What
Does
It
Mean
that
Man’s
Blessing
Is
the
Blessing
of
the
Sons,
in
the
Work?
Article
No.
14,
1991
It
is
written
in
The
Zohar
(VaYechi,
Items
371-372),
“He
asks
about
the
verse,
‘And
he
blessed
Joseph
and
said,
‘will
bless
the
lads.’’
We
should
look
in
this
verse,
for
it
says,
‘He
blessed
Joseph,’
but
we
find
no
blessing
for
Joseph
here,
that
he
blessed
Joseph,
but
his
sons.
He
replies,
‘Rabbi
Yosi
said,
‘Et
[of]’
is
precisely
it,
since
Et
implies
Malchut.’
It
is
written,
‘blessed
Joseph,’
which
is
the
blessing
of
his
sons,
since
his
sons—Menashe
and
Ephraim—are
regarded
as
Malchut,
which
is
called
Et.
And
when
his
sons
are
blessed,
he
is
blessed
first.
This
is
why
it
writes
Joseph,
too,
since
a
man’s
sons
are
his
blessing.”
We
should
understand
what
it
means
that
if
the
sons
are
blessed,
Joseph
is
also
blessed,
in
the
work.
What
does
this
tell
us?
It
is
known
that
all
our
work
is
that
we
must
achieve
Dvekut
[adhesion]
with
the
Creator,
which
is
equivalence
of
form,
meaning
to
bestow,
just
as
the
Creator
bestows
upon
the
lower
ones.
Because
of
it,
we
were
given
the
work
in
Torah
and
Mitzvot
[commandments/good
deeds],
to
do
them
in
order
to
bestow.
By
this,
one
becomes
corrected
at
the
root
of
his
soul,
which
is
Malchut
de
Atzilut,
which
is
regarded
as
the
whole
of
Israel.
This
is
why
Malchut
is
called
“the
assembly
of
Israel,”
since
all
the
souls
come
from
her.
Hence,
to
the
extent
that
they
work
in
order
to
bestow,
they
cause
Malchut,
who
is
called
Shechina
[Divinity],
to
unite
with
the
Creator,
called
ZA,
or
Yesod
de
ZA,
for
Yesod
is
called
“righteous,”
who
bestows
upon
Malchut.
However,
when
Malchut
is
receiving
for
herself,
she
has
no
equivalence
with
the
Giver,
called
“the
Creator,”
and
this
is
regarded
as
the
Shechina
being
far
from
the
Creator
due
to
disparity
of
form.
This
is
considered
that
the
Creator
cannot
bestow
upon
Malchut,
and
thus
the
souls
have
no
abundance.
When
the
Creator
cannot
bestow
upon
the
lower
ones,
due
to
the
disparity
of
form
between
them,
this
is
called
“the
sorrow
of
the
Shechina.”
That
is,
from
the
perspective
of
the
receiver,
she
cannot
receive
abundance
because
if
she
receives
abundance
for
the
lower
ones,
it
will
all
go
to
the
Klipot
[shells/peels],
called
“receiving
in
order
to
receive.”
It
is
also
called
“sorrow”
from
the
perspective
of
the
Giver
because
the
thought
of
creation
is
to
do
good
to
His
creations,
but
now
He
cannot
give
them
the
delight
and
pleasure
because
everything
that
the
creatures
will
have
will
go
to
the
Klipot.
Hence,
the
Giver
is
sorry
that
He
cannot
give,
like
a
mother
who
wants
to
feed
her
baby
but
the
baby
is
sick
and
cannot
eat.
At
that
time,
there
is
sorrow
on
the
part
of
the
Giver.
In
the
words
of
The
Zohar,
this
is
considered
that
there
is
sorrow
above
that
there
cannot
be
unification,
meaning
for
the
Giver
to
give
abundance
to
the
receiver.
The
Giver
of
abundance
to
the
lower
ones
is
called
Malchut,
who
receives
abundance
from
ZA.
In
the
words
of
our
sages,
this
is
called
“Israel
nourish
their
Father
in
heaven.”
What
is
the
nourishment?
It
is
that
Israel
qualify
themselves
to
become
fit
to
receive
abundance.
This
is
His
nourishment,
since
this
was
the
purpose
of
creation,
which
is
to
do
good
to
His
creations.
