Chapter
3
Holy
Hints on the Beginning of the Redemption
Contents
“There is no holy hint
concerning the footsteps of the Mashiach that is not alluded to in the
Torah; or that is not alluded to in the Mishna. ‘Likewise, there is nothing about the footsteps of the
Mashiach that is not alluded to in the Gaon’s Megillat Storim’. While we were standing in darkness
on the threshold of the Redemption, at the first sounds of ‘the voice of the turtle-dove, ’
with neither priest nor prophet nor Urim v’Tumim (priest’s breastplate)
to teach us the essentials of the road, let alone its details, even minor
ones--then God sent us the light of Mashiach ben Yosef, that is, Rabbi
Eliyahu, the Vilna Gaon. The Gaon
came down from Heaven to uncover for us the hints in the Torah regarding the
footsteps of the Mashiach, and the paths revealed in deed and gematria, ’ as he
explained in his writings. The
Gaon also explains what wonderful hints led him to change his mind about his
own settlement in Eretz Israel while on the way there, and urge his students to
fulfill the command, according to wonderful hints. The Vilna Gaon states that the coming of the Redemption
depends on learning Kabbalah.”
1. special help from Heaven is
given when gathering in the exiles at the beginning of the Redemption. The task with all its major and minor
details--# its designated deeds,
designated times and designated emissaries’--are hinted at in the the Torah,
the Prophets, and the Writings, as well as in the writings of our Sages, both
openly and concealed, according to the holy and wonderful revelations of the
Vilna Gaon. The Gaon was sent from
Heaven to uncover the hints in the Torah, as the footsteps of the Mashiach
approached in the process of the revealed end. No secret was hidden from him. The Gaon knew where the holy Torah hints at the name of
every man of Israel, as well at his destined role in the salvation of Israel,
in deed and in numerology, based on
‘the name causes, ’ as revealed in gematria and acrostics. The Gaon, whose name equals 52 in
gematria, saw 52 holy hints which revealed his own destiny.
While we were standing in
darkness on the threshold of the Redemption, at the first sounds of ‘the voice of the turtle-dove,
’ with neither priest nor prophet nor Urim v”Tumim to show us the essentials of
the road, let alone its details, even minor ones--then God sent us the light of
Mashiach ben Yosef, that is, Rabbi Eliyahu, the Vilna Gaon, to reveal
hints in the Torah regarding the footsteps of the Mashiach, etc. From all 156 aspects of Mashiach ben
Yosef, noted above in Chapter 2, Section 1, and from the verses containing
the destiny of the Gaon during the footsteps of the Mashiach, as well as
at their approach--from all these we can learn much about our function at the
beginning of the Redemption. They
are for us, “the last generation, ” like the Urim and Tumim and
like the Shulchan Aruch, with regard to the End of Days with the help of
God. This is what is meant by the
verse: [Ps. 43:14] [generally
interpreted: “in order that you relate to the last generation”
fn.]. The word comes from the root
of “counting.” Thus the verse
means “in order that you count for the last generation, ” referring to
gematria.
In many of his compositions, the
Gaon discusses at length that all the internal aspects of the holy Torah, the
upper lights, the intentions of the written and oral Torah, all the worlds, and
the upper and lower creations are concealed in hints in the Torah and in the
writings of our Sages. There is
nothing that is not alluded to in the Torah; there is nothing that is not
alluded to in the Bible; there is nothing that is not alluded to in the Mishna. Likewise, there is nothing about the
footsteps of the Mashiach that is not alluded to in the Gaon’s Megillat
Storim. All the hints are
found in numbers as revealed by the verse: in “Who brings out their hosts by
number; He calls each of them by name” [Isa. 40:26]. This
means that every single creation has its own basic number, and the destiny of
each one, according to his particular name and basic number, is hinted at in
the Torah, and revealed in deed and in numerology, i.e., in calculating the
letters of the Torah according to gematria and notrikun. Note the verse: ! [Ps. 46:9] “go and visualize the acts of
the Lord Who has allotted devastation to the land.” Do not read with a
‘patach under the shin’ [meaning “Who has allotted devastation”] , but with a
‘tsere’ under the ‘shin’ [meaning “Who has allotted names”][See Talmud
Bavli, Brachot, 7b].
