“T’homot Y’chasyumu (The deeps covered them); they sank into the depths like a stone.” (Exodus 15:5)
The essence of life-force comes from prayer, as is written (Psalms 42:9), “Prayer to the God of my life.” This is why a person should pray with all his energy. When a person prays with all his strength and concentrates his energy into the letters making up the prayers, his energy is renewed there. This corresponds to (Lamentations 3:23), “They are renewed each morning; great is Your emunah (faith).” And faith is prayer, as in (Exodus 17:2), “And his hands were emunah,” which Onkelos renders: “[his hands] were spread out in prayer.”
2. And know! there are twelve tribes [in Israel], corresponding to the twelve constellations (Tikkuney Zohar #18, #21). Each tribe has its own individual version [of the prayers], and its very own gate through which its prayers enter. And, through its prayers, each tribe arouses the power of its constellation from among the twelve constellations. This constellation then radiates downwards, causing the vegetation, as well as the other things dependent on it, to grow.
This is the meaning of (Numbers 24:17), “A star steps forth out of Yaakov, and a tribe stands up out of Israel.” “Stands up,” <because Amidah is nothing other than prayer> (Berakhot 6b). When a tribe of Israel stands up to pray, it thereby arouses a star and the star steps forth and strikes things to make them grow. As our Sages taught: There is not a blade of grass below that does not have a star and an angel Above, which strike it and tell it, “Grow!” (Bereishit Rabbah 10:7).
Our Sages taught: Providing <a person> with his livelihood is as difficult as splitting the Red Sea (Pesachim 118a) ; and <also>: Providing a person with his marriage partner is as difficult as splitting the Red Sea (Sotah 2a). The Red Sea was divided into twelve lanes, paralleling the twelve tribes (Pirkey d’Rebbi Eliezer 42). Through their prayers, the Children of Israel bring about a <supernal> union, <a unification> between the Holy One and His Shekhinah (Divine Presence), as is written (Psalms 68:5), “Praise [i.e., pray to] the One who rides upon the aravot (highest heavens).” The “One who rides” is the Holy One; “ARaVot” refers to the Shekhinah, in whom all the supernal colors are nitAReV (blended). Commensurate with the divine union a person brings about through his prayer, so he, in turn, is granted his marriage partner <and livelihood>. And, because there are twelve different versions of <the prayers>, finding one’s marriage partner is therefore compared to the splitting of the Red Sea, which was <also> [divided] into twelve.
In addition, with their prayers, the Jewish people provide sustenance for their Father in heaven. As is written (Psalms 105:10), “vayaAMiDehah (He made it stand) for Yaakov as a chok (statute).” The word chok denotes livelihood (Beitzah 16a), and AMiDah is nothing other than prayer.
This is the meaning of (Psalms 99:7), “They guarded His testimonies and He gave them a chok.” The word “testimony” refers to prayer, as in (Psalms 122:4), “… the tribes of God, a testimony for Israel, to give praise [i.e., to pray] to the name of God.” In addition, our Sages taught: Testimony can only be given when standing (Shavuot 30a), and standing is prayer: we testify to His unity.
And to the extent a person sustains his Father in heaven with his prayer, so he, in turn, is given his sustenance. Thus [the Sages taught]: …<a person’s> livelihood is as difficult as splitting the Red Sea. In other words, sustenance is divided up into twelve pathways, in accordance with the twelve [prayer versions of the] tribes of God.
{Abba Binyamin said, “All my days I was very concerned about two things: about my prayer, that it should be close to my mitah (my bed); and about my mitah, that it should be positioned between north and south” (Berakhot 5b).} It takes considerable merit for a person to be able to send his prayer up through his tribe’s appropriate gate. This is what Abba Binyamin said: “All my days I was concerned about two things: about my prayer that it should be close to my MiTaH (bed)….” In other words, he wanted to pray through the gate of his MaTeH (tribe). For there are twelve tribes and each one has its very own gate. He prayed that his prayer should not be separated from his tribe.
