Come
unto
Pharaoh
–
2
Article
No.
13,
1986
The
Zohar
asks,
“It
is
written,
‘Come
unto
Pharaoh,’
but
it
should
have
said,
‘Go
unto
Pharaoh,’
etc.
Since
the
Creator
saw
that
Moses
was
afraid
and
other
appointed
emissaries
could
not
approach
him,
the
Creator
said,
‘Behold,
I
am
against
you,
Pharaoh,
king
of
Egypt,
the
great
monster
that
lies
in
the
midst
of
his
Niles.’
The
Creator
had
to
wage
war
against
him,
and
none
other,
as
it
is
written,
‘I
am
the
Lord,’
which
they
explained,
‘I
and
not
a
messenger.’”
Thus
far
its
words
(in
the
beginning
of
the
portion,
Bo
[Come]).
The
difference
between
“come”
and
“go”
is
that
“come”
means
that
we
should
walk
together,
like
a
person
who
tells
his
friend,
“Come.”
We
should
understand
it
because
The
Zohar
asks
why
the
Creator
needed
to
go
with
Moses.
It
is
because
Moses
alone
could
not
fight
him,
but
the
Creator
Himself
and
none
other.
Thus,
why
did
he
need
Moses
to
go
with
the
Creator?
After
all,
it
says,
“I
and
not
a
messenger.”
Thus,
what
is
the
point
of
the
Creator
going
to
Pharaoh,
who
is
called
“great
monster,”
with
Moses?
He
could
have
gone
to
Pharaoh
without
Moses.
We
should
also
understand
what
our
sages
said
(Kidushin
[Matrimony]
30b),
“Rish
Lakish
said,
‘Man’s
inclination
overcomes
him
every
day
and
seeks
to
kill
him,
as
it
is
said,
‘The
wicked
watches
the
righteous,’
and
if
the
Creator
did
not
help
him,
he
would
not
overcome
it,
as
it
is
said,
‘The
Lord
will
not
leave
him
in
his
hand.’’”
Here,
too,
arises
the
question,
“If
a
person
cannot
prevail
by
himself
and
needs
the
Creator’s
help,
why
this
doubling?”
In
other
words,
either
the
Creator
gives
a
person
the
strength
to
overcome
alone,
or
the
Creator
will
do
everything.
Why
is
it
that
two
forces
seem
to
be
required
here,
one
of
man
and
subsequently
the
force
of
the
Creator?
It
is
as
though
only
the
two
of
them
can
conquer
evil,
and
one
force
is
insufficient.
It
is
known
that
man’s
perfection
is
that
he
must
reach
the
purpose
of
creation
to
obtain
the
purpose
for
which
the
world
was
created,
which
is
called
“to
do
good
to
His
creations.”
In
other
words,
the
creatures
should
come
to
receive
the
delight
and
pleasure
that
He
contemplated
to
delight
them.
Prior
to
that,
creation
is
still
not
considered
a
creation
that
befits
the
Creator,
since
it
is
known
that
from
the
perfect
Operator,
perfect
operations
should
emerge.
This
means
that
everyone
should
feel
the
beauty
of
creation
and
will
be
able
to
praise
and
glorify
creation,
that
everyone
will
be
able
to
glorify
and
thank
the
Creator
for
the
creation
He
has
created,
and
that
everyone
will
be
able
to
say,
“Blessed
is
He
who
said,
‘Let
there
be
the
world.’”
In
other
words,
everyone
should
bless
the
Creator
for
having
created
a
good
world
filled
with
pleasures,
where
everyone
is
joyful
and
happy
from
the
contentment
they
feel
from
all
the
pleasures
they
are
experiencing
in
the
world.
However,
when
a
person
begins
to
examine
if
he
is
truly
satisfied
with
his
life
and
how
much
contentment
he
is
really
deriving
from
himself
and
from
his
environment,
he
sees
the
opposite—everyone
is
suffering,
in
torment,
and
each
person
suffers
differently.
But
one
should
say,
“Blessed
is
He
who
said,
‘Let
there
be
the
world,’”
so
he
sees
that
he
is
only
saying
it
superficially.
However,
it
is
known
that
the
delight
and
pleasure
cannot
appear
in
the
world
before
the
world
has
Kelim
[vessels]
of
bestowal,
since
our
vessels
of
reception
are
still
contaminated
by
self-reception,
which
is
heavily
restricted
in
its
measure
and
separates
us
from
the
Creator
(meaning
that
there
was
the
first
restriction
on
the
vessels
of
reception
so
the
abundance
would
not
shine
there,
see
in
the
“Introduction
of
the
Book
of
Zohar,”
p
138).
Obtaining
the
vessels
of
bestowal
is
where
disputes
and
wars
begin,
since
it
is
against
our
nature.
And
this
is
why
we
were
given
Torah
and
Mitzvot,
to
achieve
the
degree
of
bestowal,
as
our
sages
said,
“I
have
created
the
evil
inclination;
I
have
created
the
spice
of
Torah”
(Kidushin
30).
