I generated an UNFINISHED AI-translation of the Toldot Ya’akov Yosef, which I am sharing here. It is heavily annotated. The paragraph organization that I sought to impose on the copy from Sefaria is very rough and represents my own attempt to provide thematic coherence. The AI-translation is followed by my own thematic introduction to the text and then a parsha-by-parsha digest of the text. I will continue to add to the digest following the liturgical year

The Toldot Ya’akov Yosef, named after its “author” Rabbi Ya’akov Yosef of Polonnoye (d.1782) is recognized as the first Hasidic book. Published in 1780 as a homiletical commentary to the Torah, the modernity of this book starts with the doubts that run throughout the length of the text. The Toldot Ya’akov Yosef will ask repeatedly regarding a Bible story or a mitzvah. How is this passage “relevant” to “every person” at “every time”? Is Torah just a “collection of stories” (passim)? Also modern is the anthroposophy –the study of the human being, its spiritual construction, development, and task . So too as is the sharp expression of intra-Jewish communal politics and antipathies.

I will venture to identify “subjugation” as the primary principle cutting a metaphysical, anthroposophical, and political arc throughout the entire commentary. There is the subjugation of “matter” to “form,” the subjugation of the body to the soul, the self-abnegation of “man” before the presence of God, and the subjugation of the communal klal to the Tzadikim (the “men of matter” to the “men of form”). Also modern is aversion to money and the concern throughout the text in marshalling the wealth of non-Hasidic Jews to fund the new movement.

MICROSCOSM “Man” is a small world. This is called the secret of “world (olam), year (shanah), and soul (nefesh).” The mnemonic for this interconnection is the Hebrew word ashan (smoke), taken from the verse “And Mount Sinai was in smoke” (Exodus 19:18). NEFESH is the individual person. WORLD refers to the collective whole of the Jewish social-communal-political body (the klal). YEAR refers to Shekhinah, whose union with Her Beloved depends upon “the men of form.” The soul of the year is Shabbat or Shechinah, whose outer garment is the six days of Creation. Each of these three figures contains an inner and outer aspect — corporeal matter and spiritual form (Be’Hukkataipar. 76, see Shoftim, par. 178).

MAN: The human is a spiritual body connected by limbs to the divine name, but the physical body is a screen that separates the human person from God. Physical desire for food, sex, and wealth is necessary for the elevation of the divine sparks that they conceal. This oscillation between the physical and the spiritual manifests the “secret” of “the living creatures ran and returned.” Appearing throughout the Toldot Ya’akov Yosef, the reference from the book of Ezekiel is to the cherubic beings propelled by the divine spirit in the vision of the divine chariot moving this-way-and-that-way (Ezekiel 1:14) (passim) (h/t Shaul Magid). Looked at one way, the body is the soul’s throne, the evil inclination a throne of holiness. The soul is on good terms with the body for the purpose of tricking it. Ultimately, the body’s subjugation is abject. The soul wants to leave the body, which submits to the soul, which accrues merit by submitting the body to Torah and to Torah scholars, who are the Temple, the dwelling place of God. Material existence is subordinate to this higher purpose serving God; and then destroyed (Balak).

THE ASCETIC TZADIK. The secondary literature claims that Rabbi Ya’akov Yosef left a strict and ascetic world view behind when he joined up with the Ba’al Shem Tov. I am not if this is true. The spiritual worldview of the Toldot Ya’akov Yosef remains ascetic and sectarian. First, there is the understanding that the human creature is nothing (ayin) compared to the great majesty of God. Therein lies the humility and genuine kindness that define the way of the Hasid and marks the Toldot Ya’akov Yosef. At the same time, Torah scholars are constantly differentiated from and set above the masses. The Tzadikim overcome the separation of matter and form by subjugating the one to the other, removing barriers of coarse food, heavy garments, and the pursuit of worldly wealth-business-commerce. The world-friendly aspect of Hasidism conveys the thought that the Tzadikim sustain the world via the covenant of thought, speech, action. But one should constantly imagine oneself as if one were dead and not in this world (Tetzaveh par.16). Materiality is the master in this world, the soul a stranger (Kedoshim).In a parable taken from the Besht that appears throughout the entirety of the text, the Tzadik is compared to “the minister who changed his clothes” (passim). The minister of the King goes out into the world to mingle among the masses for the purpose of bringing the prince back from exile. “I place God before me always; I have set the Lord before me always (Psalms 16:8) is arguably the iconic core of Hasidic spirituality (passim).

ISRAEL The communal soul-politics of the Toldot Ya’akov Yosef corresponds to the subjugation of the body to the soul of the individual human person. The community is split between the “faithful of Israel” and “the masses” (passim). The faithful of Israel are the “men of form,” the Tzadikim who manifest soul; the masses or the “men of matter” correspond to the physical body (passim). Just as the material is intended to serve the spiritual, so too are the masses supposed to serve the “faithful of Israel.”  Hasidic spirituality stands against preoccupation with financial matters and livelihood (parnasa). But the Tzadikim depend upon financial support from wealthy Jews in the community. In order to cling to God, the ordinary mass of Jews “cling to Torah scholars” (passim). The Toldot Ya’akov Yosef is keenly aware that the sages no longer rule “this generation” (e.g. Bo, par. 106). One hesitates to call it ambivalence. The wealthy should support Torah scholars. “Kindness and truth,” i.e. the kindness of wealthy benefactors and the truth of the Torah sage, are encouraged to meet and “kiss” (passim). In the pursuit of this ideal compact, it is even the case that the Toldot Ya’akov Yosef puts the onus on leaders not to abandon the larger public upon whom they rely, to elevate them from the lowly rung of their spiritual stupor. At the same time, the Toldot Ya’akov Yosef is cautious about Tzadikim mixing with the people and will advise against it, even for the sake of Heaven (Emor par. 56).