Hence the word mateh, because “mateh” alludes to marital union. This is indicated in the ensuing [part of his] statement: “… about my mitah (bed), that it should be positioned between north and south”— mitah corresponding to marital union.
Furthermore, mateh corresponds to sustenance, as is written (Leviticus 26:26), “When I break your MaTeh (staff) of bread.” For the twelve MaTot (tribes) bring about a <supernal> union [of the Holy One and the Shekhinah] and provide sustenance <for their Father in heaven>, as in the abovementioned: “… his marriage partner is as difficult… his livelihood is as difficult….”
[Abba Binyamin] also prayed that <he> merit the “two tables” [of wisdom and prosperity]. This is the meaning of, “that my bed should be positioned between north and south.” For our Sages taught: Someone who wants to become wise should face south, and someone who wants to become wealthy should face north (Bava Batra 25b).
And Yaakov—in whom all twelve tribes were collectively embodied—knew each and every tribe at its root. This is why it is written of him (Genesis 49:33), “And Yaakov gathered up his feet onto the mitah .” “His feet” corresponds to prayer, as is written (Psalms 85:14), “Righteousness will go before him.” In other words, [Yaakov’s gathering up his feet alludes to] his gathering all the prayers <to their roots>.
[Yaakov] also had the power to give a portion of <the three portions of> the world to Yosef, as is written (Genesis 48:22), “And I have given you one shekhem (one portion) over and above your brothers.” For through his prayer, he sent an influx of life-force into all three parts of the universe—the lowest world, the world of the stars and the world of the angels. This is [indicated in the word] SheKheM: Shafel (lowly), Kokhav (star) and Malakh (angel). All this [Yaakov] achieved through his prayer, as the verse continues, “…[the portion] which I took from the hand of the Emorite with my sword and my bow”—<which Onkelos renders:> “with my prayer and supplication.”
3. But when a person stands up to pray, he is beset by external thoughts and kelipot (husks) surround him <on all sides>. He is left in the dark, unable to pray, as is written (Lamentations 3:44), “You covered Yourself with a cloud so that no prayer could pass through.”
{“The wicked go round on every side; that which is exalted is degraded by the sons of man” (Psalms 12:9).} It is written, “The wicked go round on every side….” “The wicked,” i.e., the kelipot, surround the person. “That which is exalted is degraded”—i.e., while [standing] in prayer, for [prayer] stands at the very summit of the universe (Berakhot 6b).
But know! the darkness itself contains many openings from which to exit. As our Sages taught: When someone comes to defile himself, they open up for him (Yoma 38b) —there are many openings for him. We see that even in the darkness there are many openings through which to leave. The problem is that the person [caught up in the darkness] is blind and does not know how to find the opening.
And know! a person merits finding the opening through truth. For the main light that illuminates [the openings] is God, as is written (Psalms 27:1), “God is my light and my help.” But through falsehood, a person dismisses God, as in (Exodus 20:7), “You shall not swear falsely by the name of God.” Through falsehood one removes [himself from] God, for (Psalms 101:7), “He that speaks falsely will not stand in My sight.”
Through truth, on the other hand, God dwells with him, as in (Psalms 145:18), “God is near to all who call Him, to all who call Him in truth.” And when God is with a person, He enlightens him on how to get out of the darkness that disturbs him when he prays, as in, “God is my light.”
{“God said to Noach: ‘Make for yourself a teivah (an ark)…. Make a light for the ark, and to an amah (a cubit) techalenah (finish it) milemaalah (up above); and put the opening of the ark b’tzidah (in its side), and make it with a lower, second and third stories’” (Genesis 6:14-17).} This is the explanation of, “Make a light for the ark.” Rashi explains: “some say a window, and some say a precious jewel.” The difference between a window and a precious jewel is that a window has no light of its own. It is simply [a medium] for the light to enter through. But when there is no light, the window does not give light. With a precious jewel, however, even when there is no outside light the jewel shines of itself. So, too, there are people whose words are [like] a window, incapable of giving them light on their own. This is [what Rashi means by] “some say.” Their “saying” becomes a window. And there are some whose “saying” becomes a precious jewel and [their words] radiate.
