Revelation 18:1-6
Last update: February 8, 2006
AMALEK AND THE WEALTH OF BABYLON
Previously, in this study, we mentioned the topic of Amalek in
terms of "doubt" and its negative spiritual consequences. There is another
important aspect to Amalek, that of accumulating wealth with no regard for God's will
regarding its usage.
The Exodus from Egypt represented the triumph of Godliness over physical strength
and power. Amalek represented the very antithesis to this notion. As Rav Hirsch writes:
"[Amalek] finds its strength in the might of its sword and its love of glory in
treading down all unprepared weaker ones. They stepped out to oppose by the power of the
sword the first entry into the history of mankind of the people representing the victory
of the power of the Word." Amalek argued for the "survival of the fittest,"
that one may utilize whatever means at his disposal in his struggle for wealth and
prominence. Am Yisrael, by contrast, upholds the rule of God's law and morality, which
forbids the mighty from abusing their power and requires them to show concern and respect
even towards the weak. 1
In the Gospels, Yeshua comments on being a servant to either God
or wealth:
Matthew 6:24 - “No one can serve two masters; for either he
will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the
other. You cannot serve God and mammon.
Paul comments on a love of money in one of his epistles:
1 Timothy 6:9-10 - But those who desire to be rich fall into
temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in
destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which
some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with
many sorrows.
ELEVATING THE SPARKS OF HOLINESS
In much of what Torah teaches, there is often a deeper, hidden
message beyond the literal (p'shat) meaning. With regard to the end time scenario of the
book of Revelation, it has to do with misuse of the proper function of wealth in
terms of bringing tikkun (rectification) to creation, which is made up of the four levels
of mineral, vegetable, animal, and human.
Judaism teaches that there are "Holy Sparks" (Nitzotzei
Kedushah) throughout each of these four levels. These sparks were scattered at the
time of creation, and further dispersed by the fall of Adam and subsequent sinners. The
purpose of mankind is to elevate these sparks back to their source. When that occurs,
"God's Name will be One." It is God who gives each spark its source and path of
tikkun.
For example, the sparks in the mineral world are elevated when
they sustain vegetation. At the vegetable level they are then elevated when an animal eats
the vegetation. They then reach the final level of elevation when man eats the animal in a
holy fashion (i.e., kosher, giving blessing to God.)
Of course some minerals do not sustain vegetation and some
animals are not kosher, but God has His way of elevating these sparks, as all of creation
must be rectified.
But how is this done? And what if man fails to do his job?
We turn to the teachings of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov for insight:
The answer is through business and trading, buying and
selling. This is another messianic concept that has been perverted today into the pursuit
of wealth. Rabbi Nachman (of Breslov) taught:
"There is a great beauty in coins -- gold, silver,
copper -- for these minerals contain a supernal beauty. Their supernal beauty lies in
their being composed of holy sparks which radiate continually (according to the Sefirah to
which each corresponds. Those who are wise will look "inside the money" and will
see therein the beauty of God and the revelation of the Malkut of holiness. But this
beauty can be misleading and can direct a person toward avarice. This strengthens the
kingdom of impurity. The verse states (Ecclesiastes 2:26), "Surely He gives to a man
that which is good in His sight, wisdom knowledge and joy; but to the sinner He gave the
task of gathering and amassing..." The Talmud comments (Megilah 10b), "Surely He
gives to a man" -- this refers to Mordekhai. "Good" -- this refers to
Torah. "To the sinner" -- this refers to Haman, a descendant of Amalek,
corresponds to the evil attribute of avarice, gathering and amassing wealth. Thus the
sinner, Amalek, will seek to gather the sparks of holiness that are located within the
money, in order to swallow them up. However, the Malkut of holiness will gather the sparks
of holiness through Chokmah (Wisdom) and Daat (Knowledge) and will elevate them. Not only
will these sparks atttain rectification, but they will even be transformed into Torah!
(Likutey Moharan I, 56:5)."
As we have seen, the concepts of "Man" and
"Torah" are synonymous on certain levels. Thus, when the sparks of holiness
found in every bit of matter in the world are elevated, they are unified with their
source, their soul, and can be transformed into Torah. This is why we see continual trade
between people, countries and continents. People bring goods from one part of the globe to
another, carrying with them the sparks of holiness that must now be elevated by a person
in another place. For this reason, many items continually change hands. This explains why
certain items, such as family heirlooms, can remain in one family's possession for
centuries, and then are given away or sold to another person, group or organization; all
because the moment for the elevation of those sparks has come and it is time for them to
move onward to a new rectification. Eventually, a good deed is performed with the money
received or perhaps even with the goods themselves (such as the mitzvah of hospitality
where inanimate items -- beds, linens and dishes, etc. -- are used while honoring a guest.