THE KLAL Social historians will find in the Toldot Ya’akov Yosef evidence of the rough and tumble of communal politics, namely the Hasidic critique of mainline traditionalist Judaism and of loose spiritual-purity mores (see Joseph’s bad report on the brothers in Vayigash around par. 70). The Toldot Ya’akov Yosef complains a lot about “the generation” or “this generation” (passim) not being scrupulous with the mitzvot of ritual slaughter or shechita such as knives and salting. There are also complaints about prayer leaders and rabbinic leadership in the city. The sin of Golden Calf alludes to the sin of the Toldot Ya’akov Yosef’s generation. Parshat Nasso provides a most exacting sense of the Toldot Ya’akov Yosef’s conception of the generation in need of rebuke and words of musar at the cusp of the messianic age (Naso,113-40). Two of the largest parsha-commentaries (Kedoshim and Emor) (and a lot more from Leviticus) are dominated by this theme, even as the Toldot Ya’akov Yosef iscautious about potential backfire. If anything, the open hostility between Tzadikim and the ordinary Jews who mock and despise them is powerfully articulated throughout the text. So is the overt tension between faithful Torah scholars and lenient “Jewish judges”(see Shoftim around par. 107 or so). In this war, there are all kinds of enemy: there are the seventy nations against the single nation of Israel; the masses of the people against the Torah scholars; and the learners who are the enemies of the true Torah scholars, the faithful ones of Israel. In this degraded generation, “When a cantor comes to sing, there are many listeners, and when a preacher comes, the listeners diminish.” The Toldot Ya’akov Yosef understands only too well and resents the fact that the people are drawn to music and pleasure, not to words of rebuke and musar (Ki Teize).

On a personal note, I want to add the following. Over the years, I’ve encountered mentions in the secondary literature of Rabbi Ya’akov Yosef and the Toldot Ya’akov Yosef. Most of it is not much more than hagiographic gleanings and isolated generic teaching. No sense was given of the whole. As a student of modern Jewish thought, I always wanted to read this first Hasidic book, and found it, eventually, at Sefaria. But I always stopped short before the challenge of plunging through this very long commentary. I finally finished reading through an AI translation which I generated thanks to the new technology. (All references in this generated translation refer to paragraphs in the version at Sefaria.) I did not expect how unpleasant the content was going to be. Looked at as a historical document, the Toldot Ya’akov Yosef offers a critical lens onto the early decades of the Hasidic movement. To be sure there are nice words –about humility, the menorah as symbol of the Klal, the mutual inclusion and illumination of the members of the community (Nasso, par. 222). However, unlike material coming out from the school of Dov Ber of Mezerich, there is nothing folksy about the Toldot Ya’akov Yosef. Its leanings are hierarchical and elitist. Lastly, anyone who follows Haredi politics in the State of Israel today will recognize the roots of sectarian ethos and spiritual supremacy in this first Hasidic text –including the total disdain of ordinary Jews whose only purpose is to cleave to the Tzadikim and financially bankroll these men of form.

[Wordsearch document for keywords: men of form, subjugate, subdue, submission, submit, run and return, rebuke, men of matter, the generation, wealth, my teacher, I place God before me always]

DIGEST OF THE TOLDOT YA’AKOV YOSEF

TITLE

Ya’akov Yosef appeals to his own authority in this paean to the Besht (identified as “my teacher” throughout the entire commentary). The Besht manifests knowledge, hidden wisdom, Torah, the High Priest, light emanating from the Mishkan, fear of God, a holy man of God, Israel, a holy candle whose face illuminated the world with his wisdom; his words “were as joyous as their giving from Sinai from the mouth of the Almighty.” The key takeaway is that Israel (Baal Shem) loved Joseph (i.e. Ya’akov Yosef) and gave from his glory upon him, his offering an offering to the priest, especially and greatly.

INTRODUCTION

[The secret of Adam – the human creature]

The human person is composed of 4 elements (fire, wind, water, spirit), each with a corresponding vice and virtue. At issue is how to overcome impurity of the shell that covers the body. The human person is a spiritual body connected by limbs, i.e. mitzvot, to the divine name or root. Fear of sin and humility are the cardinal virtues along with lowliness and distance from worldly pleasure before the constant presence of God. Melancholy-sadness is associated with “earth.” Israel is an enhanced human creature whose purpose is to transform matter into form. Those who are lax in Torah and mitzvot are imprisoned by the evil inclination. They are “dwellers of darkness and the shadow of death,” subdued by the labor of their hearts and the forces of impurity. The “secret of Adam” is the connection to God by way of thought, speech, and action. The mitzvot are homologous to limbs. The nations cling to the branch of the Tree, Israel to root.  Israel draws shefa to nations, etc. The Toldot Ya’akov Yosef connects his own name Yakov Yosef to this divine cosmic interface. Joseph is the lower foundation (Yesod) included in the upper foundation called Jacob, which is Tiferet (glory, splendor)]

GENESIS*

The commentary to Genesis starts with the human, proceeds to the way of the Hasid, and ends with lovesickness, prayer, the longing to unite with God and the longing to unite Shekhinah with Her Beloved. The last word of the Genesis commentary is the dying in Egypt of the arrogance and pride of “Israel,” the lowliness and humility of “Jacob,” and constant meditation on Torah. “I have set the Lord before me always” (Psalms 16:8) is the motto of Genesis.

BREISHIT

[God is concealed in Chaos and Cosmos]

The Toldot Ya’akov Yosef starts in deep, dark chaos, and the concealment of God in the chaos, connecting, the human creature, turning matter into form. Humility and lowliness of Jacob, subduing-subjugating chaos and desire, drawing shefa into world, raising the physical to the root. After a person knows that there is no barrier separating him from his God, in times of Torah and prayer, if strange thoughts come upon him, these too are garments and coverings within which the Holy One, blessed be He, is concealed. Regardless, after a person knows that the Holy One, blessed be He, is concealed there, this is no longer concealment. God returned and hid Himself in various coverings and many shells, which are chaos and void and darkness, etc. for He foresaw and saw that there would be generations of wickedness, and He concealed the aforementioned light and hid it from the sinners in many shells. The Torah starts with Genesis to emphasize the fear of God, which is “the beginning of wisdom” (Psalms 111:10). This fear leads to humility. Whoever is small is truly great. Israel is compared to the moon, which initially diminishes itself and later becomes full. The final exile is caused by the proud among Israel who are under the dominion of the evil inclination. When the proud are eliminated, they will emerge from the exile and the redemption will come. The purpose of the creation of the world was so that poor Torah scholars and rich Jews should connect together, so that both would be called great. The material people would influence the spiritual people with their wealth, and the Torah scholars, who are the spiritual ones, would influence the material people with their Torah. By the end of the parsha, the Toldot Ya’akov Yosef looks to the tradition of Ben Zomah who never married. The Toldot Ya’akov Yosef spiritualizes sexual desire and seeks to subdue its physical manifestation. To be “man” is to subdue desire. Overcoming barriers between the human person and God, Torah light are the scholars who lead the people, illuminating their path with the light of Torah.

