The Kingship of Hashem,

Of  Joseph, and of Judah                                           

  Rabbi Dr Zvi Aviner

 

 

 

We do not study here Kabbalah for its own sake.  We don’t talk about Madonna’s great light, and we don’t wear white clothes, and I don’t grow a long beard, and I don’t take my picture in front of a holy ark with an impressive look. We do learn here about what Kabala teaches us on the Seven Noahide Commandments.

 And Kabala says that we can learn it from the entire Book of Genesis.

According to the Book of BaHir, the Bereishit book was written to present  the six commandments of Adam, how to fulfill them, and how we evoke in heaven a response to the observance of the commandments. Each  Commandment evokes a specific  Attribute in heaven – a Sphere – that will affect us and the whole world.

The Breishiit book goes from one Commandment to the next. You don’t have to be a prophet or a particularly great sage to see that in the book.  One result is that we can now derive the proper order of the Commandments, which comes first, which come second and so on.  A long debate between various authorities comes here to a close

The Book presents three stories.  Sefer, Sefer, Sefer. The text tells the stories of six righteous people –  Patriarchs – each fulfilling  avidly one of the Six Commandment of Adam . The stories about each patriarch revolve around a particular Commandment which that patriarch was struggling to observe.   So, we have so far two stories – of the Patriarchs and of their parallel Commandments. The third line of stories is the stories of the Heavenly Spheres that each Patriarch invokes in Heavens.

 Here are the Patriarchs,  their Commandments and their Spheres.

The first is Adam in chapter 1, who was created to withstand the test of IDOLARTRY – Adam’s First Commandment in Eden.  As we recall, when ELKM created Adam, He spoke in plural saying Let Us etc.  The Angels asked- Our King, aren’t you afraid that by speaking in plural you’ve opened the door for idolaters to think that there are more than One Creator, You? And ELKM answered – I speak in plural to teach Adam MODESTY.  Here MODESTY is so important that ELKM risks IDOLATRY to teach it to Adam.  We’ll come back to this important point.

Since the world was created with WISDOM, whoever overcomes IDOLARTY prohibition is Wise, provoking the Sphere of WISDOM to shine on him.

The second couple is Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, who receive a second, new Commandment – the prohibition of ADULTERY.

All the other Four Commandments were also given in Eden – BLOODSHED, THEFT, JUSTICE and BLASPHEMY – though they would be meaningful only with life on real Earth.  They were given in Eden, though, in case Adam and Eve would fail Eden and be driven out to live on real Earth.   According to Kabala, G-d also “prepared Himself” to accompany Mankind on Earth.  He did not just throw the humans out.  He is here with us in a concealed way, leading us through the Spheres.

Since Eden was formed with Heavenly LOVE and GOODNESS – the two Cherubs holding Wing against Wing with Love – whoever observes the ADULTERRY Law is blessed by the Heavenly Sphere of LOVE and GOODNESS- named BINAH.

Next in the Book of Bereishit comes the third line of stories about one topic- BLOODSHED, Adam’s Third, starting with Cain and Abel ending with Noah’s Flood and the Rainbow Covenant.   The entire at block of stories revolves around BLOODSHE.   Noah struggled with his generation’s BLOODSHED, and in response he invoked in Heavens the Third Sphere – Daat.

This  line is followed by the Fourth line of Abraham’s stories  revolving around THEFT,  Adam’s fourth.  Abraham performed much Hassed, unconditional charity and compassion, which is the opposite of THEFT.    In response, he invoked in Heavens the Fourth Sphere – Hessed.

Following Abraham comes the entire line of the stories oof Jacob, how he fought for JUSTICE and CIVIL ORDER – which is Adam’s FIFTH.  In turn, he invoked the Sphere of JUSTICE, LAWS, TORAH to shine on him.

And then comes the sixth line of stories about the sale of Yosef, which is the epitome of desecrating God’s name – transgressing the sixth Commandment mitzva of Adam.

But the book of Genesis presents for us not only the Six Commandments in their proper order, but also tells us EVERYTJHING WE NEED TO KNOW ABOUT A PARTICULAR COMMANDMENT.

