Sanctifying Time Through Jacob

במדרש גר אנכי עמך כו' כצל ימינו עלי ארץ.

“In the Midrash: ‘A stranger I am with You … like a shadow are our days upon the earth.’”

The Sefat Emet opens by citing the Midrash that human days in this world are only a shadow of higher, spiritual days.

כי עיקר הימים הם האורות המיוחדים לכל נפש מבנ"י.

“For the essence of days are the lights designated for each soul of Israel.”

What we call ‘days’ are in truth spiritual illuminations assigned to each soul.

אמנם למטה מתלבשים נקודות הארות מהימים עליונים לזמן הגשמיי.

“But below, only points of radiance from those upper days become clothed in physical time.”

In this world we receive only tiny sparks of those higher lights.

וע"ז נאמר מחדש בכל יום מ"ב.

“And about this it is said: He renews each day the work of Creation.”

Daily renewal refers to these sparks of upper illumination.

והם רק כמו צל ודמות.

“And they are only like a shadow and resemblance.”

This world’s days resemble, but are not identical with, the true days above.

דומה להימים העליונים.

“A likeness of the upper days.”

Physical time is modeled after supernal time.

אבל אינם העיקר רק בבחי' גרים.

“But they are not the essence-only in the aspect of sojourners.”

The earthly days are ‘foreigners,’ not the soul’s true home.

פי' כמו גר שהמעלה שלו מצד שנתקרב ממקום רחוק

“Meaning: like a convert, whose greatness comes from approaching from afar.”

Lower days gain meaning only insofar as they move toward holiness.

וע"ז המעלה הי' כל בריאת עוה"ז שבעבודת האדם מתקרב זמן הטבע לימים העליונים.

“And for this greatness was the world created-that through human work natural time draws close to upper days.”

The purpose of creation is elevating time itself.

אמנם יעקב אע"ה תיקן גוף הימים בעוה"ז ג"כ להיות מקורבים הם עצמם להש"י

“But Jacob corrected the very substance of days in this world so they themselves became close to God.”

Jacob uniquely transformed time at its root.

כמ"ש בזוה"ק ביאור הפ' ויקרבו ימי ישראל למות שיקרבו הימים לה'.

“As the Zohar explains: ‘The days of Israel drew near to die’-the days themselves drew near to God.”

Jacob’s ‘days’ were spiritually elevated.

ולכן נסתלק אח"כ כי בהשלמת העבודה המיוחדת לאדם נסתלק מעולם

“Therefore he departed, for once the unique task is complete, a person leaves the world.”

His mission in rectifying time was finished.

ועבודת יעקב הי' לקרב עצם הימים לה' כנ"ל.

“And Jacob’s work was to draw the essence of days near to God.”

His whole life expressed this elevation.

ונאמר עליו ויחי יעקב בא"מ.

“And it is said of him: ‘Jacob lived in the land of Egypt.’”

His vitality extended even into Egypt.

שהביא החיות גם בא"מ כי גם חושך לא יחשיך ממנו.

“He brought life even into Egypt, for even darkness does not obscure Him.”

Jacob revealed holiness even in spiritual obscurity.

ובמדרש למה פ' זו סתומה שנסתם עיניהם כו' ד"א שסתם ממנו כל צרות שבעולם.

The Midrash asks: why is this portion closed? Because their eyes were closed, and so on. Another explanation: because all the troubles of the world were closed off from him.

Vayechi begins without the usual space in the Torah scroll, and the Midrash offers two reasons.

לכאורה ב' הפירושים סותרין.

At first glance the two explanations contradict each other.

One reason speaks of hardship, the other of protection.

זה נדרש לשבח כו'.

This one is expounded as praise, and so on.

The second explanation is in Jacob’s favor.

אמנם הכל אחד דאיתא ביקש לגלות הקץ ונסתם ממנו.

But it is all one. For it is taught that he wished to reveal the end, and it was closed off from him.