NOAH

[The Tzadik]

Noah is the Tzadik-scholar who embodies the practice of spiritual seclusion. The guarantee of peace, the covenant of the Tzadik is a covenant of thought, speech, and action. Noah stands against the obsession with worldly and financial concerns, the Ark a symbol of spiritual isolation. Without freeing oneself from material distractions, one risks forfeiting both the World to Come and also this world. Subjugation defines the ideal relationship between scholars and the people who cleave to God by cleaving to scholars, i.e. the Tzadikim. “Righteousness and peace” embrace, creating a unity above and sweetening harsh judgments at their root. The Tzadik uncovers within judgment a hidden kernel of kindness. Yet before Abraham entered the world, kindness had not yet fully manifested. Abraham introduced this quality by taking Lot with him. Lot is the evil inclination in whom Abraham discerned an aspect of kindness, recognizing its purpose for the sake of Heaven. This act demonstrates the transformation of divine judgments into kindness.

LECH LECHA

[Descent]

Abraham embodies the principle of descent and connecting with others. On one hand, Abraham represents the virtue of extreme spiritual isolation. He leaves country and family. On the other hand, the Divine Presence encompasses all worlds —mineral, plant, animal, and human. All beings in the world, whether good or evil, are included within it. One learns from the wicked, even as one distances oneself from them. The unity of God means that down is up and up is down. When Abram diminishes himself, descending into the final letter of the divine name (representing malchut), he becomes Abraham, able to connect with others and elevate them. He becomes the “father of many nations.” One draws the pure from the impure, etc, evil is the throne of good, etc. Abraham is the perfect human being; who descends and refines nefesh-ruach-neshama (corresponding to action, speech, and thought) and rises to highest perfection (wrapped up in divine roots of kindness and blessing. Circumcision manifests the power of the Tzadik. The covenant of circumcision creates blessing for all creatures. Abraham unites the “awe of YHVH” (Malchut) with “YHVH” (Zeir Anpin), the power of connection, symbolized in Kabbalah as Yesod or phallus. In our commentary, Abraham is a figure bound up with images of sexual intercourse (zivug) and pleasure (ta’anug). The removal of the physical foreskin symbolizes removing the spiritual “foreskin of the heart” to acquire a good heart, completing one in good traits suited to engaging in Torah and mitzvot. The sexual organ, which provides the highest pleasure, symbolizes the unity that joins the male and female aspects. From physical pleasure, one grasps the spiritual pleasure of connecting oneself to the unity of the Blessed One, the source of all pleasure, etc. The Toldot Ya’akov Yosef is alert to a fundamental danger that the ascent is not as certain as the descent. It is dangerous to endanger oneself by descending without knowing if one will merit to ascend again. When a person thinks he is distant from God and stands on the earth, he is actually close to God, with his head reaching the heavens. But when he thinks he is close to God, his head reaching the heavens and he feels he is among the ascending, he is actually distant from God and standing on the earth, among the descending. The final word of the parsha is about humility. When a person sees a fault in another person, one should understand that there is a trace of that transgression within oneself and should feel the need to correct oneself.

VA’YERA

God World Evil Inclination Beit Ha’Midrash

Abraham is kindness; pillar of world. He is the secret of “run and return” who ascends and then descends to elevate others. In a system of metaphysical monism, God controls everything, including the evil inclination, which means that the evil inclination serves God; Focused on these two themes –kindness and the evil inclination, nothing is said about the Akeidah in this commentary to the parsha. When the Toldot Ya’akov Yosf turns to Isaac, it is to the figure of Gevurah-awe and the early pious ones in Talmud, i.e. to Hasidic piety completely devoted to non-stop prayer and Torah study. Abraham is the human being who is called a ‘small city’—exposed to the heat of the day, which symbolizes Gehenna. Sarah is an exemplar of the material (female) which becomes form and then returns to matter. This too in the language of “run and return.” A soul is elevated to neshamah [form] returns to body [matter] and gives birth to children [nefesh]. God is in Elon Mamre, which represents the evil inclination, the synagogue/beit ha’midrash where the evil inclination goes and is trapped and kept from roaming throughout the city. Abraham had God before him always, even among the wicked outside the beit midrash. The fear of Isaac is the inward turn in Hasidic spirituality. Having focused above on Abraham and kindness, the Toldot Ya’akov Yosef here turns to the prayer and Torah of a spiritual elite represented by Isaac who do not need much and who spend all their day at prayer and study –in contrast to people devoted to business, material gain, money.

CHAYEI SARAH

Nothing (Ayin)

In this parsha, the idea of “nothing” (ayin) and kindness are connected. The life of Sarah is return to the way of nature, while the death of Sarah hints at the death of the physical body due to bad traits stemming from the negative side of the 4 physical elements (fire, wind, water, earth). Introduced in this parsha, the way of the Hasid in the world (represented by Isaac) is the idea of “nothing” which sustains the life of the body free of envy, desire, honor, arrogance, and pride which drive a person from the world. This is to say that one should consider oneself as nothing. If Sarah rises above the physical level and returns to the way of nature, Isaac manifests the power of Din-Gevurah, which goes out into the world of ordinary people who are wicked and turns them to good. The ascetic life is to have God before me always, to be kind with everyone, to not worry about sustenance and earning a living. A person should devote oneself to Torah and mitzvot with the perfect faith that sustenance will come on its own. Isaac ascends to a higher level than his father in overcoming his tendencies towards strict judgment and ascending to the higher level of rachamim (mercy). At the gate of Awe is to place God before one always. The conduct of the Tzadik (with God before me) is to treat others with mercy; because God’s presence is even there in the ugly acts of others. Isaac takes negative things he sees and turns them into good. He sows with the people in the realm of Malchut. One should make oneself like a submissive and humble animal offering brought before God. Abraham now gets the last word in this parsha. Through Torah alone, “the Lord blessed Abraham in everything. This is Abraham’s perfect faith, his mastery of the evil inclination. To say that the goal of Hasidism is to set God before me always is to have God’s presence in one’s thought constantly, which requires the removal of all worldly distractions, including the pursuit of wealth and earning a livelihood.