Condiments to wisdom, the names are vessels that receive the upper
attributes from the world of emanation through the letters that
constitute the name. The letters
may have significance in their simple form, or in their filled-out form, or in
the filled-out form of the filled-out letters ad infinitum. The general and particular roles of
every creature and every person are hinted at in his name as well as in the
Torah according to gematria. The
Gaon, in his commentary on Safra D’Tzniuta, writes as follows: “the rule
is that whatever was, is now and will be till the end--all are included in the
Torah from the word “in the beginning” to “before the eyes of all
Israel.” Not only the general principles, but even the details regarding
every species, and details concerning each individual person are found in the
Torah, as well as whatever happens to him from the day of his birth to the end
of his days, and all his gilgulim including all major and minor details,
and all the details regarding every species of domesticated and wild animal, as
well as every living creature in the world and all grass and everything that
grows and inanimate objects, all the details are recorded regarding their
species and genders and what belongs to every species to the end, and what will
happen to them and their root.
Likewise, whatever is written about our forefathers and about Moshe and
Israel--all occur in every generation because their sparks appear in every
generation, as is known. In
addition, all their deeds from Adam until the end of the Torah occur in every
generation, as is known to those who understand. This is also true of every individual as the Gaon began to
explain through hints in the Midrash HaNe’elam. All of this is included in the Torah in
parshat “Breshit” until parshat “Noah” as is written here with
the help of God, ” etc.
2. The Gaon was sent from Heaven to reveal the hints in the
Torah at the approach of the footsteps of the Mashiach, that is, the
“designated deeds, designated times, and designated emissaries” till the final
end. According to the Gaon, these
are hinted at in gematria. We see
that almost all the new interpretations and revelations of the Gaon in his
writings on Kabbalah, that amount to thousands, are based on wonderful hints
that he uncovered through his holy spirit. Heaven granted him all this so that he would reveal what
will occur during the period of the footsteps of the Mashiach, if it
comes at its designated time, for all of this applies when Israel does not
merit the period occurring ahead of time.
3. Every person in Israel must do his utmost to reach the
level of the supreme numbers concealed within his name which can be computed in
gematria. These are hinted at in
the Torah in connection with the specific mission of the individual, each
person by his flag, with the signs of his forefathers. It says regarding this: “may the might
of my Lord be magnified” [Num.
14:17], etc. As the Gaon
explained (see the Tikunei Zohar Chadash [Tikun 74a]), this verse
refers to the “deed and
gematria” mentioned in Lamentations (Ch. 9:10). Each
person must achieve what is concealed in the gematria of his name. Otherwise, he may have to undergo a new
gilgul to repair what he did not complete in this gilgul, for whoever does not
know the gematria concealed in his name, will go down to the Sheol. The Gaon says, in his commentary on Tikunei
Zohar Chadash, that a person should achieve whatever is indicated by his
gematria, with the might of his hand.
As it says: “whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might”
[Koh. 9:10] for there is neither
deed nor gematria [calculation] in the Sheol “grave, ” which means that
in the grave you will be unable to achieve the “deed and gematria.” Knowing
this, everyone will realize how he must fulfill his unique mission in this
world. As the footsteps of the Mashiach
approach, more and more gematria hints appear that contain secrets of
general and private designated deeds.
Indeed, “every valley will be raised, ” etc. And the gematria are condiments to wisdom as noted in the
holy Zohar (Tikun 70), where the Gaon explained that according to
our Sages, this refers to the wisdom of scribes, etc..
Numerology and deeds connected
with gematria are “condiments”
to wisdom. In the word , which
refers to the vessels, the letters
[in gematria, 280] appear twice, thus alluding to the twice 280 Dinim
[the opposite of Chesed].
The characteristic of gematria is that every attribute of the upper
lights is clothed in a particular number. The number is found in the letters combined to form the words
that describe that particular attribute, and its purpose in the world of making,
the lower world; and the attribute is included in verses of the Torah, the
Prophets, and the Writings. Every
mission as well as the name of the emissary in every generation are clothed and
held together by the gematria of the verses concerning the mission; likewise
regarding the name of the emissary, in accord with the root of his soul and the
merit of the fathers that is designated for each individual. This is what is meant by the verse “Who
brings out their hosts by number” [Isa. 40:26], i.e., each legion has its special number. [Isa. 40:26] “He calls each of them by name [by all that is
included in the name of the creature].” Happy is the man who achieves, and
reaches [that goal] by the might of his hand and his good deeds. The purpose of “deed and numerology, ”
as explained by the Gaon, is so that a person will not fall into Sheol,
i.e., another gilgul, God forbid.
