THERE AROSE UP A NEW KING. Said R. Jose: The Holy One creates each day new angels to be His emissaries to the world, as it is written, “He maketh his angels winds” (spirits) (Ps. 104, 4). It does not say “He made”, but “He maketh”, because He makes them daily. At that time He appointed one to represent Egypt: “a new king”, i.e. a new supernal representative;
“who knew not Joseph”, because Egypt’s angel emanated from the sphere of Separation: since of the four “heads” into which the river that went out of Eden parted (Gen. 2, 10), the first was the stream of Egypt (the Nile above, corresponding to the Nile below); and therefore “he knew not Joseph”, who represents the sphere where is the abode of Unity, and which is called “Righteous”.’
וַיָּקָם מֶלֶךְ חָדָשׁ. ר' יוֹסִי אָמַר, בְּכָל יוֹמָא, קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא עָבִיד מַלְאָכִין שְׁלִיחָן עַל עָלְמָא, דִּכְתִּיב, (תהילים ק״ד:ד׳) עוֹשֶׂה מַלְאָכָיו רוּחוֹת. עָשָׂה לָא כְּתִיב, אֶלָּא עוֹשֶׂה, בְּגִין דְּכָל יוֹמָא וְיוֹמָא עוֹשֶׂה. וּבְהַהוּא זִמְנָא אִתְמָנָא מְמָנָא חַד עַל מִצְרַיִם, וְדָא אִיהוּ דִּכְתִּיב וַיָּקָם מֶלֶךְ חָדָשׁ, חָדָשׁ וַדַּאי.
THERE AROSE UP A NEW KING. Said R. Jose: The Holy One creates each day new angels to be His emissaries to the world, as it is written, “He maketh his angels winds” (spirits) (Ps. 104, 4). It does not say “He made”, but “He maketh”, because He makes them daily. At that time He appointed one to represent Egypt: “a new king”, i.e. a new supernal representative;
אֲשֶׁר לָא יָדַע אֶת יוֹסֵף: דְּהָא מֵאֲתָר דְּפֵרוּדָא הֲווֹ, כְּמָה דְאַתְּ אָמֵר, (בראשית ב׳:י׳) וּמִשָּׁם יִפָּרֵד וְקַדְמָאָה מֵהַהוּא פִּרוּדָא, נַהֲרָא דְּמִצְרַיִם אִיהוּ. וּבְגִין כַּךְ אֲשֶׁר לֹא יָדַע אֶת יוֹסֵף, אֲתָר דְּכָל יִחוּדָא שַׁרְיָא בֵּיהּ, דְּאִקְרֵי צַדִּיק.
“who knew not Joseph”, because Egypt’s angel emanated from the sphere of Separation: since of the four “heads” into which the river that went out of Eden parted (Gen. 2, 10), the first was the stream of Egypt (the Nile above, corresponding to the Nile below); and therefore “he knew not Joseph”, who represents the sphere where is the abode of Unity, and which is called “Righteous”.’