TOLDOT

Harsh rebuke and boundless joy

From the attribute of Abraham, one ascends to the harsh level of Isaac, from which the resolution is born, which is Jacob. The patriarchs represent 3 intellectual faculties. Intellect is future oriented; desire is present oriented. Jacob is the Tzadik who mediates Intellect and Desire. Desire is first sweet and then bitter. Intellect subdues desire. The Toldot Ya’akov Yosef does not confuse good and evil by calling the one the other and vice versa. Sin manifests the “spirit of folly.” Isaac is the “son of Abraham” transforming chaos and sin into world of repair and kindness. The sweetening of harsh judgment which is Jacob has to come from the side of Isaac, and from Rebecca, who comes from Bethuel but manifests lenient judgment tempered with mercy. Jacob’s birthright is the promise of a limitless portion of boundless delight in God beyond reward and punishment. Judgment is cold and does not create offspring, which is why Isaac has to pray, connecting and subjugating left to right, fulfilling the Master’s will by accepting something harsh with love. On this middle line between Abraham and Isaac, one accepts harsh judgment and rebuke and does so with love, while serving God and doing good deeds not for the sake of reward, which is limited and not boundless. Superior delight and joy come from hearing open words of rebuke. In his rebuke against the people of his own generation, the Toldot Ya’akov Yosef positions Torah and prayer at the pinnacle of the world. Abraham dug wells to open a channel for God’s love in the world, and people in that generation would lengthen their prayers, as well as study Torah in the synagogue after prayer. But then the Philistines stopped up the wells, and the people returned to their previous fallen state. At this stage, Rebecca being barren manifests a defect in the Shekhinah, while Isaac embodies the trait of fear. He supplicates in prayer for Rebecca to repair the damage. He reopens the obstructed wells again. After the dispute with the servants of the Philistine king Avimelech came “Rechovot, and finally, they were fruitful in the land.

VAYEITZEI*

Being in the World

After the theme of boundless blessing in the previous parsha, the Toldot Ya’akov Yosef turns to the profane world. Jacob leaving Beer Sheva leaves the inward solitude of Torah study and prayer and enters into the world of worldly matters to elevate and redeem the lowly. If Israel had observed 2 Shabbats, they would have connected the lower in nature with the upper above nature joining two separate things into a single matrix. At Beth El, Jacob comes to see that God’s name is also in this place full of wild animals, thieves, and evil forces. In Jacob’s dream at Beth El, the angels of God are Israel descending into the world. God is with the lowly, with Israel, with Jacob who lies down in the dust. In this view of the world, greatness lies in lowliness. Jacob is like Shimon bar Yochai and his son who must learn how to live in the profane world without destroying it. The soul descends from the world of Emanation (Atzilut) into the world of Action (Asiyah). To see in this world how the forces of impurity prevail and how lightly people treat the honor of the great King –all of this awakens within the Tzadik a greater desire to bring honor to the King of the Universe who is above and beyond all. The world is a ladder. In this hierarchy, the ordinary masses are the feet, the Torah scholars are the head. The scholars descend into the profane world to elevate the masses. Jacob’s vow and God’s promise –don’t be afraid—refers to the future of the Jewish people, the destruction of the Temple and exile due to loss of connection and abandoning Torah study. Shekhinah is with Israel in exile. In this world, a person should be unified with his “mother” and “daughter,” expelling foreign thoughts, which are like a shell or garment. While speaking Torah and prayer, which is his Daughter, his thoughts, or Mother should cleave with longing and attachment to the light of the King of Life, the light of Ein Sof within the letters of his speech. This musar is flexible, not hard and unbending. The Tzadik mixes with the people. Just as Rabbi Akiva entered the Pardes in peace and left in peace, so Jacob came in peace and left Haran in peace; he returned and entered the inner Torah, called peace, the mind-brain of the walnut.

VAYISHLACH*

Overcoming The Evil Inclination

The struggle between Jacob vs. Esau is the struggle of form and matter in the world. Jacob’s mission is to sojourn in the world with Laban, the evil indication, and to do 613 mitzvot to prepare the body for the World to Come. There are limbs that are within a person’s control and others that are not—such as sight, thoughts, and the like. Jacob wants the favor of Esau, i.e. the love of matter, to subdue it to holiness. Jacob is afraid the evil inclination will kill him or he will kill it, for it is better to subdue even the evil inclination into holiness. The Toldot Ya’akov Yosef identifies three types of exile. There is the exile of Israel among the nations, the exile of scholars among the uneducated masses, and the exile of virtuous Torah scholars among evil scholars —those “Jewish demons.” The human person possesses a pure soul within a garment of Nogah within the animal soul. The purpose is to refine and transform the material into form and turn the evil inclination into the good inclination. Then he removes that garment and wears the garment of Ḥashmal, as did Moses. There are 5 orders of soul-ascent that mark the way of the Baal Nefesh in relation to world and material things. [1] One should prioritize the acquisitions of the soul over the acquisitions of the body in both action and thought. [2] The acquisitions of the soul and intellect continually increase and do not diminish. [3] The trait of contentment belongs to the Baalei Nefesh who rejoice in their portion. [4] The Baal Nefesh, who has eyes of intellect, looks toward the final day, knowing that all matters of this world have limits and an end; and through this, he will come to despise these worldly things. [5] The Baal Nefesh, after being complete in all his actions, will seek to guide others. A person must purify his thoughts first, and then perform the commandments, whether by action or by speech, so that they will all be pure and untainted by any external appearance.  The Tzadik tricks the evil inclination, engaging it at the beginning to see how to overcome it like a lion for the sake of heaven. There is a danger in initially joining with the evil inclination, because no one knows if later he will be able to escape from the exile it constitutes. Through sharp exegesis, one enters into the pride within the husks, and afterwards, through the homiletic interpretation and ethics, the husks are shattered. In the days of the Messiah, “your eyes will see your teachers” (Isaiah 30:20), i.e. the letters of the Torah and prayer that they learn and pray, visible before their eyes, shining like polished worlds.

VAYEISHEV

Humility (Jacob-Joseph)

“These are the generations of Jacob, Joseph.” If a perfect person experiences some hindrance to Torah and prayer, he should understand that this too is from God who pushes him away so that he may draw close. Joseph (Yosef) alludes to the World to Come residing in the עקב (heel) (i.e. Ya’ako“And Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons because he was the son of his v). As World to Come Joseph signifies constant increase, as opposed to materiality and this world. “Israel” loves Joseph the most here refers to the collective of the Israelite nation who love the type of Joseph more than all than the other Torah scholars. The other scholars act for self-glorification or other personal benefit, whereas Joseph, the Tzadik, acts only for the sake of Heaven. Yehudah represents the quality of malchut (kingship truly approached to Yosef’s level. The service of the brothers was lazy and mechanical—merely following the customs of their ancestors. They resent the zeal of the Tzadikim who serve God with joy. Jacob dwells surrounded by awe “in the land of his father’s sojournings.” All of this was because the material murkiness of the land, i.e. Canaan, was still great and vast until later when it became purified and was called the land of Israel.

