Chapter
5
The
Interpreter’s Seven Repairs To Qualify for the Redemption
Contents:
All
the principles of the beginning of the Redemption and its footsteps, its ways
and actions that are interlaced with the three bases: “designated deeds, times,
and emissaries, ” as well as everything connected with “deed and gematria
[numerology]” -- all are interconnected and held together by the Interpreter’s
seven repairs. This is revealed in
the secret of 999 in the sefira Yesod, the level of Mashiach ben
Yosef and in the secret of the two hosts in the sefira Nezach and in
the sefira Hod where the two meshichim, Mashiach ben Yosef and
Mashiach ben David, nest.
We are obligated in practice to reach the final level of the awakening
from below, which is 999 in the sefira Yesod, i.e., one thousand minus
one, which refers to the 999 footsteps of the Mashiach. Every good deed performed naturally can
prompt up to 1000 times that amount of miraculous help. That is what is meant by the verse,
“the smallest will become a thousand.” The level of good is the mission of our
Rabbi, the Vilna Gaon. The
statement, “everything has its season, and there is a time for everything”
conceals hints concerning the paths of the beginning of the Redemption, as
revealed by the Interpreter. The
ends of the designated times for the footsteps of the Mashiach are revealed in
the verses: “the songbird’s time has arrived, ” and it is the time to favor
her.” All this will occur during the seven periods of remembrance between
the first hour of light of the sixth millennium in the period of the final days
of the last generation, until [Dan.
12:6] the final end, the concealed end.
A. The entire beginning of the
Redemption, its footsteps, ways and actions, and the details inherent in all
“the designated deeds, times, and emissaries” as noted above (Chapter 4), both
what belong to “deed” as well as what belong to “accounting” regarding secrets and intentions, whether with
regard to revealed matters or to concealed matters--all are connected and held
fast by the Interpreter’s repairs as revealed in 999 in the sefira Yesod from
the aspect of Mashiach ben Yosef, and by the two hosts in the sefirot
of Netzach and Hod where the two meshichim, Mashiach
ben Yosef and Mashiach ben David nest. This is revealed in the verse: “the smallest will become a
thousand” [Isa. 60:22], etc. which refers to the level of good, as
clarified by the verse “a good [bountiful] eye will be blessed” [Prov. 22:9], and which is in line with Mashiach
ben Yosef and inherent in the mission of the Gaon, Rabbi Eliyahu of Vilna.
B. The footsteps of the beginning of
the Redemption within the three foundations, “designated deeds, times, and
emissaries, ” must proceed and be accomplished till the final level of the
awakening from below, which is the level of 999 in the sefira Yesod, the
level of 1000 minus 1. They must
not recede, God forbid, due to some difficulty or stumbling block. This is all the more so on the last
levels where the Sitra Achra becomes more powerful, for in order to
counter the Sitra Achra’s power, in accord with a clear and promised
accounting, the miraculous holy force, the upper abundance, salvation and
success become more powerful (see below).
It is an important rule that whenever a religious commandment is carried
out, and whenever a prayer is uttered, a man should think about unifying
himself with, and binding himself to the intentions of two hosts, the Lord of
Hosts and the God of hosts, i.e., Din and Lovingkindness, and he should
focus on the median line between the numbers 499 1/2 on the left, and 499 1/2
on the right.
As
noted above, all the work involved in gathering in the exiles is in preparation
of setting up and “maintaining people of truth, ” in order to reach the level
of redemption of the truth and sanctifying God and repairing the world in the Malchut
of the Almighty that is the goal of the complete Redemption. For without the existence of people of
truth, there is no hope, God forbid, for all the work involved in the beginning
of the Redemption. As written,
“Jerusalem was destroyed because people of Truth were missing from it” [Talmud
Bavli, Shabbat 119b].
The level of truthful men comes only following the Interpreter’s seven
repairs not only in thought and unification of secret intentions, but also in
the integration of the repair of related deeds.
My
revered father, author of The Burden of Benyamin, who understood the
secret of the “silver goblet, ” defined the repairs according to their plain
interpretation as well. In
addition, he explains at length that the main place for the repairs is in Jerusalem
and its gates, the site of the main battleground for God’s war against
Amalek. Each repair must reach the
final level of the awakening from below, that is 1000 minus 1, or 999 in the sefira
Yesod as is known. That is the
highest number of Mashiach ben Yosef as meant by the verse: “the
smallest will become a thousand, ” etc.