Also,
we
were
given
the
Mitzva
[commandment/good
deed]
of
“love
thy
friend
as
thyself,”
and
Rabbi
Akiva
said,
“This
is
the
great
rule
of
the
Torah”
(Beresheet
Rabbah,
Parasha
24).
In
other
words,
by
working
in
love
of
friends,
a
person
accustoms
himself
to
exit
self-love
and
achieve
love
of
others.
However,
we
should
understand
what
we
see
before
us,
that
there
are
people
who
exert
in
love
of
friends
and
still
do
not
come
an
inch
closer
to
love
of
the
Creator
so
they
can
work
in
Torah
and
Mitzvot,
due
to
the
love
of
the
Creator.
This
means
that
they
say
they
are
in
fact
advancing
a
little
in
love
of
friends,
but
they
see
no
progress
in
love
of
the
Creator.
However,
we
should
know
that
in
love
of
friends,
too,
there
are
degrees,
meaning
we
must
contemplate
the
obligation
of
love
of
friends.
We
can
compare
it
to
a
two-story
building
with
a
ground
floor,
as
well.
The
King
is
on
the
second
floor,
and
one
who
wishes
to
come
to
the
King—whose
only
goal
is
to
converse
with
the
King
face-to-face—is
told
that
he
must
first
climb
to
the
first
floor,
since
it
is
impossible
to
climb
to
the
second
floor
without
first
climbing
to
the
first
floor.
Certainly,
everyone
understands
that
this
is
so.
However,
there
is
a
reason
why
they
must
first
climb
to
the
first
floor—it
is
called
“corrections.”
In
other
words,
by
climbing
to
the
first
floor,
one
can
learn
how
to
address
the
King
face-to-face,
and
will
be
able
to
ask
the
King
for
his
wish.
That
person,
who
hears
that
he
must
first
climb
to
the
first
floor
and
subsequently
to
the
second
floor,
understands
it
very
well.
But
since
his
only
wish
is
to
see
the
King’s
face
and
he
cares
for
nothing
else,
this
makes
what
he
is
told—that
he
must
climb
to
the
first
floor—a
burden
and
a
toil
for
him.
However,
he
has
no
choice,
so
he
climbs
to
the
first
floor.
He
is
not
interested
in
seeing
what
is
there,
although
he
heard
that
the
first
floor
is
where
one
learns
how
to
speak
with
the
King.
But
he
pays
no
attention
to
that,
for
this
is
not
his
goal.
His
goal
is
the
King,
not
what
he
can
learn
on
the
first
floor.
His
goal
is
not
the
study,
but
to
see
the
King’s
face.
Why
should
he
waste
time
on
trifles,
since
everything
is
naught
compared
to
the
King?
Thus,
why
should
he
take
interest
in
what
is
taught
on
the
first
floor?
Hence,
when
he
climbs
to
the
first
floor,
he
has
no
desire
to
stay
there.
Instead,
he
wishes
to
quickly
climb
to
the
second,
to
the
King
Himself,
for
this
is
all
he
wants.
However,
he
is
told,
“Without
knowing
the
rules
that
abide
on
the
first
floor,
you
will
certainly
blemish
the
King’s
honor.
For
this
reason,
you
cannot
hope
to
be
able
to
climb
to
the
second
floor
before
you
learn
all
that
there
is
to
learn
on
the
first
floor.”
Similarly,
with
love
of
friends,
we
heard
that
it
was
impossible
to
be
rewarded
with
love
of
the
Creator
before
one
was
rewarded
with
love
of
friends,
as
Rabbi
Akiva
said,
“love
thy
friend
as
thyself
is
the
great
rule
of
the
Torah.”
Therefore,
while
engaging
in
love
of
friends,
he
is
not
considering
love
of
friends
as
being
valuable,
but
as
redundant.
He
keeps
it
because
he
has
no
choice,
but
he
is
constantly
looking
for
the
time
when
“I
will
be
rewarded
with
the
love
of
the
Creator,
and
I’ll
be
able
to
rid
myself
of
the
love
of
friends.
This
work
is
burdensome
to
me
because
I
can
hardly
stand
my
friends,
for
I
see
that
they
all
have
different
traits
than
mine
and
I
have
nothing
in
common
with
them.
But
I
have
no
choice,
since
I
was
told
that
without
love
of
friends
I
won’t
be
able
to
achieve
love
of
the
Creator.
So
against
my
will,
I
sit
with
them.
“However,
I
can
ask
myself,
‘What
am
I
getting
from
the
friends?’
Only
one
thing:
I
am
correcting
myself
through
self-torment
by
sitting
with
them
and
tolerating
their
talks,
which
I
dislike
and
which
are
against
my
nature.
But
what
can
I
do?
I
am
told
that
I
must
suffer
in
this
world,
so
I
do:
I
sit
and
wait
for
the
time
when
I
can
run
from
them
and
avoid
seeing
the
lowliness
that
I
see
in
them.”
It
turns
out
that
he
is
not
taking
from
the
love
of
friends
the
remedy
called,
“love
of
others,”
but
only
because
he
was
told
that
he
has
no
choice,
for
otherwise
he
will
not
achieve
love
of
the
Creator.
