And Reuben Went – Now the Sons of Jacob Were Twelve

(înapoi la pagina ZOHAR CUPRINS / VAYIŞLACH – click)

203) “And it came to pass, while Israel dwelt in that land.” This refers to Divinity, called “land,” because Leah and Rachel died and Divinity received the house.

204) Would you even consider that Reuben went and laid with Bilhah? Rather, as long as Leah and Rachel were alive, Divinity was over them. But now that they have died, Divinity did not part the house and remained in Bilhah’s abode.

And even though Divinity should have received the house, to properly unite with Jacob after Rachel’s death, how is it said that Divinity was in Bilhah’s abode? If Jacob had not been in a Zivug of Dechar (male) and Nukva, Divinity would not have openly been in the house. This is why Divinity was in Bilhah’s place, since there was a Zivug of Dechar and Nukva there.

205) Reuben came, and when he saw that Bilhah had taken the place of his mother, he went and confused the bed, meaning he took Jacob’s bed from there. And because the spirit of Divinity was over her, it is written about him, “and lay with Bilhah,” meaning that he slept on that bed and was not afraid for the honor of Divinity. This is why the text speaks of him as if he laid with her. And because he did not sin, Reuben was not removed from the count of twelve tribes. This is why the text immediately calculates, saying, “Now the sons of Jacob were twelve. And because of that, it immediately writes, “Reuben, Jacob’s first-born,” for the text had made him head of all the tribes.

206) “For the ways of the Lord are right.” All the ways of the Creator are right, and His ways are true. And the people of the world do not know and do not notice what they stand on. Hence, “the righteous do walk in them,” since they know the ways of the Creator and engage in Torah, and anyone who engages in the Torah knows the ways of the Torah and walks in them, and does not stray right left.

207) “…but transgressors do stumble therein.” Those are the wicked ones, who do not engage in the Torah, do not observe the ways of the Creator, and do not know where the roads lead. And because they do not observe and do not engage in Torah, they fail in the ways of the Torah in this world and in the next world.

208) Any person who engages in Torah, when he passes away from this world, his soul rises in the ways and trails of the Torah. These ways and trails of the Torah are known, and those who know the ways of Torah in this world, walk in them in that world after they part with this world.

209) And if they do not engage in Torah in this world and do not know the ways and trails of the Torah, when they leave this world, they will not know these ways and trails and they will fail in them. Then they will walk in other ways, which are not the ways of Torah, and many judgments will awaken upon them and they will be punished in them.

210) And one who does engage in Torah, “…when thou lay down, it shall watch over thee; and when thou awaken, it shall talk with thee.” “When you lay” (in the grave), the Torah will keep you from the judgment of that world. “And when you awaken,” when the Creator awakens spirits and souls to revive the dead, then “it shall talk with thee,” meaning she will be an advocate for the body so that those bodies that engaged in Torah will rise properly. And these will be the first to rise to everlasting life, as it is written, “And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake… to everlasting life.” Those are to everlasting life, since they engaged in the everlasting life, which is the Torah.

211) All who engage in Torah, their body will persist and the Torah will protect it. This is because at that time, the Creator will awaken one spirit that comprises four winds, which are HB TM, and that spirit, made of four winds, will to all those who engage in Torah to revive them with that spirit so they will live forever.

212) It is written, “with the dead that Ezekiel revived.” “Come, O wind, from the four winds…” Why did they not persist? After all, they all died as in the beginning, and that spirit, which is made of the four winds, did not help them live forever? When the Creator revived the dead through Ezekiel, although that wind consisted of four winds, it did not descend to revive them for everlasting life to begin with, but to show that the Creator is destined to revive the dead in that way, and to revive them in the spirit that is included of the four winds in that manner. And although at that time, the bones returned to what they were, the Creator only wanted to show the whole world that He is destined to revive the dead, that then the Creator will revive them properly, in complete persistence in the world. And those who engage in Torah in this world, the Torah will stand for them at that time and will become an advocate before the Creator.