These are the definitions:
Repair
1: “equality.” There must be equality of measurement in the two hosts:
“their feet, a straight foot” [Ez.
1:7], 499 1/2 on the right, and 499 1/2 on the left, etc. This is also true regarding deeds
between man and his fellow man in order to set up people of Truth on the median
line.
According
to the plain meaning, equality means that each person must equate himself to
the other members of his community.
He must not regard himself as superior or greater than others, neither
materially nor spiritually. This
is what is meant by the verse in the Talmud “Mashiach ben David will not
come until all measurements are equal”;
(Sanhedrin 98a) -- “until all the prices are equal.”
Repair
2: “elevation.” A person must elevate himself spiritually and by
performing good deeds, with the assistance of the might and secret of “Metatron, Minister of Interior”
to the level of the upper lights, the level the sounds of the shofar
reach. [999 in gematria] is the
angel of Mashiach ben Yosef.
His name equals 999
in the sefira Yesod, .
According
to the plain meaning, elevation means that each one must elevate himself and
rise up from the level of animals and low materialism. He must elevate himself and rise
spiritually with regard to his virtues, emotions, and education, because a
person who remains stagnant, that is, who does not strive to rise spiritually
and raise himself with superior achievements is likened to an animal and, like
wide beasts, is liable to commit any evil deed, God forbid.
Repair
3: “inclusiveness.” All-including, as revealed by the appellation God the Almighty, when one spells
and adds up the names of the letters comprising that appellation [ equals 999
in gematria], and as revealed by the idea of inclusiveness, as well as by the
verse “Out of Zion, the all-encompassing beauty” [Ps. 50:2].
The
plain meaning is inclusiveness ? being included within the community. The individual has only what the
community has: “all of Israel is responsible for one another.” Each person is
part of the community. Nothing in
Israel is separate and personal in all aspects, whether it involves improving
the community or helping others.
Likewise, regarding reproving one another, for as it says, “Jerusalem
was destroyed only because people did not admonish one another” [Talmud
Bavli, Shabbat 119b].
Repair
4: “purification” as revealed by coupling in the upper purity, at the
level of tal orot, which is the root and place of purification in the
mystery of the three levels [keter, chochma, bina]: the aleph, the reish
and the shin, revealed in [Hos.
2:21] “I will betroth you to me, ” etc., and in the word , which means
that the ‘vau’ will descend to the ‘heh’ to connect the passageway for the
souls.
The
plain meaning is purification (or sanctification) ? purification from the
tendency toward natural lusts that destroy the body and soul; purification from
impure thoughts and the like. One
should strive for a pure spirit that leads to the holy spirit.
Repair
5: “establishing new ideas or interpretations, ” revealed by the verse:
! “this month is for you” [Ex.
12:2] [the word can be read as ‘month’ or as ‘new’]. The new ideas concern what is revealed
and what is concealed in the Torah.
They are revealed in 999 in the sefira Yesod, and in the mystery
of: “the letter ? tet’ is a good sign, ” that is found in three worlds. The word appears at the beginning of
the Torah in connection with light.
It is related to the statement that there will be “a new light” over
Zion, and to the verse “for from Zion the Torah will go forth” [Isa. 2:3] ? that is, the teachings of our
righteous Mashiach will be revealed little by little during the period
of the footsteps of the Mashiach.
The
plain meaning is that the new ideas concern the period after the levels
mentioned. Then everyone must
offer new explanations for what is written in the Torah and perform additional
good deeds, for every member of Israel has a special task in this world: to
reveal new interpretations of the Torah and to add and create good activities
on behalf of the community as revealed by his “deeds and gematria.” Repair
6. “overcoming.” Overcoming
all the forces of Amalek with the force of “the angel of hosts”“at the head of
the people” [Deut. 20:9], and to
disregard the muddy valley. “When
Moshe lifted his hand” then Israel was victorious, and Aaron and Hur, who were
in the line of the two meshichim, supported Moshe.
The
plain meaning of overcoming is that one must overcome the general impure
spirit. Whoever has already
merited rising to all the previous levels, has the strength to overcome the
impure forces, not only in a defensive war, but also in a wave for “the defense
of Israel.” He can destroy the impure spirit, the evil spirit of Amalek, and
eradicate it from the midst of Israel.
The evil inclination and all the vices must be completely overcome.