MIKETZ

Secret of Fear — Trust God

Joseph is the Tzadik who trusts in God, not human beings. Against people who seek riches and exploit the poor, instead of being humble and content with little]  This is the secret of morah (awe), that a person must fear before the Blessed One, such that the awe of God should be upon his head—the secret of the surrounding light (Or Makif) that encompasses 248 limbs, corresponding to the numerical value of morah. This is the Shechinah that surrounds a person’s head and encompasses his intellect. No fear of humans should rest upon him. This is because he has morah and the surrounding light of Malchut, preventing anyone from overpowering him. There are two types of people: one who acts naturally, plowing and sowing in their proper times; and another who transcends nature, trusting in God to provide for their needs with minimal effort, devoting their time to serving the Blessed One. For such individuals, their work is done by othersOne who conducts himself according to natural order possesses the fear of kingship, which is called ‘his daughter.’ And one who conducts himself beyond natural order merits fear of the heavens, which is the secret of Binah in unity with Abba. When Joseph asked the cupbearer to remember him, Joseph fell in level and was punished. But he restored his level when he put his trust back in God to interpret Pharoah’s dream. Since Joseph conducted himself beyond the natural order, placing his trust in the Lord and not in man, it was therefore fitting that he should not turn to illusions.  A person of faith will have an abundance of blessings, the hidden goodness being reserved for the righteous in the World to Come. Unlike the person rushes to amass immediate wealth in matters of this world.

VAYIGASH

[Ascent]

Judah approaching Joseph manifests the way of Torah and the secret of prayer. Love sickness for God and closeness to the Shechinah cannot be attained except through the subjugation of the physical and the evil inclination, and this is through suffering. Need to subjugate physicality and the evil inclination which separate one from cleaving to God. Even the sicknesses and sufferings I have endured were love for me, for I merited closeness through them. Torah is the way of the Lord because it guides the complete person to ascend the mountain of the God and travel on their journey from level to level until the pure soul [nefesh] cleaves to the First Cause. To ascend the high mountain, one removes burdens to such as coarse foods, heavy garments, or loads of silver and gold—because they weigh down both the body and the pure soul. The Toldot Ya’akov Yosef likens the hatred of the nations for Israel with the hatred of Hasidim by common people and traditionalist scholars. Torah accommodates ordinary human behavior. Against finding flaws with others and not oneself; don’t criticize the Tzadikim (whom you call “youth”) who engage in Torah night and day. Judah approaching Joseph alludes to the subjection of the imagination and senses, which draw a person downwards, to the intellect. Subdue the one to the other gradually and gently until one can settle the mind and separate from them. The ascent to God exalts soul over body. Shechinah and soul return to the lofty place from the place of lowly exile. Shechinah rises from exile and from the husks (klipot), returning to Binah and then to Hochmah which is holiness. Peace and joy and everyone is beautiful to each other.

VAYEHI

[God Before Me]

“Jacob lived in Egypt” and “Israel drew near to die,” the deep meaning of which is a truth about the humility of Jacob and drawing near to God. The power of an action resides within the act; the creation of the entire world is like a locust whose garments come from itself. In all kinds of suffering and distress, there is a spark of holiness from God garbed within many garments. The Toldot Ya’akov Yosef criticizes the arrogance of “Israel,” i.e. traditionalist Torah scholars who brag and boast. One should instead accept little like Jacob in Egypt who only wants God before him. Everything is good. The Tzadikim always place God before them, humble themselves to the dust. “I have set the Lord always before me.” When the pride and authority associated with the title Israel diminish, this is called “death.” Then, “God will be with you,” for “I dwell with the contrite and humble,” elevating foreign thoughts back to their source, the place called “your forefathers,” the sparks of the Shechinah called “land.”

EXODUS*

With a  consistent and critical eye on social strife and the failings of his own generation, the focus of the TOLDOT YA’AKOV YOSEF in the commentary to Exodus is Moses and the Tzadik, the subordination of matter to form, words of rebuke and musar. Genesis revealed the soul joy and ḥesed  of Abraham+ the body joy and judgment of Isaac + the complete joy manifested by Jacob/Shabbat). Now in Exodus, Moses rises above nature (El Shadai) to judgement (Elohim) and then higher still to YHWH. A careful reader will observe scattered through the commentary that Da’at is the key to this transition or ladder. Da’at  is the rung of knowledge and knowing; the bridge between the upper and lower worlds, the intellect of the “soul” that connects and subordinates “matter” to “form.” Starting with self- knowledge revealed through words of rebuke and musar, Da’at lies in the difference between divine essence and material shells, and the divine unity—the secret of One. The framework of the TOLDOT YA’AKOV YOSEF is simultaneously unitary and hierarchical. On the one hand, the Evil Inclination and the material world are a single unity stemming from God; the Evil Inclination is a potential throne of holiness. On the other hand, the Tzadik cleaves to God, who is greater than all nature. Against the folly of worldly slumber, The TOLDOT YA’AKOV  YOSEF subjugates the “people of matter” (wealthy Jews and the Jewish masses) to the people of form, namely Torah scholars and Tzadikim who are the source of life.

SHEMOT*

Israel descends into the lowly material realm of Egypt, from which they long to ascend. Within this descent the TOLDOT YA’AKOV YOSEF laments that in his own generation the truly faithful of Israel have nearly vanished. In this political schema, marked as it is by this anxiety, “Israel” represents the pious, wisdom, scholars, the men of form, while “Jacob” represents the common masses, wealth, materiality. In this world picture, some descend and rise again while others become trapped in the impurity of bodily existence. The TOLDOT YA’AKOV YOSEF urges the sweetening of harsh judgments through thought, speech, and the unification of divine names, knowing that one must cleave to God even in mundane interactions. A person engaged in Torah and prayer is called “man,” but when descending to the level of ordinary people becomes “woman.” The divine name El Shaddai prevents any deeper descent into the klippot and mitigates the severity of judgment, while the “new king” over Egypt manifests the Evil Inclination. Up and down these rungs, a person is always “ascending and descending,” never fixed at one level. By way of rebuke,  we are reminded that even one who rose in devoted youth must remain vigilant not to let “midnight” pass in the sleep of worldly folly.