Therefore,
when
the
lower
ones
engage
in
Torah
and
Mitzvot
with
the
aim
to
bestow,
they
cause
unification
above,
meaning
that
Malchut,
too,
who
receives
the
abundance
for
the
lower
ones,
to
become
a
giver.
This
is
called
the
“unification
of
the
Creator
and
the
Shechina.”
That
is,
there
is
contentment
above
because
the
lower
ones
cause
abundance
to
flow
downward.
But
if
the
lower
ones
do
not
work
with
the
aim
to
bestow,
it
causes
the
sorrow
of
the
Shechina.
That
is,
there
is
sorrow
above
that
Malchut,
who
is
called
Shechina,
cannot
bestow
delight
and
pleasure
to
the
creatures.
However,
we
should
make
two
discernments
concerning
the
sorrow
of
the
Shechina.
We
should
discern
that
there
is
sorrow
from
the
perspective
of
the
Giver,
called
“Creator,”
and
there
is
the
sorrow
of
the
Shechina,
who
is
called
“the
mother
of
the
sons,”
meaning
the
“assembly
of
Israel,”
who
engendered
the
souls
of
Israel.
Also,
we
attribute
to
Malchut
the
giving
of
vitality
to
the
Klipot
[shells/peels],
as
it
is
written,
“And
her
legs
go
down
to
death.”
The
meaning
of
“her
legs”
is
Malchut
at
her
end,
which
is
called
“legs.”
She
descends
in
order
to
bestow
vitality
to
the
Klipot,
who
are
called
“death,”
so
as
to
sustain
them.
Otherwise,
the
Klipot
would
not
exist.
Since
the
Klipot
are
needed,
as
it
is
written,
“and
God
made
it
so
they
would
fear
Him,”
Malchut
sustains
them
just
so
they
persist,
meaning
the
amount
that
enables
them
to
exist.
This
is
also
called
“very
thin
light,”
so
they
can
exist.
That
is,
we
see
that
there
is
pleasure
in
the
corporeal
world,
and
that
the
whole
world
chases
this
pleasure
in
order
to
obtain
it.
In
general,
this
pleasure
is
clothed
in
three
things,
called
“envy,”
“lust,”
and
“honor.”
Were
it
not
for
the
thin
light
there,
which
places
the
pleasure
within
these
corporeal
things,
who
could
exist
in
the
world?
since
without
pleasure,
it
is
impossible
to
live
because
the
purpose
of
creation
was
with
the
aim
to
do
good
to
His
creations.
Hence,
without
good,
it
is
impossible
to
live.
However,
we
should
understand
why
it
is
called
“the
sorrow
of
the
Shechina,”
since
the
Creator
created
the
world
in
order
to
do
good
to
His
creations.
Thus,
it
should
have
been
called
“the
sorrow
of
the
Creator.”
That
is,
the
fact
that
the
creatures
do
not
engage
in
Torah
and
Mitzvot
in
order
to
bestow
causes
that
the
Creator
will
be
unable
to
bestow,
so
the
sorrow
should
be
attributed
to
the
Creator,
not
to
the
Shechina,
who
is
called
Malchut.
Baal
HaSulam
said,
What
is
the
difference
between
the
Creator
and
the
Shechina?
He
said
that
it
is
one
thing.
It
is
as
The
Zohar
says,
“He
is
Shochen
[dweller]
and
she
is
Shechina.”
This
means
that
both
names
are
one
thing,
but
are
light
and
Kli
[vessel].
That
is,
the
place
where
the
Shochen
is
revealed
is
called
Shechina.
Hence,
they
are
the
same
thing,
but
where
the
light
cannot
be
revealed
because
of
the
disparity
of
form
between
the
light
and
the
Kli,
it
is
considered
that
the
Shechina,
where
the
Shochen
should
be
revealed,
is
deficient.
For
this
reason,
we
relate
to
the
Shechina,
since
the
Shochen
cannot
be
revealed
to
the
lower
ones
due
to
the
disparity
of
form.
And
since
we
are
speaking
only
from
the
perspective
of
the
Kelim
[vessels],
we
call
the
exile
“Shechina
in
the
dust,”
“Shechina
in
exile,”
since
we
are
speaking
from
the
perspective
of
the
Kelim
and
not
from
that
of
the
lights.
This
is
why
it
is
called
“the
sorrow
of
the
Shechina,”
as
though
she
suffers
from
her
inability
to
bestow
upon
the
lower
ones.
