Wherefore exile, and wherefore to Egypt

Synopsis

Rabbi Elazar begins the discussion by asking his father why God allowed Yisrael to go into exile, and why into Egypt. After receiving encouragement from his father, he interprets the verse, "There are sixty queens, eighty concubines and young women without number." We then learn that God scattered all the nations across the earth and appointed supernal ministers over them, taking Yisrael as His portion. Indeed, God created the world for the sake of Yisrael and endowed it with permanence through Abraham (Wisdom), Isaac (Understanding) and Jacob (Knowledge). Once the twelve Tribes were born to Jacob, the supernal pattern was complete, as ordained from the beginning. If Yisrael assimilated with other nations, all the worlds would become tainted. Therefore, God caused Yisrael to wander the earth until they fell among the Egyptians, who made them slaves and despised them and their customs. Because the Egyptians hated them and would not mingle with them, they became perfected within the Holy Seed (without any mixture of foreign people) and the guilt of the other nations became complete.

Relevance

The term Yisrael is a code for the human soul, the person who successfully nullifies the base impulses of his body in favor of the longings of his soul. The other nations of the world correspond to all our negative desires, borne of ego. Negative angelic forces govern and incite these negative urges, whereas the Light of the Creator inflames the Light of our soul.

Using the power of the Three Column System, the free will to resist selfishness, we can purify ourselves and gain freedom from our egocentric and self-indulgent inclinations, which are known in Kabbalistic terminology as Egypt.

Purification and true spiritual greatness is found when we go into the chaos of this world (Egypt), when we willingly confront our self-centeredness, and use the power of Kabbalah to eradicate every ounce of egotism from our being. We attain purification from the Light cast through these ancient verses. The perfection that has been our destiny since the birth of the cosmos is achieved through our interaction with the letters composing this passage.

Egypt Exile Grades Yeshivah

246. While they were still sitting, Rabbi Elazar said to his father, Rabbi Shimon, Why did the Holy One, blessed be He, cause Yisrael to go down to Egypt in exile? He said to him, Are you asking one question or two questions? RABBI ELAZAR said to him, Two. I AM ASKING: why the exile? And why, PARTICULARLY, in Egypt? Rabbi Shimon said to him, They are two questions that result in one question! RABBI SHIMON said to him, Establish yourself, THAT IS, IN YOUR LEVEL. Because of this you will be established above, IN THE HEAVENLY YESHIVAH, speak in your name. Speak up, my son, speak up.

246. עַד דַּהֲווֹ יַתְבֵי, אר"א לְרִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן אֲבוּי, מֶה חָמָא קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, לְנַחְתָּא יִשְׂרָאֵל, לְמִצְרַיִם בְּגָלוּתָא. א"ל חֲדָא שְׁאֵלְתָּא אַתְּ שָׁאִיל, אוֹ תְּרֵין. א"ל תְּרֵין. גָּלוּתָא לָמָּה. וּלְמִצְרַיִם לְמָּה. א"ל תְּרֵין אִינּוּן וְאִתְחָזְּרוּ לְחַד. א"ל קוּם בְּקִיּוּמָךְ בְּגִינָךְ יִתְקְיָים לְעֵילָּא, מִשְּׁמָךְ הַאי מִלָּה, אֵימָא בְּרִי אֵימָא.

Angels Beasts Doves Job Lights Shechinah Twelve Women

247. He opened the discussion saying: "There are sixty queens, eighty concubines and young women without number" (Shir Hashirim 6:8). "There are sixty queens," are the mighty men of above, from the side of Gvurah, who hold onto the inscriptions, MEANING THE EXTERIORS, of the holy living creature of Yisrael, WHICH IS MALCHUT, AND ARE THEREFORE BAMED AFTER IT: "SIXTY QUEENS." THEY ARE THE ANGELS WHO ARE APPOINTED OVER THE NATIONS, AS WRITTEN FURTHER. "And eighty concubines" are THE ANGELS who are appointed in the inscriptions of the queens which are under THE SIXTY QUEENS. THEREFORE, THEY ARE CALLED 'CONCUBINES' AND NOT 'QUEENS.' "And young women without number," is as is written, "Is there any number to His armies?" (Iyov 25:3). And yet it is written, "My Dove, my undefiled is but one, she is the only one of her mother..." (Shir Hashirim 6:9). This is the Holy Shechinah that emerges from twelve lights, AND IS the brilliance that illuminates everything. Therefore she is called 'mother,' AS IT IS WRITTEN, "SHE IS THE ONLY ONE OF HER MOTHER."