Repair
7. “unity.” This refers to
the unification of the Holy One blessed be He and the Shechina as
revealed by the three letters of the Hebrew alphabet 999 in the sefira Yesod, because when the two
pieces of wood, the wood of Yosef and the wood of Judah, are combined into “one
in My hand, ” that is, in the hand of God, then truth is redeemed up to the
level of “like a bridegroom’s rejoicing over his bride” [Isa. 62:5], i.e., the Redemption is
completed. The plain meaning is
that unity refers to unification with the Holy One Blessed be He. After rising all the previous six
levels, it is possible to attain the level of the unification of the Holy One
Blessed be He with the Shechina, and the return of the Shechina to
Zion and the completion of the Redemption, may it happen speedily, Amen.
C. On the extent of miraculous help from
Heaven at the time of the footsteps of the Mashiach. The help of Heaven in general, and
miracles in particular, are a matter of measure for measure. Heaven measures a man as he measures
his fellow man. That means that
Heaven aids a person similarly to how that person practically and naturally
fulfills a commandment. It is done
level for level on the basis of 499 1/2 from the left, and 499 1/2 on the
right, as explained by the Gaon in many places (especially in his compositions Yahel
Or, and “The Luster of the Dawn”).
One may ask, “How is it possible to act at the beginning, even more so
to take a risk in doing something with the expectation of a 50% natural, 50%
miraculous outcome, since to begin with, we do not depend on a miracle?” But
the accounting is such that the miraculous aspect constitutes a higher
percentage of the outcome than the other aspects. Now when it comes to deeds concerning the footsteps of the Mashiach,
especially deeds performed by the community, the Gaon maintains that Heaven’s
miraculous help is far greater than the measure for measure account. At times, the help of heaven is 1000
times greater.
The
account is considered as follows: the highest level of awakening from below,
both in what is possible and in what each individual member of the community
has to reach and achieve in practice regarding repairs and for salvation, is
the level of 999 in Yesod (Likutei Hagra), that is, until the
level of “1000 lakes” as is known.
The phrase “1000 lakes” hints at the gematria and the might of the two
[499x2] hosts, as the Gaon explains in many places, which nest in the sefirot
Netzach and Hod. Netzach
and Hod represent the two legs of the cypress tree level where the
two meshichim are found.
The level of the last 1000 is completed by the small aleph in the ! Ze’er Anpin, as revealed by the verse:
“the smallest [will become] a thousand” [Isa. 60:22]. This
completes the number 500 on each side, and they are in the two sefirot Netzach
and Hod.He (Netzach) is concealed in the letter‘ vau’;she (Hod)is
concealed in the letter ‘heh’ of the Holy Name. Accordingly, every level on the left line which is Dinim,
is immediately joined by the same level on the right side, which is miraculous
Lovingkindness. Now when the deed
is performed in public, then the personal merit of each person according to the
root of his soul from the middle line, the line of Mercy, is added to the merit
of the entire group. This is
especially true when the exiles are being gathered in, about which it states:
“with abundant mercy I will gather you in.”
After
all this, the last level of the awakening from below is reached, that is, the
level of 999 steps, which is the perfection of 999 in the sefira Yesod of
three worlds, and its completion by the small aleph. Immediately afterwards, the upper abundance of the great
Aleph of the Arich Anpin is added,
in which case each Aleph is a thousand times greater than the entire lower
aleph, the small aleph of the Ze’er Anpin, where Mashiach ben Yosef nests
(two friends who do not separate).
All this is accomplished with the upper abundance and miraculously. As known, the blessing of God comes
from the abundance of the Great God, as expressed in the verse: “May God
increase you a thousandfold and bless you” [Deut. 1:11], etc.
This also explains the figures in the verse: “one will chase a thousand”
[Deut. 32:30].
D. Similarly,
it must be known and remembered that the forces of impurity, the klipot layers
of the Sitra Achra also have levels of 499 1/2 on the right and 499 1/2
on the left as noted in the Zohar (see , p. 27). They are
called “the muddy valley.” When they reach the final levels, God forbid, they
can attain all the power of Esau and Ismael (the ox and donkey of impurity)
together, and destroy the entire world.
