Vayechi: Chapter 18

"And the time drew near for Israel to die," part two

Synopsis

Rabbi Yehuda opens the discussion by describing that every day a herald resounded in 250 worlds, in which two birds, one going to the north and the other to the south, would return to report the trembling of the world. When a man's end draws near, his legs, like the birds upon their return, become trapped, called "the day of Hashem." A man's spirit must be righteous in order to have it sucked from him by God. Rabbi Yosi further explains that when a man is about to die, if he is righteous, it is proclaimed for thirty days by those in the Garden of Eden.

Relevance

Here, the purifying Light of The Creator cleanses our soul and awakens us to the value and importance of spiritual growth, so that we will merit a high place in the World to Come. The World to Come refers to both the Garden of Eden and to our present lifetime in this material realm. A man's end can refer to both his demise and to the end of his negative and wicked ways in this physical world.

Israel

134. We learned "And the time drew near for Israel to die" (Beresheet 47:29). Rabbi Yehuda said, Woe to the world, who do not see, nor hear or know that on each and every day, a herald resounds in 250 worlds.

134. תַּנְיָא, וַיִּקְרְבוּ יְמֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לָמוּת א"ר יְהוּדָה, וַוי לְעַלְמָא, דְּהָא בְּנֵי נָשָׁא לָא חָמָאן וְלָא שְׁמָעָן, וְלָא יָדְעִין דְּהָא כָּל יוֹמָא וְיוֹמָא, קָלָא דְּכָרוֹזָא אִשְׁתְּמַע, בְּמָאתָן וְחַמְשִׁין עָלְמִין.

Birds Death Death and the Afterlife Nukva Tree

135. We learned about a certain world above, THE NUKVA. When the herald goes forth AND MAKES IT WHOLE, the world shudders and trembles. Two birds come out from that world, that live under the tree in which is the appearance of life and death.

135. תָּנָא, עַלְמָא חָדָא, אִשְׁתְּמוֹדַע לְעֵילָא, וְכַד כָּרוֹזָא נָפֵיק, הַהוּא עַלְמָא מִזְדַּעְזְעָא וּמִתְחַלְחְלָא, נָפְקֵי תְּרֵין צִפֳּרִין, דְּאִסְתַּלָּקוּ מֵהַהוּא עַלְמָא, דִּמְדוֹרֵיהוֹן תְּחוֹת אִילָנָא דְּחֵיזוּ דְחַיֵּי וּמוֹתָא בֵּיהּ.

Birds North South

136. One bird goes to the south side, and the other bird to the north side; the one goes with daybreak and the other when the day darkens. Each cries out what it heard from the herald.

136. נָפְקָא חַד צִפּוֹרָא לִסְטַר דָּרוֹמָא, וְחַד צִפּוֹרָא לִסְטַר צָפוֹנָא, וְחַד צִפּוֹרָא כַּד נָהֵיר יְמָמָא, וְחַד כַּד אִתְחֲשַׁךְ יְמָמָא, כָּל חַד וְחַד קָרֵי וּמַכְרְזָא, מַה דְּשָׁמְעִין מֵהַהוּא כָּרוֹזָא.

Abyss Birds Midnight

137. Later, they wish to return to their place but their legs stumble on a hollow in the great abyss and they are trapped there until midnight, when the herald proclaims, "And like the birds that are caught in the snare; so are the sons of men snared" (Kohelet 9:12).

137. לְבָתַר בָּעוֹ לְאִסְתַּלָּקָא לְאַתְרַיְיהוּ, וּמִשְׁתַּמְטֵי רַגְלַיְיהוּ, בְּנוּקְבָא דִתְהוֹמָא רַבָּא, וּמִתְלַכְּדָן בְּגַוֵּיהּ, עַד דְּאִתְפְּלֵיג לֵילְיָא. כַּד אִתְפְּלֵיג לֵילְיָא, כָּרוֹזָא קָרֵי, וְכַצִּפֳּרִים הָאֲחֻזוֹת בַּפָּח כָּהֵם יוּקָשִׁים בְּנֵי הָאָדָם.

