"Judah you are he whom your brethren shall praise"

567. "Judah, you are..." (Beresheet 49:8): Rabbi Shimon said, The kingship was assigned to Judah, as we said in relation to the words, "Now will I praise Hashem" (Beresheet 29:35), because he was the fourth. "I will praise Hashem," since He is the fourth leg of the throne. Yud-Hei-Vav of Yud Hei Vav Hei, WHICH ARE CHESED, GVURAH AND TIFERET, are the impress of the Supernal Name ZEIR ANPIN, which is completed by Hei, MALCHUT, the last Hei of the Holy Name, THROUGH WHICH the Holy Name is made whole with its letters. AND IT IS the knot which binds THE LETTERS OF THE HOLY NAME. Therefore "your brethren shall praise" (Beresheet 49:8) you, for thanks to you the kingship, Malchut, is able to exist, YOU BEING THE CHARIOT TO THE ATTRIBUTE OF MALCHUT. It is written, "Judah still rules with El, and is faithful with Holy Ones" (Hoshea 12:1). HE ASKS, Who are these Holy Ones? AND ANSWERS, They are the supernal Holy Ones, THE HOLY SFIROT CHESED, GVURAH AND TIFERET, who all acknowledged him and made him faithful, MEANING, BY GIVING HIM ALL THAT IS IN THEM. He is therefore first in everything and king over all.

568. Rabbi Shimon opened the discussion saying, "The King's daughter is all glorious (Heb. kevudah) within" (Tehilim 45:14). "Kevudah" refers to the Congregation of Yisrael, NAMELY THE NUKVA, CALLED 'KEVUDAH,' because He, ZEIR ANPIN, IS CALLED 'kavod' (Eng. 'glory'); the one upon the other, AS BOTH ARE ONE; the one, ZEIR ANPIN, a male, IS CALLED 'KAVOD,' and the other, MALCHUT, a female, is called 'kevudah,' WITH THE ADDITIONAL HEI OF THE FEMININE. The King's daughter is Bathsheba (lit. 'daughter of seven'), WHICH IS THE NUKVA, AND ALSO an echo (lit. 'a voice's daughter'), while he is called a great voice, being the supernal King, ZEIR ANPIN, WHILE THE NUKVA IS CALLED THE DAUGHTER OF A VOICE. It is "within" as there is a king, NAMELY MALCHUT, which is not as far within as him, FOR SOMETIMES MALCHUT IS CLOTHED IN BRIYAH, while the King's daughter is all glorious within IN ATZILUT.

569. "Her clothing is inlaid with gold" (Ibid.), since she is clothed and joined by the supernal Gvurah, NAMELY THE LEFT SIDE OF IMA, WHO IS CALLED GOLD, ACCORDING TO THE SECRET OF THE VERSE, "GOLD COMES OUT OF THE NORTH" (IYOV 37:22). IMA is also called a king, and on her account the land endures, WHICH IS MALCHUT. When is MALCHUT established? When coupled with justice, WHICH IS ZEIR ANPIN, as it says, "The King by justice establishes the land" (Mishlei 29:4), WHICH IS MALCHUT. We call it the Kingdom of Heaven. Judah was united with it, and he therefore inherited the kingdom on earth.

570. Rabbi Yehuda and Rabbi Yitzchak were walking along the way. Rabbi Yitzchak said, Let us discourse on the words of the Torah as we go. Rabbi Yitzchak opened the discussion saying, "So He drove out the man; and He placed at the east of the Garden of Eden..." (Beresheet 3:24). This verse has been expounded upon by the friends. Yet "He drove" has the same meaning of a man divorcing his wife, MEANING, THE HOLY ONE, BLESSED BE HE, DIVORCING THE NUKVA. "The man" is correct, AS THE NUKVA IS CALLED ET (ENG. 'THE').

571. Come and see the secret meaning of this matter. Adam was caught for his sin and brought death upon himself and upon the world, and caused the tree, by which he sinned, NAMELY THE NUKVA, to be driven out on his account, and be driven because of his descendants' SINS forever. Hence it says, "So He drove out the man," Et (the) having an exact meaning, such as in, "I saw (Heb. et) Hashem" (Yeshayah 6:1), WHICH MEANS THE NUKVA. Here too, "the man" REFERS TO THE NUKVA.

572. "And He placed at the east of the Garden of Eden," This is below ATZILUT. As there are Cherubs above IN ATZILUT, A MALE AND A FEMALE, so there are Cherubs below ATZILUT, THE ANGELS METATRON AND SANDALFON. The tree, WHICH IS THE NUKVA CALLED THE TREE OF KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL, rests upon them, and "the bright blade of a revolving sword" (Beresheet 3:24) is the shapes of fiery flames come out from the brightness of the sword, WHICH GUARD THE WAY TO THE TREE OF LIFE, NOT THE BRIGHT BLADE OF THE SWORD ITSELF. "Revolving" refers to the sword, which sucks from the two sides, RIGHT AND LEFT, and revolves now to this side, now to the other. According to another explanation, "revolving" alludes to the shapes of the fiery flames which are revolving, as we said. They revolve and change forms, now to men, now to women. They revolve in their places and change forms, in order to guard the way to the Tree of Life. What is the way? As in "who makes a way in the sea" (Yeshayah 43:16), IT REFERS TO YESOD OF THE NUKVA.