However, God made one to counter the other: to counter the forces of
impurity are the great forces of the same levels of holiness of the two meshichim--the
holy ox and donkey. They have the
same number 499 1/2 on one side and 499 1/2 on the other side, as explained
above. The holy ones
counterattack, etc. They stand
against the impure forces like an iron wall and fortified city. These are the “horns of the ox” at the
opening of the city, on the middle line in the gates of Jerusalem on the west,
where the fortress of Joseph’s angel will be in the war against the angel of
Esau. There, “will gore nations
together, to the ends of the earth” [Deut. 33:17].
E. “There is hope for your
future” (Jer. 31:16). At first glance, the verse seems
difficult, for hope generally applies at the beginning of something, not at its
end. How is Rachel comforted by a
statement that at the end there will be only hope? What kind of ultimate
salvation is hope alone? The answer is that in this case the letters mean that the Redemption will be
completed on the level of the great 1000 from the sefira Daat, by 500 [in gematria] in ‘vau’ and 500 in ‘ heh’. At first this occurs at the awakening
from below as explained above (note of the copyist: as explained in the
commentary of the Gaon in the book Yahel Or on parshat “Mishpatim,
” and also in the book Likutei Hagra , p. 27, and the commentary Beer Yitzchak there, and in
many other places in the Gaon’s commentaries), when the two armies are taken
hold of: 499 1/2 on the right and 499 1/2 on the left or, altogether 999, which
is 1000 minus 1. At that point the
level of the thousand is completed by the abundance from above of the great
thousand from the sefira Daat, and 500 is completed on each side as well
as above and below. This is what
it means by “in your future, ” that is, as explained above, your completion
will be . When will this happen?
After your children return to their border, as is written there [Jer. 31:17].
F. With all our might in deed and
gematria we must draw the upper abundance of Redemption power from the quality
of Lovingkindness of the great thousand until the end of the
awakening-from-below level, as noted above. And the ‘vau’ will descend toward the ‘heh’ as stated in the
holy Zohar, until their measurements equal 499 1/2 on the right and 499
1/2 on the left on the level of and with the power of two periods [of time] in
the sense of the verse: “her period has been completed” [Isa. 40:2] in Jerusalem. At this point the two levels are
reached equally: the quality of Din and the quality of Lovingkindness in
the sefirot Netzach and Hod, at the base of the cypress over
God’s footstool. Then Jerusalem is
at a stage of equality precisely as revealed in the words “make my legs like
those of rams and their legs a straight leg with equal numbers on the right, on
the left, above and below. This
refers to the ‘vau’ and ‘heh’ of the holy name which contain the two meshichim,
who unite in one all-inclusive number: 1000 minus 1. Immediately, the upper abundance of the great Aleph descends
through the agency of Moshe Rabbeinu, may he rest in peace, who is the final
redeemer who completes the number 1000, as revealed in the words: [Song 8:12]
“the thousand is yours, who completes it.” Similarly, in gematria the words Mashiach ben Yosef Mashiach ben
David equal 1000 [566 + 434].
This is the secret of the ingathering of exiles coming first from the
North. Similarly with regard to
every mitzvah and especially so every instance of salvation for Israel in
general, all the forces and special upper attributes are drawn from above to
below in this manner, by lifting and raising the lower, natural force to the
final level of 499 1/2 on the left till that same level is reach on the right
line with the help of God by means of the middle line, which is the line of
mercy, through the sefira Yesod.
G. The Gaon explained the verse: “the
smallest will become a thousand and the youngest a mighty nation; I am the
Lord; in its time, I will hasten it” [Isa. 60:22]. Our
sages understood the words “in its time I will hasten it” to refer to two
ways. If they the people [of
Israel] are worthy, I will hasten in; if they are not worthy, it will occur at
its predetermined time. In neither
case does the Biblical verse lose its literal meaning, that when the time
comes, I will hasten it. When will
this occur? When the youngest becomes a thousand, that is, when we ourselves
reach the level of the small thousand, at the awakening from below, and the
youngest becomes a mighty nation.
The smallest and youngest is Efraim, who is Mashiach ben Yosef whose
mission is the ingathering of exiles.
A mighty nation refers to the number 600, 000; then, even though its
time has come, I will hasten it [the process]. This is the middle road that our Sages discuss in their
interpretations.
In
the repairs of Tsofnat Paneach are 18 special attributes of the upper
abundance of God’s blessings. All
are concealed in the mystery of 999 in the sefira Yesod, which is the
highest number of Mashiach ben Yosef when the awakening comes from
below. That is the meaning of “the
smallest will become a thousand, ” etc., as explained below. Each of these 18 special attributes is
bound by this number, each one in its own place in line, as noted below.
