Two tears into the Great Sea

Synopsis

Rabbi Elazar explains that when God has mercy on Yisrael, He suppresses the attribute of Judgment by dropping two tears (signifying two attributes of Judgment) into the Great Sea (signifying the Sea of Wisdom) in order to sweeten them. In this way, He turns the attribute of Justice into the attribute of Compassion.

Rabbi Yitzchak then clarifies the apparent contradiction in the verse, "Behold, Egypt marched after them," explaining that it refers to the deposed and powerless supernal minister of Egypt.

Finally, Rabbi Aba answers Rabbi Yosi's question regarding the verse, "Behold, the day of Hashem comes..." This, we are told, refers to the day on which God will Judge the heathen nations and their ministers will fall from power.

Relevance

All our negative impulses originate in a supernal negative force or evil angel that attempts to influence and manipulate us throughout our day. Each time we yield to an evil urge, we strengthen that supernal angel. His influence grows stronger in the world he is free to inflict judgment upon us.

Every time we resist a wicked impulse, we diminish the negative angel's power. In addition, each time we shed tears of repentance for our misdeeds and make the effort to abolish the traits that originally caused them, we awaken the compassionate force of mercy, which tempers and sweetens judgments decreed against us. Thus, we learn that our every deed is vital to the world and stands like a lock-keeper with his hands upon the wheel: a turn to the left, and the river of Light is shut out; a turn to the right, and it pours through again in a torrent of blinding Glory that overflows its banks, washing away darkness and judgment.

Our own tearful meditation upon these holy verses turns the wheel to the right, unleashing mercy, compassion, and clemency into our world. These awesome forces of kindness ensure that our Redemption unfolds in a gentle and pleasant manner, as opposed to one filled with pain and suffering.

Judgment Mercy Seas

342. אָמַר רִבִּי אֶלְעָזָר, בֹּא וּרְאֵה רַחֲמָנוּתוֹ שֶׁל הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, כְּשֶׁהוּא מְרַחֵם עַל יִשְׂרָאֵל, כּוֹפֶה למדה"ד, וּמוֹרִידָהּ, וּמְרַחֵם עֲלֵיהֶם. וְהַיְינוּ דִּתְנָן, שֶׁהַּקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מוֹרִיד שְׁתֵּי דְּמָעוֹת לַיָּם הַגָּדוֹל. מַאן אִינּוּן שְׁתֵּי דְּמָעוֹת. אָמַר רִבִּי יוֹסֵי, לָאו מִלָּא בְּרִירָא הִיא, דְּהָא א"ל לְאוֹבָא טַמְיָא, דְּהוּא כָּדִיב, וּמִלֵיה כְּדִיבָן.

Judgment Seas Ten Wisdom

343. Rabbi Elazar said, We do not follow the Klipah of necromancy. IT IS NOT SO, RATHER the clarification of the matter is, because we learned that in the ten Sfirot of the King there are two tears to the Holy One, blessed be He, and they are two attributes of Judgment. Judgment comes from both of them, as is written, "These two things have befallen you" (Yeshayah 51:19). And when the Holy One, blessed be He, remembers His children, He lowers them to the Great Sea, the Sea of Wisdom, WHICH IS MALCHUT, to sweeten them. THEN the attribute of Judgment IN MALCHUT is changed into the attribute of Mercy and has compassion for them. Rabbi Yehuda said, There are two tears, from where the tears come, and Judgment comes.

343. א"ר אֶלְעָזָר, לָאו בָּתַר אוֹבָא טַמְיָא אַזְלִינָן, דִּבְרִירָא דְּמִלָּה הוּא, דִּתְנָן, בַּעֲשָׂרָה כִּתְרֵי מַלְכָּא, אִית תְּרֵין דִּמְעִין לקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, וְהֵן שְׁתֵּי מִדּוֹת דִּין, שֶׁהַדִּין בָּא מִשְּׁתֵּיהֶן, כד"א, שְׁתַּיִם הִנֵּה קוֹרְאוֹתַיִךְ. וּכְשֶׁהַקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא זוֹכֵר אֶת בָּנָיו, הוּא מוֹרִיד אוֹתָם לַיָּם הַגָּדוֹל, שֶׁהוּא יָם הַחָכְמָה לְהַמְתִּיקָן, וְהוֹפֵךְ מִדַּת הַדִּין לְמִדַּת רַחֲמִים, וּמְרַחֵם עָלַיְיהוּ. א"ר יְהוּדָה, שְׁתֵּי דְּמָעוֹת, שֶׁמֵּהֶם בָּאִים הַדְּמָעוֹת, מֵהֶם בָּא הַדִּין.

Egypt

344. Rabbi Yehuda said, It is written, "And behold, Egypt marched after them" (Shemot 14:10). And Rabbi Yosi said, This is the minister of Egypt. IT APPEARS THAT HE WAS STILL IN AUTHORITY AT THE TIME THE CHILDREN OF YISRAEL LEFT EGYPT, yet you say that, "And the king of Egypt died" (Shemot 2:23), refers to the minister of Egypt, AND THIS WAS BEFORE YISRAEL LEFT EGYPT. Rabbi Yitzchak said these words OF RABBI YOSI ARE NOT CONTRADICTORY, BUT EVEN maintain the above explanation of the passage, WHICH IS THAT THE KING OF EGYPT DIED. For it is written here, "And, behold, Egypt," and there, "And the king of Egypt died." This teaches that AFTER THE EXODUS FROM EGYPT, there was no king, because BEFOREHAND they had removed him from his high position. Therefore, it is written, "And, behold, Egypt" instead of, 'And, behold, the king of Egypt.' "And...died" DOES NOT MEAN THAT HE WAS NULLIFIED ALTOGETHER, ONLY THAT THEY REMOVED HIM FROM HIS HIGH POSITION AND HE COULD NO LONGER DO HARM, as it is written, "For all the men are dead who sought your life" (Shemot 4:19). THIS MEANS THAT THEY CAN NO LONGER DO HARM; ALSO, "DIED" MEANS HERE THAT HE COULD NO LONGER DO HARM BECAUSE HE HAD BEEN REMOVED FROM HIS HIGH POSITION!

