The Secret of Holy Speed and the Power of the Tzaddik to Bring Back Every Jew

Lesson No. 23 | Sunday, Parashas Pinchas, 11 Tammuz - Lesson in the Yeshiva.

Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a

Each of the tribes of Israel possesses a different aspect of intellect. The swift intellect, the intellect that flies, is the intellect of the tribe of Naftali, about whom it is said:

"Naftali is a hind let loose, who delivers beautiful words."

The holy Zohar reveals to us the names of the angels who stand at the head of the tribal banners. At the banner of the camp of Dan stand the angels Gavriel, Kavtziel, and Chazkiel. The angel Kavtziel belongs to Naftali, stemming from the word kefitzah (jumping). Naftali was endowed with the power of kefitzas haderech (miraculous shortening of the way), a tremendous speed of holiness. When they needed to bring the deeds of purchase for the Cave of Machpelah from Egypt, Naftali made a single leap to Egypt to retrieve them.

Meanwhile, Chushim the son of Dan stood there, and he was hard of hearing. He did not understand why everyone was delaying and waiting. When they explained to him that they were waiting for the deeds and documents because Esav was arguing for legality and justice, Chushim did not wait. He understood that the laws of impurity are a decree from Gehennom, and he immediately took a club and struck Esav.

This blow was not delivered at a normal speed, but in a millisecond. Esav was composed of the strength of four hundred mighty warriors, and in order to subdue him, a speed that no eye could perceive was required. The name of Chushim the son of Dan testifies to his essence—he was "chish" (swift), fast as lightning. His speed preceded any known human speed. No mighty warrior could grasp what transpired there. From the sheer force of the blow, Esav's eyes fell upon the bed of Yaakov Avinu, his head flew into the Cave of Machpelah, and his body was taken for burial in Mount Seir.

The Secret of the Ox in the Chariot and the Cry of Chatzos

The third banner in the desert was the camp of Dan, encamped on the north side, the left side. In the Supernal Chariot (Merkavah), this side is represented by the face of the Ox. The Ox in the Chariot has horns between its eyes, and the eyes symbolize the Sefirah of Chochmah (Divine Wisdom). These three tribes—Dan, Naftali, and Asher—draw their strength from the aspect of Chochmah, and the horn of the Ox demonstrates the sheer force of this wisdom.

When the face of the Lion in the Chariot roars, a tremendous fear falls upon all the wicked, and they are unable to move. But afterward, one must begin to strike them. The striking of the wicked is carried out by the Ox in the Chariot. When the Ox bellows, battalions of destroying angels emerge from the aperture of the great abyss, roaming in fury and asking whom they should harm and from which wicked person they should exact retribution.

When is the power of the Ox awakened? Rabbi Nosson of Breslov explains that the moment a person rises at midnight for Chatzos (midnight prayer), he activates an aspect of the "Plague of the Firstborn" in the world.

"At midnight I will rise to give thanks to You for Your righteous judgments."

This secret exists for all generations and for all eternity: Whoever rises at midnight strikes the firstborn of the wicked and subdues the forces of impurity. If enough people would rise for Chatzos, not a single wicked person would remain in the world, and only the light of loving-kindness (Chasadim) would shine.

Connecting to the Tzaddik, the Aspect of Yosef

After the aspect of the Ox, we move to the camp of Ephraim, which is the camp of Yosef. In the western camp, under the banner of Ephraim, stands the angel Raphael. The name "Ephraim" contains the letters of "Raphael", because from there, healing is drawn down to the world. From Ephraim came Yehoshua bin Nun, who concealed the Book of Remedies, because in his generation they reached such a high spiritual level that they did not even get sick with the flu.

In the Supernal Chariot, Yosef is represented by the "figure of a Man." Yosef is the tzaddik from whom one must ask forgiveness, and in every generation, there is a tzaddik who is the aspect of Yosef, the aspect of the perfected Man. When one merits to connect to the true tzaddik who is the aspect of Yosef, they truly escape all suffering. All the exiles and tribulations until the coming of Mashiach came into the world as a result of the blemish of the selling of Yosef, and the complete tikkun (rectification) is the renewed connection to the tzaddik.

The figure of Yosef encompasses all the brothers within it. While the brothers were the aspect of eleven supernal angels, Yosef the Tzaddik was the aspect of the Prince of the Countenance, the angel Metatron...

Part 2 of 4 — Lesson No. 23

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