VA’ERA*

Ascending to the level of Shabbat and Da’at and including sharp words of rebuke against the leaders of his own generation, the parsha has as its focus the Tzadikim-Priests-Faithful of Israel who complete the perfect service of God by way of attachment to Shekhinah. In Genesis, Abraham manifested soul and divine Ḥ̣esed, Isaac the body and judgment. Jacob combined them together. For their part, the Tzadikim are the emissaries of the Matronita, the Shekhinah, or moon. They serve through the “six days of work” to repair the deficiency of the “moon,” by restraining prohibited desires and directing all action toward the purpose of divine unification. But now, as the boundary-less heritage of Jacob, eating for sake Heaven on Shabbat is unconstrained and boundless. When one truly observes the Sabbath, one becomes God’s treasured possession, awakening an inner fire that draws down a corresponding fire from heaven, and offering fluent prayer consciously oriented toward the Shekhinah. In this framework, the service of ordinary Jews corresponds to the outer altar, where the common fire burns, while the faithful of Israel correspond to the inner altar. None of this Daʿatis known until Moses. The essence of human existence is to awaken from worldly slumber, subdue the left side to holiness. Like Moses, the leaders of each generation must guide the people according to the level  specific to the generation. The rebuker at the city gate must offer reproof tailored to each individual person. With a caustic eye on the rabbinic class of his own day, the TOLDOT YA’AKOV YOSEF rebukes his own generation. Each generation is shaped by their leaders, which explains the dim spiritual condition of his own time and place.

BO*

Fear Rebuke Punishment: The fear of Heaven or God and the fear of sages turns out to be one and the same thing.  This parsha is in the mode of full-throated rebuke. A person should be like a tail to a lion, not the head of fox. Ordinary Jews and wealthy Jews need to adopt a position of humility and fear sages and cleave to them; turning matter into form;  turning curses into blessings via letter permutations and connections; removing leaven, matzah maror suffering, connecting hesed and gevurah. But will the masses accept words of rebuke and musar? For sake of bringing a sinner back, the Tzadik assumes the lowly garb of base traits to connect with the sinner. Don’t rebuke hardened sinners; better that they remain at level of inadvertent sinners, not intentional ones. The TOLDOT YA’AKOV YOSEF is clearly addressing the “sinners”  of his own generation. The point is for others to hear and see the rebuke. The punishment of the wicked serves as public warning.  But “Pharaoh” now represents the stiff‑necked Israelite—both the clandestine and the brazen offender—before whom God “unsheathes the sun,” a force that heals the righteous and consumes the wicked; which is why common people unaccustomed to Torah and prayer, absorbed in worldly pursuits, experience God’s emergence as death. This relates as well to the death of the Egyptian firstborn. God in the world is death to those who only know worldly things, which are compared to a carcass. Since they were not accustomed to Torah and prayer, being occupied with worldly matters, this is certainly called death for them when God goes out into the midst of Egypt, which is really the sun going out of its sheath. Regarding  matter and form, wealthy Jews should therefore cleave to and support Torah scholars for the sake of Heaven. One should intend all one’s physical ways in eating and drinking and all kinds of work to clarify all the sparks they contain for the sake of Heaven, etc. Against this bad trait, the moral lesson from this is that a poor person should not envy a rich person. A craftsman should not hate another craftsman, a shopkeeper a shopkeeper, a bartender a bartender, and a scholar a scholar. Just as water leaves a high place and goes to a low place, so too the words of Torah only endure in one who is humble. The elders in the generation of Joshua, even though they were exceptionally wise and great righteous individuals, still said about themselves, “Woe to that shame, woe to that disgrace,” because they saw the great level of Moses. They considered themselves as nothing compared to him. The exile of this generation represents an inversion. In the exile of this generation, Israel and the sages are lowly and ordinary Jews rule. The Jewish social body should look up to the sages and aspire to be elevated through them. But in the spirit of self-rebuke, the TOLDOT YA’AKOV YOSEF knows that people have a claim not to listen to the Torah scholars. In truth, however, their flaws are for their benefit of the common people, to connect with them and elevate them. This is like the parable of a prince who changed his clothes. Moses warned Israel to elevate the heads of the sons of Gershon, to give prominence to the Tzadikim or people of form who are strangers in this world. The TOLDOT YA’AKOV YOSEF rebukes the lay leaders of each generation along with wealthy and prominent people in each city; they abandon the levels and virtues of the Torah scholars who are before them, and only hold onto the levels of people who are behind them.  In contrast, the faithful of Israel know the difference between husk and holiness, which is why a person is obligated to become intoxicated on Purim, meaning the physical aspect, so that through this, the form can unite, which is called knowledge (Da’at). When people of physicality indulge in physical eating and drinking, which is from the husk and called cursed, then through this, people of form can rejoice in spiritual joy, and they also become a throne for holiness. Regarding leaven and honey — leaven symbolizes pride, and honey symbolizes pleasure, and both are invalid in matzah. Matzah, maror represent the removal from worldly pleasure through suffering, connecting Ḥesed and Gevurah to remove pride and desire from a person, then it will be easy to cleave to God. The lesson of the spies scouting the land speak in the same vein regarding moral self-examination and subduing one’s own inclination for physicality, turning the material in a person to form via the path of Torah.

BE’SHALACH*

A person is a small world, and within them are Egypt and Pharaoh. The exodus from Egypt is a war against the Evil Inclination, represented by Pharaoh. The exodus proceeds through extreme polarities of impurity and holiness. The limbs of the body are under the dominion of Pharaoh; their initial liberation proceeds from repentance, asceticism, and harsh subjugation of the material body, and then, to the opposite extreme, which is the crossing of the Red Sea, which represents kindness to the body. Pharaoh’s sending the people away means that the limbs of the person have left the domain of the Evil Inclination. Pharaoh is also Binah, the higher level of repentance, where all lights are revealed. Thus it is said, “In all their affliction, He was afflicted,” meaning that a person prays for the suffering of the Shekhinah, and consequently the suffering of the person passes. “And God did not lead them by the way of the land of the Philistines,” because from that way the land of the Philistines, which are the shells, are nourished. God did not lead them by that way because it was near, meaning the forgetfulness called Pharaoh was near. The opposite of forgetfulness is knowledge or Da’at, called Moses. Until now, Moses knew only the name “God” as nature, but now he knows the name YHWH, which is above nature and greater than all gods. The sanctification of the Divine Name through Pharaoh and his chariots is from this aspect as well, that the matter returned to nature. In contrast,  Shabbat is elevation, sanctity, and the place of God in thought. A person is commanded not to go out of his place on the seventh day,” meaning that it is forbidden to divert one’s mind from the sanctity of Shabbat. A person is similar to the Upper Man, Zeir Anpin, who ascends on Shabbat in the secret of “Israel arose in thought.” If one blemishes thought, one removes the Holy One, who is called “Man,” from His place—from the upper thought.  And if one blemishes in thought, they remove the Holy One, who is called “man,” from His place – from the supernal thought.

