אמור אל הכהנים וגו' לנפש לא יטמא בעמיו. ופירש"י אמור ואמרת להזהיר גדולים על הקטנים ע"ש, כתבתי בהגה במקום אחר, לנפש לא יטמא וגו' להזהיר גדולים על הקטנים, שהוא סוד מאור הקטן ומאור הגדול יעו"ש, והנה אם הקטנים בסוד השמיעה ששומעין לגדולים, נעשה יחוד אדנ"י סוד השמיעה והמקבל עם הוי"ה סוד המשפיע, ואז הוי שני מאורות הגדולים כשהם בחיבור אחד, וזהו סוד ונתתי שלום בארץ (בס' בחקותי), שעל ידי יחוד הנ"ל הוי שלום בארץ, מה שאין כן בהיפוך כמו ששמעתי ממורי וכתבתי במקום אחר: (תוי"י פ' ויקרא ד"פ ע"ד).
And the L-rd said to Moses: Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them: There shall none defile himself for the dead among his people. (Leviticus ibid.) “‘Speak . . . and say’ – to warn the adults on account of the children”6Literally, the “big ones on account of the small ones” – gedolim al haketanim. The double use of the verb “to say” in this verse implies that two groups of individuals are being addressed. Thus Rashi, based upon Yevamos 114a, writes that even the children of the priests, too young to be obligated in other commandments, are still forbidden to become ritually impure, with the obligation to keep them pure resting on their parents. (Rashi). This is the secret of the “Great Light” and the “Small Light.”7“And G-d made the two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night; and the stars” (Genesis 1:16). According to Kabbalah, these represent the Sefirot of Tiferet and Malchut, respectively. Malchut, which corresponds to this world, was originally created as a “great light,” as the beginning of this verse implies. However, due to a necessary flaw in the process of creation, its connection with Tiferet was severed, and its light was reduced. When Malchut ascends and reunites with Tiferet, as it will in the World to Come, then it will again become a “great light,” and the world will reach perfection. These two Sefirot are also represented by the Divine Names “Y-H-V-H” (the Tetragrammaton) and “Ado-nai,” which literally means “L-rd,” and reflecting the nature of Malchut as the setting for the revelation of G-d’s Kingdom. The “small ones” are the mystery of “hearing” and “receiving,” because they listen to the “big ones.” If they form a union between [G-d’s Names] Ado-nai and Y-H-V-H, which is the “bestower,” then they become two great lights, when they are bound as one. This is the meaning of “I will give peace in the land” (Leviticus 26:6), for through this union, there is peace in the land.8“Land” corresponds to the Sefirah of Malchut. When Malchut is united with Tiferet, it transcends the apparent duality of this world, and reveals G-d’s Oneness. Thus, there is peace, for all opposites are reconciled. This is not true of the opposite case, as I heard from my Master, and as I wrote elsewhere.9See Toldos Yaakov Yosef, Shelach, where the author defines “peace” as the union of Tiferet and Malchut. This is accomplished by the Tzaddik, who is himself called “Peace,” as in: “Behold, I give him My covenant of peace” (Numbers 25:12). The Tzaddik corresponds to the Sefirah of Yesod that stands in the middle column on the chart of the sefirot, uniting Tiferet and Malchut. Toldos Yaakov Yosef, Vayikra
אמור אל הכהנים וגו' לנפש לא יטמא בעמיו. ופירש"י אמור ואמרת להזהיר גדולים על הקטנים ע"ש, כתבתי בהגה במקום אחר, לנפש לא יטמא וגו' להזהיר גדולים על הקטנים, שהוא סוד מאור הקטן ומאור הגדול יעו"ש, והנה אם הקטנים בסוד השמיעה ששומעין לגדולים, נעשה יחוד אדנ"י סוד השמיעה והמקבל עם הוי"ה סוד המשפיע, ואז הוי שני מאורות הגדולים כשהם בחיבור אחד, וזהו סוד ונתתי שלום בארץ (בס' בחקותי), שעל ידי יחוד הנ"ל הוי שלום בארץ, מה שאין כן בהיפוך כמו ששמעתי ממורי וכתבתי במקום אחר:
(תוי"י פ' ויקרא ד"פ ע"ד).
And the L-rd said to Moses: Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them: There shall none defile himself for the dead among his people. (Leviticus ibid.)
“‘Speak . . . and say’ – to warn the adults on account of the children”6Literally, the “big ones on account of the small ones” – gedolim al haketanim. The double use of the verb “to say” in this verse implies that two groups of individuals are being addressed. Thus Rashi, based upon Yevamos 114a, writes that even the children of the priests, too young to be obligated in other commandments, are still forbidden to become ritually impure, with the obligation to keep them pure resting on their parents. (Rashi).
This is the secret of the “Great Light” and the “Small Light.”7“And G-d made the two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night; and the stars” (Genesis 1:16). According to Kabbalah, these represent the Sefirot of Tiferet and Malchut, respectively. Malchut, which corresponds to this world, was originally created as a “great light,” as the beginning of this verse implies. However, due to a necessary flaw in the process of creation, its connection with Tiferet was severed, and its light was reduced. When Malchut ascends and reunites with Tiferet, as it will in the World to Come, then it will again become a “great light,” and the world will reach perfection. These two Sefirot are also represented by the Divine Names “Y-H-V-H” (the Tetragrammaton) and “Ado-nai,” which literally means “L-rd,” and reflecting the nature of Malchut as the setting for the revelation of G-d’s Kingdom. The “small ones” are the mystery of “hearing” and “receiving,” because they listen to the “big ones.” If they form a union between [G-d’s Names] Ado-nai and Y-H-V-H, which is the “bestower,” then they become two great lights, when they are bound as one. This is the meaning of “I will give peace in the land” (Leviticus 26:6), for through this union, there is peace in the land.8“Land” corresponds to the Sefirah of Malchut. When Malchut is united with Tiferet, it transcends the apparent duality of this world, and reveals G-d’s Oneness. Thus, there is peace, for all opposites are reconciled. This is not true of the opposite case, as I heard from my Master, and as I wrote elsewhere.9See Toldos Yaakov Yosef, Shelach, where the author defines “peace” as the union of Tiferet and Malchut. This is accomplished by the Tzaddik, who is himself called “Peace,” as in: “Behold, I give him My covenant of peace” (Numbers 25:12). The Tzaddik corresponds to the Sefirah of Yesod that stands in the middle column on the chart of the sefirot, uniting Tiferet and Malchut.
Toldos Yaakov Yosef, Vayikra