Crowns Nukva Seventy Year

138. Rabbi Yehuda said, When man's legs are trapped and his time draws near, that day is called "the day of Hashem" when he returns the spirit to Him. We have learned that at that time, the holy crown visits the spirit OF THAT MAN. What is it? According to the verse, "The days of our years are seventy" (Tehilim 90:10) it is the seventh crown of all, NAMELY THE NUKVA, WHICH IS THE SEVENTH, FINAL, SFIRAH.

138. א"ר יְהוּדָה, בְּשַׁעְתָּא דְּמִתְלַכְּדָן רַגְלוֹי דִּבְנֵי נָשָׁא, וְיוֹמוֹי אִתְקְרִיבוּ, הַהוּא יוֹמָא, אִתְקְרֵי יוֹם ה,' לַאֲתָבָא רוּחֵיהּ לֵיהּ. תָּנָא בְּהַהִיא שַׁעְתָּא, פַּקְדָא הַהוּא כִּתְרָא קַדִּישָׁא, עַל רוּחֵיהּ, וּמַאן אִיהוּ, דִּכְתִיב יְמֵי שְׁנוֹתֵינוּ בָהֶם שִׁבְעִים שָׁנָה. וְהִיא כִּתְרָא שְׁבִיעָאָה דְּכֹלָּא.

Crowns Nukva Seven Strength Year

139. If THE NUKVA comes TO MAN from the side of Gvurah, NAMELY BINAH ABOVE THE SEVEN SFIROT CHESED, GVURAH, TIFERET, NETZACH, HOD, YESOD AND MALCHUT, it is written, "Or if by special strength (Heb. gvurot), eighty years" (Tehilim 90:10) since the crown of Gvurah is the eighth. From that time onward, life cannot be prolonged, as it says, "Yet their pride is but trouble and wretchedness" (Ibid.), for when there is no foundation, the building will not endure.

139. וְאִם מִסִּטְרָא דִגְבוּרָה קָאֳתֵי, כְּתִיב, וְאִם בִּגְבוּרוֹת שְׁמֹנִים שָׁנָה, דְּכִתְרָא דִּגְבוּרָה תְּמִינָאָה הֲוֵי, מִכָּאן וּלְהָלְאָה, לֵית אֲתַר לְאִתְמְשַׁךְ, כְּמָה דְאַתְּ אָמֵר, וְרָהְבָּם עָמָל וָאָוֶן, בַּאֲתַר דְּלָא הֲוֵי יְסוֹדָא, בִּנְיָינָא לָא אִתְקַיַּים.

Righteous

140. Rabbi Yehuda said, Happy are the righteous when the Holy One, blessed be He, wishes to take back their spirits to Himself and suck their spirits from within them. For we have learned that when the Holy One, blessed be He, desires to recall the spirit, if it be a righteous spirit, it is written, "And the spirit returns to the Elohim who gave it" (Tehilim 12:7).

140. א"ר יְהוּדָה, זַכָּאִין אִינוּן צַדִּיקַיָא, כַּד קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא בָּעָא לַאֲתָבָא רוּחֵיהּ לֵיהּ, וּלְשָׁאֲבָא הַהוּא רוּחָא בְּגַוֵּיהּ. דְּתַנְיָא, בְּשַׁעְתָּא דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא בָּעָא לַאֲתָבָא רוּחֵיהּ לֵיהּ, אִי זַכָּאָה הוּא הַהוּא רוּחָא, מַה כְּתִיב, וְהָרוּחַ תָּשׁוּב אֶל הָאֱלֹקִים אֲשֶׁר נְתָנָהּ.

Body Correction Eyes Fire Purification Righteous Samuel Soul, The Stone

141. If it is not found to be righteous, woe to that spirit, which must bathe in the burning fire and be purified in order to be sucked into the body of the King, NAMELY THE HOLY ONE, BLESSED BE HE. If it is not corrected, woe to that spirit, which rolls like a stone in the hollow of the sling, as it is written, "And the souls of your enemies, them shall he sling out, as out of the hollow of a sling" (I Shmuel 25:29). We learned that if the spirit is worthy, much good is stored for it in that world, as it is written, "Neither has the eye seen, that an Elohim, beside You, should do such a thing for he that waits for Him" (Yeshayah 64:3).