YITRO*

This very long commentary is focused on life and death, and the tense and even hostile relation between Torah sages and the masses. The splitting of the Red Sea and the war with Amalek removed the material screen of sin that separates God and the human person. After the splitting of the Sea, Jethro now knows that YHWH, is above nature, represents the aspect of mercy, and is greater than all the elohim or gods of nature and punishing judgments. The one great command at Sinai –I am Lord your God– is at the root of all 613 mitzvot, including the commandment to cleave to God by cleaving to Torah scholars. Torah scholars should be left in solitude and free from communal needs so they can run the affairs of community and attach the people to God. By clinging to Torah scholars, the masses cling to God and then it is good for them and for the entire community (the klal). If they do not give them peace of mind and burden them with communal needs, then they certainly harm themselves and the community.  The masses, however, hate Torah scholars and tzadikim, not understanding that the body has no life if it doesn’t cling to the soul and if the masses do not cling to the faithful of Israel. The Tzadik is likened to the fiery bronze serpent made by Moses and to the serpents who bit Israel during their desert sojourn. In their folly, the masses of Israel turn against the faithful of Israel who have the power to harm and heal. The masses are short-sighted; they shorten the way of God in prayer and in commandments, doing them in a temporary and rote manner. In contrast, the Tzadikim toil in the way of Torah. The serpent that killed also gives life as long as Israel looked upward towards the Torah scholars. Attachment with Torah scholars face to face sustains the secret of the cherubim whose faces were toward each other. But any Torah scholar who does not take vengeance and does not bear a grudge like a serpent is not a Torah scholar. And if the Torah scholar holds the attribute of the masses, who eat with each other and stab each other, etc., then  he is not considered a Torah scholar but is among the masses. Even still, a scholar should take vengeance and bear the grudge only in his heart and should not speak at all due to enmity, like the serpent. And the masses should not separate from Torah scholars. How to help the masses prepare to draw close and elevate to God? Sometimes, one needs to descend to the level of the masses, loving people who are of lesser value and who have no perfection except that they are creations of God. Nevertheless, it is fitting to love them to bring them closer to the Torah. Preaching to the mases, the Tzadikim  wander in the city; they put on lowly garments to attract and lead the masses, transforming impure matter into pure form. The people came to Marah, and confuse sweet with bitter water. Three days with no Torah, they are sick in the soul craving spoil and material things after Splitting of Sea. There are two Sabbaths; the sabbath of the people, eating and resting and the sabbath of the Torah scholars/tzadik without which the former is nothing. By merit of faith and contentment, Israel merits delight. The Tzadik, called alive, satisfies every living thing with favor.

MISHPATIM*

Sadness and gladness of the body and of the ordinary people in relation to the soul are the focus in this parsha relating to laws and justice. The rational ordinances (mishpatim) are according to nature and the common/wealthy Jews, whereas the statutes (ḥukim) are above nature and grasped by the elite. Justice is a principle of Jewish authority and leadership being close to and in the midst of the people. A person should not enter beyond his rung, for this is the cause of his complete nullification. “Who are the kings? The rabbis,” in the governance of a city or state, “by justice establishes the land,” meaning that if they govern them by justice, which is according to nature, the common people called “land” will stand firm and not be moved from their rung. Whereas a person of gifts who wants to elevate them above his own  rung will completely destroy them. The spiritual elite are ayin or nothing; they trust in God who is above nature. Judah represents Elohim‑kingship who approaches and submits before Joseph, the tzadik who nullifies decrees. The individual soul wants to leave the body; the body submits to the soul, which accrues merit by submitting the body to Torah. The soul becomes Master thanks to the body. The body apologizes to the Master for its failings; but, at the register of the communal collective (klal), the onus is placed on the leaders for the failure of the people. The body and material are poor in knowledge and have no joy in cleaving to the Blessed One except through physical eating and drinking. When lacking this, they are in sadness and hinder the soul from cleaving to the Blessed One, which is through joy. One should therefore “borrow on My account” and gladden the material so that the poor among you will be joyful—this in the physical and this in the spiritual. Just as the TYY wrote about the body and soul of an individual, this is true regarding the community (klal), where there are people of material and people of form. Offerings likewise overcome the sadness of the material world through eating and drinking, for example on Purim.

TERUMAH*

Picking up from the previous parsha, we learn that the mitzvot emanate from the divine essence. The commandment to build the Tabernacle/Temple is relevant even when there is no Temple, as these laws relate to the world as a whole. There are three pillars (crowns) on which the world stands: Torah (kingship), Service, and acts of Loving Kindness. Mitzvot, especially tefillin, subjugate the soul (neshamah) and body to God, which transforms the human person into a chariot of God. A wise person learns from everyone, even from the Evil Inclination. The human person is the microcosm of the world; the Tabernacle is a microcosm of the world; and one must make oneself a chariot through self‑subjugation of body and soul. The 613 commandments inform us how a person can sanctify, attach oneself to, and cling to God, which is the purpose of all Torah and commandments. With this, we can understand the three crowns mentioned above: the crown of Torah, which is the tree of life and includes the other two crowns; the crown of priesthood, representing kindness, which enters goes beyond the letter of the law; and the crown of kingship, which is revealed outside, as known. The three aspects are united into one. Opposed to this is the Evil Inclination, which is the necessary opposition without which there is no good and no reward. In this  way, the Evil Inclination is transformed into a throne of holiness.

TETZAVEH

The purpose of the human person, who was created with matter and form, is to subjugate  matter to the form. This is true of the individual person and the same applies to the community (klal). When the masses ascend one level, then the leader of the generation also ascends, as we find with Moses our teacher when Israel camped in repentance. Connecting masses and leaders, corporeal garments clothe the soul/person in this world; spiritual garments clothe the soul in the world to come. The human body is not the person, but it is a garment in which the intellectual soul, which is the person himself, is clothed while in this world. After death, this garment is removed, and the soul is clothed in a spiritual garment. One who makes a spiritual garment for the soul is clothing the union of Tiferet and Malchut through the fulfillment of the 248 positive commandments and 365 negative commandments with the proper intention, without any ulterior motives or foreign thoughts, so that there is no part for the “Other Side” in the intention of the commandment. One should imagine as if he is dead and not in this world, standing in the Garden of Eden before the Throne of Glory. Spiritual leaders are commended to adorn oneself first and then adorn the wicked. Bells of gold [Torah] surround the wicked [pomegranates] to elevate them with Torah and musar  l leaders. When the masses ascend one level, then the leader of the generation also ascends. Teshuva brings the masses to the correct path.

