12b (י״ב:ב׳)

For “He will not contend forever” (Psalms 103:9) (כִּי לֹא לָנֶצַח יָרִיב), but through the afflictions which you will suffer among them (אֶלָּא בְּסִיבַּת הַיִּסּוּרִים שֶׁתִּסְבְּלוּ בְּתוֹכָם), if you observe the commandments of Hashem (אִם תִּשְׁמְרוּ מִצְוֺת ה׳), and hold fast to His awe (וְתַחֲזִיקוּ בְּיִרְאָתוֹ), the Holy One Blessed Be He will have mercy on you (הקב״ה יְרַחֵם עֲלֵיכֶם) as a father has mercy upon sons (כְּרַחֵם אָב עַל בָּנִים), and He will bring you to the land your forefathers inherited (וִיבִיאֲךָ אֶל הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר יָרְשׁוּ אֲבוֹתֶיךָ), and He will do better for you than for them (וְיֵיטִיבְךָ מֵהֶם), for you shall return to the former years (שֶׁתַּחְזְרוּ לְשָׁנִים קַדְמוֹנִיּוֹת), that you shall cleave to Hashem your God (שֶׁתִּהְיוּ דְּבוּקִים בַּה׳ אֱלֹקֵיכֶם), and you shall live eternal life (וְתִחְיוּ חַיִּים נִצְחִיִּים), “all of you this day” (Deuteronomy 4:4) (כֻּלְּכֶם הַיּוֹם).

Like that day which is said (כְּאוֹתוֹ יוֹם שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר): “And it was evening and it was morning, one day” (Bereshit 1:5) ("וַיְהִי עֶרֶב וַיְהִי בֹקֶר יוֹם אֶחָד). If so, it appears from this (אִם כֵּן, נִרְאֶה מִזֶּה) that just as the Holy One Blessed Be He tested Adam HaRishon (שֶׁבַּמַּה שֶּׁנִּסָּה הקב״ה לְאָדָם הָרִאשׁוֹן), with that very same matter He tested Yisrael (בְּאוֹתוֹ דָּבָר בְּעַצְמוֹ נִסָּה אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל). Therefore it is written “His commandment” deficient (וְלָכֵךְ כְּתוּב ״מִצְוָתוֹ״ חָסֵר), to hint that it was with that very commandment alone that He tested them (לְרַמֵּז שֶׁבְּאוֹתוֹ מִצְוָה לְבַדָּהּ נִסָּה אוֹתָם).

And now let us return to the rivers (וְנָשׁוּב עַתָּה לַנְּהָרוֹת), for we began with what I explained to you regarding the ten lands (שֶׁהִתְחַלְנוּ בְּמַה שֶּׁפֵּרַשְׁתִּי לְךָ עַל עֶשֶׂר אֲרָצוֹת) that the Holy One Blessed Be He promised to give to Yisrael (שֶׁהקב״ה הִבְטִיחַ לָתֵת לָהֶם לְיִשְׂרָאֵל). And on the day that the Holy One Blessed Be He made a covenant with Avraham (וּבַיּוֹם שֶׁהקב״ה כָּרַת בְּרִית אֶת אַבְרָהָם), He mentioned them by name (הִזְכִּיר אוֹתָם בְּשֵׁמוֹת), as it is said: “On that day Hashem made a covenant with Avram, saying: To your seed I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates River” (Bereshit 15:18) (שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא כָּרַת ה׳ אֶת אַבְרָם בְּרִית לֵאמֹר לְזַרְעֲךָ נָתַתִּי אֶת הָאָרֶץ הַזֹּאת מִנְּהַר מִצְרַיִם עַד הַנָּהָר הַגָּדוֹל נְהַר פְּרָת).

One must ask: why did He call it “the great river”? (יֵשׁ לְהַקְשׁוֹת, לָמָּה קָרָא אוֹתוֹ נָהָר גָּדוֹל), for you have already seen in what we explained earlier regarding the rivers (כִּי כְּבָר רָאִיתָ בְּמַה שֶּׁפֵּרַשְׁנוּ בַּנְּהָרוֹת) that it has no movement at all like the other rivers (כִּי אֵין בּוֹ תְּנוּעָה כְּלָל כְּמוֹ בִּשְׁאָר הַנְּהָרוֹת).