This
is
the
reason
why
he
engages
in
love
of
friends
and
keeps
all
the
obligations
to
which
the
friends
commit
him.
But
what
he
should
learn
from
them
is
miles
away
from
him.
This
means
that
he
is
not
exiting
self-love
and
he
is
not
reaching
love
of
others.
He
is
observing
the
love
of
friends
not
out
of
love,
but
out
of
fear,
since
he
is
not
allowed
into
love
of
the
Creator
before
he
enters
the
love
of
friends.
As
a
result,
he
fears
not
observing
love
of
friends
because
he
will
not
be
allowed
into
love
of
the
Creator.
This
is
similar
to
the
allegory
about
not
being
allowed
onto
the
second
floor
where
the
King
sits,
until
he
climbs
to
the
first
floor.
The
idea
is
that
he
will
learn
the
rules
of
how
to
keep
the
King’s
honor,
so
it
would
seem
reasonable
that
he
would
be
happy
to
go
onto
the
first
floor,
since
now
he
is
learning
how
to
be
watchful
of
the
King’s
honor.
It
would
benefit
him
because
afterwards,
when
he
enters
the
King’s
palace,
he
will
not
blemish
the
King’s
honor.
And
therefore,
while
he
is
on
the
first
floor,
he
pays
attention
to
all
the
rules
that
apply
there
and
to
becoming
accustomed
to
them,
since
he
wants
to
come
into
the
King,
to
bestow
upon
the
King,
and
not
at
all
to
be
contemptuous
of
the
King’s
honor.
This
relates
only
to
one
who
wishes
to
come
before
the
King
to
give
contentment
to
Him.
But
one
who
wishes
to
come
in
before
the
King
for
self-reception
considers
what
is
found
on
the
first
floor
as
redundant.
It
is
of
no
interest
to
him.
He
goes
up
to
the
first
floor
only
because
he
is
afraid,
since
he
knows
that
he
will
not
be
allowed
to
climb
to
the
second
floor
before
he
climbs
to
the
first
floor.
He
feels
no
need
to
study
the
laws
that
are
taught
there—how
to
avoid
blemishing
the
King’s
honor—since
the
only
reason
he
wants
to
come
before
the
King
is
for
purposes
of
self-love.
Therefore,
we
should
know
that
we
were
given
love
of
friends
to
learn
how
to
avoid
blemishing
the
King’s
honor.
In
other
words,
unless
he
has
no
other
desire
except
to
give
contentment
to
the
King,
he
will
certainly
blemish
the
King’s
honor,
which
is
called
“Passing
on
Kedusha
[holiness/sanctity]
to
the
external
ones.”
For
this
reason,
we
mustn’t
underestimate
the
importance
of
the
work
in
love
of
friends,
for
by
that
he
will
learn
how
to
exit
self-love
and
enter
the
path
of
love
of
others.
And
when
he
completes
the
work
of
love
of
friends,
he
will
be
able
to
be
rewarded
with
love
of
the
Creator.
We
should
know
that
there
is
a
virtue
to
love
of
friends.
One
cannot
deceive
himself
and
say
that
he
loves
the
friends,
if
in
fact
he
doesn’t
love
them.
Here
he
can
examine
whether
he
truly
has
love
of
friends
or
not.
But
with
love
of
the
Creator,
one
cannot
examine
oneself
as
to
whether
his
intention
is
the
love
of
the
Creator,
meaning
that
he
wants
to
bestow
upon
the
Creator,
or
his
desire
is
to
receive
in
order
to
receive.
But
we
should
know
that
after
all
the
corrections
that
man
is
given
to
do
without
the
Creator’s
help,
he
will
not
be
granted
any
progress
in
the
work
of
bestowal.
And
we
asked,
“Why,
then,
should
one
do
things
in
order
to
later
be
rewarded
with
the
help
of
the
Creator?
After
all,
the
Creator
can
help
even
without
the
work
of
the
lower
ones,
and
man’s
work
on
progress
in
the
work
will
not
help
in
any
case.”
However,
if
one
does
not
begin
to
work,
he
doesn’t
know
that
he
cannot
triumph
over
the
inclination.
But
when
a
person
begins
to
walk
in
the
work
of
the
Creator
and
does
what
he
can
do,
then
he
can
offer
a
true
prayer
for
the
Creator
to
help
him.
But
why
would
the
Creator
want
him
to
offer
a
true
prayer?
With
a
flesh
and
blood,
you
can
say
that
he
wants
him
to
make
a
genuine
plea
because
when
a
person
makes
a
genuine
plea
of
his
friend,
his
friend
gives
him
true
gratitude.
The
flesh
and
blood,
who
chase
honors,
the
gratitude
that
he
gives
him
is
as
though
he
is
belittling
himself
before
him
and
he
enjoys
it.
But
as
for
the
Creator,
does
He
need
to
be
given
people’s
respect?
Therefore,
why
would
the
Creator
want
a
person
to
make
a
heartfelt
prayer?
