מעשה י-מבערגיר ועני

An awesome and wondrous story whose interpretation is not known. Yet from the allusions at the end of the story it is understood that it speaks of the secret of the future redemption, may it come speedily, and of the secret of drawing down the soul of Mashiach. From the overview of the story it is understood and clear how the Sitra Achra lurks against holiness to conceal it entirely — G-d forbid. Yet "the counsel of G-d shall stand", and "but You, Hashem, are enthroned on high forever" — His hand is always uppermost, and He, may He be blessed, completes what is His. And precisely through the intensification and force of the concealment, the horn of holiness is afterward elevated and raised even higher. As we saw in this very story — that at the outset the Burgher and the Pauper (from whom the holy couple who later reigned over the entire world was to emerge) were entirely childless. And then the Yedeiral [the nobleman-lord] seized the wife of the Pauper (who was a great righteous woman and G-d-fearing, and merited that from her came forth the precious and holy daughter). And the Burgher's mercy was greatly stirred and he did a hasty and rash thing (which was in truth madness) — until he merited to rescue her, and hid with her in seven places of water: a pit, a mikveh, pools, a spring, streams, rivers, and seas [which are understood to allude to very high and hidden matters]. And in each place she swore to him, and so forth, as explained within. And precisely through the great force of the concealment they afterward merited to have children, and from them emerged the holy couple. Yet even afterward the concealment intensified greatly, and they sought to separate the holy couple, and they especially lurked after the precious daughter — until finally it all turned to good: the holy couple received the kingship and reigned over the entire world.

It is also understood from the story how G-d governs His world measure for measure. For just as the judges decreed that the Burgher's son be put in a sack and thrown into the sea, G-d afterward arranged that the murderer at sea put the Emperor's daughter into a sack. And just as the Burgher hid with the pauper's wife in seven places of water and she swore to him and so forth, so too the murderer hid with the Emperor's daughter in those very same places. And just as the Burgher's son was forced to wander from his father's house until he was led astray into the wilderness — so too the Emperor's daughter came to that very wilderness. And the Emperor himself was exiled from his home and came also to that wilderness. But in the end G-d arranged that precisely through all this came the salvation — for there all three of them met, and the Emperor's daughter found the document and they all returned home, and the couple received the kingship.

It is also understood from the story how one must never despair entirely, G-d forbid — for there is absolutely no such thing as despair in the world. As we saw in the Burgher's son, who had no thought at all of finding the document he had hidden in the tree, for there were thousands upon thousands of trees and he had already resolved in his mind not to return to any settled place, only to spend all his remaining days in the wilderness. And yet he had not despaired completely in his heart — each day he made marks on three trees and searched them for the document, ever persisting — "perhaps, perhaps" he would find it. When he searched and did not find, he wept greatly and returned with weeping eyes — and the next day he did the same, and so each and every day, until afterward the Emperor's daughter herself found the document and returned it to him. And certainly there was great and wondrous joy — yet even so, despair overcame the Burgher's son and he said: "What use is the document to me? Where shall I find her?" And he grieved there all his days and returned the document to her — until she had to ask and beg him to go with her. And from this every person can understand how one must never despair — only search for holiness at every moment. And even if it seems to him that given what he knows in his own soul about his own blemishes and pains he is very far from attaining holiness — even so, he should do his part and search for it with all his strength. And even if it seems to him that after all this searching, for so many years, he has not found and attained any level of holiness whatsoever — and he must certainly weep over this greatly every day — even so, let him search further, with every "perhaps, perhaps," until if the person is truly firm in this all his days, G-d has compassion on him and the very source of holiness itself assists and helps him — and it too, so to speak, searches for the document and returns it to him. Only because the matter must remain in secrecy and hiddenness for the sake of preserving free choice, does despair intensify upon him also afterward — until, as it were, she is compelled to ask him to go with her, until they come home — and then they receive greatness in fullness. (§38) It is known that all of Israel's service is to raise up holiness from its exile from among the Klippos.

And sometimes a person is very greatly aroused with a powerful arousal toward some act of holiness or a sacred matter, and he can then do something hasty and what appears to truly be madness. No human logic would agree that this can achieve the desired goal. Yet nonetheless, due to his true arousal, G-d blesses his efforts, and he merits to pass over all boundaries and obstacles and to break them all, until he accomplishes the matter and draws out the holiness from among them in fullness. In truth it is entirely beyond nature and human logic. Yet all this is the aspect of ratzoh ["running" — the forward surge of spiritual devotion] — the going-in aspect.

And the essential test is afterward, in the aspect of shov ["returning" — the composed, grounded return] when he returns and comes back to his sense of self. Then the Sitra Achra returns and pursues him, and he must hide from it through many kinds of strategies, and many kinds of waters pass over him, and many many trials. And one who merits to stand firm even then and to pass through all in peace — fortunate is he! (§39) The root of Israel's holiness gives and transmits signs to each person of Israel who comes to cleave and be bound to it, so that through these signs the bond and union between them will be complete. A stranger will not interpose between them. Only the Adversary intensifies against this greatly and causes it that the person becomes distant and exiled from his holiness, to a desolate and barren place — and then intensifies yet further until a storm-wind comes and confuses so greatly that even the signs are lost. And amid all this, what passes over the person passes. And so too upon the sparks of holiness belonging to each individual — much passes over them as well, for many lurk to trap them in their net.

And mostly it is the person himself who causes this, and all these are, as it were, sent by him. And afterward the Adversary intensifies even more upon the parts of holiness until a "murderer" comes and traps it completely in his net, wishing to drown it entirely. Yet even so, "the counsel of G-d shall stand" — and when the person is firm in his resolve and does not despair in any case, and sets aside times each day to seek and delve after the signs of holiness that were lost — and even if he cannot find them, he at least pours out his speech about this before G-d and weeps and pleads before Him like a child making demands before his father — then in the end everything will turn to good, and precisely through this "murderer" who trapped the holiness in his net, G-d brings the holiness close to the person, right beside him, only they do not yet know or recognize each other. Afterward G-d arranges that the first one who distanced and exiled the person from his holiness also arrives there, and all of them together help the person to search for the signs of holiness — and G-d, with their assistance, lets the holiness itself find the signs and return them to their owner, to the person. And then certainly there is great joy. Yet even so, the holiness does not yet reveal itself to the person as what it truly is — so that the drawing close and union not be in the mode of a breaking-down, of "lest they break through," and not unlawfully — and because of this, even when it returns the signs to him, despair intensifies over the person again — for where shall he seek the holiness, knowing that it too has passed through what it has passed? And then the holiness itself appeases the person and asks him to go with it, until they both come to their original place, to the source of their holiness — and there they recognize each other and the union and joy is complete, and "Hashem shall be King over all the earth."