203) \u201cAnd it came to pass, while Israel dwelt in that land,\u201d in the Shechina, called \u201cland,\u201d because Leah and Rachel died and the Shechina received the house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
204) \u201cAnd Reuben went and lay with Bilhah.\u201d Can it be that Reuben went and laid with Bilhah? Rather, as long as Leah and Rachel were alive, the Shechina was over them. But now that they have died, the Shechina did not part the house and remained in Bilhah\u2019s abode.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And even though the Shechina should have received the house, to properly unite with Jacob after Rachel\u2019s death, how is it said that the Shechina was in Bilhah\u2019s abode? If Jacob had not been in a coupling of Dechar [male] and Nukva, the Shechina would not have openly been in the house. This is why the Shechina was in Bilhah\u2019s place, since there was a coupling of Dechar and Nukva there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
205) Reuben came, and when he saw that Bilhah had taken the place of his mother, he went and confused the bed, meaning he took Jacob\u2019s bed from there. And because the spirit of the Shechina was over her, it is written about him, \u201cand lay with Bilhah,\u201d meaning that he slept on that bed and was not afraid for the honor of the Shechina. This is why the text speaks of him as if he laid with her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And because he did not sin, Reuben was not removed from the count of twelve tribes. This is why the text immediately calculates, as it is written, \u201cNow the sons of Jacob were twelve. And because of that, it immediately writes, \u201cReuben, Jacob’s first-born,\u201d for the text had made him head of all the tribes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
206) \u201cFor the ways of the Lord are right; the righteous will walk in them, and the transgressors will fail in them.\u201d All the ways of the Creator are right, and His ways are true. And the people of the world do not know and do not notice what they stand on. This is why it is written, \u201cthe righteous will walk in them,\u201d since they know the ways of the Creator and engage in Torah, and anyone who engages in the Torah knows the ways of the Torah and walks in them, and does not stray right left.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
207) \u201cAnd the transgressors will fail in them.\u201d These are the wicked ones, who do not engage in the Torah, do not observe the ways of the Creator, and do not know where the roads lead. And because they do not observe and do not engage in Torah, they fail in it in this world and in the next world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
208) Any person who engages in Torah, when he passes away from this world, his soul rises in the ways and trails of the Torah. These ways and trails of the Torah are known, and those who know the ways of Torah in this world, walk in them in that world after they part with this world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
209) And if they do not engage in Torah in this world and do not know the ways and trails of the Torah, when they leave this world, they will not know these ways and trails and they will fail in them. Then they will walk in other ways, which are not the ways of Torah, and many judgments will awaken upon them and they will be punished in them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
210) And one who does engage in Torah, as it is written, \u201cwhen you lay down, it shall watch over you; and when you awaken, it shall talk with you.\u201d \u201cWhen you lay\u201d (in the grave), the Torah will keep you from the judgment of that world. \u201cAnd when you awaken,\u201d when the Creator awakens spirits and souls to revive the dead, then \u201cit shall talk with thee,\u201d meaning she will be an advocate for the body so that those bodies that engaged in Torah will rise properly. And these will be the first to rise to everlasting life, as it is written, \u201cAnd many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awaken, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.\u201d Those are to everlasting life, since they engaged in the everlasting life, which is the Torah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
211) All who engage in Torah, their body will persist and the Torah will protect it. This is because at that time, the Creator will awaken one spirit that comprises four winds, which are HB TM, and that spirit, made of four winds, will to all those who engage in Torah to revive them with that spirit so they will live forever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
212) It is written, \u201cwith the dead that Ezekiel revived.\u201d \u201cCome, O wind, from the four winds\u2026\u201d Why did they not persist? After all, they all died as in the beginning, and that spirit, which is made of the four winds, did not help them live forever? When the Creator revived the dead through Ezekiel, although that wind consisted of four winds, it did not descend to revive them for everlasting life to begin with, but to show that the Creator is destined to revive the dead in that way, and to revive them in the spirit that is included of the four winds in that manner. And although at that time, the bones returned to what they were, the Creator only wanted to show the whole world that He is destined to revive the dead, that then the Creator will revive them properly, in complete persistence in the world. And those who engage in Torah in this world, the Torah will stand for them and become an advocate before the Creator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
213) All those words in the Torah and all of the Torah, meaning the mind in it, in which a person engages in this world, those words and that Torah always stands before the Creator and speaks to Him and raises her voice and does not grow silent. And at the time of the revival of the dead, she will speak and say according to the amount that that person engaged in her in this world. Hence, they will rise in complete persistence to everlasting life, as it is written, \u201cFor the ways of the Lord are right; the Righteous will walk in them, and the transgressors will fail in them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
