Daf 196b (דַּף קצ״ו ע״ב)

For such is the way of Kudsha Berikh Hu (דְּהָכִי אָרְחֵי דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא): first He prepares the remedy (בְּקַדְמִיתָא בָּארֵי [ס״א: אֲקְדִים] אַסְוָותָא), and afterward He afflicts (וּלְבָתַר מָחֵי). So too, first He prepared the great possessions (כָּךְ בְּקַדְמִיתָא אַתְקִין רְכוּשׁ גָּדוֹל), and afterward brought them into exile (וּלְבָתַר אַיְיתֵי לוֹן לְגָלוּתָא). And for this reason, He revolved Gilgulim and brought famine upon all the world (וְעַל דָּא גִּלְגֵּל גִּלְגוּלִין וְאַיְיתֵי כַּפְנָא עַל כָּל עָלְמָא), so that all the world would bring their silver and gold to Egypt (בְּגִין דְּלֵיהֲווּ מַיְיתִין כַּסְפָּא וְדַהֲבָא כָּל עָלְמָא לְמִצְרַיִם).

Come and see (תָּא חֲזֵי): for the sake of Yosef, who is the Tzaddik (בְּגִין יוֹסֵף דְּאִיהוּ צַדִּיק), he caused wealth of silver and gold to be gathered (אִיהִי גָּרִים עוּתְרָא כַּסְפָּא וְדַהֲבָא), for Yisrael to take (לְנַטְלָא יִשְׂרָאֵל). As it is written: “And He brought them forth with silver and gold, and none among His tribes faltered” (כְּדִכְתִיב: וַיּוֹצִיאֵם בְּכֶסֶף וְזָהָב, וְאֵין בִּשְׁבָטָיו כוֹשֵׁל) (Psalms 105). And from the hand of the Tzaddik this came to Yisrael (וּמִן יְדָא דְּצַדִּיק, אֲתָא דָא לְיִשְׂרָאֵל), and all this was in order to merit them for the World to Come (וְכֹּלָּא לְמִזְכֵּי לוֹן לְעָלְמָא דְאָתֵי).

He opened and said (פָּתַח וְאָמַר): “See life with the woman whom you love…” (רְאֵה חַיִּים עִם אִשָּׁה אֲשֶׁר אָהַבְתָּ וְגו׳) (Ecclesiastes 9). Come and see (תָּא חֲזֵי): this verse is a supernal secret (הַאי קְרָא בְּרָזָא עִלָּאָה אִיהוּ), and it has been established (וְאוּקְמוּהָ): “See life” - these are the lives of the World to Come (רְאֵה חַיִּים: אִלֵּין חַיִּין דְּעָלְמָא דְאָתֵי), and blessed is the one who merits it properly (דְּזַכָּאָה הוּא בַּר נָשׁ דְּזָכֵי בֵּיהּ כְּדְקָא יְאוּת). “With the woman whom you love” (עִם אִשָּׁה אֲשֶׁר אָהַבְתָּ) - this is Knesset Yisrael (דָּא כְּנֶסֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל), for concerning her it is written “love” (בְּגִין דְּבָהּ כְּתִיב אַהֲבָה), as it is written: “With an everlasting love I have loved you” (דִּכְתִיב: וְאַהֲבַת עוֹלָם אֲהַבְתִּיךָ) (Jeremiah 31). When? (אֵימָתַי) When the side of the right is joined with her (בְּשַׁעְתָּא דְּסִטְרָא דִּימִינָא אָחִיד בָּהּ), as it is written: “Therefore I have drawn you with kindness” (דִּכְתִיב: עַל כֵּן מְשַׁכְתִּיךְ חָסֶד) (Jeremiah 31). “All the days of your vain life” (כָּל יְמֵי חַיֵּי הֶבְלְךָ) - because she is bound up in the Life, and she is the world wherein life dwells (בְּגִין דְּאִיהִי אִתְקַשְּׁרַת בַּחַיִּים, וְאִיהִי עוֹלָם דְּחַיֵּין שָׁרְיָין בֵּיהּ). For this world, life does not dwell within it (דְּהָא עָלְמָא דָא לָא שָׁרְיָין בֵּיהּ חַיִּים), because they are “under the sun” (בְּגִין דְּאִינוּן תַּחַת הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ), and they do not attain the radiance of that sun (וְלָא מָטָאן הָכָא אִינוּן נְהוֹרִין דְּהַהוּא שִׁמְשָׁא), and that radiance was withdrawn from the world on the day the Temple was destroyed (וְאִסְתַּלָּקוּ מֵעָלְמָא מִיּוֹמָא דְּאִתְחָרִיב בֵּי מַקְדְּשָׁא), as it is written: “The sun was darkened in its going forth…” (דִּכְתִיב: חָשַׁךְ הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ בְּצֵאתוֹ) (Isaiah 13). What is “the sun was darkened”? (מַהִי: חָשַׁךְ הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ) - that its light departed and did not shine (דְּסָלִיק נְהוֹרֵיהּ וְלָא נָהִיר), as it is said: “The Tzaddik perishes…” (כְּמָה דְּאַתְּ אָמֵר: הַצַּדִּיק אָבַד) (Isaiah 57). “For this is your portion in life” (כִּי הוּא חֶלְקְךָ בַּחַיִּים) - this is the sun in the moon (דָּא הוּא שִׁמְשָׁא בְּסִיהֲרָא), and one must elevate the moon into the sun and the sun into the moon (וּבְעִינָן לְמֵיעַל סִיהֲרָא בְּשִׁמְשָׁא וְשִׁמְשָׁא בְּסִיהֲרָא), so as not to separate them (דְּלָא לְאַפְרָשָׁא לוֹן).