But rectification occurs only when people conduct themselves
honorably and honestly in business. If not, they are further dispersing the sparks, as we
have seen in the case of sexual sins, for the result is the same (as can be seen in the
Generation of the Flood, which was steeped in idolatry, immorality and theft; see Rashi,
Genesis 6:11). Amalek, symbolizing avarice, has always been an unprincipled enemy of
holiness. He tried to "gather" whatever holiness he could, by lying, cheating,
stealing and so on. Those of other nations who break their lust for wealth will merit the
revelation of the Malkut of holiness. This will be at the time of the ingathering of the
Exiles, for the sparks of holiness will all be gathered and rectified, opening the way for
Mashiach to come. Amalek, on the other hand, is completely evil. The only good he might
possibly contain is that infinitesimal spark of Godliness that sustains him. When Mashiach
comes, that spark will depart, and nothing will be left of Amalek. This is the meaning of
the Torah's injunction (Deuteronomy 25:17-19) to leave no remembrance of Amalek. When
Mashiach comes, every iota of good must be elevated, and then nothing will remain of
Amalek.
We can understand this point better if we recall that the
Torah calls Amalek (Numbers 24:20), "Reishit Goyim, the first of foremost of the
nations." The word reishit also translates as "head," indicating that
Amalek's goal is honorand the wealth that accompanies it, to be first at the head of
whatever is taking place. That is, the evil forces represented by Amalek correspond to
haughtiness and false leadership which, as we have seen are a major impediment to Mashiach
and messianic ideals. 2
As stated, it all goes back to Adam. "Materialism" is
something caused by the fall:
The sparks were scattered even among inanimate objects, and
must be rectified through business, manufacturing and trading, because Adam ate from the
Tree of Knowledge. ... Therefore, instead of benefiting from the Garden of Eden, i.e.,
living a spiritual life without work, Adam was cursed with the need for material pursuits
(Genesis 3:17-19), "You shall eat with sadness, by the sweat of your brow..." 3
The lesson here is as such:
Therefore, the sparks of holiness must now be elevated
through business. ... The main test of a person is how he relates to money and wealth. One
who breaks his lust for wealth merits to see Divine Providence clearly operating in his
life. Then he can elevate the sparks of holiness found within money ... 4
1 After these things I saw another
angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illuminated with
his glory.
The arrival of angels performing different tasks continues from
the previous chapters. As
discussed in our background studies, each angel is relegated to only one task.
As Paul mentions in 1Timothy 6:9-10 (see above), the love of
money results in other sin. The following Zohar section associates the "big
three" sins of adultery (unchastity), murder and idolatry in the context of Amelek
(whom we have equated with the love of money) 5:
Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, 28b-29a - Various impurities are mingled
in the composition of Israel, like animals among men. One kind is from the side of the
serpent; another from the side of the Gentiles, who are compared to the beasts of the
field; another from the side of mazikin (goblins), for the souls of the wicked are
literally the mazikin (goblins) of the world; and there is an impurity from the side of
the demons and evil spirits; and there is none so cursed among them as Amalek, who is the
evil serpent, the “strange god”. He is the cause of all unchastity and murder,
and his twin-soul is the poison of idolatry, the two together being called Samael (lit.
poison-god). There is more than one Samael, and they are not all equal, but this side of
the serpent is accursed above all of them.
ENERGIZING OF AMALEK
There is another aspect to Amalek, namely what causes "him" to appear with
such power and infleunce in the days prior to the coming of the Messiah. The following
passage of the Zohar describes this in terms of the result of union of the "ox and
the ass" - defined as the powers behind the nations who come against Israel 6:
Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2,Page 65a - THEN CAME AMALEK AND
FOUGHT WITH ISRAEL IN REPHIDIM. R. Jose quoted in connection with this the following
verse: Blessed are ye that sow beside all waters, that send forth thither the feet of the
ox and the ass (Isaiah 32:20). ‘Water’, he said, ‘has many symbolic
meanings: there are many kinds of water. Blessed are the Israelites who “sow beside
the water”-the water which is under the branches of the Holy One's Tree, a Tree great
and mighty, containing food for the whole universe. This Tree is encompassed by twelve
frontiers and adjoins all four sides of the world, and has seventy branches, and Israel is
in the “body” of the Tree, and the seventy branches encompass her. This is
symbolized by the “twelve wells of water and the threescore and ten palm trees”,
as we have often explained. But what do the words “and they encamped there by the
water” signify? This. At that time the Israelites had control over the waters which
are under the branches of that Tree, those which are called “the insolent
waters,’ (Psalm 124:5). And this is the meaning of the words, “blessed are ye
that sow beside all waters, that send forth thither the feet of the ox and the ass”,
namely, the two “Crowns of the Left”, to which are attached the pagan nations
who are called “ox and ass”. When the Israelites are worthy, then they dismiss
these evil powers, and they have no dominion over them.’ Said R. Abba: ‘When the
two (i.e. the ox and the ass) are united, the inhabitants of the world cannot stand up
against them. For this reason it is prohibited to “plough with an ox and an ass
together” (Deuteronomy 22:10). From them, when united, emanates the power, called
“dog”, which is more insolent than all of them. Said the Holy One, blessed be
He: “Ye said, ‘is the Lord in our midst or not?’ Behold, I will deliver you
to the dog!”, and straightway came Amalek.’