Happy is he who achieves by the might of his deeds the level of his
mission that is hidden in the gematria of his name. All this will be revealed to him in the World of Truth, but
it is preferable for one to achieve this knowledge in his lifetime, so that he
will be stronger in his special mission in this world, because one who is
commanded and fulfills the commandment stands high. A word to the wise is sufficient.
The ways to achieve such
knowledge, is first of all, by the deeds themselves, etc., and/or like the lot
of the Gaon, when revealed in
. deed and gematria, or in
the “silver goblet” [Gen. 44:2]. This is what is meant by the verse:
[Isa. 56:5] “I will give them a
hand and a name in my house and within my walls.” This refers to deed and
gematria, as explained above. “A
hand” refers to the “might of Your [God’s] hand”; “a name” refers to the
gematria of the name of anyone who occupies himself with building Jerusalem. Thus all the main intentions with
regard to building Jerusalem are concealed in gematria according to our
Sages. See their comments (Baba
Batra 75b) on the verse ! “Jerusalem
will be settled without walls” [Zach.
2:8], and on the matter of
, etc. All these are hinted
at in gematria, as the Rashbam explains there [in the future, God will add
gardens to Jerusalem, numbering a thousand times the numerical value of 169]
[Baba Batra 75b]. My heart tells
me clearly that had I been born only to understand what the Gemara means here,
it was worthwhile for us, as I will explain, God willing, in Chapter 7.
Whoever sees hints in verses of
the Bible and of our Sages, regarding his own name and mission, is obligated to
fortify himself with them with all his strength and desire, for this is the
reason he was created, and this is why his soul came to this world, the world
of making.
The Vilna Gaon was sent from
Heaven to reveal hints of the Torah regarding the footsteps of the Mashiach on
the level that his forebears did not receive permission. Even the Holy Ari did not have such
permission, because he lived hundreds of years before the beginning of “the
time to grant it grace” [Ps.
102:14] and “the songbird’s time” [Song of Songs 2:12].
4. The Gaon has written much about the paths of the
beginning of the Redemption during the footsteps of the Mashiach, and has given
us many directives to begin the awakening from below. He did this In his holy compositions on “the hidden
teachings, ” also with profound hints, but only in the manner of [Gen. 41:45] “disclosing the hidden, ”
i.e., revealing what is concealed.
To many of his students--in whom he saw clear signs of worthiness, and
who had a keen desire to immigrate to Israel--he revealed the main hints
regarding “designated deeds, times, and emissaries” on the paths of the beginning. The Gaon did this especially to anyone
he considered as having reached the high level of 999 in Yesod, which is
the highest level in the line of Mashiach ben Yosef (and who was hewn
from the same rock [of the same root] as the Gaon). To him, the Gaon revealed the secret of the 999 footsteps of
the Mashiach, and the secret of “Kol HaTor” until the final end,
as well as what each individual must do to fulfill what is hinted at, for that
is why he was created.
The footsteps of the Mashiach,
all the paths of the awakening from below, and all their major and minor
details are hinted at in the Torah, the Prophets, and the Writings, as well as
in the works of our Sages in what is revealed and in what is concealed. According to the Gaon, all the
designated deeds, times and emissaries of the footsteps of the Mashiach are
hinted at in the Torah, etc.
There is nothing that is not
hinted at in the Torah, according to our Sages (Chulin 139b), even Moshe
Rabbeinu, may he rest in peace.
This means that even Moshe Rabbeinu, whose name appears in the Torah
specifically many times, nevertheless had to have his name hinted at in a
concealed manner, just like every person of Israel appears in a concealed
manner, and according to the gematria of his name. The name Moshe is hidden in the verse: [Gen. 6:3] “since he is human.” According to
Rashi there, the word equals [345] in gematria. The Gaon added a wonderful hint: in gematria, equals [859] because Moshe Rabbeinu is
weighted against 600 thousand.
5. the paths of the firmament were revealed to the
Gaon. No secret was hidden from
him. He saw everything from the
upper lights in clear technicolor.
He saw the creation of the world, and the chariot in the paths of the
firmament in all their details as revealed in [ equals 391] “the voice of
salvation” in which are hidden the names [ equals 391], [391], and ! [ !
equal 391]. The Gaon knew the
teachings of Mashiach Tzidkenu which are the teachings concerning Eretz
Israel, hinted to him from our forefather Jacob and from the verse, !