And know! everything depends on the degree of truth [a person has]. For the main light is God, and God is the essence of truth. God’s primary yearning is for nothing but the truth.
“… to an amah (cubit) techalenah (finish it) milemaalah (up above).” [The word TeChaLenah] has the same connotation as “And David’s soul TeChaL (longed)” (cf. 2 Samuel 13:39). [And the letters of the word] AMaH allude to the Heh (five) articulators, which consist of Aish (fire) and Mayim (water).
In other words: See to it that the words leave your mouth in truth, and then, from Above, God will long to dwell with you. And when He dwells with you, He will shine for you. Thus, the initial letters of “Amah Techalenah Milemaalah” spell ÆMeT (truth). For it is through truth that, from Above, God desires to dwell with man, as in, “God is near to all who call Him, to all who call him in truth.”
And then, “… and put the opening of the teivah (ark) b ’TZiDah (in its side).” That is, [“the teivah” corresponds to] the teivah (word) that emerges in truth. This [true word] will put an opening for you in the darkness in which you are trapped. And this is “b’TZiDah”—i.e., the kelipah which is TZaD TZayiD (traps prey), as is written [of Esav], “he was a trapper with his mouth” (Genesis 25:28).
At first, [the person praying] could not even speak because of the darkness surrounding him. But, by emerging from the darkness and praying properly, he rectifies the “lower, second and third storeys”—i.e., the lowest world, the world of the stars and the world of the intellect. {However, it is impossible to pray without studying Torah. For an ignoramus cannot be pious (Avot 2:6). And, as is written (Proverbs 28:9), “When a person turns his ear from hearing Torah, his prayer is also an abomination.”}
4. And every person must bind his prayers to the <tzaddikim> of the generation. <For the> tzaddik knows how to match the gates [to the prayers] and raise each and every prayer to its appropriate gate. For each and every tzaddik is an aspect of Moshe-Mashiach. As <the Sages would say>, “Moshe, you said it well” (Shabbat 101b). And it is written (Genesis 49:10), “Until Shiloh [i.e., Mashiach] comes”—this is Moshe (Zohar I, 25b). <They have the same numerical value.>
And Mashiach <is comprised of> all the prayers. This is why [the Sages said that] the Mashiach will judge through the power of smell (Sanhedrin 93b). For <prayer> corresponds to the ChoTeM (nose), as in (Isaiah 48:9), “For My praise [i.e., prayer], eChToM (I will restrain My anger) for you.”
This is the explanation:
Rabbah bar bar Chanah recounted: Once, we were travelling in the wilderness accompanied by a merchant.
He would pick up earth, smell it and say, “This is the way to such-and -such a place, and that is the way to some other place.” We asked him, “How far are we from water?” He said to us, “Bring me some earth.” We brought it and he said, “Eight miles.” [Later] taneinon (we again) brought him some. He said that we were three miles away. I switched them around, but still could not get the better of him (Bava Batra 73b).
Once, we were travelling … accompanied by a merchant — This “Ishmaelite socher” (trader) corresponds to the tzaddik of the generation. He encompasses all the prayers, like Mashiach. And prayer corresponds to an iShMAelite trader, as is written (Genesis 16:11), “[You shall call his name Ishmael,] for God SheMA (has heard) your affliction.” Onkelos renders this: “God has accepted your prayers.” And this is the reason [he is called a] SoCheR: SaChoR is Aramaic for “surround,” which corresponds to faith <to prayer>, as in (Psalms 89:9), “Your faith surrounds You.”
