Sunday, January 13, 2008

To Unify the Moshiachs

I am departing from the translating/commentary style.

The following is based on Kol HaTor chapter 2, part 2, siman bet. Please read that in the original Hebrew for further understanding.

The side of Kedushah and the side of Tumah (the Klipah) each have their respective parts, Right, Left and Center. G-d has made this opposing that (Kohelet 7:14).

Kedushah

  • Right - Moshiach ben Dovid
  • Left - Moshiach ben Yosef
  • Center - Moshiach ben Dovid and Moshiach ben Yosef together (or as we learn elsewhere in that chapter, Melech HaMoshiach)
Tumah

  • Right - Yishmael
  • Left - Esav
  • Center - Armilus, ministering angel of the Erev Rav

The Center of the side of Kedushah is the unity of the 2 Moshiachs. The Center is basically the sum of the Left and the Right, but only when they work in tandem.

The Center of the side of Tumah, on the otherhand, seems to be a completely separate entity from the respective Left and Right of Tumah. Add Yishmael and Esav together and you don't get Erev Rav. But, as the Zohar teaches, the Erev Rav itself is divided in to two parts, the Left and Right of Tumah which is attached to Am Yisrael. So it would seem that the Erev Rav's Left and Right are the Jewish side of Tumah, or Am Yisrael's Internal Klipah of the Left and Right. The unity of the Left and the Right of the Klipah, we find, is dependent upon the Klipah which is within Am Yisrael.

The Erev Rav's desire is twofold:

  • To connect the External Klipah of the Left and Right, Esav and Yishmael. If the Erev Rav were to succeed, the world would be destroyed, G-d forbid.
  • To prevent the unity between the Left and Right of Kedushah, Moshiach ben Yosef and Moshiach ben Dovid.

Our job is the exact opposite: To unify the Left and Right of Kedushah, to struggle against the Erev Rav's goals.

The beginning of this chapter of Kol HaTor states that Moshiach ben Yosef is the heavenly force responsible for the physical wellbeing of Am Yisrael, whereas Moshiach ben Dovid is responsible for the spiritual wellbeing of Am Yisrael.

We see from this:

  • The Left side is based on the Physical
  • The Right side is based on the Spiritual

What is the separation of the Moshiachs? For the past few generations, Am Yisrael has been led towards two opposing worldviews:

  • The ultimate perfection can be found in the Physical, the Spiritual can be abandoned.
  • The ultimate perfection can be found in the Spiritual, the Physical can be abandoned.

Our struggle is not just to actively reject these two extremes, but to carefully attain the absolute balance needed, 499.5 from this side, and 499.5 from that side.