But
if
we
elaborate
on
the
details,
we
should
say
that
there
is
also
sorrow
here
on
the
part
of
the
Giver,
who
is
called
“the
Giver
to
the
lower
ones.”
But
when
we
speak
from
the
perspective
of
the
Kelim,
we
call
it
“the
sorrow
of
the
Shechina.”
According
to
the
above,
in
order
to
have
contentment
above
because
“He
spoke
and
His
will
was
done.”
This
means
that
in
order
for
His
desire
to
do
good
to
His
creations
to
be
carried
out,
so
the
creatures
will
receive
from
Him
delight
and
pleasure,
which
is
the
joy
that
the
created
beings
cause
above—as
our
sages
said,
“There
has
never
been
such
joy
before
Him
as
on
the
day
when
heaven
and
earth
were
created”—when
the
creatures
walk
on
the
straight
path,
when
all
their
actions
are
in
order
to
bestow
contentment
upon
their
Maker,
they
make
Malchut,
which
is
the
root
of
the
souls,
work
in
order
to
bestow
what
she
receives
for
the
souls,
meaning
for
the
souls,
so
they
become
able
to
receive
in
order
to
bestow.
This
is
considered
that
the
creatures
cause
the
unification
of
the
Creator
and
His
Shechina.
By
this,
abundance
is
bestowed
upon
the
lower
ones
because
the
abundance
that
is
extended
is
for
the
purpose
of
correction.
That
is,
through
this
reception,
in
a
manner
that
is
in
equivalence
of
form,
there
is
pleasure
above,
since
during
the
reception
of
the
abundance
there
is
no
shame
there
because
of
the
correction
that
they
receive
in
order
to
bestow.
According
to
the
above,
we
will
understand
what
we
asked,
What
is
“A
man’s
blessing
is
the
blessing
of
the
sons”?
When
the
sons,
meaning
the
created
beings,
who
are
called
“the
sons
of
the
Creator,”
receive
the
abundance
in
a
correction
of
a
blessing,
meaning
that
they
want
to
receive
only
because
they
want
to
bestow
contentment
upon
the
Maker,
for
“blessing”
means
bestowal,
which
is
Hesed
[mercy],
meaning
to
bestow,
as
it
is
written
in
The
Zohar
(“Introduction
of
The
Book
of
Zohar,”
Item
37),
that
the
letter
Bet
is
Hesed,
which
indicates
blessing,
which
is
Hassadim,
which
is
the
hall
of
Hochma,
who
is
included
in
the
Bet.
It
follows
that
by
the
sons
engaging
in
blessing,
meaning
working
in
order
to
bestow,
they
cause
Malchut
above
to
connect
with
ZA.
This
is
called
“the
unification
of
the
Creator
with
His
Shechina.”
From
this
unification,
they
can
bestow
above,
as
well,
since
the
sons
engage
in
bestowal.
This
causes
the
blessing
at
the
root
above
to
be
drawn
down
to
the
sons,
and
this
is
considered
that
the
people
of
Israel
receive
the
abundance
from
their
father
in
heaven.
It
is
written
in
The
Zohar
(Beresheet,
Item
131),
“The
reason
why
the
great
Mochin
of
Shabbat
[Sabbath]
are
called
‘inheritance’
is
that
all
the
Mochin
that
the
children
of
Israel
receive
from
their
father
in
heaven
is
by
an
awakening
from
below,
as
they
said,
‘I
labored
and
found,
believe.’
It
is
as
people
purchase
possessions
in
this
world.
The
greater
the
possession,
the
greater
should
be
the
exertion
that
they
give
for
it.
But
the
lights
of
Shabbat
do
not
require
any
labor.”
The
reason
that
the
lights
of
Shabbat
do
not
require
labor
is
that
Shabbat
is
the
completion
of
heaven
and
earth,
a
semblance
of
the
end
of
correction,
when
everything
is
corrected.
Hence,
before
Shabbat,
there
are
the
six
weekdays,
which
imply
the
six
thousand
years
of
work
until
we
achieve
the
end
of
correction.
Likewise,
there
are
the
six
workdays,
which
is
the
time
of
work,
and
Shabbat
is
the
rest.
This
is
why
our
sages
said
(Avoda
Zarah
3),
“He
who
did
not
toil
on
the
eve
of
Shabbat,
what
will
he
eat
on
Shabbat?”