We were accompanied by a merchant — We bound ourselves to the tzaddik of the generation, for he is the aspect of Mashiach, the embodiment of prayer.
He would pick up earth, smell it and say, This is the way to such-and- such a place, and that is the way to some other place — “Earth” corresponds to prayer, as is written (Isaiah 41:2), “His sword will make them as earth.” The sword is prayer, as in, “… my sword and my bow.”
He would smell [the earth] — For [the tzaddik] has this power of smell because he encompasses all the prayers. And it is written, “For My praise [i.e., prayer] eChToM for you,” [and ChoTeM is the nose].
and say, This is the way to such-and-such a place — He knew the gates of the prayers, and he knew to which tribe each prayer related.
We asked him, “How far are we from water?” He said to us, “Bring me some earth.” We brought it and he said, “Eight miles.” [Later] taneinon (we again) brought him some. He said that we were three miles away. I switched them around, but still could not get the better of him — That is:
We asked him, How far are we from water? — Namely, [how far are we] from (Lamentations 2:19), “Pour out your heart like water before God.”
he said, Eight [aspects] — This alludes to Torah study [and prayer]: the Five Books of the Torah and the three daily prayers.
Taneinon (we again) brought him some — “Taneinon” denotes study. Thus, after studying Torah we again brought him earth to smell [so that he would tell us] how far we were from this aspect of “water,” [i.e., from the level where the prayer pours forth like water].
He said, Three miles — Namely, the three <prayers>. Then he proved to us that we had not yet reached the level where we prayed with such concentration that we poured out our hearts before Him like water. The proof was:
I switched them around — As is written (Psalms 89:44), “But, You have turned back the edge of his sword, and You have not let him stand in battle.” For all the prayers are a sword for Mashiach, and if the prayers had been as described above, [i.e., offered with true devotion,] God would certainly not have “turned back the edge of his sword.” This was the sign that we had not yet reached the level of “Pour out your heart like water before God.”
5. Now, prayer corresponds to miracles, for it [too] <is supernatural>. Sometimes, the natural order necessitates one thing, whereas prayer overrides nature’s course. And the quintessence of miracles—i.e., the quintessence of prayer—is only in the Land of Israel, as in (Psalms 37:3), “Dwell in the Land and cultivate faith.” And faith is prayer, as is written, “And his hands were emunah (faith),” which Onkelos renders: [“his hands were spread out in prayer.”]
This is the reason why [the Land of Israel] is higher than all other lands (Zevachim 54b) —because the quintessence of NiSim (miracles) occurs there. And it is written (Isaiah 62:10), “Lift up [high] a NeiS (sign).” This also explains why [the Land of Israel] is called the Land of Kanaan. Kanaan connotes a socher (trader), which corresponds to faith, as in, “Your faith surrounds You.”
Thus, our Sages taught: The Land of Israel drinks first (Taanit 10a). [This refers to] the rains, which come from the t’home (deep), as is written (Psalms 42:8), “Deep calls to deep.” T’HoMe connotes the miraculous [and amazing], as in (Ruth 1:19), “and the entire city TeiHoMe (was amazed).” This is because over a miracle, something new and original, people are amazed.
This is also why the Sages said that “the voice of the dove is heard in our land” (Song of Songs 2:12) refers to the rains (cf. Taanit 25b). For in the Land of Israel—the place of the deeps/miracles/faith/prayer—the quintessence of rains “is heard.”
And, “God made one to contrast the other” (Ecclesiastes 7:14). The Land of Egypt is thus the antithesis of the Land of Israel, “one to contrast the other,” as in (Exodus 14:27), “And the Egyptians NaSim (were fleeing) against it.” Egypt is the converse of the Land of Israel, the converse of NiSim (miracles). This is why prayer has no place in Egypt, as in, “When I go outside the city I will spread out my hands [in prayer]” (Exodus 9:29).