247. פָּתַח וְאָמַר שִׁשִּׁים הֵמָּה מְלָכוֹת וּשְׁמוֹנִים פִּילַגְשִׁים. שִׁשִּׁים הֵמָּה מְלָכוֹת, אִינּוּן גַּבְרַיָּא דִּלְעֵילָּא מֵחֵילָא דִּגְבוּרָא דְּאִתְאַחֲדָן בִּגְלִיפִין, דְּחֵיוָתָא קַדִּישָׁא דְּיִשְׂרָאֵל. וּשְׁמוֹנִים פִּילַגְשִׁים, מְמָנָן בִּגְלִיפוֹי דִּתְחוֹתוֹי. וַעֲלָמוֹת אֵין מִסְפָּר, כד"א הֲיֵשׁ מִסְפָּר לִגְדוּדָיו. וְעִם כָּל דָּא כְּתִיב, אַחַת הִיא יוֹנָתִי תַמָתִי אַחַת הִיא לְאִמָּהּ, דָּא הִיא שְׁכִינְתָּא קַדִּישָׁא דְּנָפְקָא מִתְּרֵיסַר זִיהֲרָא, דְּזִהֲרָא דְּנָהִיר לְכֹלָּא, וְאִיהִי אִתְקְרֵי אִמָא.

Congregation Doves Jacob Shechinah

248. The Holy One, blessed be He, did the same in this world. He cast all the nations to every side and appointed overseers over them, as is written, "Which Hashem your Elohim has allotted to all the nations" (Devarim 4:19). And He, MEANING THE HOLY ONE, BLESSED BE HE, took as His portion the Congregation of Yisrael. This is written, "For Hashem's portion is His people, Jacob is the lot of His inheritance" (Devarim 32:9). And He called it: "My Dove, my undefiled is but one, she is the only one of her Mother." This is the Shechinah of His glory, which He caused to dwell among them. She is the only one and is selected for Him. "The daughters saw her and called her happy," as is written, "Many daughters have done virtuously, but you excel them all" (Mishlei 31:29). "And the queens and the concubines praised her" (Shir Hashirim 6:9). These were the Princes of the nations that were appointed over them.

248. כְּגַוְונָא דָּא עָבִיד קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא בְּאַרְעָא, זָרִיק לְכָל עַמִּין לְכָל עִיבָר, וּמָנֵי עֲלֵיהֶן רַבְרְיבֵי, הה"ד אֲשֶׁר חָלַק ה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ אוֹתָם לְכֹל הָעַמִּים, וְהוּא נָסִיב לְחוּלָקֵיהּ כְּנִישְׁיתָּא דְּיִשְׂרָאֵל, הה"ד כִּי חֵלֶק ה' עַמּוֹ יַעֲקֹב חֶבֶל נַחֲלָתוֹ. וְקָרָא לָהּ אַחַת הִיא יוֹנָתִי תַמָּתִי אַחַת הִיא לְאִמָּהּ, דָּא הִיא שְׁכִינַת יְקָרֵיהּ, דְּאַשְׁרֵי בֵּינֵיהוֹן, אַחַת הִיא וּמְיוּחֶדֶת לֵיהּ. רָאוּהָ בָנוֹת וַיְאַשְּׁרוּהָ, כד"א רַבּוֹת בָּנוֹת עָשֹׁוּ חָיִל וְאַתְּ עָלִית עַל כֻּלָּנָה. מְלָכוֹת וּפִילַגְשִׁים וַיְהַלְּלוּהָ, אִלֵּין רַבְרְבֵי עַמִּין דְּאִתְפָּקְדָן עָלַיְיהוּ.

Abraham Atzilut Chambers Creation Jacob Ten Twelve Twelve Tribes of Israel

249. And another secret we have learned is that the world was created by ten sayings, but when you observe it closely, there are really three through which the world was created - NAMELY Chochmah, Tevunah and Da'at. And the world was created only for Yisrael. When the Holy One, blessed be He, wanted to preserve the world, He did so for Abraham with the secret of Chochmah, for Isaac with the secret of Tevunah, and for Jacob with the secret of Da'at. It is written, "And by knowledge are the chambers filled" (Mishlei 24:4). THIS IS THE SECRET OF CHESED, GVURAH AND TIFERET, WHICH ARE ABRAHAM, ISAAC AND JACOB. THEY ROSE TO BECOME CHOCHMAH, BINAH AND DA'AT. At that moment, the entire world was perfected. And when the twelve tribes were born to Jacob, WHICH ARE THE SECRET OF THE TWELVE DIAGONAL BORDERS, everything was perfected IN THIS WORLD as above IN ATZILUT.