It
follows
that
by
exerting
to
emerge
from
the
control
of
self-love
and
be
rewarded
with
vessels
of
bestowal,
which
is
a
blessing,
by
this
there
is
contentment
above,
in
that
they
can
bestow
upon
the
sons.
Now
we
can
understand
what
The
Zohar
answers
about
what
is
written,
“He
blessed
Joseph,”
and
we
did
not
find
a
blessing
here
that
he
blessed
Joseph,
but
rather
his
sons.
He
explains
that
when
his
sons
are
blessed,
he
is
blessed.
This
is
why
it
is
written,
“Joseph,”
too,
since
“man’s
sons
are
his
blessing.”
That
is,
Joseph
is
called
“the
giver,”
and
his
“sons,”
explains
The
Zohar,
“his
sons—Menashe
and
Ephraim—are
regarded
as
Malchut,
which
is
called
Et.”
This
means
that
Malchut,
who
is
called
Et
[of],
is
because
she
contains
all
the
letters
from
Aleph
[first
letter
in
the
Hebrew
alphabet]
to
Tav
[last
letter],
since
the
letters
are
called
Kelim
and
the
receivers
of
the
abundance,
which
is
called
“his
sons,”
since
she
receives
for
the
created
beings.
It
follows
that
by
his
sons
being
blessed,
he
becomes
blessed,
too.
That
is,
the
giver,
who
is
Joseph,
called
Yesod,
gives
to
Malchut,
when
Malchut
can
receive
for
the
sons.
At
that
time,
Malchut
is
called
“The
mother
of
the
sons
is
glad,
Hallelujah.”
When
the
lower
ones
engage
in
Torah
and
Mitzvot
in
order
to
bestow,
they
cause
at
the
root
of
their
soul,
which
is
Malchut,
to
equalize
in
form
with
the
Giver.
This
is
called
“unification.”
At
that
time,
the
abundance
is
poured
to
the
lower
ones.
Thus,
they
cause
Malchut
to
be
able
to
receive
abundance
for
them.
Hence,
Malchut
is
called
“the
mother
of
the
sons
is
glad.”
Hallelu-KoH
[Hallelujah]
means
Hellolu
[praise]
Yod-Hey
[the
Creator]
are
called
Hochma
and
Bina,
who
give
the
abundance
to
the
quality
of
Joseph,
and
from
Joseph,
who
is
Yesod,
to
Malchut,
who
is
called
Et.
This
is
the
meaning
of
what
is
written,
“He
blessed
Joseph,”
and
this
is
the
meaning
of
“man’s
blessing
are
his
sons.”
If
the
sons
are
blessed,
it
is
considered
a
blessing
for
man,
when
he
can
bestow
delight
and
pleasure.
However,
this
work,
for
all
his
actions
to
be
in
order
to
bestow,
is
hard
work,
since
all
the
organs
of
the
body
object
to
it.
This
is
against
man’s
nature,
who
was
created
with
a
desire
to
receive
for
his
own
benefit.
This
is
the
meaning
of
what
is
written
(Psalms
22),
“And
I
am
a
worm
and
not
a
man,
a
disgrace
of
man
and
despised
by
the
people.”
We
should
interpret
that
“I”
refers
to
“I
am
the
Lord
your
God,”
that
this
quality
in
him
is
as
a
worm,
meaning
as
weak
as
a
worm.
“And
not
a
man”
means
that
when
I
want
to
cling
to
“I
am
the
Lord
your
God,”
they
say
that
it
is
unbecoming
of
an
intelligent
and
reasonable
person
to
go
above
reason.
This
is
more
like
an
insane
person.
“A
disgrace
of
man”
is
the
work
of
faith
above
reason.
This
is
a
disgrace
for
a
person
who
thinks
that
man’s
main
purpose
is
to
cling
to
“I
am
the
Lord
your
God.”
In
other
words,
wanting
to
be
rewarded
with
“I”
being
as
“the
Lord
your
God,”
means
that
he
will
be
rewarded
personally,
and
this
is
called
“your
God.”
At
that
time,
they
curse
and
swear,
meaning
they
say
that
this
work
belongs
to
angels,
not
to
people,
that
it
is
a
disgrace
for
a
person
to
want
to
do
this,
even
though
he
tells
them,
“But
you
see
that
there
many
people
are
walking
on
the
path
toward
being
rewarded
with
the
Lord
being
their
God.”