This is why when Avraham blemished the Land of Israel—when God promised him the inheritance of the land and Avraham asked (Genesis 15:8), “How shall I know?”—it became necessary for our ancestors to go down to Egypt. It was [Avraham’s] blemishing of faith, of the Land of Israel, the aspect of miracles, which resulted in Yaakov and his sons descending to Egypt, <the antithesis of the Land of Israel>.
And, it was specifically Yaakov and his sons who went down. [Avraham] blemished the Land of Israel/prayer, and Yaakov and his [twelve] sons—who correspond to prayer and its twelve gates—descended.
Moreover, because the quintessence of prayer is [embodied in] Yaakov and his sons, no one merited the Land of Israel and prayer other than Yaakov and his sons. As it is written (Genesis 21:12), [Avraham was told that] “in Yitzchak shall your seed be called”—[in Yitzchak,] but not all of Yitzchak (Nedarim 31b).
{The rains only fall on account of baaley amanah (men of faith) (Taanit 8a).} This is the explanation of what our Sages taught: The rains only fall on account of amanah. [“AMaNaH”] corresponds to the Land of Israel, which corresponds to prayer and ÆMuNaH (faith). And [the Land of Israel] “drinks first” because that is where the T ’HoMot /miracles are, as in, “and the entire city TeiHoMe .” {I saw the Angel of Rain. It had the appearance of a tor (ox), and prita sifevatei (its lips were split open). It was standing between t’home (deep) and t’home” (Taanit 25b).}
This is the meaning of what our Sages taught: When the rains are falling, even a prutah (small coin) in the purse is blessed (Taanit 8b). The “PRuTaH” corresponds to “the voice of the tor (dove)” [which proclaims miracles], as the Sages also taught: [I saw] the Angel of Rain. It had the appearance of a tor (ox), and its lips were PRiTaH (split open). It was standing between [the upper] deep and [the lower] deep—i.e., it comprised the two deeps, the embodiment of all miracles.
And this is: “a prutah in the KiS [is blessed].” Sometimes, the power of miracles is nitKaSeh (covered up). But with the [advent of the] rains, the prutah, the miracle, “is blessed”—for “its lips were open.”
There are people who deny all miracles and say that everything comes about naturally. Even if they witness a miracle, they cover it up with natural explanations, attributing it to the natural course of things. By doing so, they blemish prayer, because prayer corresponds to miracles, which alter nature. They also blemish faith, because they do not believe in Divine Providence. And they blemish the Land of Israel, the place of miracles, as in, “the voice of the dove is heard in our Land”—and [the Sages] taught: The Land of Israel drinks first. For the T’HoMot are there, [it being] the place of miracles, as in, “and the entire city TeiHoMe.”
And as a result of this [blemish to the Land of Israel], <one falls into the depths of> the exile of “Egypt,” because “God made one to contrast the other.” <As the Midrash states:> All exiles are known as MiTZRayIM (Egypt), because they MeTZeiRIM (cause anguish and suffering) to the Jewish people (Bereishit Rabbah 16:4).
6. This is the explanation [of the opening verse]:
{“T’homot Y’chasyumu (The deeps covered them); they sank into the metzolot (depths) like an evan (a stone).” }
The deeps covered them — This refers to people who cover up the miracles and try to show that everything follows a natural order.
they sank into the metzolot like an evan — “… from there the Shepherd, the evan (Rock) of Israel” (Genesis 49:24). Onkelos renders [“ÆVaN” as a compound word]: AVhan u’VeNin (father and sons).
like an evan — This is avhan u’venin. It alludes to Yaakov and his sons, who correspond to prayer/miracles/the Land of Israel. <In exact proportion> to the blemish cast on prayer/faith/the Land of Israel, they must accordingly go into the depths of the exile of “Egypt”—just as Yaakov and his sons descended into Egypt because Avraham asked, “How will I know?” with regard to inheriting the Land.