344. א"ר יְהוּדָה כְּתִיב, וְהִנֵּה מִצְרַיִם נוֹסֵעַ אַחֲרֵיהֶם. וא"ר יוֹסֵי זֶה שַׂר שֶׁל מִצְרַיִם, הוּא, וְאַתְּ אָמַרְתְּ וַיָּמָת מֶלֶךְ מִצְרַיִם, זֶה שַׂר שֶׁל מִצְרַיִם. א"ר יִצְחָק, הַאי מִלָּה קָא מְסַיֵּיעַ לְהַהוּא דִּלְעֵילָּא, כְּתִיב הָכָא וְהִנֵּה מִצְרַיִם, וּכְתִיב הָתָם וַיָּמָת מֶלֶךְ מִצְרַיִם. מְלַמֵּד דְּעַכְשָׁיו לֹא הָיָה מֶלֶךְ, דְּהוֹרִידוּהוּ מִגְּדוּלָתוֹ. וּלְפִיכָךְ כְּתִיב, וְהִנֵּה מִצְרַיִם, וְלָא כְּתִיב מֶלֶךְ מִצְרַיִם. וּמַה דְּאָמַר וַיָּמָת. כד"א כִּי מֵתוּ כָּל הָאֲנָשִׁים הַמְבַקְשִׁים אֶת נַפְשֶׁךָ.

Egypt Pharaoh, The

345. Said Rabbi Yitzchak, said Rabbi Yehoshua (meaning?): Come and behold. All the kings of Egypt were named Pharaoh, yet here it says merely that the king of Egypt DIED, AND DOES NOT SAY 'PHARAOH, THE KING OF EGYPT.' THAT IS BECAUSE WHAT IS BEING DISCUSSED IS THE MINISTER OF EGYPT, AS MENTIONED EARLIER, AND IF IT WERE WRITTEN 'Pharaoh' instead, then it would actually mean Pharaoh AND NOT THE MINISTER OF EGYPT. Come and behold, as long as there is rule over the nation above BY THE MINISTER, there is rule over the nation below. When dominion above is removed FROM THE MINISTER OF THE NATION, then dominion below is also removed.

345. א"ר יִצְחָק א"ר יְהוֹשֻׁעַ, בֹּא וּרְאֵה, כָּל מַלְכֵי מִצְרַיִם פַּרְעֹה שְׁמָם. וּבְכָאן לֹא נֶאֱמַר אֶלָּא מֶלֶךְ מִצְרַיִם סְתָם. וּבִמְקוֹמוֹ פַּרְעֹה, וְהוּא פַּרְעֹה מַמָּשׁ. תָּא חֲזֵי, בְּעוֹד דְּאִית שׁוּלְטָנוּתָא דִּלְעֵילָּא, אִית שׁוּלְטָנוּתָא בְּעַמָּא דִּלְתַתָּא, אִתְעָדֵי שׁוּלְטָנוּתָא דִּלְעֵילָּא, אִתְעָדֵי שׁוּלְטָנוּתָא דִּלְתַתָּא.

Judgment

346. Rabbi Yosi said, It is written, "Behold, the day of Hashem comes..." (Zecharyah 14:1), "but it shall one day be known as Hashem's..." (Ibid. 7). HE ASKS, And are not the rest of the days also Hashem's? Rabbi Aba said, It teaches that the other days are given over to the ministers, and that day will be of the Holy One, blessed be He, and not the ministers' in order to execute judgment upon the heathen. On that day, all the ministers will fall from their high positions and it is therefore written, "And Hashem alone will be exalted on that day" (Yeshayah 2:17). Because on that day, the ministers will have no exaltation.

346. א"ר יוֹסֵי, כְּתִיב הִנֵּה יוֹם בָּא לַיְיָ' וְגוֹ' וְהָיָה יוֹם אֶחָד הוּא יִוָּדַע לַיְיָ' וְגוֹ.' וְכִי שְׁאַר יוֹמִין לָאו אִינּוּן דִּילֵיהּ. אֶלָּא אָמַר רִבִּי אַבָּא, מְלַמֵּד, שֶׁשְּׁאָר הַיָּמִים, נִתָּנִים לְשָׂרִים, וְאוֹתוֹ יוֹם, אֵינוֹ שֶׁל הַשָּׂרִים, אֶלָּא שֶׁל הַקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, כְּדֵי לַעֲשׂוֹת דִּין בעכו"ם. מִפְּנֵי שֶׁבְּאוֹתוֹ יוֹם, יִפְּלוּ כָּל הַשָּׂרִים מִמַּעֲלָתָם. וע"ד כְּתִיב, וְנִשְׂגַּב ה' לְבַדּוֹ בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא. שֶׁאוֹתוֹ יוֹם לֹא יִהְיֶה מַעֲלָה לְשָּׂרִים.