[Gen. 2:12] “the gold of that
land is good” because all of Eretz Israel was enfolded in it, and it
contained the teachings of the Redemption from below and from above. The three fundamental levels of , i.e., , , and , were transmitted to
the Gaon from the upper lights through the holy spirits of the Holy Ari, may he
rest in peace, and his student, Rabbi Haim Vital. These were revealed to the Gaon in the year 5, 500 during
the first hour of the moring on the sixth day [Friday] in the 6th Millennium,
when the spirit of God, the spirit of Mashiach, began to beat within his
holy spirit (the Gaon was then 20 years old).
6. During the period of the footsteps of the Mashiach,
the Sitra Achra becomes stronger in all areas, especially against the
internal nature of the Torah and against the revelation of the secrets of
gematria computations that concern the footsteps of the Mashiach. This is what the Gaon explained was
meant by our Sages in their statement that the wisdom of scribes will turn putrid. This is what is meant by “they taunted
the footsteps of Your Mashiach” [Ps. 89:52].
Nevertheless, when the final end comes, the final days, the prophecy
“every valley will be raised” will be fulfilled, and this refers to gematria,
etc., as it says in the holy Zohar.
As explained by the Gaon there (Tikunei Zohar, p. 139), the wisdom of scribes will turn
putrid, and he (Mashiach ben Yosef ) will be debased because of our
transgressions (Isa. 53:5).
7. With regard to every man of Israel who was destined by
Heaven to save Israel and gather in the exiles, Rabbi Eliyahu, the Vilna Gaon,
knew well where his name was hinted at in the Torah, the Prophets and the
Writings, each man according to his flag and the signs of his forefathers. All the Gaon’s knowledge which came to
him through his holy spirit, are based on holy hints in the Bible and in the
works of our Sages, in both what is revealed and what is concealed. Regarding himself, the Gaon said that
his name is hinted at in the words:
“‘a perfect and just stone [weight]” (this is at the end of parshat
“Ki Tetzeh”). The words are a
shortened form of (the name of the
Gaon’s father was ! ). The
following verse speaks of destroying Amalek, and is immediately followed by the
verse: “when you come to the
land, ” which refers to the ingathering of the exiles. This verse is comparable to “when you come to the land,
you will plant, ” which means you must fulfill the commandments that depend
on living in Eretz Israel. For the
ingathering of the exiles depends on the blessings following the fulfillment of
both verses according to our Sages in the Talmud (Megillah 17b; and Sanhedrin
98a) regarding the revealed end, and this was the Gaon’s great
aspiration. Even in the haftarah
[portion from the Prophets or Writings which is read weekly following the
reading of the parshah]of parshat “Ki Tetzeh, ” the Gaon found
his own name and his designation in the verse: “with abundant mercy I will gather you” which
equals ! [606]. He also found that
the verse “His tabernacle
is in Shalem, and his dwelling in Zion” equals his own name plus his
father’s and grandfather’s names
! [1200] {the word as
written out in full in the text, and so counted accordingly). This means that Jacob is not whole
except in Eretz Israel. As the
verse states: [ Gen. 33:18] Jacob
came to Shalem [double entendre: name of place, and meaning of wholeness]. Shalem is another name for
Succota.
The Vilna Gaon deemed his great
mission to be connected with 999
in the light of Mashiach ben Yosef, as revealed by 999 in Yesod,
that is 999 which is the highest number connected with Mashiach ben Yosef. For the Gaon considered that number
hinted at in his name (that is, in his personal name as well as those of his
forebears to four generations including his great-grandfather, R’ Elya the
Hasid [' ' '] which altogether equal 999 in gematria). Other hints regarding his mission
appear in the verses: [606,
like ! ] ‘a time to gather, ’ and according to our Sages [606] ‘we raise to a holy level,
’ as well as in the verse:
[479, like ] [Ps. 102:15]
‘they have favored her dirt.’ Many other hints were found by the Gaon in the
Bible regarding his holy mission at the time of the beginning of the
Redemption. The number of holy
hints add up to [52]. Evey hint
was great and holy in his eyes like the Urim v’Tumim.As our Sages said
“the name causes, ” meaning that one’s mission from Heaven is revealed by his
name.