213) All the words in the Torah and all of that Torah, in which a person engages in this world, meaning the reason in it, always stands before the Creator and speaks to Him and raises her voice and does not grow silent. And at the time of the revival of the dead, she will speak and say according to the amount that that person engaged in her in this world. Hence, they will rise in complete persistence to everlasting life, as it is written, “For the ways of the Lord are right; the Righteous do walk in them, but transgressors do stumble therein.”

214) “…they lay with the women…” is it conceivable that the Lord’s priests would do this? The Torah explains their sin, that they were punished for slighting the sacrifice. This means that they were righteous who were being meticulously watched over. But here he says, “they lay with the women that did service,” meaning that they performed such a grave transgression.

215) But they would never sin like that, especially in that holy place, without Israel rising and killing them. But because they were detaining the women from entering the Temple, they protested for not being allowed to enter and pray before the offerings were made. But because they did not bring offerings, to take part of them, they were detaining them. And this is why the women asked to enter the Temple, but they detained them. This is why it is written, “they lay with the women,” having detained them from entering the Temple.

216) “…and lay with Bilhah” means that he detained her from laying with his father in a laying of Mitzva [good deed], and this is the confusion of the bed. It is considered that he did this deed against Divinity because wherever there is laying of Mitzva, Divinity is in that place. And one who causes detainment of a laying of Mitzva causes the parting of Divinity from the world, as it is written, “Because thou went up to thy father’s bed,” as it is written, “and lay with Bilhah,” and “Now the sons of Jacob were twelve,” since they were all counted and nothing of their merit was withdrawn.

217) What is the reason that Israel comes first and then Jacob, as it is written, “and Israel heard of it. Now the sons of Jacob were twelve”? He replies that when Reuben came and confused the bed, he said, “What is this? My father had twelve tribes to sustain in the world, not more, and now he wishes to have more sons? Are we flawed, that he wishes to have others in our place as in the beginning?”

He immediately confused the bed and that laying was detained. It is regarded as though he had disgraced Divinity, who was on that bed. This is why it writes, “and Israel heard,” because in that name, he rose within the twelve degrees that were covered, which are the twelve rivers of pure persimmon.

The name, “Israel,” is above Chazeh de ZA, where there are four Sefirot HB TM with three lines in each of them. These are twelve rivers of pure persimmon, and they were covered because Hassadim are covered from the Chazeh upwards. And Jacob wished to beget twelve more sons, referring to the twelve in the name, “Israel,” which are covered Hassadim. It turns out that by Reuben’s confusion of his father’s bed, he flawed the twelve in the name, “Israel,” but not at all in the twelve of Jacob, which were already present and complete. This is why it writes, “and Israel heard.” But the sons of Jacob were complete twelve.

218) “Now the sons of Jacob” are the twelve tribes by which Divinity was erected. They are the ones which the Torah counted in the beginning, before Reuben’s sin. They are all holy, all worthy of Divinity, to gaze upon the holiness of their Lord, because had Reuben done that deed, he would not have been counted among the tribes.

219) Still, Reuben was punished: his seniority was taken from him and given to Joseph, as it is written, “And the sons of Reuben the first-born of Israel,” since he was the first-born. May the name of God be blessed from the world unto the world, whose every deed is true, and whose ways are judgment, and all that He does is with sublime wisdom.

220) How much do people’s actions cause? All that man does is written and stands before the Creator. This is because when Jacob came to Leah, his heart and mind were with Rachel all through that night, for he thought she was Rachel. And from this lay, and from that first drop and from that desire was Leah impregnated. And it is explained that had it not been so—that Jacob did not know that she was Leah, but would indeed know that she was Leah while he was thinking of Rachel—Reuben would not have been counted among the tribes, since he would have been replaceable. However, it was by mistake. For this reason, he did not rise by a known name, but his name is only “Reuben,” which is an acronym for Reu [look], Ben [a son], without a name.

221) But still the act returns to its place. As the first desire acted in Rachel, that desire returned to her because his seniority returned to Joseph, Rachel’s first-born, the place where the desire was—Rachel. Thus, everything came to its place, since all the deeds of the Creator are true and just.

(înapoi la pagina ZOHAR CUPRINS / VAYIŞLACH – click)

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