And this is the portion of a person - to ascend through them into the World to Come (וְדָא הוּא חוּלָקָא דְּבַר נָשׁ, לְמֵיעַל בְּהוּ לְעָלְמָא דְאָתֵי). What is written after? “All that your hand finds to do, do it with your might, for there is no action, nor accounting, nor knowledge, nor wisdom in the grave to which you are going” (מַה כְּתִיב בַּתְרֵיהּ: כָּל אֲשֶׁר תִּמְצָא יָדְךָ לַעֲשׂוֹת, בְּכֹחֲךָ עֲשֵׂה, כִּי אֵין מַעֲשֶׂה וְחֶשְׁבּוֹן וְדַעַת וְחָכְמָה בַּשְּׁאוֹל אֲשֶׁר אַתָּה הוֹלֵךְ שָׁמָּה) (Ecclesiastes 9). This verse is to be contemplated (הַאי קְרָא אִית לְאִסְתַּכָּלָא בֵּיהּ): “All that your hand finds to do” - is one permitted to do whatever he desires? (וְכִי הוּתְּרָה רְצוּעָה לְמֶעֱבַד בַּר נָשׁ כָּל מַה דְּיָכִיל) Rather, it is written: “to do with your might” (אֶלָּא: לַעֲשׂוֹת בְּכֹחֲךָ כְּתִיב). What is “with your might”? (מַהִי: בְּכֹחֲךָ) This is the Neshama of a person (דָּא נִשְׁמָתֵיהּ דְּבַר נָשׁ), for it is the strength of man (דְּאִיהִי חֵילָא דְּבַר נָשׁ), through which he merits in this world and in the World to Come (לְמִזְכֵּי בָהּ לְעָלְמָא דֵּין וּלְעָלְמָא דְאָתֵי).

Another matter of “with your might” (דָּבָר אַחֵר בְּכֹחֲךָ): this is the woman of whom we have spoken (דָּא הִיא אִשָּׁה דְּקָאֲמָרָן), for she is the strength through which one must be empowered (דְּאִיהִי חֵילָא לְאִתְתַּקְפָא בָּהּ), both in this world and in the World to Come (בְּעַלְמָא דֵין וּבְעַלְמָא דְאָתֵי). And a person must merit her in this world with that strength (וּבָעֵי בַּר נָשׁ לְמִזְכֵּי בָּהּ בְּהַאי עַלְמָא בְּהַאי חֵילָא), so that he may be strengthened through her in that world (בְּגִין דְּיִתְתַּקַּף בָּהּ בְּהַהוּא עַלְמָא). Why? (מַאי טַעְמָא) Because once a person leaves this world (בְּגִין דִּלְבָתַר דְּיִפּוּק בַּר נָשׁ מֵהַאי עַלְמָא), he has no strength to do anything or to say, “Now, from this point forward, I will do good deeds” (לֵית בֵּיהּ חֵילָא לְמֶעֱבַד מִידִּי וְלוֹמַר: הַשְׁתָּא, מִכָּאן וּלְהָלְאָה אַעֲבִיד עוֹבָדִין טָבִין).

