The Secret of the Serpent's Filth and the Birth of King Mashiach
Lesson No. 66 | (Continued from No. 65) Thursday, Parashas Eikev, the Eve of the 17th of Menachem Av 5756 - At the Yeshiva
A profound lesson on the spiritual struggle against the filth of the serpent, the decree of the six thousand years, and the secret of the birth of Mashiach on the day of the destruction of the Holy Temple. Through a wondrous Midrash about the Jew and the cow, the secret of the 320 sparks of holiness that every person must elevate in their lifetime is explained.
A person must guard his eyes himself. Even when he is driving, when he stops at a crosswalk, he must close his eyes or hold a book. Even if they honk at him from behind, or if he always stands behind someone and only drives when that person drives—the main thing is to guard the eyes. There are a million pieces of advice for this matter, until a person develops special senses and can drive with his eyes closed.
When a person understands that this is the entire test and this is the entire war here, he understands that this is the beginning of all beginnings. The holy Zohar reveals a tremendous secret to us: The serpent swallows the soul, bites the doe, and then the doe gives birth. The meaning is that every soul that descends to the world is conceived within the body of a serpent. The body is born into the "filth of the serpent," and all the lusts for money and eating stem from there.
Shortening the Years of the Serpent's Rule
From the sin of Adam HaRishon (the First Man), a decree was issued that the world would be under the rule of the serpent for seven thousand years, and the serpent would give birth to the bodies throughout this entire period. However, the prophets and the tzaddikim, such as Yeshayahu the Prophet, came and activated the secret of:
"Before she travailed, she brought forth"
They worked to reduce the rule of the serpent by a thousand years, so that the bodies would be born for only six thousand years, and at their conclusion, Mashiach will be revealed and there will be the Geulah (Redemption). It was impossible to tolerate the impurity that increases from day to day, to the point that it is simply forbidden to go out into the street—it is in the category of "let him be killed rather than transgress." When a person burns his mind and everything else with forbidden sights, he can no longer learn or pray afterward.
The Lowing of the Cow and the Destruction of the Temple
Here we arrive at the great and awesome secret of the shattering of the vessels. After the sin of the Tree of Knowledge, through the enticement of the serpent, the 320 sparks of holiness were scattered and fell into the kelipos (forces of impurity).
The Midrash (Eichah Rabbah 1:51) tells of a certain Jew who was plowing his field. He did not know at all that there was a war in the Land of Israel and that they were about to burn down the Holy Temple. He is plowing and plowing, and suddenly his cow lows. An Arab passes by, who was an expert in the sounds of animals, and asks him, "What nation are you from?" The Jew replies, "I am a Jew."
The Arab says to him, "Stop plowing, untie your plow and your oxen. Your Holy Temple has just been burned and destroyed!" The Jew asks him, "How do you know this?" The Arab answers him, "I see it according to the lowing of your cow. Your cow is crying over the Holy Temple." The cow feels what the person does not feel. Hashem, may He be blessed, gave emotion to the animals.
The Birth of Menachem ben Chizkiyah
Not a minute or two passes, and the cow lets out another low. The Arab says to him, "Tie the plow back up, harness the oxen, and continue to plow with joy. Your Mashiach has been born!" In that very second of lowing, a second of joy arrived and King Mashiach was born.
The Arab, who had a telepathic sense to see from one end of the world to the other, told him that Mashiach was born in Bethlehem of Judea, that his name is Menachem, and his father's name is Chizkiyah.
That Jew went, bought "levadim" (baby diapers), and traveled from country to country until he reached Bethlehem. He started selling the diapers, and saw a certain woman standing to the side, not buying anything. He asked her, "Madam, why aren't you buying?" She answered him, "My son was born with very bad luck. On the day he was born, the Holy Temple was destroyed. I cannot look at him and I am incapable of buying him clothes."
The Secret of the 320 Sparks
The Jew asked her, "What did you name him?" She answered, "Menachem ben Chizkiyah." He immediately understood that he had reached the right address. He convinced her that it is not the baby's fault that the Holy Temple was destroyed, and gave her diapers for free, while writing down the exact address in order to return and visit.
A few days later, the Jew returned to that same house, but the baby was gone. The mother said to him, "Since you entered the house with the diapers, a terrible stormy wind, a hurricane, broke out and blew the baby away. Everything disappeared."
The holy Zohar explains the secret of these matters: Who is this "Menachem ben Chizkiyah"? The words 'Menachem ben' equal 190 in gematria (numerical value), and the name 'Chizkiyah' equals 130. Together they are exactly 320—the 320 sparks of strict judgments. Menachem ben Chizkiyah must gather these sparks in every single generation.
All the desires, the tests, the forbidden sights, and the negative thoughts – everything comes from those *Shach* (320) sparks. Our entire lives are meant to rectify these sparks, in order to transform judgment into mercy and bring the complete Geulah (Redemption).
Part 1 of 4 — Lesson No. 66