8. As is known, the Gaon saw his great mission in the
verse: “the voice of the turtle-dove.” It appears in the verse: “the songbird’s
time has arrived; the voice of the turtle-dove is heard in our land.” The
‘voice’ of the turtle-dove refers to Joshua. The ‘turtle-dove’ is Moshe Rabbeinu (as mentioned above in
Chapter 2, 14, the aspect of ‘the voice of the turtle-dove’.At first the Gaon
considered himself from the aspect of Joshua, as is hinted at in the Torah on
the verse “a perfect weight” (end of parshat “Ki Tetzeh”), referring to
. Following this verse is the
section on destroying Amalek, which is the mission of Joshua, that is, from the
left side. Thus this is the
mission of Mashiach ben Yosef (see commentary of the Gaon on Tikunei
Hazohar, p.27 on the verse, [Song 2:6] “his left hand under my head.”
The Gaon also writes that the perfect weight is from the left side (that is,
from the quality of Din).
Immediately after the verses on Amalek, the Torah speaks of coming to
the land of Israel. Since the Gaon
then considered himself to be from the side of Joshua, that is from the aspect
of Mashiach ben Yosef, he traveled to the Holy Land. However, on the way, he rose to the
level of the sefira Tiferet, the level of Moshe Rabbeinu, may he rest in
peace. Then the Gaon saw his name
hinted at in a verse that refers to Moshe Rabbeinu, may be rest in peace: [Isa. 54:7] [606] “‘with abundant mercy I will gather you” and
realized that the gematria of the verse equals that of his name [ ! equals 606] (see section 7 of this
chapter). Likewise : in gematria equals 606. Therefore, the Gaon thought that he did
not have permission to enter Eretz Israel; he could only transmit to his
students, as Moshe did to Joshua, that they, from the aspect of Joshua, should
begin gathering in the exiles.
This is “the Lord’s war against Amalek from generation to generation”
[Ex. 17:16]. The Gaon gave one of his students the
wonderful hint that the verse:
hints at his name to three generations, and likewise the words offer a hint.
The Gaon was born in 5480 in the
6th Millennium. He considered this
hinted at in the verse: “and Miriam took
[gematria: 5480--the is considered 5000] ‘the drum’ in her hand”
[Ex. 16:20] against the “Sitra
Achra.” The mission of the Gaon is hinted at in the Torah in the words “a
perfect weight” in parshat “Ki Tetseh”, which means the 6th hundred of
the 6th Millennium. The Gaon
became the light of the Mashiach when he was 20 years old in the year
5500, the first hour of the dawn in the 6th Millennium. Then the last generation began. Afterwards, he merited a revelation from
our forefather Jacob, and profound secrets were revealed to him regarding all
the footsteps of the Mashiach from the beginning of the Redemption up
till and including the wondrous end at the end of days.
The Gaon saw in his holy spirit
that he had risen to the level 999 in Yesod and that its abundance, the
abundance of good is divided into two hosts equally. There are 499 1/2 on the right, and 499 1/2 on the
left. Together they add up to 1000
minus one, which is the channel of good, the highest force for war against the Sitra
Achra. The Gaon wrote about
this and the great hints regarding his name, when he discussed the Hebrew
alphabet (Likutei Hagr”a), as noted above in Section 7.
9. Nothing exists that is not hinted at in the Torah and in
the Mishna. Every spiritual or
material creation as well as his mission, whether holy or impure is found
there. This is what is meant by
our Sages (Chulin 139b) that Moshe Rabbeinu, the holiest of the created
beings, was hinted at in the Torah; in contrast, Haman, the most impure being
is also hinted at. Similarly, all
the major and minor details of every creation, and concerning every person
according to the signs of his forefathers as well as according to his accepted
name, appear among the numerous hints in the Bible and in the works of our
Sages.
It is an important principle
regarding hints in notrikun and in gematria that the one hinted at must appear
in a word or particular verse in the Bible or in our Sages’ writings exactly as
his name is written. Any hint that
depends on a verse with a composite of words whose form is not exactly like
what appears in the Bible or in our Sages’ words, is valueless as a holy
hint. This principle applies to
the basis of hints by the recorder and maintainer, in the Bible or in our
Sages’ words: each item must appear in its exact language and exactly how it is
written. However, whatever
concerns the one hinted at, i.e., whether matter or person, can also appear
according to the name accepted by the community--whether a matter of holiness
or an everyday matter is involved, for the voice of the multitude is like the
voice of the Almighty.
