlei 30:21).

247. For that reason, Joseph the Righteous, who is the secret of the Covenant, ascended to stop his source during the year of famine, so as not to mingle at all WITH THE LEFT and prevent it from ruling OVER THE RIGHT. Of whoever lets his source flow at that time, it is written, "They have dealt treacherously against Hashem: for they have begotten strange children" (Hoshea 5:7), for the children HE BEGETS DURING THE YEARS OF FAMINE are by necessity strange children. ACCORDING TO THE FIRST REASON GIVEN BY RABBI SHIMON, HE DRAWS UPON THE BABY A SPIRIT OF THAT SIDE. Assuredly, "They have dealt treacherously against Hashem" BECAUSE, ACCORDING TO THE SECOND REASON, THEY LET THE LEFT BE STRONGER THAN THE RIGHT AND THUS BETRAYED THE NAME OF HASHEM. Therefore, happy is the portion of holy Yisrael, who did not substitute a place of holiness with that of impurity.