The
thing
is
that
it
is
known
that
there
is
no
light
without
a
Kli.
It
is
impossible
for
one
to
give
something
that
is
very
important,
and
if
one
has
no
desire
for
something,
he
will
slight
it
and
discard
it.
It
will
be
lost
because
the
need
for
something
matches
what
he
needs;
this
gives
the
importance.
To
the
extent
of
the
importance,
he
keeps
the
gift
from
being
lost,
for
otherwise
everything
will
go
to
the
Klipot.
This
is
called
“nursing
the
Klipot,”
meaning
that
everything
goes
to
the
vessels
of
reception,
which
take
into
their
authority
everything
that
a
person
slights
in
matters
of
Kedusha.
From
this
we
know
why
one
should
begin
the
work.
But
why
doesn’t
the
Creator
give
one
the
strength
to
complete
the
work
alone,
without
His
help?
It
is
known
what
The
Zohar
interprets
concerning
what
our
sages
said,
“He
who
comes
to
be
purified
is
aided.”
It
asks,
“With
what?”
And
it
says,
“With
a
holy
soul,”
meaning
he
receives
illumination
from
above,
which
is
called
Neshama
[a
soul],
called
“attaining
Godliness,”
which
means
that
he
is
included
in
the
thought
of
creation
to
do
good
to
His
creations.
It
follows
that
by
having
a
Kli
and
a
desire
for
vessels
of
bestowal,
he
receives
the
light,
called
Neshama.
Thus,
both
are
required.
In
other
words,
a
person
should
begin,
and
by
that
he
receives
a
Kli.
And
by
being
unable
to
finish,
he
cries
out
to
the
Creator
for
help,
and
then
he
receives
the
light.
Now
we
can
understand
what
is
written,
“Come
unto
Pharaoh,
for
I
have
hardened
his
heart
and
the
heart
of
his
servants,
that
I
might
show
these
signs
of
Mine
within
him.”
A
question
arises,
“Why
did
the
Creator
harden
Pharaoh’s
heart?”
The
text
answers,
“That
I
might
show
these
My
signs
in
the
midst
of
them.”
And
the
interpretation
is,
“Why
has
the
Creator
hardened
man’s
heart
and
he
cannot
win
the
war
against
the
inclination
by
himself?”
The
answer
is,
so
man
will
cry
out
to
the
Creator,
and
by
that
will
have
the
Kli.
And
then
the
Creator
will
be
able
to
place
the
letters
of
Torah
within
him,
inside
the
Kli.
This
is
the
soul
that
the
Creator
gives
him
as
help.
This
is
considered,
“The
Torah
and
the
Creator
are
one.”
“My
signs”
refers
to
the
letters
of
the
Torah,
as
in
the
names
of
the
Creator.
This
is
the
“doing
good
to
His
creations,”
which
is
the
thought
of
creation
to
do
good
to
His
creations.
This
comes
to
a
person
specifically
when
he
has
a
Kli,
and
this
Kli
comes
through
the
hardening
of
the
heart,
for
then
there
is
a
place
where
he
can
cry
out
to
the
Creator
for
help,
and
He
helps
him
with
a
holy
soul.
Now
we
can
see
the
matter
of
“Come
unto
Pharaoh,”
meaning
both
of
us,
together.
In
other
words,
a
person
should
begin
and
then
see
that
he
cannot
defeat
it,
and
this
is
implied
in
Moses
being
afraid
to
approach
him.
And
then
the
Creator
said,
“Behold,
I
am
against
you,
Pharaoh,”
meaning
that
then
comes
the
help
from
the
Creator.
And
with
what?
With
a
holy
soul,
as
written
in
The
Zohar.
It
follows
that
the
hardening
of
the
heart,
in
the
words,
“For
I
have
hardened
his
heart,”
was
to
make
a
place
for
a
prayer.
And
this
prayer
is
not
like
one
of
flesh
and
blood,
who
wants
respect,
to
be
asked
so
he
will
be
respected.
Rather,
the
purpose
of
the
prayer
is
for
him
to
have
a
Kli,
a
need
for
the
help
of
the
Creator,
for
there
is
no
light
without
a
Kli.
And
when
a
person
sees
that
he
cannot
help
himself
in
any
way,
then
he
has
a
need
for
the
Creator’s
help.
This
is
the
meaning
of
what
our
sages
said,
“The
Creator
craves
the
prayer
of
the
righteous.”
Here,
too,
there
arises
the
question,
“But
does
the
Creator
need
man’s
surrender,
that
he
will
ask
of
Him?”
However,
since
His
wish
is
to
benefit
His
creations,
but
there
is
no
light
without
a
Kli,
He
craves
the
prayer
of
the
righteous,
for
by
that
they
disclose
the
Kelim
[vessels]
into
which
He
can
impart.
It
follows
that
when
a
person
sees
that
he
cannot
overcome
the
evil
in
him,
this
is
really
the
time
for
asking
for
the
help
of
the
Creator.