In
everything we do to gather in the exiles and settle the Holy Land, and in all
our prayers for the life and success of Mashiach who comes at the
beginning of the Redemption, Mashiach ben Yosef, we must always focus on
this exalted number, 999 in the sefira Yesod, in order to achieve, with
the might of our hand, what is revealed in “deeds and gematria” according to
the Gaon. We must strive to rise
to the level of this number, which is the highest level of the awakening from
below. And may the God who has
chosen Zion help us with the full and complete help of God to reach the great
thousand, when the complete Redemption will come, may it do so speedily in our
days, Amen.
H. In general, the 18 special traits
or circumstances associated with Mashiach ben Yosef that require repair
according to the Interpreter (Tsofnat Paneach) are as follows: 1) The
unity of the two meshichim in “two hosts 499 1/2 on the left and 499 1/2
on the right that together equal 999.
2) The abundance of good on the level of good, 999 in the sefira Yesod,
which, according to the Gaon, refers to Yosef, as revealed by the verse “a good
eye will be blessed” (Prov.
23:7). 3) The source of
blessing, the blessing of
[Deut. 16:10] “almighty
God” when the names of the letters of the two words are spelled out and added up. ( In this case, the sum is 999) 4)
Mitigating judgments by [999] “Metatron Minister of Interior” the one who
brings the sound of the Shofar to Heaven.
5) The abundance of lights which is the ! [999] sperm of the sefira
Yesod. 6). The might of the upper host by the
[999] “angel of hosts.” 7) The unity of the Holy One blessed be He with
the Shechina by 3 combinations of letters [ : 999]. ? 8) 43Purification of the three worlds by the letter ‘tet’
[999] as written “my inner self yearns for him” [Jer. 31:19]. 9) Engaging in the war against Esau and Ismael, referred to
as [999] “the foot of an ox and a donkey.” 10) Purification of the Holy Land by
fulfilling the commandments related to the land, for ! [Lev. 26:34] [999] “then the land will be
appeased.” 11) Removing the desolation, referring to the muddy valley and
making it [Hos. 2:17] [999] “an opening of hope.” 12)
Lights from darkness, and sweetness from power, as inferred in the verse: [999]
[Ps. 30:6]. 13) The source of salvation, God, will
act [999] [Ps. 20:7] “with the
omnipotent acts of salvation of His right hand, ” in the sense meant by Jacob
when he placed his right hand on Efraim’s head. 14) The blessing of “expansiveness” as noted in ”Now God has
expanded us and we will multiply in the land” [Gen. 26:22] as promised [999] [Gen. 22:17] “like the sand on the seashore.” 15) Abundance of
might as revealed in ! [999]
[Jud. 5:23] the one who came ?“to
the aid of the Lord against mighty men.” 16) The humble spirit of the two meshichim
as revealed in [999] [Ps.
37:11] “the humble will inherit the earth.” 17) Pleasantness with
trials, as revealed in ! [999] [Ps.
126:6] “who bears the measure of seeds.” 18) The blessing of dew and
satiety, as revealed by [999] [Mal.
3:10] “the windows of the Heavens” as is written “I will open for you
the windows of the Heavens and pour out on you blessings without limit.”
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As
an emissary of the Holy One of Heaven, with a mission placed upon me, Hillel
son of Benjamin - - -
I
am obligated to arouse and to educate people regarding this, as explained above
and as revealed by the supreme number 999 in the sefira Yesod, in which
my name is hinted at in the letters which include the name of my forefathers,
that was revealed to me by the holy spirit of the Gaon, Rabbi Eliyahu of Vilna,
may his merit protect us, in the words, deeds and gematria [his name, equals --the
Revealed End-- in gematria: 279].
I. As explained above,
there is a great and exalted value in mentioning the 18 special characteristics
associated with Mashiach ben Yosef, when performing deeds at the time of
the awakening from below, such as when gathering in the exiles and settling the
Holy land. Also, one should focus
on the great number of Mashiach ben Yosef which is 999 in Yesod. This is the 999 (1000 minus 1) that is
hinted at [section deleted -author] in the 18 special attributes mentioned
above as revealed by the words, “the smallest will become a thousand.” We
should do the above in order to draw and interconnect the upper abundance from
all 18 special attributes for every deed, with the help of God. The prayer “Yosef still lives” is
especially helpful, as explained above in Chapter 1 where there is a discussion
of the special prayer for the life and peace of Mashiach ben Yosef who
will accomplish the ingathering of exiles and the settlement of the Holy Land
according to the Gaon. Below is a
shortened form of this prayer.