Both reasons lead back to Jacob’s wish to reveal the end of exile.

ע"ש המשל שגילה לבנו מקום גט שיחרורו.

See there the parable of a father who revealed to his son the place of his document of freedom.

The Midrash compares Jacob to a servant father who shows his son where his release papers are hidden.

וראה המלך עומד והשיח לדברים אחרים.

He saw the king standing there and changed the subject to other matters.

Seeing God present, Jacob held back.

וביאור הענין כי יעקב אע"ה הי' למעלה מהטבע ושלט על הטבע.

The explanation is that Jacob our father was above nature and ruled over nature.

Jacob stood above the natural order.

לכן הי' בכוחו להסתיר החיות במצרים.

Therefore he had the power to hide the life force within Egypt.

He could conceal holiness inside exile itself.

וזהו פי' המד' ושמעו אל ישראל אביכם אל ישראל מה הקב"ה בורא עולמות אף אביכם בורא עולמות.

This is the meaning of the Midrash on “Listen to Israel your father”: to Israel, just as the Holy One creates worlds, so your father creates worlds.

Jacob is compared to the Creator.

פי' הקב"ה הוא עד שלא נברא העולם והוא משנברא העולם.

Meaning, the Holy One is the same before the world was created and after the world was created.

God does not change through creation.

אולם בבריאת העולם נתגלה זה הפלא אשר הסתיר כבוד מלכותו ית' תוך הטבע באופן שלא יהי' ניכר.

But in the creation of the world this wonder was revealed: that He hid the glory of His kingship within nature in such a way that it would not be noticed.

The great wonder of creation is God’s hiding.

עד שנמצא בעולם העושים היפוך רצונו.

To the point that there are those in the world who act against His will.

So well hidden that people can defy Him.

וזאת היא יותר פלא מהכל.

This is a greater wonder than everything.

Concealment is the deepest miracle.

וכן פי' מו"ז ז"ל שם עולם ע"ש ההעלם שעשה הבורא להיות נעלם השגחתו ית' בעוה"ז.

So too my master and grandfather of blessed memory explained the word olam, world, from he’elem, hiddenness, which the Creator made so that His providence would be hidden in this world.

The Hebrew word for world means concealment.

וכמו כן הצדיק בורא עולמות כאלו אשר בעבודתו מכניס הארת הקדושה במעשים גשמיים בהצנע והסתר.

So too the righteous one creates such worlds, for through his service he brings the light of holiness into physical deeds, modestly and hidden.

The tzaddik also hides holiness inside ordinary things.

דומין לבוראם. וזה שאמר להם יעקב הקבצו ושמעו פי' שגנוז הכח גם במצרים רק שצריך יגיעה להוציא מכח אל הפועל.

They resemble their Creator. This is what Jacob said to them, “Gather and listen”: meaning, the power is hidden even in Egypt, but it takes effort to bring it from potential into action.

Holiness is present even in Egypt, waiting to be drawn out.

וזה הגלות. והנה יעקב הכניס עצמו למצרים אף כי הי' באמת בן חורין וכן הי' תמיד דרכו בקודש להכניס עצמו במקומות הללו כמ"ש במ"א.

And this is the exile. Jacob brought himself into Egypt although he was truly free, and this was always his holy way, to bring himself into such places, as said elsewhere.

Jacob chose to enter exile, as he always entered difficult places.

ובאופן זה רצה לגלות להם הקץ פי' אף שיהיו באמת בחירות.

In this way he wished to reveal the end to them: meaning, although they would truly be free,

He wanted them to understand that even as free people,

יכניסו עצמם ברצון להגלות לעשות רצון הבורא.

they would bring themselves willingly into exile to do the will of the Creator.

they could enter exile willingly to serve God.

ולא גילה להם מקום השיחרור כדי לפרוק עול הגלות ח"ו.

He did not reveal to them the place of freedom so that they might throw off the yoke of exile, God forbid.