Now
we
can
understand
what
the
Creator
said
(Exodus
6),
“And
I
will
take
you
to
Me
for
a
people,
and
I
will
be
to
you
a
God;
and
you
shall
know
that
I
am
the
Lord
your
God,
who
brought
you
out
from
under
the
burdens
of
the
Egyptians.”
In
Masechet
Berachot
(38a),
our
sages
wrote
about
it
as
follows,
“‘Who
brought
you
out
from
under
the
burdens
of
the
Egyptians.’
The
sages
...
Thus
said
the
Creator
unto
Israel:
‘When
I
bring
you
out,
I
will
do
for
you
something
to
show
you
that
it
is
I
who
brought
you
out
from
Egypt,
as
it
is
written,
‘That
I
am
the
Lord
your
God,
who
brought
you
out.’’”
This
means
that
it
is
not
enough
that
the
Creator
brings
the
people
of
Israel
out
of
Egypt,
that
they
were
liberated
from
the
torment
that
they
suffered
there.
When
speaking
of
the
work
of
the
Creator,
there
arises
the
question,
“Was
this
not
enough?”
Now
they
have
been
liberated
from
the
enslavement
of
the
exile
after
not
being
able
to
serve
the
Creator
due
to
Pharaoh’s
rule,
and
all
that
they
built
for
themselves,
whatever
position
in
the
work,
was
all
swallowed
in
the
earth,
as
our
sages
said
(Sotah
p
11),
“Pithom
and
Ramses.
Rav
and
Shmuel,
one
said
her
name
was
Pithom.
And
why
was
her
name
Ramses?
For
his
head
Mitroses
[splinters]
first.”
RASHI
interprets,
“When
they
built
some,
it
would
splinter
and
fall.
They
would
rebuild,
and
it
would
fall.
And
one
said,
‘Her
name
is
Ramses,
and
why
was
her
name
Pithom?
It
is
because
first
is
first,
it
was
swallowed
by
the
Pi
Tehom
[mouth
of
the
abyss].’”
We
therefore
see
that
there
is
no
dispute
between
Rav
and
Shmuel
regarding
the
facts,
only
regarding
the
interpretation.
The
fact
was
that
everything
that
they
built
would
fall.
This
means
that
every
time
they
built
for
themselves
some
structure
in
the
work,
the
Egyptians
came,
meaning
the
alien
thoughts
of
the
Egyptians,
and
ruined
all
their
work.
In
other
words,
all
the
work
that
they
did
with
all
their
efforts
to
overcome
and
to
serve
in
the
work
of
holiness
was
swallowed
in
the
ground.
Thus,
each
day
they
had
to
start
over,
and
it
seemed
to
them
as
though
they
were
never
engaged
in
the
work
of
holiness.
Moreover,
each
time
they
contemplated
moving
forward,
they
saw
that
not
only
did
they
not
progress,
they
even
regressed,
since
new
“who”
and
“what”
questions
would
always
surface
in
their
minds.
Accordingly,
we
should
understand
this
exodus
from
Egypt
as
their
finally
having
the
ability
to
serve
the
Creator
without
the
alien
thoughts
of
the
Egyptians.
Thus,
what
does
this
knowing
in
the
words,
“And
you
shall
know,”
come
to
tell
us?
That
we
must
know
that
it
is
the
Creator
who
delivered
them
from
the
land
of
Egypt.
And
there
is
more
we
should
wonder
about,
since
we
began
the
examination
at
the
enslavement
in
Egypt,
when
they
were
being
worked
in
hard
labor,
and
they
were
liberated
from
that,
so
what
else
did
they
miss?
But
what
is
hard
labor?
Our
sages
explained
the
verse,
“All
their
labors
which
they
rigorously
imposed
on
them”
(Sutah
11b).
“Rabbi
Shmuel
Bar
Nahmany
said,
‘Rabbi
Yonatan
said,
‘They
replaced
men’s
work
with
women’s
work,
and
women’s
work
with
men’s
work.
And
the
Egyptians
made
the
children
of
Israel
serve
Ba-Parech
[with
rigor].’’
Rabbi
Elazar
says,
Be
Peh
Rach
[with
a
soft
mouth].’”
We
should
also
understand
the
matter
of
hard
labor
in
the
work
of
holiness.
We
should
make
two
discernments:
-
The
act
called
“the
revealed
part,”
which
a
person
can
see
and
where
one
cannot
say
that
he
is
erring
or
deceiving
himself,
since
it
cannot
be
said
that
there
is
a
mistake
about
something
that
is
visibly
apparent.
This
is
so
because
with
the
act
of
Mitzvot
and
the
study
of
Torah,
he
sees,
and
others
can
also
see
if
he
is
carrying
out
actions
of
Torah
and
Mitzvot
or
not.
-
The
intention.
This
is
called
“the
hidden
part,”
since
others
cannot
see
the
intention
behind
one’s
acts.
And
he,
too,
cannot
see
the
intention
in
the
act,
since
with
intentions,
it
is
possible
to
mislead
himself
and
deceive
himself,
for
only
in
apparent
things,
called
“the
revealed
part,”
everyone
can
see
the
truth.