And the answer is: know (וְתְשׁוּבַת זֶה, דַּע) that it was called “river” because of what I explained earlier regarding the verse (כִּי קְרָאוֹ נָהָר לְסִיבַּת מַה שֶּׁפֵּרַשְׁתִּי קוֹדֶם אֵצֶל הַפָּסוּק) “All rivers flow into the sea, yet the sea is not full” (Ecclesiastes 1:7) (״כָּל הַנְּחָלִים הֹלְכִים אֶל הַיָּם וְהַיָּם אֵינֶנּוּ מָלֵא״). For it refers to the first sefirah that is accessible to us, which is Malkhut (כִּי הִיא הַסְּפִירָה הָרִאשׁוֹנָה אֵלֵינוּ וְהִיא מַלְכוּת), and one of the names of this sefirah is “sea” (וְאֶחָד מִשֵּׁמוֹת הַסְּפִירָה הַזֹּאת הוּא יָם).

This is the meaning of “All the rivers go to the sea”-that is (וְזֶהוּ ״כָּל הַנְּחָלִים הֹלְכִים אֶל הַיָּם), all the sefirot pour into it (רוֹצֶה לוֹמַר: כִּי כָּל הַסְּפִירוֹת מַשְׁפִּיעוֹת עָלֶיהָ). And when the Holy One Blessed Be He promised Avraham the inheritance of ten lands (וּכְשֶׁהִבְטִיחַ הקב״ה לְאַבְרָהָם עַל נְתִינַת עֶשֶׂר אֲרָצוֹת), He also hinted to him that He would give him the ten upper sefirot (רָמַז לוֹ גַּם כֵּן שֶׁיִּתֵּן לוֹ עֶשֶׂר סְפִירוֹת עֶלְיוֹנוֹת), from which are drawn the ten lands (שֶׁמִּשָּׁם מֻשְׁפָעוֹת עֶשֶׂר אֲרָצוֹת), which are these: Keni, Kenizi, Kadmoni, Hitti, Perizi, Refa’im, Emori, Kena‘ani, Girgashi, Yevusi (שֶׁהֵם אֵלּוּ: קֵינִי קְנִזִּי קַדְמֹנִי חִתִּי פְּרִזִּי רְפָאִים אֱמֹרִי כְּנַעֲנִי גִּרְגָּשִׁי יְבוּסִי).

And know that of these ten lands, Yisrael inherited only six (וְדַע, כִּי מֵאֵלּוּ עֶשֶׂר אֲרָצוֹת לֹא נָחֲלוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶלָּא שֵׁשׁ), and these are: Kena‘ani, Hitti, Emori, Perizi, Chivi, Yevusi (וְאֵלּוּ הֵן: כְּנַעֲנִי חִתִּי אֱמֹרִי פְּרִזִּי חִוִּי יְבוּסִי), by command of Hashem (עַל פִּי ה׳). You will find them in the verse, “And I have come down to deliver them from Egypt” (Exodus 3:8) (וּתְמְצָאֵם בַּפָּסוּק ״וָאֵרֵד לְהַצִּילוֹ מִיַּד מִצְרַיִם), and also in the verse “In the mountain and in the lowland and in the plain” (Deuteronomy 1:7) (וְגַם בַּפָּסוּק ״בָּהָר וּבַשְּׁפֵלָה וּבָעֲרָבָה). And it appears in the book of Yehoshua (וְהוּא בְּסֵפֶר יְהוֹשֻׁעַ). And four of them remained which they did not inherit (וְנִשְׁאֲרוּ ד׳ מֵהֶם שֶׁלֹּא יָרְשׁוּ אוֹתָם). And we must understand why the names of these lands appear altered here (וְיֵשׁ לָדַעַת לָמָּה שְׁמוֹת הָאֲרָצוֹת הָאֵלֶּה הֵם מְשֻׁנִּים פֹּה), for in the names that Hashem promised to Avraham, you do not find the Chivi (כִּי בַּשֵּׁמוֹת שֶׁהקב״ה הִבְטִיחַ לְאַבְרָהָם לֹא תִמְצָא חִוִּי), and here we do find it (וּבְכָאן מְצָאנֻהוּ). And when you understand and know the secret of these names (וְכַאֲשֶׁר תָּבִין וְתֵדַע סוֹד הַשֵּׁמוֹת הָאֵלֶּה), you will understand and perceive the reason why Yisrael did not inherit all ten lands (תָּבִין וְתַשְׂכִּיל הַסִּבָּה לָמָּה לֹא יָרְשׁוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל כָּל עֶשֶׂר אֲרָצוֹת).

