The Closed Parshah and the Hidden Spark of Yaakov

1“Yaakov lived” [Bereishis 47:28]. Rashi asks why this parshah is “closed,” written in the Torah with no space separating it from the one before. He answers that once Yaakov Avinu passed away, the eyes and heart of Israel were “closed” by the anguish of the bondage, for the Egyptians began to enslave them. Rashi's “closing” of their eyes and heart is like the stopping-up of a well: the springs of wisdom were stopped up. The portion of Yaakov, the Godly portion planted and rooted in the heart of every Jew, was not revealed. But if a person merits that Hashem lights up his eyes with a ray of the holy Torah's light, as it says, “For a mitzvah is a lamp and the Torah is light” (Mishlei 6:23), then the precious light, the portion of Yaakov, is revealed. He rolls away the stone [cf. Bereishis 29:10], the stumbling block and the separating screen. As is known, the Written Torah is truth, as the holy Zohar says (see also Berachos 5a). It corresponds to Yaakov, whose attribute is truth, as it says, “Grant truth to Yaakov” (Michah 7:20). And in His light we will see light [cf. Tehillim 36:10].

2aThis follows Chazal's saying (Berachos 17a): “It is revealed and known before You that our will is to do Your will. What holds us back? The leaven in the dough and the subjugation to the nations.” And it says, “all desire to fear Your Name” [cf. Nechemiah 1:11]. That is what Rashi means by “the eyes and heart of Israel were closed”: stopped up, not put out. For the lamp of God is never extinguished and never ends, Heaven forbid. The troubles of the bondage only stain and cover it, like a cloud that covers the sun. If a person merits that the Godly spark wakes up and catches fire within him, the sparks gather, “flashes of fire, the flame of God” [Shir HaShirim 8:6], and they become a great bonfire, a blaze bursting into flame. As we have said many times on Rashi's words (Vayeishev, Bereishis 37:1), “One spark goes out from your bellows and burns up everything.” The spark from the One and Unique burns away all the outer screens that separate a person from our Father in Heaven. This is the meaning of “Yaakov lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years.” The number seventeen points to da'as, for, as is known, the Name of Da'as is formed from the first letters of es hashamayim v'es ha'aretz, “the heavens and the earth” [Bereishis 1:1], and its numerical value equals tov, “good.”

2bHarsh judgments are sweetened at their root through holy, supernal Da'as. As we have said on the verse “and through knowledge the chambers (chadarim) are filled” (Mishlei 24:4), the word cheder stands for chessed, din and rachamim, kindness, judgment and mercy, as is known, and da'as is what balances them. Every person needs the light of da'as, for “there is no deed, no reckoning and no knowledge in the grave” (Koheles 9:10). Even someone who reaches high and lofty levels, who has come closer to “the light of the King's face, which is life” [Mishlei 16:15], also needs the light of da'as, even more than someone in the depths of the grave, Heaven forbid. As the verse says, “Know the God of your father, and serve Him” (Divrei HaYamim I 28:9). With the power of da'as, everything turns to good. This is “Yaakov lived in the land (eretz) of Egypt.” Land is the lowest level. Yaakov Avinu drew da'as down even to the lowest and most debased people, in all their pain and distress, whenever it may come, Heaven forbid. “In the land of Mitzrayim” means in a land of meitzar, narrow straits. They should know and understand that as long as this thread of life is still within them, it can sprout, bring them fully back to life and make their end good. “They will cry out to Hashem in their distress” [cf. Tehillim 107:6], and He will answer them. “From the straits I called to Hashem” [Tehillim 118:5].

3aThis is what the Midrash and the Tanchuma say [Bereishis Rabbah 96:5; cf. Tanchuma Vayechi]: “Rabbeinu HaKadosh¹ lived in Tzippori seventeen years, and he applied to himself the verse ‘Yaakov lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years’: and Yehudah lived in Tzippori seventeen years.” According to the hidden teaching, as the holy books explain, Rabbeinu HaKadosh had the soul of Yaakov Avinu. And according to the plain sense, Rebbi compiled the Mishnah, and mishnah (משנה) has the letters of neshamah (נשמה), soul, the inner part. “The deeds of the fathers are a sign for the children” [cf. Ramban on Bereishis 12:6]. Yaakov Avinu shone the light of da'as into the hearts of the upright, and into the heart of Rabbeinu HaKadosh, so that he could strengthen himself and restore his soul when darkness and suffering grew strong, Heaven save us. That is what Chazal say (Kesubos 103b): “When Rebbi became weak, they brought him to Tzippori, which is high up and has pleasant air.” Yaakov Avinu is the “air” among the three letters alef, mem and shin² mentioned in Sefer Yetzirah. Through da'as and the portion of Yaakov Avinu, Rebbi was lifted up and strengthened, and so everything is sweetened. That is “pleasant (besim) air.”

3bThis is also hinted in Chazal's saying (Kesubos 109): “One who has lost the path (derech) to his field, let him fly through the air.” As is known, “path” refers to Torah and tefillah. Torah, as in “the path on which they should walk” [Shemos 18:20] (cf. Kiddushin 2b), and tefillah, as in “they will pray to You by way (derech) of their land” [Melachim I 8:48]. Someone may have lost the way of Hashem, until he no longer knows how to learn and pray before the high and exalted King, because screens separate him from our Father in Heaven. “Let him fly through the air”: let him strengthen himself with the Godly spark, the portion of Yaakov. All this comes through truth and emunah, Yaakov's attribute. As the holy Zohar says (cf. II:1), “‘Give me a true sign’ [Yehoshua 2:12]: this is the letter vav, which is called the true sign.” The vav is Tiferes, corresponding to Yaakov, and the Written Torah is “a Torah of truth” [Malachi 2:6]. Just as da'as is what balances, so is truth. Truth is the middle line, leaning toward neither extreme. Through truth and emunah, believing in Hashem, the Life of the worlds, that He will light up our eyes, there will be fulfilled in us, “Hashem will be your everlasting light” [Yeshayahu 60:19]. He will light up our eyes to walk in “the light of the King's face, which is life” [Mishlei 16:15].

4This makes clear the words of the holy Arizal in his Shabbos zemer. “May He send us His beauty”: this is the portion of Yaakov, as Chazal say (Bava Metzia 84a; Zohar I:142), “The beauty of Yaakov resembled the beauty of Adam HaRishon.” “And may we behold His glory”: may He light up our eyes to see the precious portion of Yaakov, as in “his eye has seen every precious thing” [Iyov 28:10]. “May He show us His secrets that are said in a whisper”: as my father and teacher, zt"l, said, then we will know why we say “Blessed be the Name of His glorious kingdom forever and ever” in a whisper (see above, maamar 4). For then we will merit the light of da'as. The portion of Yaakov will be revealed, and we will be holy and pure, as on Yom Kippur, at the level of Binah, and we will be able to say “Blessed be the Name of His glorious kingdom forever and ever” aloud.