The
Prayer “Yosef Still Lives”
Our
Father in Heaven, have mercy on the remainder of Yosef your people, Merciful
Father, Redeemer of Israel and Jerusalem, who causes the horn of salvation to
sprout, please help and please bring success to the faithful emissary, the Mashiach
of the beginning of the Redemption, Mashiach ben Yosef, who bears
our sicknesses and suffers our pains in his war against the enemy of Israel,
the wicked Armilus. As it says,
“and the House of Jacob will be a fire, and the House of Yosef a flame, and the
House of Esau will become straw” [Ov.
1:18], “and saviors will ascend Mount Zion to judge Mount Esau, and the
kingdom will be the Lord’s” [Ov.
1:21] and the Lord will become King over the whole Earth. Yosef is still alive, Yosef is still
alive, Yosef is still alive. The
son of David is alive and exists.
Our Father, the Merciful Father, who chooses Jerusalem and dwells in
Zion, in your great goodness, may your anger be abated from your people, your
city and your property. May we all
merit seeing speedily the revelation of the holy vision sent from your holy
dwelling place as hints to Rabbi Eliyahu son of Shlomo the light of Mashiach
ben Yosef on the level of Good, revealed in the holy verses: “Do not be
afraid my servant Jacob, or Yeshurun whom I have chosen” [Isa. 44:27]; “His tent [is] in Shalem and
his dwelling place in Zion” [Ps.
76:3]; “visualize Zion, the city of our designated time, your eyes will
see Jerusalem a tranquil habitation” [Isa. 33:20]. On the
level of the upper lights. Rock of
our heights, shield of our salvation, protect the wood of Josef in the hand of
Efraim, raise the horn of your Mashiach ben Yosef, as it says: “his
horns are the horns of an ox with which he gores nations” [Deut. 33:17].. Increase his strength to stand firmly, as in “he emplaced
his arrow firmly” [Gen. 49:24] in
his difficult war against the enemies of your people, our oppressors, as you
promised with regard to the fall of Gog and Magog (Ez. 39): “You will fall on the mountains of
Israel, you and all your flanks, and the peoples accompanying you ... Then the inhabitants of the cities of
Israel will go out and kindle fires and fuel them with their weaponry-shields
... On that day I will grant Gog a
burial site place there in Israel ...
and there they will bury Gog and all his multitude, and call it the
Valley of Hamon Gog [Gog’s Multitude] ...
I will make my glory evident among the nations, and the nations will see
My justice executed by me, and My hand that I have placed against them. Then the House of Israel will know that
I am the Lord your God ...
Therefore, ... now I will
return the captivity of Jacob and show mercy to the entire House of Israel, and
be zealous for My Holy Name.”
Lift
us up and help us, Rock of our strength, to reach--by our deeds in connection
with our holy heritage--the level of the great and holy number (Metatron
Minister of Interior) of the angel of Mashiach at the beginning, which is “999
in the sefira Yesod” held together by two hosts, one on the right side
and the other on the left.
-
- - - - -May all the nations of the earth see the salvation of our Lord
speedily. Our Father, Merciful
Father, may this time be a time of mercy and goodwill before You, etc. on the basis of the merit of those who
occupy themselves with the repairs noted by the Interpreter [Tsofnat Paneach],
and concentrate on eradicating the spirit of impurity and sanctifying your
great and holy name. May you show
mercy and goodwill also because of the merit of those who occupy themselves
with settling our Holy Land and building Jerusalem, and the merit of those of
your children who live on your heritage, suffering the tribulations of Eretz
Israel, and accepting the tribulations with love to sanctify your name and
hasten the Redemption of your people and your property, may it come
quickly.
Based
on this merit, may ben Yosef, the Mashiach of the beginning, live, not
fall, as prayed by the faithful friend, Moshe Rabbeinu, may he rest in peace,
by King David, may he rest in peace, as well as by the great Sages, who like angels,
prayed on behalf of the life and success of the Mashiach of the
beginning, Mashiach ben Yosef, Amen. As the righteous people of the world have decreed, when
righteous people issue a decree, then the Holy One blessed be He fulfills
it. Yosef is still alive. Alive still is Yosef. The son of David is alive and
exists. A righteous persons lives
by his faith. Then the tree of
Yosef and the tree of Judah will become one in the hand of the Lord, and
whatever he does, the Lord makes prosper.