For indeed, “there is no action, nor accounting, nor knowledge, nor wisdom in She’ol, where you are going” (דְּוַדַּאי: אֵין מַעֲשֶׂה וְחֶשְׁבּוֹן וְדַעַת וְחָכְמָה בַּשְׁאוֹל אֲשֶׁר וגו׳) (Ecclesiastes 9). If a person does not merit in this world, he will not merit in that world (אִי לָא זָכֵי בַּר נָשׁ בְּהַאי עַלְמָא, לָא יִזְכֵּי בֵּיהּ לְבָתַר בְּהַהוּא עַלְמָא). And it has been established (וְאוּקְמוּהָ): whoever has not prepared provisions to go forth from this world (מַאן דְּלָא אַתְקִין זְוָודִין לְמֵיהַךְ מֵהַאי עַלְמָא), will not be able in that world (לָא יֵיכוּל בְּהַהוּא עַלְמָא). Yet there are good deeds that a person does in this world from which he may be nourished here (וְאִית עוֹבָדִין טָבִין דְּעָבִיד בַּר נָשׁ בְּהַאי עַלְמָא, דְּיֵיכוּל מִנַּיְיהוּ הָכָא), and all remains for the World to Come to be sustained from them (וְכֹלָּא אִשְׁתָּאַר לְעָלְמָא דְאָתֵי וּלְאִתְּזְנָא מִנַּיְיהוּ).

Come and see (תָּא חֲזֵי): Yosef merited in this world and merited in the World to Come (יוֹסֵף זָכָה בְּהַאי עַלְמָא וְזָכָה בְּעַלְמָא דְאָתֵי), because he desired to unite with the woman who is “Yirat Hashem” (בְּגִין דְּבָעָא לְאִתְאַחֲדָא בְּאִשָּׁה יִרְאַת י"י). As it is said: “And I would sin before Elohim” (כְּמָה דְּאַתְּ אָמֵר: וְחָטָאתִי לֵאֱלֹהִים) (Bereshit 39). And therefore, he merited to rule in this world (וּבְגִין כָּךְ זָכָה לְמִשְׁלַט בְּהַאי עַלְמָא), and merited for the sake of Yisrael (וְזָכָה לוֹן לְיִשְׂרָאֵל). What is written? “And Yosef collected all the silver” (מַה כְּתִיב: וַיְלַקֵּט יוֹסֵף אֶת כָּל הַכֶּסֶף) (Bereshit 47). And thus it should be seen (וְהָכִי אִתְחֲזֵי): for that river which flows and issues forth (דְּהָא הַהוּא נָהָר דְּנָגִיד וְנָפִיק), it collects all (אִיהוּ לָקִיט כֹּלָּא), and all wealth is established in it (וְכָל עוּתְרָא בֵּיהּ קָיְימָא). And this is the secret of what is written: “And Elohim placed them in the firmament of the heavens” (וְדָא הִיא רָזָא דִּכְתִיב: וַיִּתֵּן אֹתָם אֱלֹהִים בִּרְקִיעַ הַשָּׁמָיִם) (Bereshit 1), and all is properly arranged (וְכֹלָּא אִיהוּ כְּדְקָא יְאוּת). Indeed, Yosef was destined to rule over kingship (וַדַּאי יוֹסֵף בָּעֵי לְמִשְׁלַט עַל מַלְכוּתָא).

And come and see (וְתָּא חֲזֵי): it is written, “And he rode him in the second chariot” (כְּתִיב: וַיַּרְכֵּב אֹתוֹ בְּמִרְכֶּבֶת הַמִּשְׁנֶה) (Bereshit 41). What is “the second chariot” (מַאן מִרְכֶּבֶת הַמִּשְׁנֶה)? Kudsha Berikh Hu made the Tzaddik a ruler (קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא עָבִיד לֵיהּ לַצַּדִּיק שַׁלִּיטָא), because from him the world is nourished (בְּגִין דְּהָא מִנֵּיהּ אִתְּזַן עָלְמָא), and it must be nourished (וְאִצְטְרִיךְ לְאִתְּזָנָא). And Kudsha Berikh Hu has a supernal chariot (וּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא אִית לֵיהּ רְתִיכָא עִלָּאָה), and He has a lower chariot (וְאִית לֵיהּ רְתִיכָא תַּתָּאָה). The lower chariot is the second chariot (רְתִיכָא תַּתָּאָה אִיהִי מִרְכֶּבֶת הַמִּשְׁנֶה), and Yosef the Tzaddik is called, and it was fitting for him to ride upon the second chariot which is his (וְיוֹסֵף צַדִּיק אִקְרֵי, וְלֵיהּ אִתְחֲזֵי לְמֶהֱוֵי רָכִיב עַל מִרְכֶּבֶת הַמִּשְׁנֶה אֲשֶׁר לוֹ), before Kudsha Berikh Hu (לְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא). And all this is in a supernal secret (וְכֹלָּא אִיהוּ בְּרָזָא עִלָּאָה), to be as the likeness of above (לְמֶהֱוֵי כְּגַוְונָא דִּלְעֵילָא).