The block of Abraham’s stories not only inform us that he struggled against THEFT, but HOW he did that.  In the process the reader gets an idea what the THEFT Commandment is, what proper ownership is, and who is the real Owner of the Universe.  Lots of information unavailable elsewhere in the entire Bible.

 Thus, the stories of Noah tell us everything we need to know about bloodshed, the reasons for it, and how to prevent it – information that is so relevantly to our time.

 So far we have followed the stories in the Book of Genesis in their natural flow, from the beginning to the End.

But the Book of Yezirah tells us that there is another way to study the Book oof Genesis –  according to ta symmetry from top to bottom

 In other words, there is a connection between

Numbered 1 to 10

Between 2 and 9

Between 3 and 8

Between 4 and 7

Between 5 and 6

It’s as if the list oof the ten Spheres is  folded on a  middle axis, from top to bottom, so that 1 falls on 10, 2 on 9,  3 on 8 and so on

In other words, the first chapter that begins the book falls on the story of Joseph, which finishes the book

Let’s see if this connection helps us learn about the two Commandments involved.

Let us start with the last story in Genesis, the sale of Joseph.  Let’s follow th e rule of Sefer, Sefer and Sefer.

First, it is an attractive and captivating story – about the brother who was sold into slavery then ascended the most important throne in the world. Will he forgive the brothers? The story is fascinating.

 Then we go to the second Sefer- looking for the Commandment involved. It is, of course, BLASPHEMY, Adam’s Sixth.

 And the rest of the story shows how BLASPHEMY can be corrected – by SANCTIFYING God’s name in public.

Indeed, Yosef sanctified God’s name by refusing Potifar’s wife, though he knew well that he would be thrown into the prison pit

So did Judah sanctify God’s name by publicly admitting that he was the father of Tamar’s child. Desecrating

But Kabala observes that both DESECRATION and SANCTIFICATION deal with God’s HONOR in the eyes of the public, hence with the issue of HIS KINGSHIP.

That is the true Commandment here – honor of G-d, the King of the Universe.  A Sphere called Malchut, Kingship.

It is located as the last Spere in the Ten.  It received all the input from the upper Spheres – Attributes – then executes the input in the real world. It is the White House in G-d’s Kingship.

 .

As a response to Joseph and Judah’s efforts,  both merited to have God treat them as kings, giving  them the gift of a kingdom of flesh and blood

In other words, they received Mashiach ben Yosef and Mashiach ben David.

 Now that we have identified the Commandment and the Sphere, Malchut, let’s see what the text teaches us about it – that we won’t find anywhere else.

Let’s observe the following pints one by one.

 

1:   God’s Kingship is real by concealed

 

The kingship of God – His intervention in human history – is shown in the story of Joseph like in no other story in the Torah.  And it is hidden, concealed from our eyes.

 There is no other story in the Torah where we know clearly the will of God –  to execute the Heavenly decree to bring Yaakov down to Egypt as had been told to Avraham .  Now the text tells us HOW the decree was executed . And it s fascinating.

Each of the characters in the story acts on his free choice, without knowing about the decree.  Everyone moves in the circle of his life without knowing that G-d is pushing behind the scenes.   Yosef is in his circle, , Yehuda is in his own circle, ,  Yaakov is in his own circle  and God is in his own circle- says Rashi.  Though no one saw it, the kingship of  God was real  and operating.

Rashi says – Yakov could have been taken down to Egypt in many ways – like an army coming and taking him down to Egypt.  Hashem choose to use the brothers’ actions to fulfill His decree.

Can we see here any parallel to the first chapter of Bereishit?

God’s leadership in nature is also concealed.     Genesis Chapter 1 tells us that, for sure, God’s hands are in every Day of CREATION, each Day led by its own Decree, own Spere – out of total Ten.

Now – Is this statement true, for sure?  So here comes our observation that the story of creation is validated by science, exactly as it appears in Genesis.  If the story itself is so miraculously true, so must be the story of the Ten sayings (let it be) meaning God’s leadership in Nature.

Now the symmetry between the beginning and the end of Genesis – following the Book of Yezirah – dictates that similarly to chapter one, God’s leadership of human history is also true, yet unseen.

2: Two ways to bring God’s Kinship into the open

 What else can we derive about G-d’s Kingship from our section?