10. Every man of Israel has a root above with his name according to the
root of his soul and the merit of his forefathers. As is known, the name given a child at his birth is not
given by chance; rather, the name is placed in the mouth of his father by
Heaven according to the root of his soul.
No one has less than seven numbers, all of them hinted at in the Bible
or in the Talmud, sometimes in both as revealed in the deed and in
gematria. This is explained by the
Gaon in Tikunei Zohar Chadash.
The seven numbers, revealed in the verse “each stone has seven eyes
[apertures], ” come to a man on his flag in signs of his father’s house (for
example: Yosef ben Jacob, Yosef ben Rachel, Yosef ben Yaacov and Rachel, Yosef
ben Jacob ben Isaac, Yosef ben Jacob ben Isaac, ben Abraham, Yosef’ ... in combination with the name of his
family, or Yosef’ ... in
combination with the name of his work, or as called by the people). All these belong to the one hinted at,
that is recorded with the numerical value on the part of the one who hints and
records everyone found in the Bible and in the Talmud, as mentioned above.
The source of the sources for
the basic numbers is the first 10 creations, the ten sefirot, each of
which was founded on a basic independent number. Therefore, each is called a sephira as revealed in the word
. They are the first mentioned by
the verse [Isa. 40:26] “Who brings out their hosts by
number, ” as is known. This is
true of every matter concerned with combining letters with which the Heaven and
Earth were created.
The Gaon was known to be precise
regarding everyone’s name, as mentioned in the Talmud in connection with Reb
Meir (Yoma 83b) regarding an innkeeper named , whose name is reminiscent of the verse: , etc. [Deut. 32:20] “for they are a deceitful generation, ” etc. It seems that Reb Meir felt that a
layer of Amalek had been attached to the particular man, since in gematria
Amalek equals [240], because Amalek works through deceit, as is known. This is what I [the writer of Kol
HaTor] witnessed: Once, the Gaon realized that a strange depression had
taken hold of one of his students.
He asked him what his family name was, and was told that it was
Mallin. Then the Gaon requested
that he immediately change his name since in gematria it equaled [131]
Samael. At times a great righteous
person who carries out many deeds has within his name one of the numbers
similar to the number of the impure forces from the aspect of “God made one in
contrast to the other.” Our Sages explained that this was done so that the
force of holiness would overpower the contrasting force of impurity, just like
the number of counters the number
of Samael and his partner, Lilith [ and [611], or like counters [376]. There are other such examples, as is
known.
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With regard to the verse , ‘a perfect and just weight, ’ in which
the Gaon saw his name and mission as explained above (this chapter, 7) -- I
respectfully asked the Gaon about the second name of his father in connection
with the words (because the
name of the Vilna Gaon’s father was ! ), and this was his reply: “In what
remains after the initial letters of the two names in , you will find it.” I immediately understood that he meant
that the initial letters of , that is
, contain the hint of the names
; what was left after the two letters were removed, i.e., the letters and equal !# [127].
He answered me in this way to strengthen my spirit regarding the holy
mission.
(Isa. 54:7) “with abundant mercy I will gather you.” In
this verse the Gaon saw a hint to his name as explained above. Likewise in the verse that begins [Isa. 54:2] “expand the site of your tent.” In this verse
the Gaon saw the great mission in terms of the three basic directions
mentioned: ! ' ' expand, extend, strengthen that in gematria equal [606]. The Gaon figured that all these are in the line of Mashiach
ben Yosef. And the Gaon’s
wonderful dream on the way to the Holy Land is known in the verse; “our feet
stood” [Ps. 122:2] “in your gates, O Jerusalem.”
11. The following are the ways to achieve and find the name and mission
of each one of Israel in the Bible, revealed in “the might of your hand to engage in doing and
accounting”: a) by noting the type of deeds, of lovingkindness and help
extended to the community and to other individuals by someone, as well as what
that person does to strengthen the holy Torah. b) by the special inclination of a person to study a
particular matter in the Torah, a particular book, or the concealed teachings,
etc. c) by the individual’s
specfic moral suffering or specific success in personal spiritual and material
matters.