At
that
time,
they
say
about
these
people
that
they
are
simply
“despised
by
the
people,”
meaning
that
the
nations
of
the
world
in
one’s
body
tell
him
that
this
work,
for
a
person
to
be
rewarded
with
the
quality,
“I
am
the
Lord
your
God,”
belongs
to
the
despised,
meaning
to
lowly
people,
that
it
is
a
disgrace
to
even
speak
to
them,
since
they
are
walking
on
the
path
of
the
Creator
like
mindless
fools.
In
any
case,
when
one
wants
to
overcome
their
complaints,
it
is
hard
work
and
there
are
ascents
and
descents
here.
A
person
needs
extra
efforts
because
the
arguments
of
the
nations
of
the
world
in
a
person
stand
ready
to
find
some
weakness
in
the
work
so
as
to
show
man
that
he
is
wasting
his
efforts,
since
this
work
is
not
for
him,
and
they
advise
him
to
escape
the
campaign.
A
person
is
powerless
to
stand
against
them,
but
only
to
increase
his
prayer
that
the
Creator
will
help
him
defeat
the
enemies
within
him.
This
is
the
meaning
of
the
verse
(Psalms
32),
“Many
are
the
afflictions
of
the
wicked,
and
he
who
trusts
in
the
Lord,
Hesed
[mercy]
will
surround
him.”
We
should
understand
what
is
“Many
are
the
afflictions
of
the
wicked.”
It
seems
as
though
because
of
it,
“He
who
trusts
in
the
Lord,
Hesed
will
surround
him.”
But
in
the
work,
we
speak
of
one
person
who
comprises
the
entire
world.
The
meaning
is
that
as
long
as
one
is
under
the
control
of
the
will
to
receive,
he
is
called
“wicked,”
since
he
cannot
say
that
His
guidance
is
good
and
does
good.
Hence,
he
suffers
torments
when
he
wants
to
work
in
order
to
bestow.
A
person
asks,
“Why
did
I
not
suffer
afflictions
when
I
engaged
in
Torah
and
Mitzvot
before
I
began
to
do
the
holy
work,
that
it
will
be
in
order
to
bestow?
I
had
joy
in
the
work
and
I
was
always
happy,
since
I
believed
in
reward
and
punishment,
and
this
is
why
I
observed
Torah
and
Mitzvot.”
But
now
that
he
has
begun
the
work
of
bestowal,
he
feels
pain
when
he
wants
to
engage
in
Torah
and
Mitzvot,
and
it
is
hard
for
him
to
do
anything
for
the
sake
of
the
Creator.
Each
time,
he
sees
how
far
he
is
from
Kedusha
[holiness],
for
Kedusha
means
equivalence
of
form,
and
now
he
sees
that
he
is
far
from
it.
The
answer
is
that
he
should
believe
that
the
fact
that
now
he
has
become
farther
from
the
Creator
and
he
is
asking,
this
feeling
that
he
feels,
that
now
he
is
worse
than
when
he
worked
in
order
to
receive
reward,
is
not
because
he
is
really
worse
than
before.
It
is
not
that
now
more
evil
has
been
added
to
him
and
because
of
it
he
is
worse.
Rather,
it
is
because
now
that
he
has
done
many
good
deeds,
the
truth
was
revealed
to
him,
that
the
evil
in
him
governs
him.
Conversely,
before
he
had
the
good,
he
could
not
be
shown
the
truth,
since
the
bad
and
the
good
must
always
be
balanced.
It
follows
that
he
is
not
in
such
a
descent
that
he
thinks
that
this
work
is
not
for
him
and
he
wants
to
escape
the
campaign.
Rather,
this
feeling
comes
to
him
precisely
when
he
has
good.
Yet,
he
believes
in
the
Creator
that
he
was
given
from
above
to
feel
these
states
of
pain.
While
one
is
still
in
a
degree
of
“wicked,”
when
he
cannot
believe
in
a
guidance
of
delight
and
pleasure,
when
that
person
overcomes,
it
is
called
“He
who
trusts
in
the
Lord.”
At
that
time
he
is
rewarded
with
“Hesed
will
surround
him.”
We
should
interpret
that
Yesovevnu
[will
surround
him]
comes
from
the
word
Mesovav
[consequence].
In
other
words,
the
pains
that
the
wicked
suffered
was
the
reason
for
the
Hesed,
with
his
meriting
the
quality
of
Hesed.
It
follows
that
“Many
are
the
afflictions
of
the
wicked”
caused
him
to
be
rewarded
with
Hesed.