249. וְעוֹד רָזָא דְּמִלָּה הִיא דִּתְּנַן בַּעֲשָׂרָה מַאֲמָרוֹת נִבְרָא הָעוֹלָם, וְכַד תִּסְתָּכַּל תְּלָתָא אִינּוּן, וְעָלְמָא בְּהוּ אִתְבְּרֵי, בְּחָכְמָה וּבִתְבוּנָה וּבְדַעַת, וְעָלְמָא לָא אִתְבְּרֵי אֶלָּא בְּגִינֵיהוֹן דְּיִשְׂרָאֵל, כַּד בָּעָא לְקַיְּימָא עָלְמָא, עָבֵד לְאַבְרָהָם בְּרָזָא דְּחָכְמָה. לְיִצְחָק, בְּרָזָא דִּתְבוּנָה. לְיַעֲקֹב בְּרָזָא דְדַעַת. וּבְהַאי אִתְקְרֵי, וּבְדַעַת חֲדָרִים יִמָּלְאוּ. וּבְהַהִיא שַׁעֲתָא אִשְׁתַּכְלַּל כָּל עָלְמָא. וּמִדְּאִתְיְלִידוּ לְיַעֲקֹב תְּרֵיסַר שְׁבָטִין, אִשְׁתָּכְלַּל כֹּלָּא, כְּגַוְונָא דִּלְעֵילָּא.

Egypt Grades Head Heaven Righteous Sin Slavery Testimony Tribes Twelve Twelve Tribes of Israel

250. When the Holy One, blessed be He, saw the great joy of this world when it was perfected as above, He said, 'Heaven forbid that THE TWELVE TRIBES become mixed among the other nations and there will remain a blemish in all the worlds.' What did the Holy One, blessed be He, do? He caused them to move from here to there until they descended to Egypt to settle in their homes among a stiff-necked people who ridiculed their customs, were too scornful to intermarry with them and to mingle with them, and considered them slaves. The men scorned them and the women scorned them, until they became perfected completely into a holy seed, WITHOUT ANY MIXTURE OF A FOREIGN PEOPLE. In the meantime, the sin of the nations was completed as is written, "For the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full" (Beresheet 15:16). When they left, they left holy and righteous as is written, "The tribes of Yah, as a testimony for Yisrael" (Tehilim 122:4). Rabbi Shimon came and kissed him on his head, and said to him, stand in your position, my son - MEANING AT YOUR LEVEL - for the moment is at your command.

250. כַּד חָמָא קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא חֶדָוָותָא סַגִּיאָה דְהַאי עָלְמָא תַּתָּאָה, דְּאִשְׁתַּכְלַּל כְּגַוְונָא דִּלְעֵילָּא, אָמַר, דִּילְמָא ח"ו יִתְעָרְבוּן בִּשְׁאַר עַמָמִין, וְיִשְׁתְּאַר פְּגִימוּתָא בְּכֻלְּהוּ עָלְמִין. מַה עָבֵד קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, טִלְטֵל לְכֻלְּהוּ מֵהָכָא לְהָכָא, עַד דְּנַחְתּוּ לְמִצְרַיִם, לְמֵידָר דִּיּוּרֵיהוֹן בְּעַם קְשֵׁי קְדָל, דִּמְבַזִּין נִמּוּסֵיהוֹן, וּמְבַזִּין לְהוֹן לְאִתְחַתְּנָא בְּהוּ, וּלְאִתְעָרְבָא בַּהֲדַיְיהוּ, וַחֲשִׁיבוּ לְהוֹן עַבְדִין. גּוּבְרִין גָּעֲלָן בְּהוֹן, נוּקְבְתָא גָּעֲלָן בְּהוֹן עַד דְּאִשְׁתַּכְלָּל כֹּלָּא בְזַרְעָא קַדִּישָׁא, וּבֵין כַּךְ וּבֵין כַּךְ שְׁלִים חוֹבָא דִּשְׁאַר עַמִּין, דִּכְתִּיב כִּי לֹא שָׁלֵם עֲוֹן הָאֱמוֹרִי עַד הֵנָּה. וְכַד נָפְקוּ, נָפְקוּ זַכָּאִין קַדִּישִׁין, דִּכְתִּיב שִׁבְטֵי יָהּ עֵדוּת לְיִשְׂרָאֵל. אָתָא ר' שִׁמְעוֹן וּנְשָׁקֵיהּ בְּרֵישֵׁיהּ, א"ל קָאֵים בְּרִי בְּקִיּוּמָךְ, דְּשַׁעְתָּא קַיְּימָא לָךְ.