Kabala counts three ways, all hinted in Joseph story.

One way is called Netzach, Victory.  It refers to the surest  way Man can stir up the Heavenly Kingship to come forwards.   It refers to the readiness of Man to offer his life for the honor of Hashem, or God’s sanctification that we’ve already alluded to.

Chabad’s site says:

“The attribute of Neztach  in man is rooted in the very soul and originates in the essence  of God.  A person who is guided by this Attribute is willing to give everything he has in order to honor the name of Heaven in public.”

Sanctifying God’s Name brought kingship to both Joseph and Judah. But the parallel to Chapter One says also that there is a danger of IDOLATRY here – mixing a flesh and blood Messiah King with the real King- God.

The last section in the Book of Genesis also tells us about the different nature of the two types oof the Messiahs – the son of joseph and the son of Judah

Joseph sees himself as a messenger of God.  He tells his brother don’t be afraid of me, God sent me here to take care of you – and of other people as well. He stands facing the brothers, and God is behind him so to speak.

In contrast, Yehuda stands up to Yosef – whom he thinks is an Egyptian – and defends his brothers.  He volunteered to present them, and had also guaranteed their safety to Jacob.  The brothers stand like a pack behind him, while he faces the adversary.  The Messiah from him – David – would defend Israel.   The last Messiah, in contrast, would face the world, like Joseph.

A second way to awaken God’s Malchut is through humility called hod.  When a person shows humility toward God and subdues himself, he has advanced the kingdom of God in the world

 Humility appears in the story of Joseph and Jacob

In the parasha, it is related that before his death, Yaakov wanted to tell his sons what would happen at the end of days, that is, at the time of the Messiah. Since it sounded as if it were their pride, the prophecy was removed from him until he turned on the bed and said, “Blessed is the glory of the kingdom of God forever and ever.” Then the prophecy returned to him and he chose Yehuda.

Is the topic related also to Genesis Chapter One? We recall that when creating Adam, ELKM risked IDOLATRY by speaking in plural, for the sake of teaching Adam modesty.  Adam’s arrogance is the most fearful feature of him that God wished to tame.  Curtailing his own ego is the most important step we can take to ENTHRONE HIM ON US.

Kabala places Neztach and Hod slightly above Kingship –

In the diagram, it is written like this:

                          1 Adam

                 Adam and Eve

                           Noah

          Isac                     4 Abraham

                        5    Jacob

                         6 Joseph

  Neztach  (8) ………. Hod (Glory) (9)

…………..   Kingship (10)

 

 

Observing the story of Joseph, Kabala adds another Sphere above the last one- called Tzadik, Righteous.

Chabad page explains –

  The Tzadik is the one who had already fulfilled all the Commandments, as required by all the Spheres, and now he is consumed by the passion and expectation to meet the King in real life, in the open.

Says Chabad’s Page

“This desire to see the kingdom of God openly is the attribute that is fundamental, and it is the stage before the kingdom.

“For example, when a person has not seen his son or lover for several years and the time comes to see him and give him a gift that will express his desire, everything else disappears from his mind and he thinks only of the moment of meeting and the gift he will give to his beloved son or to the beloved king. Before the meeting, everything else seemed worthless.  The same is true of the feeling of the tzaddik who longs to come to the king and see him openly.”

The Tzadik wishes to present to G-d all the Commandments he/she has kept, as a present, or as an expression of his love.

It means that for the Ztadik, keeping the Commandments  is not a goal for itself or a way to get a good credit, but rather an expression oof his love to Hashem, to give Him pleasure.

                          1 Adam

                 Adam and Eve

                           Noah

          Isaac                     4 Abraham

                        5    Jacob

                         6 Joseph

                         7 Tzadik

  Neztach  (8) ………. Hod (Glory) (9)

…………..   Kingship (10)

We have seen some examples of how we can learn from the book of Genesis about the six commandments of Adam or the seven commandments of Noach – which is the same thing.

 The book of Genesis takes us as deeply as possible into the meaning of the commandments and how we awaken God’s attributes to bestow goodness and kindness upon us.  Hashem’s Kingship in this world depends on us and our behavior and the observance of His Commandments.