The point was not an escape route.

רק כנ"ל שיקבלו עליהם ברצון שיהי' סוד הקץ בהסתר אצלם.

Rather, as said above, that they accept it willingly, with the secret of the end hidden within them.

They would carry the secret of freedom inside while living in exile.

אבל לא הי' בכחם למשוך לגמרי אחר מדריגת יעקב.

But they did not have the strength to follow Jacob’s level completely.

The tribes could not reach Jacob’s height.

וזה ענין שנסתם ממנו פי' שבהתגלות עיקר כוחו של יעקב עלה בעלמא דאתכסיא מה שלא היו השבטים מגיעים עד שם.

This is what it means that it was closed off from him: in the revelation, Jacob’s main power rose into the hidden world, to which the tribes did not reach.

Jacob’s power rose to a place beyond them.

וזה עצמו מ"ש במדרש שסתם ממנו כל צרות כו' לכן לא הי' במדרגה של השבטים ולא היו יכולים למשוך אחריו לגמרי.

This itself is what the Midrash says, that all the troubles were closed off from him. So he was not on the level of the tribes, and they could not follow him completely.

Both Midrashic reasons describe the same gap.

לכן הי' העצה ע"י יוסף וז"ש ויקרא לבנו ליוסף.

Therefore the solution was through Joseph. This is “and he called his son, Joseph.”

Joseph became the bridge.

קריאה לשון חיבה ודביקות שמסר כחו ליוסף וע"י אמצעיות יוסף נמשכו כולם אחר כח יעקב.

“Calling” is a word of love and attachment: he passed his power to Joseph, and through Joseph as an intermediary, all were drawn after the power of Jacob.

Joseph transmitted Jacob’s strength to the brothers.

וז"ש האספו ואגידה פי' ע"י שיהיו אגודה אחת לבטל עצמם אל הכלל.

This is “Gather and I will tell”: meaning, by being one group, nullifying themselves to the whole.

Unity was the condition for receiving the secret.

וזה סוד יוסף. וז"ש נתתי לך שכם אחד על אחיך פי' שנתן לו בחי' האחדות והתכללות להיות כולם כלולין בו ועי"ז יבוא הגאולה.

This is the secret of Joseph. This is “I have given you one portion (shechem echad) above your brothers”: he gave him the aspect of unity and inclusion, so that all would be included in him, and through this the redemption will come.

Joseph holds the brothers together, and unity brings redemption.

וזה סוד השבת דבי' מתאחדין ברזא דאחד.

This is the secret of Shabbat, on which all are united in the secret of One.

Shabbat is the time of that unity.

[שכם אחד ר"ת ש"כ מלכותו והוא רזא דאחד והמ"י] לכן אלו משמרין ב' שבתות נגאלין.

[The initials of shechem echad are those of shem kevod malchuto, “the name of the glory of His kingdom,” which is the secret of One, and the wise will understand.] Therefore if they keep two Shabbatot they are redeemed.

The Talmud says that two Shabbatot kept properly would bring redemption.

וב' הם יוסף ובנימין שעל שניהם נאמר צדיקים יירשו ארץ כמ"ש בזוה"ק.

The two are Joseph and Benjamin, of both of whom it is said, “The righteous shall inherit the land,” as in the holy Zohar.

The two Shabbatot correspond to Joseph and Benjamin.

וכ"נ הפשוט ג"כ שליוסף מסר סוד הקץ לכן אמר להם יוסף הסימן פקוד יפקוד כו':

This also seems the plain meaning: he passed the secret of the end to Joseph. Therefore Joseph gave them the sign, “God will surely remember you,” and so on.

Joseph’s words before his death were the sign of redemption that Jacob had entrusted to him.

Summary: The Sefat Emet teaches that physical days are only shadows of higher spiritual days. Jacob uniquely elevated the very essence of time, enabling holiness even in exile. His power was transmitted through Joseph, who unified the tribes and held the hidden key to redemption.