Efraim
is my favorite son, a delightful child, so whenever I speak of him I remember
him more and more? Therefore, my inner self yearns for him, I will surely take
pity on him, says the Lord” [Jer.
31:19]. “May the
pleasantness of the Lord be upon us, and our deeds be established for us”
[Ps. 90:12] in connection with all
the 18 special and emanated attributes associated with the Mashiach of
the beginning with the full complement of what is related to each attribute on
the level of 999 in the sefira Yesod, as revealed in the verses: “the
smallest will become a thousand and the youngest a mighty nation”; “I am the
Lord; in its time, I will hasten it”; “in distress I called out to the Lord,
and he answered me with expansiveness” [Ps. 118:5].
Following
this prayer, one must recite the chapters listed above in Chapter 1.
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I am still praying for the
success of my special mission, that Heaven placed upon me with holy hints from
the root of the upper lights on the level of good, as part of the holy mission
of the Gaon on the level of Metatron and Yosef found in the mystery of 999 in
Yesod, that equals 1000 minus 1, which is the highest rung of the ladder of the
Mashiach of the beginning, Mashiach ben Yosef, during the final
stage of the footsteps of the Mashiach. This was hinted to me by the holy spirit of the Gaon on the
basis of the gematria of the letters of my name and those of my forefathers: ”
[999] “Hillel, son of Benyamin, son of Shlomo Rivalis.”
[fn. Reb Shlomo Rivalis is the Gaon Reb
Shlomo Rivalis (Rivlin), the Gaon’s cousin. He was the president of the main committee of “the Four
Countries” in Shklov. The hint
mentioned was taken seriously by Reb Hillel, who composed “Kol HaTor.”
This hint, his other hints and those of his colleagues, students of the Gaon,
regarding their mission to promote the ingathering of the exiles (explained in
the book “Vision of Zion”), were actually a fundamental secret behind
their enthusiastic yearnings and efforts on behalf of settlement in the Holy
Land.]
This is what I requested,
and directed my children and their descendants to do, in addition to always
saying a prayer following the prayer “Yosef is still alive” on behalf of the
promotion and success of the great, holy and exalted mission of the Mashiach
of the beginning, as an inherent part of the “revealed end” and “concealed
end” until the end of the Redemption and the End of Days, may it come speedily.
The Purpose of the
Redemption: the Redemption of Truth and Sanctification of God
We must strengthen
ourselves to promote the Redemption, that is, the redemption of the truth and
sanctification of God according to the Gaon’s commentary on the following
verses: “for every eye will see when God returns to Zion” [Isa. 82:8]. This refers to the ingathering of exiles. “Break out in joy, sing together, O
ruins of Jerusalem” [Isa. 52:9]
refers to the rebuilding of Jerusalem and removing the impure spirit from the
land. “For the Lord has comforted
his People, He has redeemed Jerusalem” [Isa. 52:9] refers to the redemption of the truth, since Jerusalem
is referred to as the City of Truth in “God has uncovered His holy arm before
the eyes of all the nations” [Isa.
52:10], etc. This refers to
sanctifying God, as the words of the prophecy indicate, and as written in the
continuation of the verse: “the ends of the earth will see the salvation of
God.” These verses hint at Israel’s victory in the War of Gog and Magog by Mashiach
ben Yosef, according to the Gaon (comment of the copyists: in the book Likutei
Agadot, p.15, 53”), the war of Gog and Magog will take place after the
first redemption from oppression by the monarchies. According to the above explanation, it seems clear that
preparation for the great victory is by redemption of the Truth and
sanctification of God.
This helps us understand
well the words of the Goan in his chapter on “The Mystery of the [Hebrew]
Letters, ” that during the period of the ingathering of the exiles, the Sitra
Achra will become stronger (comments of the copyist: in Likutei Hagr”a “the
secret of the Letters, p. 40, the
commentary “Be’er Yitzchak” brings the Gaon’s comment that the verse:
“the redeemed of the Lord will return” refers to Mashiach ben Yosef who
is the first redeemer, through whose agency the ingathering of exiles will be
accomplished. Then, during the
footsteps of the Mashiach, the Sitra Achra will be most
powerful). The main desire of the Sitra
Achra is to uproot the truth, and this is what is meant by the verse: “Esau
hates Jacob, ” because Jacob is in the line of truth, as is written “give Truth
to Jacob.” The Sitra Achra knows that the goal is redemption of the
truth and sanctification of God.
which occur along with the ingathering of the exiles and rebuilding
Jerusalem as explained above. The Sitra
Achra also knows that as the footsteps of the Mashiach progress, so
the end of the power of impurity nears.
