ויהושע בן נון וכלב בן יפונה חיו מן האנשים ההם וגו', דשמעתי שיקשר החיות שלו עם חיות הרשעים, וכאשר הרשעים אינם רוצים להתחבר עמו אז נשאר החיות שלו אצל הצדיק, וזהו שאמר חיו מן האנשים וכו': (בן פורת יוסף לפ' ויצא דנ"ג ע"ג).
But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh lived from those men that went to spy out the land. (Ibid. 14:38) [A Tzaddik] should join his life-force to the life-force of the wicked. But if the wicked refuse to attach themselves to him, then their life-force remains with the Tzaddik.7The seferDa'as Moshe (parashas Noach) explains this as follows: The Talmud states that G-d created a world of opposites, based upon the verse: “G-d made one thing against another” (Ecclesiastes 7:14). Every Tzaddik has a wicked person opposite him, and both have two portions – in heaven and in hell. If the Tzaddik is worthy, he will receive his own portion in the World to Come and the portion of his wicked protagonist. If he is undeserving it, he will receive his own portion in hell, and that of the wicked. According to the Baal Shem Tov, this principle applies to this world as well. The Magid of Mezritch explained that this occurs when the Tzaddik admonishes the wicked. The Tzaddik’s words are the aspect of the Sefirah of Malchus, and the listener’s ears correspond to the World of Hearing, Binah – which is higher than Malchus. When the listener does not heed the words of the Tzaddik, then the Tzaddik regains his own words, as well as the aspect of the listener. This is what is written: “But Joshua . . . lived from those men that went to spy out the land.”8That is, his own life force was added to from those of the other spies. Ben Poras Yosef, Vayetze
ויהושע בן נון וכלב בן יפונה חיו מן האנשים ההם וגו', דשמעתי שיקשר החיות שלו עם חיות הרשעים, וכאשר הרשעים אינם רוצים להתחבר עמו אז נשאר החיות שלו אצל הצדיק, וזהו שאמר חיו מן האנשים וכו':
(בן פורת יוסף לפ' ויצא דנ"ג ע"ג).
But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh lived from those men that went to spy out the land. (Ibid. 14:38)
[A Tzaddik] should join his life-force to the life-force of the wicked. But if the wicked refuse to attach themselves to him, then their life-force remains with the Tzaddik.7The sefer Da'as Moshe (parashas Noach) explains this as follows: The Talmud states that G-d created a world of opposites, based upon the verse: “G-d made one thing against another” (Ecclesiastes 7:14). Every Tzaddik has a wicked person opposite him, and both have two portions – in heaven and in hell. If the Tzaddik is worthy, he will receive his own portion in the World to Come and the portion of his wicked protagonist. If he is undeserving it, he will receive his own portion in hell, and that of the wicked. According to the Baal Shem Tov, this principle applies to this world as well. The Magid of Mezritch explained that this occurs when the Tzaddik admonishes the wicked. The Tzaddik’s words are the aspect of the Sefirah of Malchus, and the listener’s ears correspond to the World of Hearing, Binah – which is higher than Malchus. When the listener does not heed the words of the Tzaddik, then the Tzaddik regains his own words, as well as the aspect of the listener. This is what is written: “But Joshua . . . lived from those men that went to spy out the land.”8That is, his own life force was added to from those of the other spies.
Ben Poras Yosef, Vayetze