Torah gives us a hint as to who the "ass" may be.
Speaking of Ishmael it says:
Genesis 16:12 - and he is a wild-ass man, his hand against every
one, and every one's hand against him -- and before the face of all his brethren he
dwelleth.'
Another source gives us an idea who the "ox" in this
equation may be:
The Vilna Ga'on explains chad gadya as being a parable of Jewish history throughout
the generations up until the final Redemption; the author of the Ma'asei Nissim similarly
interprets it. The end of this song brings us to the End of Days: Then came the ox, these
are the nations (principally Edom [Rome], who is symbolized by the ox); 7
Who are modern day Esau/Edom and Ishamel that come together
at the end of days to energize Amalek for a final time? One opinion has it that their
final manifestation is found in the other two religions of the world that trace
themesleves back to Abraham:
... for the rabbis, Esau/Edom symbolised the Roman Empire, and then (after the
conversion of Constantine), Christianity. Ishmael was the Arab world and later, Islam.
8
Another text explains how Esau/Christianity and Ishmael/Islam,
though they are against Jacob/Israel, turn on each other:
Here, at the End of Days, after Israel has already settled on the land of Israel
[!], in the future, the peoples of the world will gather together to conquer Jerusalem.
Then will gather together to conquer the land of Israel from the Jews Gog, the President
of [the country] Meshek [which means "Market"] and Tuval from the lands of the
North and West who are uncircumcised and called Edom. (Meshek and Tuval are of the
descendants of Yafet [one of the three sons of Noah] that live [now] in Europe, as
Josephus has written; there it is also written "Persia and Kush and Put are with
them" [Ez. 38:5]). And also [with them will be] the house of Torgama that are all
circumcised and adhere to the religion of the Ishmaelite (Islam). But when they come there
will be trouble between them, and they will fight each other - that is, Edom and Ishmael
will fight against each other because their religions are different. There G-d will judge
them with sword and blood. This is as is written there and in Zechariah, chapter 14. In
relation to this, it is told here how each will fall into the abyss. First Egypt and
Assyria and Elam that hold by Islam - they are all circumcised nowadays - and after He
will account for Meshek and Tuval and Edom and their kings and princes in the North who
are all uncircumcised. The first and most important to fall will be Egypt because they are
close to the land of Israel. They will come first and be defeated. Then the Assyrians and
the Persians will come to take their vengeance and the two sides will both fall. 9
Inevitably, the wealth accumulated by Ishmael and Esau is given
to Jacob. (See notes to verse 6.)
2 And he cried mightily with a
loud voice, saying, “Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen ...
The term "is fallen" is mentioned twice. The
significance of this is that both the lower (physical) and upper (spiritual) Babylon have
met their end. (See previous study "As Above, So Below" for
more on this idea.)
Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, 65b-66a - R. Simeon said: ‘There is a
deep allusion in the name “Rephidim”. This war emanated from the attribute of
Severe Judgement and it was a war above and a war below. The Holy One, as it were, said:
“when Israel is worthy below My power prevails in the universe; but when Israel is
found to be unworthy she weakens My power above, and the power of severe judgement
predominates in the world.’ So here, “Amalek came and fought with Israel in
Rephidim”, because the Israelites were “weak” (raphe) in the study of the
Torah, as we have explained on another occasion.’ AND MOSES SAID UNTO JOSHUA, CHOOSE
US OUT MEN, AND GO OUT, FIGHT WITH AMALEK. Why did Moses abstain from fighting the first
battle which God Himself commanded? Because he was able to divine the true meaning of his
Master's command. Hence he said: “I will prepare myself for the war above, and thou,
Joshua, prepare thyself for the war below.” This is the meaning of the words
:”When Moses lifted up his hand, Israel prevailed” (Exodus 17:11), namely Israel
above. Therefore Moses did not participate in the war on earth, so that he might throw
himself with greater zeal into the war in Heaven, and thus promote victory on earth. Said
R. Simeon: ‘Let us not think lightly of this war with Amalek. Verily, from the
creation of the world until then, and since then till the coming of the Messiah, there has
been and will be no war like that, nor can even the war of Gog and Magog be compared with
it; and this not because of the mighty armies taking part in it, but because it was
launched against all the attributes of the Holy One, blessed be He.’ AND MOSES SAID
TO JOSHUA. Why to him, who was then but a “youth” (Eodus 33:11)? Were there in
Israel no greater warriors than Joshua? The reason was that Moses in his wisdom was aware
that it was not going to be merely a battle against flesh and blood, but against Samael,
who was coming down to assist Amalek. Now Joshua, “the youth”, had reached at
that time a high degree of spiritual perception, not, indeed, as high as Moses, who was
united with the Shekinah, but his soul was, in fact, attached to the supernal region
called “Youth” (=Metatron). Now when Moses perceived that Samael was
going to fight for Amalek, he thought: “this young man, Joshua, will surely stand
against him and prevail”, and therefore he said unto him: “go and fight against
Amalek! It is thy battle, the battle here below, and I will prepare myself for the battle
above. Choose worthy men, righteous and the sons of the righteous, to accompany
thee”.’ Said R. Simeon: ‘At the moment when Joshua, the “young
man”, started out to fight Amalek, the “Young Man” above was stirred, and
was equipped with weapons prepared by his “Mother” (the Shekinah) for the battle
in order to “avenge the covenant” (cf. Leviticus 26:25) with the
“sword” (Exodus 17:13). Moses equipped himself for the war above. “His
hands were heavy” (Ibid. v, 12), that is to say, “weighty, honourable, holy
hands”, that had never been defiled, hands worthy to wage the war above ...