With regard to the someone’s
unique mission from Heaven in connection with the ingathering of the exiles in
any work that is related to the commandment of settling the Holy Land, every
person can find his name and mission in sentences which include and conceal the
156 aspects and appellations of the Mashiach of the beginning, Mashiach
ben Yosef. These are
enumerated above in Chapter 2 with the help of Heaven. Only if there is a difficult question
related to the community in matters of settling the Holy Land, can one, through
kabbalists, also make use of the great secret destiny, according to the Gaon,
the destiny ( ), “open
for me the gates of righteousness, ” that is based on treasures concealed
in gematria and notrikun, as revealed in in gematria. A secret name should not be used except at a critical time,
in order to save the community and settle the Holy Land, or , even more so, to
prevent dishonoring God. The act
should be done only to repair Tsofnat Paneach, by at least three
righteous people, as revealed in the verse: [Isa. 30:18]
“happy are all who wait for Him.”
12. The revelation of the hints in the Torah progresses along with the
progression of the footsteps of the Mashiach in our Holy Land, until all
the hints in the Torah will be revealed during the last generation. This is taught by our righteous
Mashiach, because the Torah will come forth from Zion [Isa. 2:3], meaning that hidden things and
secrets will be revealed, may this occur speedily in our lifetime. According to the Gaon, It is an
important principle that a literal interpretation is not correct if it does not
accord with the secret interpretation.
Studying the Kabbalah should be done with modesty and humility, as
attested to in the verse:
[Ps. 29:2] “bow to the
Lord in the beauty of holiness.” The initial letters (from left to
right--i.e., in reverse order, [thus somewhat concealed]) are .But the teachings of “the law” are
open, as attested to in: [Ps. 98:4] “call out to the Lord, all the
earth, ” whose initial letters (from right to left [thus more easily grasped])
are .
During the period of the
footsteps of the Mashiach, the revelations will begin little by little,
like the beginning of the redemption which is compared to the dawn according to
our Sages, with the characteristic of gathering in the exiles and eradicating
the impure spirit from the land by settling the land and setting up people of
Truth. For the goal of the
Redemption in general is the redemption of Truth and sanctification of God as
explained in previous chapters.
Redemption of the truth has a double entendre -- literally, and the
redemption of the wisdom of truth.
This enhances the commandment and holy obligation to engage in studying
the Kabbalah, which contains the revelation of the secrets of the Torah that is
the holy mission of the Mashiach of the beginning of the Redemption, Mashiach
ben Yosef through whom the ingathering of exiles will occur. That hastens the Redemption until its
completion by Mashiach ben David and Moshe Rabbeinu, may they rest in
peace; may this occur speedily in our lifetime.
As far back as his childhood,
the Gaon began to study the concealed teachings after he knew well the Talmud
and their commentaries, etc., as is known By that time he was already delving
deeply and wonderfully into revelations of the hints in the Torah, as mentioned
above. When he was only about 14
years old, he also learned alot about the concealed teachings from great men in
our community of Shklav, relatives of his father, his great grandfather R’
Shlomo Zalman, son of R’ Zvi, as well as from R’ Eli Zeitlis. He especially engaged much in the study
of combining letters related to the wisdom of creation. As we heard directly from his
holinesss, he did so in order to achieve and know how to create raw power with
the help of God --- to use it to subdue Samael in the gates of Jerusalem. That is why he began as far back as his
childhood an awesome attempt to create a Golem [automaton of clay], as is
known.
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I will tell you a little, as
much as we are permitted to tell, about a sublime vision, a wonderful sight,
that the Gaon envisioned shortly after returning from his trip to the Holy Land
in the year 5542. The Gaon was
then very deeply concerned and in a spiritual quandary that is difficult to
describe. On the one hand, he saw
with his holy spirit the great mission that Heaven had placed on him to awaken
and begin actively gathering in exiles.
On the other hand, he saw the awful dangers entailed, both in travelling
to the Holy Land, and in the conditions of settling -- when Eretz Israel was a
desolate wilderness where contagious diseases prevailed, and where robbers and
savages abounded. There were also
the problems of obtaining necessities, such as economic necessities, and of
earning a living. Naturally, this
was a great responsibility. He was
so deeply perplexed that we had never seen him like that. He prayed alot while fasting and crying,
hoping to receive clear advice from Heaven. He also carried out many acts with secret emendations,
etc. Indeed, he received a reply
in a great and holy vision with revelations of upper spirits, a revelation of
our forefather Jacob regarding “the final days, ” etc. (note of the copyist: at this point, we
must mention that the Gaon, Rabbi Chaim from Volozhin, a student of the Vilna
Gaon, writes in his introduction to the Vilna Gaon’s commentary on Safra
D’Tzniuta, that the Vilna Gaon received a revelation of our forefather
Jacob and Elijah the Prophet). In
that holy vision, he was told many verses containing beneficial promises
concerning settling Eretz Israel, and containing hints of his own name. Among the latter were: [Isa. 44:2] “fear not, My servant Jacob,
and Yeshurun, whom I have chosen.” It was hinted to him that the words
equal his name including 3 generations: !