But
when
it
comes
to
intentions
in
the
heart
or
thoughts
in
the
mind,
one
cannot
trust
himself.
It
follows
that
this
is
hidden
from
himself
and
from
others.
Now
we
can
interpret
the
meaning
of
hard
labor,
which
was
said
to
be
“Replacing
men’s
work
with
women’s
work.”
“Men’s
work”
means
that
he
is
already
a
Gever
[man],
that
he
can
Lehitgaber
[overcome]
his
evil
and
engage
in
Torah
and
Mitzvot
in
action.
Thus,
what
should
he
do
when
he
is
already
called
“a
man,”
meaning
a
man
of
war,
who
can
fight
with
his
evil
in
action?
Now
it
is
time
for
him
to
begin
his
work
in
the
second
discernment,
meaning
in
the
concealed,
which
is
the
intention.
In
other
words,
henceforth,
he
should
try
to
aim
all
his
actions
to
be
in
order
to
bestow
contentment
upon
the
Creator
and
not
for
his
own
benefit.
And
what
did
the
Egyptians
do
when
they
saw
that
he
was
a
man
who
could
exit
their
rule
and
enter
holiness?
They
swapped
their
work
and
gave
them
women’s
work.
This
means
that
all
their
work
was
in
women’s
work,
that
is,
the
Egyptians
made
them
think,
“Who
needs
intentions?
The
actions
are
what
count,
and
here,
in
actions,
you
will
succeed,
as
you
can
see—you
are
a
man,
you
can
prevail
over
the
evil
in
you
and
engage
in
Torah
and
Mitzvot
in
every
detail
and
precision,
and
you
must
put
all
your
efforts
into
being
more
meticulous
in
Torah
and
Mitzvot.
“However,
you
should
not
engage
in
intentions!
This
work
is
not
for
you,
but
only
for
a
chosen
few.
If
you
begin
with
the
work
of
bestowing,
meaning
noticing
that
you
must
aim
everything
to
be
in
order
to
bestow,
you
will
not
have
the
energy
to
be
so
meticulous
in
the
revealed
action,
where
you
will
not
deceive
yourself
because
you
see
what
you
are
doing.
Therefore,
there
is
where
you
can
expand
in
every
detail
and
precision
in
your
actions.
“But
with
regard
to
intentions,
you
have
no
real
test.
Thus,
we
advise
you
for
your
own
good,
and
do
not
think,
God
forbid,
that
we
want
to
divert
you
from
the
work
of
holiness.
On
the
contrary,
we
want
you
to
rise
in
the
degrees
of
holiness.”
This
is
called,
“Replacing
men’s
work
with
women’s
work.”
Where
they
should
have
done
work
that
belongs
to
men,
they
explained
to
the
people
of
Israel
that
it
would
be
best
for
them
to
do
women’s
work,
meaning
what
belongs
to
women.
“And
women’s
work
with
men’s
work”
means
that
those
people
do
not
have
the
power
to
overcome.
Rather,
“They
are
as
feeble
as
a
female,”
meaning
that
they
were
weak
in
keeping
Torah
and
Mitzvot
and
didn’t
have
the
strength
to
keep
and
observe
the
Mitzvot,
even
in
the
revealed
form,
which
is
called
“only
in
action.”
And
all
the
work
of
overcoming
was
only
in
the
action,
not
in
the
intention.
The
Egyptians
came
to
them
and
made
them
think,
“We
don’t
want
to
interrupt
your
holy
work.
On
the
contrary,
we
want
you
to
be
true
servants
of
the
Creator.
In
other
words,
we
see
that
you
wish
to
serve
in
the
work
of
holiness,
so
we
are
advising
you
that
the
most
important
thing
is
not
the
action;
it
is
the
intention.
Therefore,
instead
of
exerting
to
overcome
in
action,
accustoming
yourselves
to
overcome
your
body,
to
study
for
another
hour
or
to
pray
for
another
half
hour
trying
to
answer
‘Blessed
be
He,’
and
‘Blessed
be
His
name,’
and
‘Amen,’
not
to
mention
in
the
middle
of
the
repetition
of
the
cantor.
Who
needs
it?
“The
main
aim
is
for
the
Creator.
That
is
where
you
need
to
focus
all
your
efforts.
Why
waste
your
strength
on
trifling
things?
Indeed,
the
Halacha
[religious
law]
says
that
you
must
keep
all
those
little
things,
but
this
work
is
not
for
you;
it’s
work
for
women.
You
need
to
engage
in
men’s
work.
The
fact
that
you
want
to
engage
only
in
action
is
unbecoming
to
you.
You
should
focus
primarily
on
the
intent,
meaning
use
every
bit
of
energy
you
have
to
aim
that
everything
will
be
for
the
Creator.
However,
don’t
think
for
a
minute
that
we
are
trying,
God
forbid,
to
interrupt
your
work
of
the
Creator.
We
want
the
contrary—for
you
to
rise
up
the
ladder
of
holiness
and
achieve
perfection,
meaning
that
all
your
actions
will
be
only
in
order
to
bestow
contentment
upon
your
Maker.”