... FOR I WILL UTTERLY BLOT OUT (lit. for blotting out I will blot out); that is,
both their celestial forces and their power here below: similarly THE REMEMBRANCE of them
on high as well as below. Said R. Isaac: ‘Here it is written: “For I will
utterly blot out”, whereas in another passage it says, “Thou shalt blot out the
remembrance of Amalek” (Deuteronomy 25:19). The Holy One, blessed be He, said in
effect: “Ye shall blot out his remembrance on earth, and I will blot out his
remembrance on high”.’ R. Jose said: ‘Amalek brought with him other
peoples, but all the rest were afraid to commence war against Israel. Hence Joshua cast
lots which of them to slay.’ AND MOSES BUILT AN ALTAR AND CALLED THE NAME OF IT YHVH
NISSI (the Lord is my sign). He built an altar below to correspond to the Altar above.
2 ... and has become a
dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and
hated bird!
"Birds" and "fish" are kabbalistic terms for
spiritual entities. See the representations in the drawing found at http://www.yashanet.com/studies/images/flame.gif
The following text describes the "serpent" as having
scales and fins and residing in (spiritual) rivers, striking at other "fishes":
Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 27b - Eleazar:
‘Thirteen springs. [Tr.note: These are supposed to symbolize the forces of judgement
which issue from the Sefirah Malkuth.] emerge in the upper world, on the right side, which
give rise to thirteen deep streams. Of these streams, whilst some are rising others are
falling, and their waters mingle with each other. These thirteen streams, issuing from
thirteen springs, branch out besides into a thousand rivers, flowing in all directions,
namely, four hundred and ninety-nine and a half to the one side, and four hundred and
ninety-nine and a half to the other side, the remaining two half rivers being joined into
one and metamorphosed into a Serpent, whose head is red as the rose, and whose scales are
solid as iron, and who has fins by means of which he propels himself through all the
rivers. When he raises his tail he strikes against all fishes coming in his way so that
none of them dare stand in his path. His mouth emits a flaming fire. When he sets out to
traverse the rivers, all the fishes fall a-trembling, take flight and precipitate
themselves into the great ocean. Once every seventy years he crouches on the one side and
once every seventy on the other side; the thousand rivers less one are thus filled with
him. So he remains for a time; but when he bestirs himself there issues from him a strip
of fire in his scales, which stand out and quiver, and the waters of the rivers become
turbid and assume a dark-blue colour, and waves surge in every direction. He then lifts
his tail and lashes with it upwards and downwards, so that everything flees before him;
until finally a flame of fire is projected from the North and a proclamation goes forth,
saying: “Arise, ye old females, [Tr.note: Alluding to Lilith, the night-demon, and
her female retinue, According to the commentators, there is, besides old Lilith, also
young Lilith, who is at the service of Asmodeus.] be scattered into all the four corners,
for, behold, there is awakened the one who is about to put fetters on the jaws of the
monster.” So Scripture says: “And I will put hooks in thy jaws”, etc.
(Ezekiel 29:4). Then they all scatter, and the monster is seized and pierced through his
jaws and thrust into the cavern of the great abyss, so that his power is broken. After
that he is brought back to his rivers. This performance is repeated every seventy years in
order to prevent him from doing damage to the heavenly regions and their foundations. For
this we all give thanks and offer up praise, as it is written: “O come, let us bow
down and bend the knee; let us kneel before the Lord our Maker” (Psalm 95:6). The
superior dragons abide on high, to wit, those that were blessed, as we read: “And God
blessed them “ (Genesis 1:22). These rule over all the other fishes, of whom it is
written, “and fill the waters in the seas” (Ibid.) Concerning this it is
written: “How manifold are thy works, O Lord! In wisdom hast thou made them all”
(Psalm 104:24).’
Rome and Babylon are both used in Hebraic literature when describing things such as
exile and evil. In the text of Revelation its destiny is to be a "prison" for a
great number of entities (demons, spirits, "birds") of the Sitra Achra.