214) \u201cNow Eli was very old, and he kept hearing all that his sons were doing to all Israel, and how they lay with the women who were gathering at the entrance to the tent of meeting.\u201d Can it be that the Lord\u2019s priests would do this? After all, the Torah interprets their sin, that they were punished for slighting the sacrifice. This means that they were righteous who were being meticulously watched over. But here it is said, \u201cand how they lay with the women who were gathering,\u201d meaning that they committed such a grave offence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
215) But they would not do such a transgression, much less in that holy place, without Israel rising and killing them. But because they were detaining the women from entering the Temple, they protested for not being allowed to enter and pray before the offerings were made. But because they did not bring offerings, to take part of them, they were detaining them. And this is why the women asked to enter the Temple, but they detained them. This is why it is written, \u201cand how they lay with the women,\u201d that they detained them from entering the Temple.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
216) \u201c\u2026and lay with Bilhah,\u201d he detained her from laying with his father in a laying of Mitzva [good deed], and this is the confusion of the bed. It is considered that he did this deed against the Shechina because wherever there is laying of Mitzva, the Shechina is in that place. And one who causes detainment of a laying of Mitzva causes the parting of the Shechina from the world. This is why it is written, \u201cBecause you went up to your father’s bed, then you defiled my bed, went up.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is also written, \u201cand lay with Bilhah \u2026 and Israel heard. Now the sons of Jacob were twelve.\u201d This teaches us that they were all counted and nothing of their merit was withdrawn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
217) Why is it first written, \u201cand Israel heard,\u201d and then it is written, \u201cNow the sons of Jacob were twelve? When Reuben came and confused the bed, he said, \u201cWhat is this? My father had twelve tribes to sustain in the world, not more, and now he wishes to have more sons? Are we flawed, that he wishes to have others in our place as in the beginning?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He immediately confused the bed and that laying was detained. It is regarded as though he had disgraced the Shechina, who was on that bed. This is why it writes, \u201cand Israel heard,\u201d because in that name, he rose within the twelve degrees that were covered, which are the twelve rivers of pure persimmon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The name, \u201cIsrael,\u201d is above Chazeh of ZA, where there are four Sefirot HB TM with three lines in each of them. These are twelve rivers of pure persimmon, and they were covered because Hassadim are covered from the Chazeh upwards. And Jacob wished to beget twelve more sons, referring to the twelve in the name, \u201cIsrael,\u201d which are covered Hassadim. It turns out that by Reuben\u2019s confusion of his father\u2019s bed, he flawed the twelve in the name, \u201cIsrael,\u201d but not at all in the twelve of Jacob, which were already present and complete. This is why it writes, \u201cand Israel heard.\u201d But the sons of Jacob were complete twelve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
218) \u201cNow the sons of Jacob were twelve.\u201d These are the twelve tribes by which the Shechina was erected. They are the ones which the Torah counted in the beginning, before Reuben\u2019s sin. They are all holy, all worthy of the Shechina, to gaze upon the holiness of their Lord, because had Reuben done that deed, he would not have been counted among the tribes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
219) Still, Reuben was punished: his seniority was taken from him and given to Joseph, as it is written, \u201cAnd the sons of Reuben the first-born of Israel,\u201d since he was the first-born. \u201cBut because he defiled his father\u2019s bed, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph, the son of Israel.\u201d May the name of God be blessed from the world unto the world, whose every deed is true, and whose ways are judgment, and all that He does is with sublime wisdom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
220) How much do people\u2019s actions cause? All that man does is written and stands before the Creator. This is because when Jacob came to Leah, his heart and mind were with Rachel all through that night, for he thought she was Rachel. And from this lay, and from that first drop and from that desire was Leah impregnated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Had it not been so\u2014that Jacob did not know that she was Leah, but would indeed know that she was Leah while he was thinking of Rachel\u2014Reuben would not have been counted among the tribes, since he would have been replaceable. However, it was by mistake. For this reason, he did not rise by a known name, but his name is only \u201cReuben,\u201d with the letters of Reu [look], Ben [a son], without a name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
221) But still the act returns to its place. As the first desire acted in Rachel, that desire returned to her because his seniority returned to Joseph, Rachel\u2019s first-born, the place where the desire was\u2014Rachel. Thus, everything came to its place, since all the deeds of the Creator are true and just.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
203) \u201cAnd it came to pass, while Israel dwelt in that land,\u201d in the Shechina, called \u201cland,\u201d because Leah and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"parent":8230,"menu_order":0,"template":"","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}}},"topic":[28],"class_list":["post-8254","book","type-book","status-publish","hentry","topic-zohar"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n