Kabbalah Library

209) “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, and a desire that comes, it is a tree of life.” When one prays to the Creator, he should not look whether his salvation came or not, for when he looks, several litigants come to look at his actions.

210) That looking, when he looks during the prayer, causes him a heart disease. A heart disease is Satan, one who is always standing over man to slander him above and below.

211) “A desire that comes is a tree of life.” One who wishes for the Creator to grant his prayer should engage in Torah, which is the tree of life. And then desire comes. What is desire? It is a degree that all the prayers in the world are in its hands—the Nukva—and it brings them before the upper king, ZA. “Desire that comes,” since it comes before the upper king for coupling, to complement the wish of the invocator, to grant him his wish.

212) “Hope deferred makes the heart sick.” This is a place where that prayer is given in another place, where it is not needed, and that place is called “a heart disease.” And it is extended from the heart until it is given from hand to hand. And sometimes, salvation does not come at all because it is extended and stretches from hand to hand in all those appointees, so they will bring it down to the world.

213) “Desire that comes is a tree of life.” This is the hope that is not extended among those appointees and the chariots from hand to hand. Rather, the Creator gives immediately because when it is extended among those appointees and chariots, several litigants are given permission to observe and to look at his sentence before they give him his salvation. But what comes out of the King’s house and is given to man, whether he is worthy or unworthy, is given to him immediately. This is, “Desire that comes is a tree of life,” which means that it is given to him immediately.

214) “Hope deferred” is Jacob, whose hope for Joseph was extended for a long time. And “Desire that comes is a tree of life” is Benjamin, since it was only a short time, meaning it was not a long time from the moment Joseph sought him until the time he came to him.

It is written, “And he lifted up his eyes, and saw Benjamin… his mother’s son.” Why does it write, “His mother’s son”? It is because he had his mother’s form in him, meaning his form was similar to Rachel’s form.

215) It is written, “And Joseph saw Benjamin with them,” and it is written, “And he lifted up his eyes, and saw Benjamin his brother.” What is the seeing here? Indeed, he saw Benjamin in the spirit of holiness. Part of it was with them on earth, and in the part of Benjamin and Judah there is the Shechina, since he saw that in the part of Judah and Benjamin was the Temple. And this is, “And Joseph saw Benjamin with them,” meaning he saw him with them. And Joseph, who was his brother, did not see himself with them in that part where there was the Temple.

216) Here, too, “He lifted up his eyes, and saw Benjamin his brother, his mother’s son,” he saw the building of the Temple that is in his part. Afterwards, it is written, “And Joseph hurried because of his pity for his brother and he wished to cry; and he went into the room and wept there,” for he saw the ruin of the Temple.

217) When the Temple was ruined and was being burned down, all the priests rose to the roofs of the Temple and all the keys of the Temple were in their hands. They said, “Thus far we have been Your treasurers; henceforth, take what is Yours.” It is as it is written, “The burden against the Valley of Vision; what then troubles you, that you have all gone up to the housetops?”

218) The Valley of Vision is the Shechina, who was at the Temple and all the people in the world were nursed by her with nursing of prophecy. And although all the prophets were prophesying from another place, from Netzah and Hod of ZA, they were still sucking their prophecy from within her, from the Nukva. This is so because Netzah and Hod of ZA were bestowing in the Shechina, and the Shechina was giving illumination of Netzah and Hod to the prophets. Hence, it is called, “Valley of Vision” after the prophecy. And it is a vision since it shows all the upper colors, since the four colors of ZA, which are HB TM, are seen only in her. This is why she is called “a vision.”

219) “What then troubles you, that you have all gone up to the housetops.” When the Temple was ruined, the Shechina came and rose in all the places where it dwelled before, and she wept for her dwelling place, for Israel who went into exile, and for all the righteous and pious who were there and were lost. It is written, “Thus says the Lord, ‘A voice was heard in Ramah, Lamentation and bitter weeping, Rachel weeping for her children.’” Rachel is the name of the Shechina, and the Creator asked the Shechina, “What then troubles you, that you have all gone up to the housetops”?

220) What is “you have all”? It is to include with her all the other armies and chariots, who all wept with her for the ruin of the Temple.

221) He asked her, “What then troubles you?” She said before Him, “My sons are in exile, the Temple is burnt, and You do not know. And I, what have I here?” She opened and said, “You who were full of cheer… Let me weep bitterly; do not rush to comfort me because of the plundering of the daughter of my people.” And the Creator told her, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Restrain your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears, for your work shall be rewarded.”

222) Since the day the Temple was ruined, there has not been a day without curses. This is because when the Temple was standing, Israel were worshipping and sacrificing offerings and sacrifices, and the Shechina was on them at the Temple like a mother crouches over her sons. And everyone’s face were bright until there were blessings above and below. There was not a day without blessings and joy, and Israel dwelt safely in their land and the whole world was nourished because of them.

223) Now that the Temple is ruined and the Shechina has gone into exile with them, there is not a day without curses, the world is cursed and there are no joys above and below.

224) The Creator will raise the assembly of Israel, the Shechina, from the dust, and to make the world happy in everything,” as it is written, “Even them will I bring to My holy mountain, and make them joyful in My house of prayer.” And it is written, “They shall come with weeping, and with invocations will I lead them.” As it is written in the beginning, “She weeps bitterly in the night and her tears are on her cheeks,” so afterwards they will return from exile weeping, as it is written, “They shall come with weeping.”