The following text hints at the multitude of demons associated with
Rome/Babylon/Lilith:
Soncino Zohar, Vayikra, Section 3, Page 19a - AND IF THE WHOLE
CONGREGATION SHALL ERR, ETC. R. Simeon cited in this connection the verse: “Rise up,
ye women that are at ease, and hear my voice, etc.” (Isaiah 32:9). He said: ‘A
man should be ever solicitous for the honour of his Master in order that his son may be
without flaw. For when God created man, He created him without flaw, as it is written,
“God made man upright” (yashar, lit. straight) (Ecclesiastes 7:20). The word
“man” (adam) means male and female, the female being included in the male, and
hence it says “upright”. Now in the depth of the great abyss there is a certain
hot fiery female spirit named Lilith, who at first cohabited with man. For when man was
created and his body completed, a thousand spirits from the left side assembled round that
body, each endeavouring to enter, until at last a cloud descended and drove them away and
God said, “Let the earth bring forth a living soul” (Genesis 1:24), and it then
brought forth a spirit to breathe into man, who thus became complete with two sides, as it
says, “And he breathed in his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a
living soul” (Genesis 2: 7). When man arose, his female was affixed to his side, and
the holy spirit in him spread to each side, thus perfecting itself. Afterwards God sawed
the man in two and fashioned his female and brought her to him like a bride to the canopy.
When Lilith saw this she fled, and she is still in the cities of the sea coast trying to
snare mankind. And when the Almighty will destroy the wicked Rome, He will settle Lilith
among the ruins, since she is the ruin of the world, as it is written: “For there
Lilith shall settle and find her a place of rest” (Isaiah 34:14). In ancient books it
says that she fled from man before this, but we have learnt differently, that she
associated with man until this soul (neshamah) was placed in him, and then she fled to the
seaside, where she tries to harm mankind.
3 For all the nations have
drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed
fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the
abundance of her luxury.”
As mentioned, Rabbi Nachman mentioned the evil Haman as
representative of misusing wealth. The following adds some insight into how badly Haman
misused wealth:
Haman, we know, was a descendent of Amalek. ... Let us then take a moment to
examine this Haman character. Material bliss, it seems, was among Haman's blessings. In
exchange for permission to kill the Jews, Haman offered King Achashveirosh a cool ten
thousand kikar of silver. Just to put that in perspective: The Jews in the desert were
commanded to give a half-silver shekel each. The proceeds of these half-shekels would be
used to purchase communal sacrifices for the entire year, after which a new collection was
taken. In parshas Pekudei, the Torah gives a total of the silver collected as a result of
the half-shekel census: One hundred kikar. One kikar of gold was enough to fashion the
menorah, which stood so tall that Aaron needed to stand upon a ladder just to clean out
its lamps. Haman offered ten thousand kikar. Haman was no pauper. 10
The tactics of Amalek are subtle. (i.e., The New Testament warns of an evil spiritual
force appearing as an "angel of light.") The subsequent text puts it in simple
terms and offers some sound advice - enthusiasm for God and Torah!
Amalek disguises himself as the sophisticated businessman,
making light of our commitment to G-d's Torah. Once again, he argues, "Forget what
the Torah has to say about business ethics, honesty, morality, and responsibility. Forget
that G-d is guiding your steps and that you need His help to succeed. No one believes
this, much less acts on it. Your job is to make money, and in the dog-eat-dog world of
workaday reality, you have to play by the rules if you expect to survive." The Torah
here tells us that even though it sounds like we're talking to an astute businessman, we
should recognize that it is really Amalek, the archenemy of Israel, who is talking.
Despite his concessions to our private spiritual life, his goal is to wipe us out.
Therefore, the only proper response to this inner voice is to wipe it our first, by
constantly renewing our impetuous enthusiasm for G-d and His Torah, and our desire to see
it assume its rightful role as our guide in all aspects of life. 11
Subtle compromise, rearding the keeping of Torah, is another
tactic of Amalek:
Amalek had another weapon up his sleeve. Rashi teaches us that
the verse "how he met you on the way [in Hebrew, "asher korcho baderech"]
(Deuteronomy 25:18) can be understood "how he cooled you off along the way".
Amalek, spreads his poison in each and every Jew and tries to dampen one's enthusiasm for
serving G-d. "Pray, learn Torah and keep mitzvot", he declares, "but why do
you have to be so religious? G-d didn't create such a big world out there just for you to
ignore it, did He?!" When this attitude, or one of extreme chutzpah like
Amalek's, takes hold amongst the Jewish People, we must uproot it to the core.
12
Money, power and fame are not evil. It is the misuse of these
things that energizes Amalek:
We must learn that power and strength can be used to destroy and uproot, or they
can be used to repair, to build and protect. As a nation we must abhor the power that
destroys and love the power that gives us strength to redeem the world. It is the abuse of
power, the greedy materialistic pursuit of wealth at the expense of the needy and weak
that which we must eradicate and "blot out". That is the lesson of Amalek. 13
The misue of material wealth is directly tied to denial of the Name of
God in this text:
Enoch 46:5 - They shall condemn the stars of heaven, shall life up
their hands against the Most High, shall tread upon and inhabit the earth, exhibiting all
their works of iniquity, even their works of iniquity. Their strength shall be in their
riches, and their faith in the gods whom they have formed with their own hands. They shall
deny the Name of the Lord of Spirits, and shall expel him from the temples, in which they
assemble.
