[erev Shabbos Behaalosecha 5785]
QUESTION
What’s the unique evil nature of Iran?
ANSWER
Iran is the kelipah (evil shell) to counter the holiness of the Aron (the Holy Ark). The words are similar: Iran (אירן) versus Aron (ארון).
There were two holy Arks: one that was kept in the Holy of Holies, and one that would accompany the Jews in the generation of the Desert when they had to go out to war. It was from the power of this Ark which enabled the Jewish People to fight their wars, as we read in parshas Behaaloscha, the week in which the war broke out: “And as the Ark journeyed…and your enemies will be scattered and they will run away from before you.” (Behaalosecha 10: 35)
The war was fought from the power contained in the Broken Shards of the first pair of Luchos – understand this well. The broken shards in the Luchos were a result of the sin with the Eigel (Golden Calf), and they represent the evil of being in a state of brokenness (Shevirah). The way to repair this damage is by applying this very evil of “brokenness” onto the evil itself – and especially on Iran. As is known, the gematria of the words “Arur Haman - Baruch Mordechai” is equal to the word shever (the root of the word Shevirah).
Iran’s evil is also mainly trying to oppose the internal Aron, of which it is said: “the Aron does not take up any measurement.” (Bava Basra 99a) Iran wants, chas v’shalom, that there should not be any place for the Jewish people. This is in line with the rule of Zeh l’umas zeh, the counterbalance between good and evil.
Therefore, the root of how to be saved is not simply by going into a protected place. Rather, it is when we connect our souls to the space of the Aron which did not take up any measurement/space.
This counters the evil of Iran which wishes to destroy the Jewish people through nuclear bombs, which is the evil use of Ayin (אין) on two levels: (1) It is a destructive power that originates from a tiny little atom that doesn’t take up any space, coming from almost nothing (ayin); (2) Because of what they want to accomplish by wishing to destroy everything, to negate all existing life and turn everything into “nothing.” As a hint to this, the word Iran (אירן) can be split into the words Ayin-Ra (אין-רע)ע, the evil use of Ayin of turning everything into nothing.
Our deep avodah is to transform “Iran” (אירן) into the word Nira (נירא), which is the power of holy Ayin.[1]
QUESTION
What is the unique hatred that the Eirev Rav has for Iran in particular?
ANSWER
The Eirev Rav are the evil souls in the final generation whose agenda is to mix everything together. They want an absolute existence that is all mixed-up. Iran, the evil Ayin, is the opposite of the agenda of the Eirev Rav. Whereas the Eirev Rav wants a lot of mixtures (all 70 nations of the world mixed together) Iran wants the opposite that there should be nothing at all.
QUESTION
Is Iran the “Amalek” of our generation?
ANSWER
Yes! They are the evil power of absence or nothingness (העדר), to counter the holiness of Mordechai[2] (מרדכי) who is equal in gematria to 274 (עדר) the root of the word (העדר) absence.[3]
[1] Editor’s Note: The avodah of Ayin (אין) -self-negation- is discussed in sefer Bilvavi Mishkan Evneh, Parts 6-9.
[2] Editor’s Note: Mordechai lived in Persia (today’s Iran).
[3] Editor’s Note: The intention here may be connected with the fact that Iran (today’s Persia) was once the spiritual battleground between Haman (Amalek) and Mordechai. The evil of Haman-Amalek wished to return the world to the state of ayin (nothingness) in the evil sense of not recognizing Hashem, as the counterforce to Mordechai, who represents the holy use of ayin/hedair/absence: the 50th Gate of Holiness.
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