Sunday, May 8, 2011

Yom HaZikaron

As noted before, after the defeat of Bar Kochba, the Sages understood Ruth 3:13

ליני הלילה והיה בבקר אם יגאלך טוב יגאל

to teach that a long night lay ahead, the night of the Galut, and that in the morning there might be a first redeemer, by the name "Tov". This is Moshiach ben Yosef.

Should Tov not redeem Ruth, Boaz will redeem her. We see that Boaz represents Moshiach ben David, the Moshiach of the Right, and Ruth represents the Shechina, Malchut. Should Moshiach ben Yosef not redeem the Shechina, Moshiach ben David will redeem Her.

Where does the Shechina rest during the Galut? At the right, with Boaz, with Moshiach ben David. This is Her place of safety. Correspondingly, we saw that the count of Malchut is a count of the right, a count of Chesed.

Ramchal explains (Tikkun 33) that the Shechina is bound to the right so that Moshiach ben Yosef can redeem Her without dying. The Remez is the word Mezuzot, מזוזות, which can be reordered as זז מוות, death moves away - the death of Moshiach ben Yosef. Correspondingly, Mezuzot are bound to the right door-poles. This location corresponds to the safe location of the Shechina in the Galut.

At the time of the unison of the Shechina and Zeir Anpin, however, the latter must be on the right, just as Abba is to the right of Imma. Hence, the Shechina must move to the left and leave Her place of safety. This is related to danger that must come to Klal Yisrael, and from which the Jewish Nation will be saved.

The wars which Medinat Yisrael had to fight derive from this Yesod. May the memory of the fallen be a blessing to all.