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Chapter Two, part 4: Inhabitants of the Land
Translation and commentary by Rabbi David Slavin
Since Israel was not able to conquer the land of the three nations,
the children of Israel are not fulfilled nor is the Shechina complete (in
its revelation) until that future time. At the time that all of the Jews shall
enter the land, the land will be fulfilled in its true ultimate completion.
Then the Shechina will be rectified, for the Shechina
stands upon the twelve oxen.
[The twelve oxen are part of King Solomon's symbolic "Sea", which
stood upon twelve oxen as in Kings I 7:25. The Zohar (Volume 1, 241a) says that
the Shechina rests upon the twelve "oxen". Those oxen really symbolize
much loftier things such as the Chayot HaKodesh etc.]  | | " By the Shechina dwelling in its midst, Eretz Yisrael is rectified" | | |
Those twelve symbolize the rectification of the Chayot
HaKodesh (a specific type of angels) which comprise twelve different facets
corresponding to the twelve oxen. Then the Divine Throne shall be rectified,
being that the Shechina is above it and the Chayot are below it.
It itself is not complete, yet when it is completed, then Eretz Yisrael will be
completely rectified.
By the Shechina dwelling in its midst, Eretz Yisrael is
rectified. By the presence of the Shechina they (the 12 oxen) are bent
down. The Shechina has not yet fully resided in Eretz Yisrael. Even in
the times of Joshua it wasn't complete, for two and a half tribes were not in
the land. That's why Eretz Yisrael is not complete. The reason is that the
Shechina couldn't be complete, is based upon the complaint (cf. Chullin 60b)
of the moon about sharing the crown with the sun. As long as the
light of the moon hasn't again reverted to the exact luminance of the sun,
sharing one crown as it was at the time of creation, the Shechina will
not reach its completion. This is similar to that which the Arizal writes in
his commentary about the seven aspects of the malchut of Atzilut.
Look there and you shall find the depth of this concept at its very roots. This
is the essence of the verse, "Behold, this (zeh) is G-d, we hoped for
him" (Isaiah 25:9); in other words, at the time when all twelve tribes will have
reached their completion in Eretz Yisrael, then G-d's name will be complete. For
the words zeh (this, in the masculine) and zot (this, in the
feminine) go together. Zot is the malchut that is taking grasp of
the yesod, which is called zeh. As is known from the Zohar on
Parashat Chukat, zot in its small numerical value (Mispar Katan)
equals zeh. Also the hidden letters (ne'elam )of zeh
(spelled zayin hei) with their milui is equal to the
numerical value of the name Ado-nai (the milui of zayin is
yud=10 and nun=50, the milui of hei is hei=5;
like the total of the latter, the numerical value of the name Ado-nai
equals 65). End of Chapter Two.
To return to the previous article in this series on the Land of Israel,
Sanctification of the Mind click here
To continue on to the next chapter in this series on the Land of Israel,
Effect of Earthly Conduct click here
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