He therefore girds himself with all his strength and power to wage his
battle to uproot the truth and every good deed that leads to sanctification of
God. We can thus understand what
our Sages meant by their comments on the footsteps of the Mashiach (Sota,
49b) where the Talmud states: “during the footsteps of the Mashiach,
truth will be missing and brazenness will be blatant, a son will disgrace his
father, and the young will shame the elders. Why will all this occur, especially during the footsteps of
the Mashiach more or than in another period? For the redemption of the
truth and sanctification of God are the goals of the redemption along with the
ingathering of the exiles and the rebuilding of Jerusalem. Therefore, during the footsteps of the Mashiach
the Sitra Achra exerts himself more powerfully in his war to root
out the truth. The word missing --
“the truth will be missing” means that it will have been uprooted according to
the order of the Hebrew alphabet
[this means that the order is : first is the first letter, then the last
letter, then the second letter, then the next to the last letter, etc.]
According to that order, the of the word can be exchanged for . Thus during the final footsteps of the Mashiach,
the amount of ingratitude and requiting evil for good will become greater than
ever since the creation of the world.
The term “during the
footsteps of the Mashiach, ” which is used by our Sages, should be
interpreted literally: during the time of the footsteps of the Mashiach and
at its high point, i.e., at the height of the activities at the beginning of
the Redemption — primarily the ingathering of the exiles, rebuilding Jerusalem,
redemption of Truth and sanctification of God’s name, as noted above--during
this time the Sitra Achra will become more powerful in attempting to
disturb and precipitate failure by uprooting the truth and preventing
sanctification of God. This is
what is meant by “who taunted the footsteps of Your Mashiach [Ps. 89:52]”
How strong is the force of
the Sitra Achra that he managed to hide from the eyes of our holy
forefathers the danger of the klipot layers: from the eyes of our
forefather Abraham, the klipa of Ismael; from the eyes of our forefather
Isaac, the klipa of Esau; and from the eyes of our forefather Jacob, the
klipa of the terafim.
During the footsteps of the Mashiach, the Sitra Achra becomes
even stronger, in order to strike Biblical scholars with blindness.
All this is obligatory
upon us to know and understand beforehand, when we carry out our holy work of
gathering in the exiles and rebuilding Jerusalem. We must know beforehand that to the extent that this holy
work will increase--so the Sitra Achra’s power to disturb and bring
about failure will increase with his primary weapon which is eradicating the
truth as explained above by our Sages and the Gaon. If we know all this ahead of time-- the Sitra Achra’s
desire and the force of his warfare, then we will know how to deal with it
practically. We will know how to
fight him, measure for measure.
That is, the Sitra Achra wishes to uproot Truth and to bring
about desecration of God name, and we will fight him by redemption of the truth
and sanctification of God-s name.
This is also what is meant by the verse: “God wages war against Amalek
from generation to generation” [Ex.
17:16]. The forces of God’s
seal is that truth will give us the strength as we proceed step by step in our
war. We must remember that this
power comes miraculously from Heaven according to our Sages (Sanhedrin 64a);
in the incident when a note fell from Heaven, they state that “truth was
written on it, which is the seal of God.” But in every commandment the
awakening from below is required.
About this it says “the truth will sprout from the land” [Ps. 85:12]. When we act on behalf of redemption of Truth from below,
then God will aid us with His imprint, and since the main center of the Sitra
Achra is in the gates of Jerusalem, as it says “come to its gates; cast
lots on Jerusalem” (Ovadia 1:11), and as it states: “sin crouches at the
entrance” against the “entrance to the city” of Jerusalem, because all the
desire of the impure force is to attach itself to the center of Holiness. It says about this: “God will denounce
you O Satan...He who chooses Jerusalem” [Zach. 3:2]. Therefore
here at the gates of the holy city of Jerusalem, may it be built and
established, is the site and center for the supreme force to counterattack the
angel of Esau who fights to uproot the truth.
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