And
since
they
were
at
the
degree
called
“women”
and
still
did
not
have
the
strength
to
overcome,
not
even
in
the
part
of
the
action—considered
that
they
are
as
feeble
as
females—the
Egyptians
made
them
see
that
the
important
thing
was
the
aim
Lishma
[for
Her
name].
By
that,
the
Egyptians
made
certain
that
they
would
not
have
the
strength
to
continue
and
overcome
in
the
work
of
holiness.
It
is
as
Maimonides
says
when
he
wrote
(Hilchot
Teshuva
[Laws
of
Repentance],
Parasha
no.
10),
“The
sages
said,
‘One
should
always
engage
in
Torah,
even
in
Lo
Lishma
[not
for
Her
name],
since
from
Lo
Lishma
he
will
come
to
Lishma
[for
Her
name].’
Therefore,
when
teaching
the
little
ones,
the
women,
and
the
illiterate
in
general,
they
must
be
taught
to
work
out
of
fear
and
to
receive
reward.
When
they
gain
knowledge
and
acquire
much
wisdom,
they
are
to
be
shown
that
secret
bit
by
bit,
and
must
be
accustomed
to
it
with
ease,
until
they
attain
it,
and
know
Him
and
serve
Him
out
of
love.”
The
Egyptians
advised
those
who
were
under
the
discernment
of
women
not
to
follow
the
words
of
Maimonides.
On
the
contrary,
even
though
they
were
at
the
degree
of
women
and
little
ones,
they
made
them
understand
that
they
should
immediately
begin
the
work
on
aiming
Lishma.
By
that,
the
Egyptians
made
certain
that
they
would
remain
in
their
domain,
outside
of
Kedusha
[holiness/sanctity].
Thus,
this
is
called
“hard
labor,”
as
Rabbi
Shmuel
Bar
Nahmany
interpreted,
“Ba-Parech
[with
toil]
means
BePricha
[fragile/crumbling].”
And
RASHI
interpreted,
“In
crumbling
and
breaking
of
the
body
and
the
waist.”
The
reason
is
that
when
replacing
men’s
work
with
women’s
work,
and
women’s
work
with
men’s
work,
it
will
be
as
we
explained,
since
men’s
work
was
to
overcome
and
advance
and
aim
for
the
intention
Lishma,
but
they
weakened
them
in
this
work
because
the
Egyptians
resisted
this
work.
Hence,
besides
having
to
toil
in
overcoming
so
they
could
aim
in
order
to
bestow,
they
had
more
work
in
that
the
Egyptians
made
them
think
that
all
of
this
work
was
redundant,
that
the
work
of
bestowal
did
not
relate
to
them,
but
only
to
a
chosen
few.
This
is
called
“twofold
work”:
1)
straining
to
aim
in
order
to
bestow,
and
2)
fighting
them
and
saying
that
it
is
not
true,
that
they
will
be
able
to
achieve
Lishma,
and
not
as
the
Egyptians
said,
that
they
should
do
women’s
work.
And
this
was
the
Egyptians’
whole
intention,
to
prevent
them
from
approaching
the
work
of
bestowal.
Also,
they
replaced
the
work
of
men
with
that
of
women,
which,
as
we
said,
is
worthless
because
it
is
keeping
Torah
and
Mitzvot
only
in
action.
This
means
that
their
entire
war
against
the
inclination
is
only
over
the
action,
and
not,
as
Maimonides
says,
that
women’s
work
should
be
only
about
doing
things
and
not
teaching
them
that
they
must
intend
Lishma.
Therefore,
when
the
Egyptians
came
and
told
them
that
they
had
to
do
men’s
work,
meaning
aim
to
bestow,
it
was
hard
work
for
them:
1)
Concerning
Lishma,
you
are
totally
incapable
of
it.
2)
Overcoming
the
body
and
keeping
practical
Mitzvot
was
harder
for
them
before
the
Egyptians’
alien
thoughts
came
and
made
them
think
that
the
act
of
Mitzvot
without
intention
was
completely
worthless
and
degraded
the
importance
of
Torah
and
Mitzvot
in
Lo
Lishma.
Thus,
now,
through
the
Egyptians,
the
work
in
the
form
of
women
was
degraded,
and
this
caused
them
hard
labor,
as
it
was
said
that
it
is
the
breaking
of
the
body
and
the
waist.
It
follows
from
all
the
above
that
there
are
three
meanings
to
the
word
Perech
[toil/hard
labor],
yet
there
is
no
contradiction
between
one
interpretation
and
the
other.
Rather,
all
three
things
were
there,
and
each
interpreted
according
to
his
own
issue:
-
In
the
first
interpretation
of
Parech,
Rabbi
Elazar
says
it
is
“in
Peh
Rach
[soft
mouth].”
-
Rabbi
Shmuel
Bar
Nahmany
said
“In
Pericha,”
which
means
breaking.
