Kabbalah Library

62) The Creator created the world and made man its ruler, to be king over everything.

63) And from this man, several kinds part in the world—some are righteous, some wicked, some are fools, and some are wise. All four kinds exist in the world, rich and poor, so they will be purified and do good to one another. The righteous will do good to the wicked and reform them; the wise will do good to the fools and teach them wisdom; and the rich will do good to the poor and fulfill their needs.

It is so because by that, man is rewarded with everlasting life and connects to the tree of life, as it is written, “He has scattered abroad, he has given to the needy.” And righteousness that is done stands forever because the Nukva, who is called “forever,” is built from it, as it is written, “And His righteousness endures forever.”

64) When the Creator created the world, He set it up on a single pillar, whose name was “righteous,” meaning Yesod. This righteous is the sustenance of the world. He is the one who sustains the Nukva, called “world,” and he is the one who waters—with illumination of Hochma—and feeds—with illumination of Hassadim—everyone, as it is written, “And a river,” Yesod, “Went out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it separated into four heads.”

65) “From there it separated” refers to the food and drink of the river that the garden, Nukva, receives, until the drink spreads into the four directions of the world, from which the people of the world are fed. And many wait to drink and to be fed from there, as it is written, “The eyes of all wait for You and you give them their food in its time.”

Hence, “He has scattered abroad, he has given to the needy” is the righteous, Yesod, which scatters and gives its complete abundance of Hochma and Hassadim that complements all the needy in the world.

“His righteousness endures forever” is the assembly of Israel, the Nukva, called “righteousness.” Because she receives the complete abundance from Yesod, she stands in peace in complete existence, enduring forever.

“The wicked shall see it, and be vexed.” This is the kingdom of the idol worshippers, Malchut of the Sitra Achra, who is then envious of the Malchut of holiness.

66) The kingdom of heaven, Nukva of ZA, the Temple, sustains all the poor under the shade of the abode of the Shechina. And the righteous, Yesod of ZA, is called “a collector of righteousness,” to have pity and to nourish all the poor who are under the shade of the Shechina. This is the reason why collectors of righteousness receive reward, in relation to all those who gave them the charity, since they are a Merkava [chariot/structure] for Yesod of ZA, who is called “collector of righteousness,” and contains all the Sefirot above him.

67) It is written, “Then Joseph could not refrain himself before all them that stood by him,” meaning all of those who were poised to be fed and to drink from him. Yesod, who is called “Joseph,” could not refrain himself and avoid giving them their abundance.

“And no man stood with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers.” With him means the assembly of Israel, the Nukva. “No man stood with her when Joseph made himself known” means during the coupling, since coupling is called “knowing.” “His brothers” are the rest of the Merkavot [plural of Merkava] and armies, as it is written, “For the sake of my brothers and friends.” This means that it was for them that he made a coupling with the Nukva, to give them their abundance. And the meaning of the words, “When Joseph made himself known,” is that Joseph made a coupling with the Shechina for his brothers, since “To” means “for.”

Also, when the Creator came to make a coupling with the assembly of Israel, as it is written, “When Joseph made himself known to his brothers,” when the Creator bonded with Israel, no man from the nations stood with Him during His coupling with the Nukva. This is because at that time, they alone receive from the illumination of the coupling and there is no bonding of the idol worshiping nations with them. This is why it is written, “On the eighth day you shall have a solemn assembly,” since on that day the Creator is in bonding with Israel alone, as it is written about them, “My brothers and my friends.”

68) During the redemption the Creator will raise the assembly of Israel from the dust and will wish to take His vengeance against the idol worshipping nations. It is written about that time, “And of the peoples there was no man with Me,” as it is written here, “And no man stood with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers,” and as it is written, “And He bore them, and carried them all the days of old.”

It is written that during the redemption, “And of the peoples there was no man with Me,” meaning that no force of the Sitra Achra can prevent him from that. This is the meaning of the words, “And no man stood with him, meaning that no force of the Sitra Achra stood with Him to obstruct Him from making himself known to his brothers. Also, “And He bore them, and carried them all the days of old” means that He raised Israel above in a way that no force in the world would be able to harm them.

69) “Then Joseph could not refrain himself,” as it is written, “A Song of Ascents. Unto You I lift up my eyes, O You who are enthroned in the heavens.” It is also written, “I will lift up my eyes to the mountains.” “I will lift up my eyes to the mountains” means above, to ZA, to draw blessings from above downward, to the Nukva, from high mountains, for mountains are but patriarchs, who are HGT of ZA, to draw blessings from them to the assembly of Israel, which is blessed by them. “Unto You I lift up my eyes” means down toward the Nukva, to wait and to anticipate those blessings that come down from there, from ZA down to the Nukva.

70) “O You who are enthroned in the heavens.” Since it is about the Nukva, why is he saying “In the heavens,” which is ZA? He says, “O You who are enthroned in the heavens” because all her powers, her strengths, and the sustenance of the Nukva are in the heavens, who receive them from ZA. This is so because when the Yovel [jubilee], meaning Bina, opens the fountains of all those gates, the abundance of the fifty gates of Bina are all in the heavens, in ZA. And after the heaven receives all those lights that emerge from the Yovel, he feeds and nurtures the assembly of Israel, the Nukva, through a single righteous, Yesod.

71) And since the Yesod has awakened toward her, several pillars stand on all sides to be watered and to be blessed from there, meaning to receive from the illumination of the coupling, as it is written, “The young lions roar after their prey.” At that time, she rises for a coupling in utter secrecy, as it should be, and receives refinements from her husband as she should.

And all those who stand on all sides, who expect to receive from her, stand alone and do not rise with the Nukva. It is written about Joseph, “And he cried, ‘Have everyone go out from me,’ and no man stood with him.” But after she received the refinements from her husband, meaning after the coupling, then everyone were watered and fed, as it is written, “They give water to every beast of the field.”