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R. Hiya opened a discourse on the text: The king by justice establisheth the land; but he that exacteth gifts overthroweth it (Prov. 29, 4). ‘When God’, he said, ‘created the upper world, He so constituted it as to send forth celestial radiations in all directions, and He created the upper heaven and the upper earth in such a way that they should provide for the sustenance of the lower denizens.
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The “king” here is an allusion to the Holy One, blessed be He, while “justice” signifies Jacob, who forms the basis of the world, since the basis of the world is justice, which establishes the earth with all requirements and provides for its sustenance.
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Alternatively, the “king” is the Holy One, blessed be He, while “justice” refers to Joseph, who established the land, as it is written: “And all countries came into Egypt to Joseph to buy corn”; God chose for Himself Jacob, He caused Joseph to be ruler over the land.’
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R. Jose said: ‘The “king” signifies Joseph, while the words “by justice establisheth the land” allude to Jacob, seeing that before Jacob arrived in Egypt the existence of the people was jeopardized by the famine; but as soon as Jacob set foot in Egypt the famine ceased through his merits and the world was made secure.
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Alternatively, the king who by justice establisheth the land is exemplified in King David, of whom it is written: “and David executed justice and righteousness unto all his people” (II Sam. 8, 15); for David thereby upheld the world, which was preserved after him for the sake of his merits. “But he that exacteth gifts overthroweth it”: this is exemplified in Rehoboam.
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For God for the sake of the righteous withholds punishment even when it has been decreed against the world; hence, during David’s lifetime the land was upheld and after his death it was preserved for his sake, as we read: “and I will defend the city for mine own sake, and for my servant David’s sake” (II Kings 20, 6). Similarly, during the lifetime of Jacob, as well as that of Joseph, no punishment was enforced against the world.
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Again, “he that exacteth gifts overthroweth it” is exemplified in Pharaoh, inasmuch as by hardening his heart before God he brought ruin on the land of Egypt, whereas before the land was preserved through Joseph in conjunction with Pharaoh’s dreams.
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Rabbi Elazar opened the discussion with the verse, "Hashem lives; and blessed is my Rock; and let the Elohim (Heb. Elohai) of my salvation be exalted" (Tehilim 18:47). "Elohai" is spelled with a Vav. This verse requires careful study. The phrase, "Hashem lives" refers to the Righteous, the foundation of the world, who is referred to as the life of the worlds. The phrase "and blessed is my Rock" is the meaning of "Blessed be Hashem my Rock" (Tehilim 144:1). The world is sustained by the generosity of the Righteous, "Let the Elohim of my salvation be exalted": "exalted" refers to the upper world, and "Elohai" with a Vav is heaven, as it is written, "The heavens are the heavens of Hashem" (Tehilim 115:16).
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Come and behold, "Blessed be Adonai who day by day bears our burden" (Tehilim 68:20). The name Adonai is spelled Aleph-Dalet-Nun-Yud, (this alludes to the Nukva). This verse contains the mystery of wisdom. "Day by day" is the secret of "two years (lit. 'two years' days')". This is as it is written, "And it came to pass at the end of two years that Pharaoh dreamed, and behold, he stood by the river." We have already learned this secret; it means Joseph, because the words, "a river" refer to Joseph the Righteous.
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AND, BEHOLD, THERE CAME UP OUT OF THE RIVER SEVEN KINE, WELL FAVOURED AND FATFLESHED; AND THEY FED IN THE REED GRASS. The river is mentioned because from it all the lower grades receive their blessings. For the (supernal) stream which flows perpetually waters and feeds the whole, and Joseph was himself the river by means of which the whole of Egypt was blessed.
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By that (upper) river seven grades are irrigated and blessed, they being “well favoured and fatfleshed”, AND THEY FED IN THE REED GRASS (ahu). The word aku (meadow, or brotherhood) signifies that there is no separation between them. The number seven has everywhere a similar symbolism, e.g. the seven maidens and the seven chamberlains mentioned in the Book of Esther (Esther 2, 9; I, 10).
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R. Isaac said that the seven good kine symbolize the superior grades, and the seven lean and ill-favoured kine other and lower grades; the former of the side of holiness, and the latter of the side of defilement.
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SEVEN EARS OF CORN. R. Judah said: ‘The first seven ears were good, as they came from the right side, of which it is written “that it was good” (Gen. 1, 4), and the second seven were ill, as being lower than the others; the first ones proceeded from the side of purity, and the others from the side of impurity. They all symbolized two series of grades corresponding with each other; and Pharaoh saw them all in his dream.
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R. Jesse remarked: ‘Can it indeed be that the wicked Pharaoh was shown all these?’ R. Judah in reply said: ‘He only saw their counterparts rising in a corresponding series: he saw this through the medium of the lower grades.
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For, as we have learnt, what a man is shown in a dream corresponds to his own character, and his soul ascends just so far as to obtain for him the information suitable for his grade. Pharaoh thus saw as far as he was permitted to, see and no more.’
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AND IT CAME TO PASS AT THE END. R. Hizkiah quoted here the verse: To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven (Eccl. 3, 1). ‘For every thing that the Almighty has made in the lower world,’ he said, ‘He has appointed a fixed term and limit. He has appointed a time for light and for darkness. He has fixed a term for the light of the other nations who are now the rulers of the world; and a term for the darkness of the exile of Israel who are now subjected to their rule. And so there is a term for every purpose in the lower world.’
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According to another explanation, the word ‘eth (time) is the name of an angelic power charged to see that everything takes place at its appointed time.