-
Rabbi
Shmuel
Bar
Nahmany,
“Rabbi
Yonatan
said,
‘They
replaced
men’s
work
with
women’s
work,
and
women’s
work
with
men’s
work.’”
However,
they
all
interpret
hard
labor
as
Pericha
[shattering],
meaning
the
breaking
of
the
body.
And
the
reason
why
it
was
hard
work
to
the
point
that
they
called
this
work,
“Labor
that
breaks
the
body
and
the
waist,”
is
that
they
replaced
men’s
work
with
women’s
work,
and
women’s
work
with
men’s
work.
This
caused
them
the
hard
labor.
And
yet,
why
did
they
listen
to
the
views
of
the
Egyptians?
It
is
because
they
spoke
to
Israel
with
Peh
Rach
[a
soft
mouth],
meaning
that
the
thoughts
of
the
Egyptians
came
to
Israel
with
a
soft
mouth.
That
is,
everything
they
told
them
to
do
was
not
to
turn
them
away
from
serving
the
Creator,
God
forbid.
On
the
contrary,
they
wished
to
guide
them
to
walk
in
the
ways
of
the
Creator
successfully,
so
they
would
not
waste
time
in
vain,
meaning
that
they
would
see
no
progress
in
the
work
of
holiness.
And
since
they
were
spoken
to
with
a
soft
mouth,
it
was
hard
for
them
to
overcome
these
thoughts.
This
implies
that
when
he
says
that
they
replaced
men’s
work
with
that
of
women,
he
explains
why
they
listened
to
the
Egyptians.
The
answer
is,
because
of
the
Perech—that
they
spoke
to
Israel
with
Peh
Rach
[a
soft
mouth].
Thus,
it
is
for
the
two
above
reasons
that
they
came
to
work
in
hard
labor,
as
Rabbi
Shmuel
Bar
Nahmany
says,
Perech
means
work
of
Pericha
[breaking],
which
is
work
that
breaks
the
body.
Accordingly,
we
should
understand
why
it
is
not
enough
for
the
people
of
Israel
that
the
Creator
brought
them
out
of
Egypt,
out
of
their
enslavement
so
they
could
engage
in
Torah
and
Mitzvot,
each
according
to
his
attainment,
and
the
Klipa
of
Egypt
didn’t
have
the
strength
to
resist
their
work.
Indeed,
how
great
is
the
miracle
and
who
can
appreciate
the
importance
of
the
matter?
When
a
person
considers
the
amount
of
suffering
and
torment
that
he
feels
while
being
in
exile
under
the
enslavement
of
Pharaoh
King
of
Egypt,
and
to
the
extent
of
the
darkness
of
Pithom
and
Ramses
that
he
assumes
in
his
heart,
which
they
were
building.
And
now,
the
gates
of
the
Klipa
of
Egypt
were
opened
before
them
all
at
once
and
they
came
under
their
own
authority.
This
means
that
now
they
were
free
to
engage
in
Torah
and
Mitzvot
as
they
wished,
without
any
interruptions.
What
joy
and
elation
it
brings
to
a
person
when
he
compares
the
time
of
darkness
to
the
time
when
it
illuminates.
It
is
as
it
is
said,
“He
who
separates
between
darkness
and
light.”
According
to
the
above,
we
should
understand
the
necessity
to
know
that
only
the
Creator
delivers
them
from
the
burdens
of
the
Egyptians,
as
our
sages
said,
“When
I
bring
you
out,
I
will
do
for
you
something
to
show
you
that
it
is
I
who
brought
you
out
from
Egypt,
as
it
is
written,
‘That
I
am
the
Lord
your
God,
who
brought
you
out
from
under
the
burdens
of
the
Egyptians.’”
The
thing
is
that
we
must
always
remember
the
goal
that
we
must
reach.
And
since
the
purpose
of
creation
is
to
do
good
to
His
creations,
our
goal
is
to
receive
the
delight
and
pleasure
that
He
has
contemplated
on
our
behalf.
But
for
the
purpose
of
correction,
called
Dvekut
[adhesion],
which
is
about
equivalence
of
form,
we
have
to
work
to
obtain
the
vessels
of
bestowal.
Yet,
this
is
only
the
correction
of
creation;
it
is
not
wholeness.
Wholeness
means
knowing
the
Creator,
knowing
and
attaining
the
Torah,
which
is
called
“the
names
of
the
Creator.”
Accordingly,
it
is
not
enough
that
we
already
have
the
strength
to
keep
Torah
and
Mitzvot
without
any
interruptions,
for
this
is
only
a
correction,
not
the
complete
goal.
The
complete
goal
is
to
obtain
the
knowledge
of
the
Torah,
as
in,
“The
Torah,
Israel,
and
the
Creator
are
one.”
This
is
why
our
sages
said,
“This
is
what
the
Creator
said
to
Israel,
‘And
you
shall
know
that
I
am
the
Lord
your
God,
who
brought
you
out,’
I
and
not
a
messenger.”
This
means
that
every
single
one
should
come
to
know
the
Creator,
and
this
is
called
“Torah,”
the
names
of
the
Creator.