[1200]. This was the first
time the Gaon saw his own mission in the great mission of Mashiach of
the beginning of the Redemption, for in gematria equals [566]*. Likewise the verse: [Ps. 76:3] “His tabernacle in Shalem, and
his dwelling in Zion” equals
[1200] (this is discussed at length in chapters 2 and 3.) At the end of
that chapter in Isaiah (44), in which the Gaon saw his mission in the line of Mashiach
ben Yosef in the verse , the
mission of Coresh is also discussed:
[Isa. 44:28] “Who says
of Coresh, ‘he is My shepherd, ’” etc. The Gaon wrote that the beginning of the Redemption comes as
part of his mission. This sublime
vision encouraged and strengthened the Gaon’s heart. From then on, he was no longer disturbed by the doubts
concerning the natural difficulties and dangers that he had worried about
beforehand.
With this revelation, it was
agreed to transmit to the Gaon the sublime mission of returning the five vauvim
that our forefather Jacob had removed from the name of the prophet Eliyahu [the
name was spelled five times] as a guarantee that he would come to announce the
Redemption of his children, as brought in the Midrash. At first, the five vauvim were small,
because every filling in is from the quality of Din, like the beginning
of the Redemption which is the quality of Din. The Gaon was thereby given the power to prepare the way for
the beginning by gathering in the exiles to complete the first part, as it is
written [Mal. 3:23] “behold I
am sending you Elijah the prophet, ” etc. This mission of the Gaon was hinted to him at the time also
in the verse [Deut. 25:15] “a perfect and just stone
[weight], ” which contains the Gaon’s name , as is known from the secret
of , which equals [52] when no
letter is missing. After the Gaon
returned from his trip to the Holy Land, since he did not have permission from
Heaven, as is known, he transmitted his authority to one of his students, who
was hewn from the same rock [who was of the same root] as himself, and whose
name was equal to five times ‘vau’ [% i.e., 13x5] on the level of Ze’er Anpin
for the time being.
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It has been said that the Gaon
travelled from place to place to make himself an exile. However, his travelling
has not been interpreted properly.
The Gaon’s aim was primarily to check on what his People were doing and
how they were behaving morally. As
the Gaon wrote, man was created to subjugate evil qualities, and to repair
himself and others in accord with the holy Torah. Indeed, wherever the Gaon went, he did not reveal himself to
anyone, but hid his identity so that he would appear as a simple member of the
Jewish People. However, before
leaving a place, he revealed something about himself to the Rabbi of the
community and to special people in the place. He admonished them to correct whatever moral deeds or Torah
commandments, or other good deeds needed improvement in that particular
community. Along with this, he
would rouse the people very much in connection with preparing for the
ingathering of the exiles with many explanations that “it is the time to favor
her, for the designated time has come” [Ps. 102:14], etc.
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The Gaon revealed to all of his
students who promised him faithfully to travel to the Holy Land and to focus on
settling the Holy Land, the secrets regarding the paths of the beginning of the
Redemption as revealed in “designated deeds, times, and emissaries” as is
written “the buds were seen on the land” [Song 2:12] with holy hints concealed
in the words of our prophets and our Sages. But the great secret concerning the final end, the end from
the right that the Gaon speaks about at great length in his Safra d’Tzniuta,
and made his students swear in the name of the Lord, God of Israel, that they
would not reveal it, -- this secret he revealed in Ze’er Anpin to some of his
students who promised faithfully to travel to the Holy Land and occupy
themselves in gathering in the exiles.
The secret of the End of Days, the beginning of the wonderous end, he
revealed to one who was hewn from the same rock as himself. Other hints regarding this matter--as
much as we are permitted to talk about, and which are revealed in the manner of
Tsofnat Paneach--will be discussed, with the help of God in Chapter 5,
as it says, “everything has its season, and there is a time for everything”
[Koh. 3:1], with the help of
Heaven.
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