KI TISA*

Once again relating to right relations and hierarchy between body and soul, and between the people of matter and the people of form who are the Torah scholars. The people of matter are supposed to pay ransom, i.e. to share their wealth and material abundance with Torah scholars. But why offer a half‑coin and not a whole one? The purpose is to teach the children of Israel the importance of unity, so that no one should think that a person is separate from his or her fellow, but rather as if each one is a half, and when one joins with each and every one of Israel, the person becomes whole. For just as in the particular case of one person, the soul and the form should not boast over the body and say that it is a holy soul hewn from a holy place beneath the Throne of Glory, whereas the body is made from dust and created from a putrid drop—and certainly, the body should not boast over the soul that it sustains the soul, for when the soul separates from the body, the body remains putrid—in this way they need each other, like a man and a woman, each one half of the body. Similarly, in general, the scholars and righteous should not say that there is no need for the masses, for they support the Torah and many practical commandments are completed through them; and certainly, the masses should not say that there is no need for the scholars or boast against them. Therefore, each one is a half, and together, the material and the form, both in general and in particular, make one complete person. Then the Evil Inclination becomes the Good Inclination. Finally, the Golden Calf teaches that anyone who disgraces a Torah scholar has no remedy for his wound.

VA-YAQHEL*

The Tzadik and the people of his generation, and elevating both the divine sparks and Evil Inclination for the sake of the Shekhinah and cleaving to God. “Moses assembled”—that is, the Tzadik is Yesod or Foundation, who gathers the entire congregation of Israel, namely all the people of his generation, within himself; and when he repents, becoming the Tzadik, he repairs his generation as well, for it is easier for the people to return in repentance through his rebuke, since his words will be heeded—unlike one who has not first corrected himself. A Torah leader must incorporate within himself all members of his generation, and thus their sins are also, in a way, within him. This is the advice to scholars teaching the people: “Make for yourself great assemblies”—meaning, recognize that within you exists a great congregation, as all Torah scholars form a single soul in which the entire generation is included; first rectify yourself, then teach Torah plainly, then teach laws—so that all are unified as one soul—and finally speak words of musar to inspire collective repentance. This way, God’s great Name is glorified among His children through the unity of their repentance, for the souls of Israel emanate from God’s great Name. The ultimate purpose of assembling is cleaving to God, holiness, God speaking through the throat of Moses, which is possible for every Jew in assembly, for all Israel is potentially prophetic. Tzadikim should therefore treat people gently and act piously toward the Shekhinah. “Speak in a gentle manner” (Psalms 47:4). “Make for yourself a teacher” (rav, Avot 1:6), meaning: create a dispute (riv) for the sake of the Shechinah and pray on its behalf; “Acquire for yourself a friend”—to join with you; “Judge every person favorably”—to use one’s words of Torah and musar to benefit everyone, acting piously (lehitḥassed) toward the Shekhinah, which consists of its scattered sparks, to elevate it favorably so that it rises above and does not descend below. The Master of the Universe is present in concealment (hester), hidden and garbed in the world of exile and suffering. And this is the essence (ikar) of praise and song, for in the exile of Egypt the people thought God was an enemy; but now they perceive that God is, in truth, the Divine Essence, so the enemy became a beloved. Are we, then, in this generation today still in the Exile of Egypt? We too need to clarify and elevate broken sparks—i.e., foreign thoughts—and return them to their root in Ḥesed; in fact, the Evil Inclination draws one closer to God, sweetening and removing the garb, the Evil Inclination turning into a good angel, matter into form, the Evil Inclination turning into sustaining milk. The Evil Inclination surrounds a person like a swarm of bees, while the wise subdue their inclination without battle, knowing that the Evil Inclination is a hidden servant of the King. The secret of the Passover song “Eḥad Mi Yodea” is that everything is one unity, all revealed when garbs are removed and the Angel of Death is slaughtered, and the creation of the world is sustained by combinations: Kindness and Truth, Righteousness and Peace meet and kiss. And why, in general, do the masses tend to be wealthy while Torah scholars are poor and destitute? The answer is that “kindness and truth will preserve him,” meaning that the wealthy will show kindness to the Torah scholars who are poor due, and the Torah scholars will provide wisdom, which is called truth, to the wealthy. The wealthy bestow kindness and support the poor, i.e., Torah scholars, and pursue them for good; the wise man knows the value of wisdom, while the wealthy do not know the value of wisdom.

PEKUDEI*

With an eye on his own generation, the focus of the TOLDOT YA’AKOV YOSEF in this final parsha in Exodus is sin and exile, the Hurban and hatred, the power of rebuke to effect repair and redemption, and social peace secured by the privileged status of the Torah scholar and Tzadik. The “accounts of the Tabernacle” speak to the repair of that sin so that Israel will merit to build the Third Temple. The First Temple was destroyed because the masses hate Torah scholars; the Second Temple was destroyed because scholars hate each other; and the days of exile have been prolonged until this sin is repaired. This caused division between the first two letters of the name and the last two, therefore its punishment is also “the Lord will cut off.” The Name is not complete all the days of the exile due to baseless hatred, until the future when the leaven, which is the Evil Inclination, will be eradicated. Redemption is accounting, uniting heart and heart, and when there is unity of God through the rebuke and musar, the two aspects are united. The cause of the exile in Egypt was that the masses did not know their flaws, until the aspect of Moses or Da’at (knowledge, wisdom) was revealed in the world. When they knew their flaws through the aspect of knowledge, then they repented and sought to repair their flaws, and the end of the redemption drew near. “Who is wise? He who learns from every person” (Avot 4:1), even from the Evil Inclination, etc.; only the title of wise is given to one who learns from every person. However, there is a remedy: “And to Him you shall cling” (Deuteronomy 10:20)—cling to Torah scholars. The conclusion from there is that it is impossible to fulfill the entire Torah except through peace; however, the aspect of unity is impossible among the masses, except for the Tzadik who lives by his faith (Habakkuk 2:4), who believes that all events are under the specific providence of God. Knowing this, there is no place to hate his fellow, and the Tzadik has peace with everyone, and with this he can fulfill the entire Torah, which is the essence of life and “the length of your days.” So why does the cat not recognize its owner? Because the cat that bites and eats mice is a metaphor for people who bite and harm each other.