My husband showed me an interesting Ohr Hachaim on Parshat Vayechi 49:11, which is Yaakov Avinu's blessing for Yehudah.
Within, Yaakov Avinu mentions a male foal & a female donkey.
But first, he mentions a grapevine that will bind these male & female equestrians.
The grapevine is the Jewish people & its binding tendril is an aspect of Yehudah.
The entire metaphor describes what Yehudah will finally succeed in doing in the Geula: He will succeed in subduing not only the male klippah, but also the female klippah.
(You can read a succinct yet thorough explanation of klippah HERE.)
The male foal represents the male klippah while the female donkey represents the female klippah.
The Ohr Hachaim maintains that the female klippah is stronger than the male klippah because upon encountering any kind of "sustenance," the male klippah takes a little bit, then the female klippah takes all the rest.
(Just like a full-grown female donkey is stronger & imbibes more than a male foal.)
Because she receives more sustenance, her power surpasses that of the male.
After explaining this, the Ohr Hachaim relates a personal experience with these klippot.
Within, Yaakov Avinu mentions a male foal & a female donkey.
But first, he mentions a grapevine that will bind these male & female equestrians.
The grapevine is the Jewish people & its binding tendril is an aspect of Yehudah.
The entire metaphor describes what Yehudah will finally succeed in doing in the Geula: He will succeed in subduing not only the male klippah, but also the female klippah.
(You can read a succinct yet thorough explanation of klippah HERE.)
The male foal represents the male klippah while the female donkey represents the female klippah.
The Ohr Hachaim maintains that the female klippah is stronger than the male klippah because upon encountering any kind of "sustenance," the male klippah takes a little bit, then the female klippah takes all the rest.
(Just like a full-grown female donkey is stronger & imbibes more than a male foal.)
Because she receives more sustenance, her power surpasses that of the male.
After explaining this, the Ohr Hachaim relates a personal experience with these klippot.
Beware the Woman in Black
The Ohr Hachaim writes of an event that occurred, probably around the year 1742 in Yerushalayim:
And in a vision, they showed me in a dream that I wrestled in battle with the male and it was easy in my eyes to subdue him and I defeated him with my strength.
And with the female, I struggled with all my strength several times and after several valiant attempts, I managed to cast her downward several degrees to the ground—but not like her husband the male.
And regarding this, he [Yaakov Avinu] said representing the Redemption "and to a tendril"—a time when Hashem will whistle and gather them.
"...his young female donkey"—those that come from the power of the female—even they will be bound by Hashem before Bnei Yisrael.
Srakah (tendril) is more or less the same root as shorek—whistle.
The Ohr Hachaim above refers to Zechariah 10:8, which states that Hashem will whistle "as a sign and a signal for those straying on their way to him" (Rashi) and gather them in.
(Very reassuring, isn't it? Especially with all the straying going on today! Yes, many are straying even as they make their way to Hashem...)
This relates very much the story featured in the Haftarah for Parshat Miketz: Melachim I:3:15-28, as discussed on this blog HERE.
As described there, several sources state that the two women presenting their epic court case before Shlomo Hamelech were actually klippot, and not human women.
David Hamelech succeeded in subduing the male klippot in Eretz Yisrael. But by deciding this case correctly, Shlomo Hamelech succeeded in subduing the female klippot in Eretz Yisrael.
Apparently, due to our sins, that was a temporary result because centuries later, the Ohr Hachaim realized the need to do this too.
Another likeness between the two events is the identity of the female klippah.
Several sources note that one of the women insisting the live baby was hers was the demonic queen of the klippot, whose name starts with "L." The Zohar says she is married to the samech-mem—basically married to the Nachash.
With the Ohr Hachaim's description of the male klippah as husband to the female klippah, it implies that the female klippah he tried to subdue was also "L."
That is a tremendously powerful & nasty klippah.
Even more intriguingly, a commentary on the Ohr Hachaim called Me'orei Chaim details the above events mentioned by the Ohr Hachaim:
The Ohr Hachaim above refers to Zechariah 10:8, which states that Hashem will whistle "as a sign and a signal for those straying on their way to him" (Rashi) and gather them in.
(Very reassuring, isn't it? Especially with all the straying going on today! Yes, many are straying even as they make their way to Hashem...)
This relates very much the story featured in the Haftarah for Parshat Miketz: Melachim I:3:15-28, as discussed on this blog HERE.
As described there, several sources state that the two women presenting their epic court case before Shlomo Hamelech were actually klippot, and not human women.
David Hamelech succeeded in subduing the male klippot in Eretz Yisrael. But by deciding this case correctly, Shlomo Hamelech succeeded in subduing the female klippot in Eretz Yisrael.
Apparently, due to our sins, that was a temporary result because centuries later, the Ohr Hachaim realized the need to do this too.
Another likeness between the two events is the identity of the female klippah.
Several sources note that one of the women insisting the live baby was hers was the demonic queen of the klippot, whose name starts with "L." The Zohar says she is married to the samech-mem—basically married to the Nachash.
With the Ohr Hachaim's description of the male klippah as husband to the female klippah, it implies that the female klippah he tried to subdue was also "L."
That is a tremendously powerful & nasty klippah.
Even more intriguingly, a commentary on the Ohr Hachaim called Me'orei Chaim details the above events mentioned by the Ohr Hachaim:
...it was known in the mouths of the elders of Yerushalayim that at the time when Rabbeinu [the Ohr Hachaim] came to the Holy City of Yerushalayim, and he would stand and prostrate himself before the Western Wall to cast his pleas, he looked, and behold: The image of a black woman [or a woman clothed all in black–MR] was standing before him.
And she was a great klippah.
And she said to him that she is pursuing him this year.
And because of our many transgressions, that's what happened.
For the quality of din harmed him. And in that same year, he completed the days of his life and ascended to God.
And the afore-mentioned rav there wrote that perhaps this was the female that Rabbeinu hinted about, that he could not manage to subdue her like her husband the male.
The Physical World Mirrors the Spiritual Worlds
It's chilling to think that the Ohr Hachaim received a direct threat in person from the klippah.
These great Torah Sages possessed incredible courage.
Also, when my husband mentioned the demonic woman in black (ishah shechorah), of course I thought of the eyeroll-inducing Leftist gag, Women in Black, who used to loiter near the Great Synagogue on the way to the Kotel.
When I first saw them, I was still relatively open-minded, but their pompous self-righteous nose-in-the-air posturing turned me off.
Furthermore, they did not appear at all peaceful.
A lot of aspects of this world mirror aspects of the spiritual worlds.
Of course, many women wear black, especially since black clothing came into fashion for some unfathomable reason.
But only this group of women calls itself Women in Black. That's their self-proclaimed identity. Also, their usurped location wasn't far from the Kotel either.
Well, I sure am looking forward to the day when Hashem will bind that klippah!
These great Torah Sages possessed incredible courage.
Also, when my husband mentioned the demonic woman in black (ishah shechorah), of course I thought of the eyeroll-inducing Leftist gag, Women in Black, who used to loiter near the Great Synagogue on the way to the Kotel.
When I first saw them, I was still relatively open-minded, but their pompous self-righteous nose-in-the-air posturing turned me off.
Furthermore, they did not appear at all peaceful.
A lot of aspects of this world mirror aspects of the spiritual worlds.
Of course, many women wear black, especially since black clothing came into fashion for some unfathomable reason.
But only this group of women calls itself Women in Black. That's their self-proclaimed identity. Also, their usurped location wasn't far from the Kotel either.
Well, I sure am looking forward to the day when Hashem will bind that klippah!
Here are more posts about the Ohr Hachaim:
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