4 And I heard another voice
from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest
you receive of her plagues.
The term "plague" is often used to represent the demonic realm and/or the
result of demonic activity: This Zohar text teaches on Psalm 91, known as the Psalm of
demons, as it is a prayer for protection against such evil. Again, the demon Lilith
plays a central role:
Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 169b - LEFT ALONE, ETC .
R. Hiya discoursed on the verse: There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague
come nigh thy tent. (Psalm 91:10). ‘When God’, he said, ‘created the world,
He made on each day the work appropriate for that day. This has already been explained.
Now on the fourth day the lights were created; but the moon was created without light,
since she diminished herself. This is implied in the phrase “Let there be
lights”, wherein the term meoroth (lights) is written defectively (less the letter
vau), as it were me'eroth (curses); for as a result of the moon's diminution, occasion was
granted to all spirits and demons and hurricanes and devils to exercise sway, so that all
unclean spirits rise up and traverse the world seeking whom to seduce; they haunt ruined
places, thick forests and deserts. These are all from the side of the unclean spirit,
which, as has been said, issues from the crooked serpent, who is, indeed, the veritable
unclean spirit, and whose mission is to seduce man after him. Hence it is that the evil
prompter has sway in the world, following men about and employing all manner of ruses and
seductions to turn them aside from the paths of the Holy One, blessed be He. And in the
same way as he seduced Adam and thereby brought death into the world, so does he ever
seduce men and cause them to defile themselves; and whoever allows himself to be defiled
draws upon himself the unclean spirit and clings unto him, and numerous unclean influences
are at hand to defile him, so that he remains polluted in this world and in the world to
come. Contrariwise, should a man strive to purify himself, the unclean spirit is foiled
and can no longer dominate him. Thus it is written: “No evil shall befall thee,
neither shall any plague come nigh thy tent”.’ R. Jose said: ‘
“Evil” here alludes to Lilith (night-demon), and “the plague” to the
other demons, as has been explained elsewhere.’ R. Eleazar said: ‘It has been
taught that a man should not go out alone at night, and especially when the time of the
creation of the moon recurs and it is without light. For at that time the unclean spirit,
which is the same as the evil spirit, is at large. Now, the term “evil” here is
an allusion to the evil serpent, while “the plague” alludes to him who rides on
the serpent, so that evil and plague work together. It is true, we have also been taught
that the term “plague” signifies “the plagues of the sons of man”,
which issued from Adam.
5 For her sins have reached to
heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.
The Revelation text expresses this sin in terms of "reaching heaven" - which
may seem strange in that "proximity" to God (heaven) is based on likeness, and
sin of course is "missing the mark," i.e., not in the likeness of God.
What we have here is the idea of "fullness of sin," which has to do with it
reaching the end of its purpose. This "length of time" is actually grounded in
Hesed, God's attribute of Mercy, as he gives the unrighteous ample time to repent.
These concepts are found in many places:
Genesis 15:13-16 - Then He said to Abram: “Know certainly
that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them,
and they will afflict them four hundred years. And also the nation whom they serve I
will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions. Now as for you,
you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a good old age. But in the
fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet
complete.”
Romans 2:3-4 - So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and
yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God's judgment? Or do you show
contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's
kindness leads you toward repentance?
Midrash Rabbah - Ecclesiastes 5:5 - IF THOU SEEST THE OPPRESSION
OF THE POOR (V, 7). If you see the oppression of the lowly and the needy,and the Righteous
One who liveth for ever granting prosperity and comfort to the oppressor, [DO THOU SEE] IN
THE STATE (BAMMEDINAH) - see at work on him the judgment (bo'dinah) of Gehinnom. FOR ONE
HIGHER THAN THE HIGH WATCHETH: viz. the angels, AND THERE ARE HIGHER THAN THEY: viz. the
Holy One, blessed be He. R. Jose b. Haninah interpreted the verse as applying to Esau
[i.e. Rome]. If you see Esau in the great city of Rome oppressing the lowly and robbing
the poor, and the Holy One, blessed be He, granting him prosperity, see at work on him the
Attribute of Justice. MARVEL NOT at what the ancient [Isaac] said and that his desire was
fulfilled, as it is stated, Behold, of the fat places of the earth shall be thy dwelling
(Genesis 27:39). FOR ONE HIGHER THAN THE HIGH WATCHETH:viz. the commanders, captains, and
lieutenants; AND THERE ARE HIGHER THAN THEY: viz. the King who liveth for ever.