Know that the name Chivi refers to the serpent (דַּע, כִּי שֵׁם חִוִּי הוּא הַנָּחָשׁ), as its Targum is “Chavya [serpent]” (כְּתַרְגּוּמוֹ: ״חַוְיָא). To inform us that because of the venom and impurity of the primordial serpent (לְהוֹדִיעֵנוּ כִּי בְּסִיבַּת אַרְסִיּוּת וּזְהוּמַת הַנָּחָשׁ הַקַּדְמוֹנִי), Yisrael did not merit and did not inherit all ten lands (לֹא זָכוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל וְלֹא יָרְשׁוּ כָּל עֶשֶׂר אֲרָצוֹת כֻּלָּן). And Scripture did not change the names of all the lands except Chivi (וְלֹא שִׁינָּה הַכָּתוּב שֵׁמוֹת כָּל הָאֲרָצוֹת אֶלָּא חִוִּי), for three lands are hinted in it: Chivi, Girgashi, Refa’im (כִּי שָׁלוֹשׁ אֲרָצוֹת נִרְמָזוֹת בּוֹ, שֶׁהֵם חִוִּי גִּרְגָּשִׁי רְפָאִים), to inform us that the Chivi, which is the serpent, will ultimately be expelled and uprooted from the world (לְהוֹדִיעֵנוּ כִּי הַחִוִּי שֶׁהוּא הַנָּחָשׁ עָתִיד לְהִתְגָּרֵשׁ וְלְהֵעָקֵר מִן הָעוֹלָם). And after him will come Refa’im, to hint that the Holy One Blessed Be He will heal the world from his defilement and deadly venom (וְיָבוֹא אַחֲרָיו רְפָאִים, לְרַמֵּז שֶׁעָתִיד הקב״ה לִרְפּוֹא אֶת הָעוֹלָם מִזְּהוּמָתוֹ וּמֵאֲרְסִיּוּתוֹ הַמְּמִית).

In such a way that when the Chivi will be Girgashi-that is, expelled from the world due to the severity of his impurity (בְּאוֹפֶן כִּי בִּזְמַן שֶׁהַחִוִּי יִהְיֶה גִּרְגָּשִׁי – רוֹצֶה לוֹמַר, שֶׁיִּהְיֶה מְגוֹרָשׁ מִן הָעוֹלָם עַל רֹעַ טֻמְאָתוֹ) - then will come Refa’im, meaning: healing will come to the world (אָז יָבוֹא רְפָאִים, פֵּרוּשׁ: תָּבוֹא רְפוּאָה לָעוֹלָם), and “the earth shall be filled with knowledge of Hashem as the waters cover the sea” (Isaiah 11:9) (וּתְמָלֵא הָאָרֶץ דֵּעָה אֶת ה׳ כַּמַּיִם לַיָּם מְכַסִּים).

Then the names of the lands will be in this order (וְאָז שְׁמוֹת הָאֲרָצוֹת יִהְיוּ עַל זֶה הָאֹפֶן): the six we inherited, which are in the book of Yehoshua (שֵׁשׁ שֶׁיָּרַשְׁנוּ שֶׁהֵם בְּסֵפֶר יְהוֹשֻׁעַ): Chiti, Emori, Kena‘ani, Perizi, Chivi, Yevusi (חִתִּי אֱמֹרִי כְּנַעֲנִי פְּרִזִּי חִוִּי יְבוּסִי). And because the impurity of the Chivi is destined to be expelled (וּבִסִּיבַת שֶׁזְּהוּמַת הַחִוִּי עֲתִידָה לְהִתְגָּרֵשׁ), therefore the Girgashi fled from here (לָכֵן בָּרַח מִכָּאן הַגִּרְגָּשִׁי), and Refa’im, Keni, Kenizi, and Kadmoni will come (וְיָבוֹא רְפָאִים וְקֵינִי וּקְנִזִּי וְקַדְמֹנִי), to say that Yisrael will return from the East to Gan Eden with Kadmono shel Olam [Ancient One of the World] (לוֹמַר שֶׁיָּשׁוּבוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל מִקֶּדֶם לְגַן עֵדֶן עִם קַדְמוֹנוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם). And the Holy One Blessed Be He will repay measure for measure (וְיִשְׁלַם הקב״ה מִדָּה כְּנֶגֶד מִדָּה), for Adam HaRishon was expelled from that place because of the serpent (כִּי אָדָם הָרִאשׁוֹן נִגְרַשׁ מִן הַמָּקוֹם הַהוּא בַּעֲבוּר הַנָּחָשׁ), as it is written, “And He expelled the man” (Bereshit 3:24) (כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב: ״וַיְגָרֶשׁ אֶת הָאָדָם).