The Land I Will Show You, sec. 5, chapter 10

Divine Redemption as Opposed to Human Redemption

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10: Divine Redemption as Opposed to Human Redemption

A statement in the name of Rabbi Yochanan is perplexing, to the extent that if it is not studied as is appropriate for such profound words, it could be mistakenly understood to support one of the views that have been shown to be incorrect, or even both: First, that with the nullification of the inclination to idolatry, it’s no longer appropriate to aspire to achieve the level that prevailed before; and second, that we should passively await a miraculous redemption without human intervention. This is the language of the Midrash on the verse "For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light shall we see light" [Psalms 36:9]:

There was a case with a certain person who would light a candle at night, and it would go out, and he would relight it, go out, and relight it. He said, "How long shall I continuously exhaust myself? I will wait until the sun rises and I will go by the light of the sun!" Thus, Israel was enslaved in Egypt, Moshe and Aharon stood up and redeemed them; they were enslaved again in Babylon and were redeemed by Chananiah, Mishael and Azariah; they were enslaved to Greece and were redeemed by Matisyahu the Hasmonean and his sons; and then they were enslaved in Edom; Israel said: "We are exhausted from being redeemed and enslaved – we do not seek illumination by flesh and blood but by the Holy, blessed is He!" As it is said: "God Hashem hath shown us light" [Psalms 118:27].¹

In another version, the words are brought in a parable:

A parable to one walking on the road at twilight. Someone came and lit a candle for him, and it went out. And another came and lit a candle for him, and it went out. He said: "From now on I will wait only for the morning light!" Thus, Israel said before the Holy, blessed is He: "We made a menorah for You in the days of Moshe, and it went out; in the days of Shlomo, and it went out; from now on, we wait only for Your light!" As it is said: "For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light shall we see light."²

Rabbi Yochanan teaches that the Children of Israel are exhausted and despaired of human redemption, which is not lasting, and they await the eternal redemption of the Holy, blessed is He, Himself; only He will provide the perfect replacement for the menorahs that went out with the destruction of His sanctuaries. It could be supposed that the meaning is that with the nullification of the inclination to idolatry and the end of the prophetic era, the way to meet again Hashem, the God of our fathers, has changed: From now on, we do not need to engage in finding Him, revealing Him, and knowing Him, but only to wait for Him to reveal Himself to us. But this is not the intention, since one of the incomplete redemptions is the redemption of Chananiah, Mishael and Azariah; and that was the nullification of the inclination to idolatry itself. Hence, Rabbi Yochanan's intention is not to contrast the ways of incomplete redemption during the prophetic era with the ways of redemption after the end of prophecy, with the nullification of the inclination to idolatry.³

One might also mistakenly think that the intention is that redemption is supposed to come in a miraculous and divine way without human intervention.⁴ But this is also a mistaken perception. For one of the incomplete redemptions is the redemption by Moshe our master; the future redemption will also be carried out by a man, namely the Messiah, son of David – what is the difference between them? It is clear that one cannot define the redemption of the master of the prophets as redemption through human action as opposed to the redemption of the King Messiah which is defined as a miraculous divine redemption without human intervention. What, then, is the fundamental difference between the past redemptions and the future redemption?

The true intention will be clarified according to what was explained in the previous chapter. The divine plan advances the world towards a new consciousness devoid of any trace of anthropomorphizing. This perfect knowledge will constitute unity with Hashem, when man has completely risen above anthropomorphizing ways of thinking, i.e., thinking of divinity in human terms. This state is considered a merging with God, where there is no dividing barrier between human comprehension and the true knowledge of Hashem, and then the actions of the righteous, including the Messiah, are considered the actions of God Himself, and their redemption as His redemption. As they said:

Rabbi Yochanan said: "In the future, the righteous are destined to be called by the name of the Holy, blessed is He"... "Three are called by the name of the Holy, blessed is He, and these are: the righteous, the Messiah, and Jerusalem."⁵

In the new paradigm, which develops according to the plan of the First and Last who calls the generations from the beginning, the actions of the righteous are considered as the actions of God Himself; thus they also said: "'And the redeemed of the Lord shall return' [Isaiah 51:11] – and not the redeemed of Elijah, nor the redeemed of the King Messiah, but the redeemed of Hashem."⁶ Not to deny their important role in achieving the redemption of all the righteous people, and mainly the Messiah, but they are considered, at the end of the historical process, as merging and uniting as it were with the Holy, blessed is He, like the language of the author of 'Sha'arei Orah' brought in the previous chapter: "When He receives the Congregation of Israel and they unite as one, then He will return and wear all the garments and all the appellations on both of them, on Him and on the Congregation of Israel, and they are as one from the inside as one thing that is not separated from each other... And there will be no more separation and distinction, but Hashem Himself shines on the Congregation of Israel and both of them as two lovers are not separated from each other... When Hashem, blessed is He, unites with the Congregation of Israel and they become one in each other... Hashem, blessed is He, is destined to remove all the appellations when He comes to receive the Congregation of Israel when He unites with it, then all the appellations will serve Hashem; and the nations from the outside, and Hashem YHVH blessed be He and the Congregation of Israel standing from the inside happy and calm."

This is the intention of the statement revealing the secrets of the divine way. The intention is not to block our way back to Hashem. Heaven forbid! The opposite intention: to show us the way we will go and teach how to return to the God of our fathers with pure intent, to find Him and know Him again, so that He will assist us as He assisted our ancestors in Egypt.

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1. Midrash Tehillim 36:6.

2. Yalkut Shimoni Isaiah 499.

3. As was explained above, chapter 7.

4. See R’ Shalom Dov Schneersohn, Igros Kodesh, Brooklyn 1982, v. 1, pg. 206.

5. Bava Basra 75b.

6. Midrash Tehillim 107:1.