This principle applies to God's overall plan as well. All evil has its purpose and its
end:
"[G-d] has set a limit to darkness..."(Job 28:3), meaning that He has
limited the time during which the darkness of kelipa will be permitted to derive
sustenance from the leavings of holiness, from the most extrinsic level of holiness. When
that time expires, the kelipa will be utterly destroyed and annihilated, leaving no
vestige of itself, because it does not possess any intrinsic form of true existence; it is
a non-entity... In contrast to the side of holiness, the kelipot derive their existence
from a "lack of divine desire" and were therefore sundered from G-d's unity.
They have no existence other than the animation which they receive from the encompassing
level of divine light. When this source is removed they will be totally cut off and will
be utterly obliterated. This is the meaning of the above-quoted verse, "[G-d] has set
a limit to darkness...". The darkness of the kelipot has a limited time period, after
which the kelipot will be utterly destroyed and annihilated, since they originate from a
"lack of divine desire." While this applies to the sitra achra in general, it is
especially true of the kelipa of Amalek, whose whole being is brazenness and chutzpa, with
no inner content at all. Every other kelipa has at least some content, albeit evil, such
as the " chesed of kelipa". This
is not the case with the kelipa of Amalek, the kelipa of brazen chutzpa; an insolent
individual, as he himself is aware, is essentially a non-entity. The more degraded such
people are, the less they retain their human aspect - the more they relate with insolence,
in an animal-like fashion, to people more elevated than themselves. So, too, the kelipa of
Amalek, whose whole being is insolence, is essentially a non-entity. Amalek thus resembles
the waves of the sea that are lifted by the wind. While water, by its nature, descends, it
is capable of being lifted by the wind and momentarily standing upright like a wall;
however, as soon as the wind abates, the water collapses. So, too, kelipot in general and
Amalek in particular derive their sustenance only from the encompassing level of divine
life-force, and will thus "appear and disappear with the wind." This, then, is
what is meant by the phrase, "[G-d] has set a limit to darkness": the darkness
of the kelipot have an appointed end, after which they will be cut off and utterly
destroyed, leaving no trace. 14
Midrash Rabbah - Exodus 30:1 - Israel said to God: ' Lord of the
Universe! How long wilt Thou delay in judging the heathen?’- The reply was:
‘Until the time of vintage comes’; as it says, In that day sing ye of her: A
vineyard of foaming wine (Isaiah 27:2). Does then one glean his vineyard before the grapes
ripen? No, only after they are ripe does he pluck them, place them in the vat, and tread
them, while his fellow-labourers sing with him. Thus said God to Israel: ' Wait until the
time of Edom comes and then will I tread upon her,’ as it says, Upon Edom do I cast
my shoe (Psalm 40:10); ‘I will begin [the song of redemption] for you, and you will
respond after Me;’ therefore does it say, ’In that day sing ye of her: A
vineyard of foaming wine.’ I the Lord do guard it, I water it every moment (Isaiah
27:3).-I am biding My time with her to make her drink many cups, as it says, ‘I water
it every moment.’ I have only to glance at them to destroy them completely from this
world, but Fury is not in Me, as it is in them against My children. What will I do to
them? I would with one step burn it altogether
There are two other important and related concepts behind verse 5.
- It is necessary for both evil and good to reach their fullness in order for the end to
come. It is the intensification of evil that "squeezes out" the greatest good.
Speaking of the evil ones in the days leading up to Messiah, Rabbi Pinchas Winston states:
And, like Pharaoh before them, God will take advantage of their faulty assumptions
to create a path to redemption for the faithful. 15
- The soul of Messiah emanates from the highest realms. Because of the
"loftiness" of this soul, the "lower" it can decend to redeem
everything in creation - even the darkest elements of the Sitra Achra. (A positive spin on
the old saying, "the bigger they are, the harder they fall!) When the sin (emanating
from the lowest point) reaches its "highest point" (reaching heaven) then
Mashiach comes to bring redemption.
Regarding this latter point, Rabbi Nachman of Breslov's teachings make the most amazing
claims to the power of the Messiah:
Keter actually has two levels, a lower level corresponding to Arikh Anpin and an
upper level, the intellect of Arikh Anpin, which corresponds to Atik ("The Ancient
One"), Atik Yomin ("The Ancient of Days"), Atika Kadisha ("The Holy
Ancient One"). ... The connection between Mashiach and Atik is learned from Daniel's
vision: "A man came and he approached (the level of) the Ancient of Days.."
Rashi explains that this refers to Mashiach, who will administer justice to the entire
world. ... Atik thus transcends anything we can conceive ... at this level there is
neither past nor future. Everything is in the present. And, as we have seen, every part of
Creation, from the first constriction to the lowest level of Asiyah, is contained within
the Keter Atik. Thus, Atik includes all time and space - yet transcends it all. The soul
of Mashiach "resides" within Atik, and it is from this level that all his powers
will be drawn. And, since he transcends time and space, Mashiach can trascend every
transgression ever done, he can bring each person to a state prior to his having sinned.