141. וְאִי לָא אִשְׁתַּכַּח זַכָאָה, וַוי לְהַהוּא רוּחָא, דְּבָעֵי לְאִסְתַּחָאָה בְּנוּרָא דְּדָלֵיק, וּלְאִתְתַּקָּנָא בְּגִין לְאִשְׁתָּאֲבָא בְּגוּפָא דְמַלְכָּא, וְאִי לָא אִתְתַּקָּנַת, וַוי לְהַהוּא רוּחָא, דְמִתְגַּלְגְּלָא כְּאַבְנָא בְּקוֹסְפֵיתָא, דִּכְתִיב וְאֶת נֶפֶשׁ אֹיְבֶיךָ יְקַלְּעֶנָּה בְּתוֹךְ כַּף הַקָּלַע. תַּנְיָא, אִי הַהוּא רוּחָא זָכֵי, כַּמָּה טָבִין גְּנִיזִין לֵיהּ בְּהַהוּא עַלְמָא, דִּכְתִיב עַיִן לֹא רָאָתָה אֱלֹקִים זוּלָתְךָ יַעֲשֶׂה לִמְחַכֵּה לוֹ.

Birds Garden of Eden Righteous

142. Rabbi Yosi said, When the time approaches for a man TO DIE, it is proclaimed in the world for thirty days THAT HIS TIME HAS COME TO DIE. Even the birds in the sky proclaim it, and if he is righteous, it is proclaimed for thirty days among the righteous in the Garden of Eden.

142. א"ר יוֹסֵי, כַּד הַהוּא בַּר נָשׁ אִתְקְרִיבוּ יוֹמוֹי, תְּלָתִין יוֹמִין מַכְרִיזֵי עֲלוֹי בְּעַלְמָא וַאֲפִילּוּ צִפֳּרֵי שְׁמַיָא מַכְרִיזִין עֲלוֹי, וְאִי זַכָּאָה הוּא, תְּלָתִין יוֹמִין מַכְרִיזִין עֲלוֹי בֵּין צַדִּיקַיָא, בְּגִינְתָא דְעֵדֶן.

Ground Shadow Soul, The

143. We have learned that all these thirty days, the soul ascends from him each night to go up and look at its place in that world, yet the man does not know ABOUT THIS, nor does he care or have control over his soul during these thirty days like before, as it is written, "There is no man who has power over the spirit to retain the spirit" (Kohelet 8:8). Rabbi Yehuda said, At the beginning of the thirty days, the man's shadow is darkened, and the shape OF THE SHADOW is not seen upon the ground.

143. תָּנָא, כָּל אִינוּן תְּלָתִין יוֹמִין, נִשְׁמָתֵיהּ נָפְקַת מִנֵּיהּ בְּכָל לֵילְיָא, וְסָלְקַת וְחָמַאת דּוּכְתָּהּ בְּהַהוּא עַלְמָא, וְהַהוּא ב"נ לָא יָדַע, וְלָא אַשְׁגַּח, וְלָא שַׁלֵּיט בְּנִשְׁמָתֵיהּ, כָּל אִינוּן תְּלָתִין יוֹמִין, כְּמָה דַּהֲוָה בְּקַדְמֵיתָא, דִּכְתִיב אֵין אָדָם שַׁלִּיט בָּרוּחַ לִכְלֹא אֶת הָרוּחַ וגו.' א"ר יְהוּדָה, מִכַּד שָׁרָאן אִינוּן תְּלָתִין יוֹמִין, צַלְמָא דְּב"נ אִתְחֲשַׁךְ, וּדְיוֹקְנָא דְאִתְחֲזֵי בְּאַרְעָא אִתְמְנָעַת.

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