Kabbalah Library

23) “For, lo, the kings assembled” are Judah and Joseph, since both of them were kings and they approached each other to argue, both of them together because Judah was a guarantor for Benjamin. He was also a guarantor for his father, in this world and in the next world. This is why he approached Joseph to argue with him about Benjamin, so as to not be an outcast in this world and in the next world.

24) It is written about it, “For, lo, the kings assembled themselves, they passed by together.” “Passed by together” means that they were angered together; they were angry with each other over Benjamin. It is written about it, “They saw, they were amazed; they were terrified, they hasted away. Trembling took hold of them there,” meaning all those who were there.

25) “Pangs, as of a woman in childbirth,” since they feared killing or being killed. And it was all for Benjamin. Joseph was sold under the counsel of Judah and was lost to his father, and now he was a guarantor for Benjamin, and he feared that he would be lost. For this reason, “Then Judah approached him.”

27) “For, lo, the kings assembled” concerns faith here, which is Nukva, for when the desire is revealed and the unification is crowned in ZON as one, the two worlds, ZON, connect together and are assembled together. ZA is to open the treasure and bestow, and the Nukva gathers and collects the abundance into her. And then, “For, lo, the kings assembled,” meaning they are two worlds, the upper world, ZA, and the lower world, the Nukva.

28) “Passed by together,” since all the iniquities in the world do not pass away and are not pardoned until ZON connect together, as it is written, “And passes by the transgression.” Similarly, “Passed by together” means the iniquities have passed away. They were pardoned because everyone’s face shines in the illumination of the coupling and all the iniquities are pardoned.

29) In the correction of the offerings, when the offering is sacrificed and everyone receives this provision, each as he should, everything connects as one and all the faces shine, and there is one connection, which is a single coupling. And then, “The kings assembled,” meaning they assembled together to atone for the iniquities and remove them. “The kings assembled” are ZON, who were connected together. “They passed by together” to atone for the iniquities, to illuminate every face, and so that everything will be one desire.

30) “As they saw, so they were astounded.” Did the kings see and were astounded? No, these are the litigants, whose joy is to execute the judgment that they were instructed to. And when both kings are assembled in one desire, then as it is written, “They saw” that desire of the two worlds, ZON. “They were astounded, alarmed, and hurried,” since all the litigants were silenced and were removed from the world, and they could not govern. Then their existence was cancelled and their governance revoked.

31) “Then Judah approached him.” What is the reason that Judah approached? It was because he was a guarantor, as it is written, “For your servant became surety for the lad.” Judah and Joseph must come close together because Joseph is Tzadik, Yesod of ZA, and Judah is a king, Malchut, Nukva of ZA. This is why “Then Judah approached him,” due to the closeness, that they grew close together. This caused many benefits to the world; it caused peace to all the tribes. It caused peace among themselves, between Judah and Joseph; it caused the spirit of Jacob to be revived, as it is written, “the spirit of Jacob their father revived.” Hence, the closeness of one to the other was needed on all sides, above and below.