This is because in Keter, God overrides the rules that He set up for all the Sefirot and
their interaction between each other and man. With the power inherent in this exalted
level, Mashiach will be able to bring the world to a state of perfection. 16
The idea of sin "reaching heaven" may be thought of in terms of it seeking to
defile the heavenly Temple, which kabbalistically is located in the world of
Beriah/Creation. This is clearly conveyed in the following passage from the Zohar:
Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 194b-195a - AND MOSES
ASSEMBLED ALL THE CONGREGATION OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL, ETC. R. Hiya opened here a
discourse on the text: “And Saul said unto the Kenites: Go depart”, etc. (I
Samuel 15:6). ‘Observe’, he said, ‘that in regard to Amalek it is written:
“I remember that which Amalek did to Israel”, etc. (Ibid. 15:2). What is the
reason that none of the wars waged by other nations against Israel was so displeasing to
the Almighty as was the war waged against them by Amalek? The reason, assuredly, is that
the battle with Amalek was waged on both fronts, both on high and below; for at that time
the evil serpent gathered all its forces both above and below. It is the way of a serpent
to lie in wait on the cross-roads. So Amalek, the evil serpent of Israel, was lying in
wait for them on the cross-roads, as it is written: “how he set himself against him
in the way” (Ibid.). He was Iying in ambush on high in order to defile the Sanctuary,
and below in order to defile Isracl. This we deduce from the expression, “how he met
thee by the way” (Deuteronomy 25:18), where the term qar'kha is meant to suggest the
kindred term in the passage, “If there be among you any man that is not clean by
reason of that which chanceth him (miqre) by night” (Ibid. 23:11). By using the term
qar'kha, the text as much as says: “He has arrayed against thee that evil serpent
from above that he may defile thee on all sides”; and were it not that Moses from
above, and Joshua from below, put forth all their strength, Israel would not have
prevailed against him. It is for this reason that the Holy One, blessed be He, cherished
His enmity against him throughout all generations, inasmuch as he planned to uproot the
sign of the covenant from its place. ([Tr. note: i.e. to lead Israel into ways of
unchastity.]
6 Render to her just as she
rendered to you, and repay her double according to her works; in the cup which she has
mixed, mix double for her.
The material wealth of Esau and Ishmael will in the end all go to
Jacob (Israel). The former is punished "double" while the latter receives
"double" the blessing:
Isaiah 61:6-7 - But you shall be named the
priests of the LORD, They shall call you the servants of our God. You shall eat the riches
of the Gentiles, And in their glory you shall boast. Instead of your shame you shall
have double honor, And instead of confusion they shall rejoice in their portion.
Therefore in their land they shall possess double; Everlasting joy shall be theirs.
This all happens in the time of Messiah:
Midrash Rabbah - Ecclesiastes 1:21 - Another interpretation of ALL THE RIVERS
RUN INTO THE SEA: All wealth only goes to the kingdom of Edom, and the kingdom of Edom is
never filled; for R. Levi said: It is written, So the eyes of man (adam) are never
satiated (Proverbs 27:20), i.e. the eyes of Edom are never satiated. Do you mean to say
that when wealth enters Edom it never returns to its owners? Thereforethe text states,
UNTO THE PLACE WHITHER THE RIVERS GO, THITHER THEY GO AGAIN. From the place where wealth
accumulates, viz. the kingdom of Edom, in this world, thence it will be dispersed in the
days of the Messiah; as it is written, And her gain and her hire shall be holiness to the
Lord (Isaiah 23:18).
1. From http://www.vbm-torah.org/archive/salt-devarim/49-5kiteitzei.htm
- comments to Parashat Ki Teitzei by Rav David Silverberg
2. Mashiach - Who? What? Why? How? Where? When? (exposition on
the teachings of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov) Chaim Kramer, Breslov Research Institute,
Jerusalem, 1998, pp. 264-266.
3. ibid, p. 266.
4. ibid, p. 267
5. There are three sins for which a Jew must be willing to give up his life for
and not commit; murder, idolatry and adultery.
6. From http://www.kabbalaonline.org/holydays/purim/an_end_to_evil.asp
7. From http://www.kahane.org/parsha/h6.html
8. From http://www.chiefrabbi.org/thoughts/toldot5765.htm
9. From http://www.kabbalaonline.org/Holydays/purim/The_Reward_of_Terror.asp
10. From http://www.torah.org/learning/olas-shabbos/5761/tetzaveh.html
11. From http://www.kabbalaonline.org/weeklytorah/rebbechumash/battling_our_enemies_within.asp
12. From http://www.kabbalaonline.org/holydays/purim/rest_assured.asp
13. From http://www.lind.org.il/features/zachor63.htm
14. From http://www.kabbalaonline.org/holydays/purim/an_end_to_evil.asp
15. Rabbi Pinchas Winston has an interesting view of this in his article, And,
One More Step, One More Chizuk, at http://www.thirtysix.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=599&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0
16. Mashiach - Who? What? Why? How? Where? When?, Chaim Kramer,
Breslov Research Institute, Jerusalem, 1998, pp. 208-209.
|