573. Rabbi Yehuda said, Well spoken, and assuredly correct. Adam caused that tree, in regard to which he sinned, WHICH IS THE NUKVA, to be driven out. So did other men, WHICH CAUSE IT TO BE DRIVEN OUT THROUGH THEIR SINS, as said in the verse, "And for your transgressions was your mother put away" (Yeshayah 50:1). And yet it is true to say that it refers to himself, as it is written, "He drove out the man--" ET (ENG. 'THE') BEING THE NUKVA, man's perfection. BY DRIVING HER OUT, HE LOST HIS WHOLENESS.

574. From the day SHE WAS DRIVEN OUT, the moon, THE NUKVA, became flawed, until Noah entered the ark. Then came evil men, and she was flawed again, until Abraham came AND RECTIFIED HER. She stood in wholeness by Jacob and his sons, and Judah came, held on to her and became stronger through the kingship, and inherited it forever, for him and his sons after him. Hence the verse, "Judah you are whom your brethren shall praise" (Beresheet 49:8). Indeed, when Yisrael stood by the sea AND THE TRIBE OF JUDAH WERE THE FIRST TO ENTER IT they all praised him and went into the sea after him.

575. "Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies" (Ibid.) as it says, "Judah shall go up" (Shoftim 1:2) TO WAR. "The sons of your father shall bow down before you" (Beresheet 49:8) includes all the tribes, and hence the words, "The sons of your father" instead of 'your mother' as the sons of your father are the other tribes. And though Yisrael were divided into two kingdoms, yet when they went up to Jerusalem, they would kneel and bow to the King in Jerusalem, since the Kingdom of Jerusalem WHICH DREW from the holy kingdom, THE NUKVA, was from JUDAH.

576. "Shall bow down before you:" It does not say, 'And shall bow,' which would include other nations, AND MEAN THAT ALL THE NATIONS OF THE WORLD WILL BOW DOWN TO HIM. It does not say 'And shall bow' save at the time of the Messiah, WHEN it is written, "Princes also shall prostrate themselves" (Yeshayah 49:7). For now, he ONLY said "shall bow" to show that Yisrael alone shall bow down to the exilarch in Babylon, and no other nation.

577. "Judah is a lion's whelp" (Beresheet 49:9). First he was a whelp and then a lion. HENCE THE REPETITION, A WHELP AND A LION. The secret of the matter is that first, WHEN ZEIR ANPIN IS IN MOCHIN OF SMALLNESS, IT IS CALLED a youth, and later, WHEN IN MOCHIN OF GREATNESS, IT IS CALLED a man, AS IT IS WRITTEN, "Hashem is a man of war" (Shemot 15:3). JUDAH TOO, WHEN IN MOCHIN OF SMALLNESS, IS CALLED A WHELP, AND WHEN IN MOCHIN OF GREATNESS, HE IS CALLED A LION. "From the prey, my son, you are gone up" (Beresheet 49:9). HE ASKS, What prey is this? It includes the Angel of Death, who stands by its prey to exterminate the world, and none can save from it, as in "and tears in pieces, and none can deliver" (Michah 5:7). From that prey, the Shechinah was gone up. THE WORDS, "FROM THE PREY, MY SON, YOU ARE GONE UP" MEAN THAT JUDAH ESCAPED THE ANGEL OF DEATH, WHICH IS THE SATAN, THE EVIL INCLINATION, INSTEAD OF STUMBLING BY IT.

578. "He stooped down" (Beresheet 49:9) in the exile in Babylon "and he couched" (Ibid.) in the exile of Edom "as a lion" which is mighty "and as a lioness" which is mightier than a lion. So are Yisrael mighty, for though the idolatrous people of the world entice and oppress them, they adhere to their laws and customs like a lion and a lioness.

579. The Shechinah also is as strong as a lion and a lioness when She thus falls, though it is written, "The virgin of Yisrael is fallen; she shall no more rise" (Amos 5:2). As a lion and a lioness only crouch to hunt their prey, and when they smell it from afar they fall; MEANING, THEY CROUCH ON THE GROUND TO PREPARE TO JUMP ON THE PREY and do not rise until they jump upon it and eat it. The Shechinah also does not fall but as a lion and a lioness, in order to revenge the idolatrous nations, leap upon them, as it says "striding in the greatness of his strength" (Yeshayah 63:1).

580. "Who shall rouse him up?" (Beresheet 49:9). He shall not rise to take petty vengeance upon them, but who shall rouse him, 'who' being, as in the verse "who can heal you" (Eichah 2:13). It is the supernal world, NAMELY BINAH CALLED WHO, which has dominion over all. It is written "out of whose womb (lit. 'the womb of who') came the ice?" (Iyov 38:29), which has been explained THAT THROUGH THE JUDGMENT CALLED ICE, IT SUBDUES ALL THE KLIPOT.

581. "The staff shall not depart from Judah" (Beresheet 49:10) has been explained by the friends, but "until Shiloh come" (Ibid.) is spelled with Hei, while in other PLACES IT IS SPELLED SHILO with Vav. This is an indication of the secret of the Holy Name Yud-Hei, for in other places it is spelled Shilo without Hei, or without Yud. Here it is spelled Shiloh with both Yud and Hei, which is the secret of the supernal Holy Name, and means that the Shechinah shall rise FROM HER FALL IN THE EXILE through this name of Yud-Hei, which, as we said, is the mystery of 'who,' FOR YAH IS THE NAME OF BINAH, ALSO NAMED 'WHO.'