Swallowing Cows in Time, Space and Soul, by Chaim Gershon

Miketz  and Channukah

17. And Pharaoh said to Joseph, "In my dream, behold, I was standing on the bank of the Nile.		יז. וַיְדַבֵּר פַּרְעֹה אֶל יוֹסֵף בַּחֲלֹמִי הִנְנִי עֹמֵד עַל שְׂפַת הַיְאֹר:
18. And behold, seven cows of robust flesh and handsome form were ascending from the Nile, and they pastured in the marshland.		יח. וְהִנֵּה מִן הַיְאֹר עֹלֹת שֶׁבַע פָּרוֹת בְּרִיאוֹת בָּשָׂר וִיפֹת תֹּאַר וַתִּרְעֶינָה בָּאָחוּ:
19. And behold, seven other cows were ascending after them, emaciated and of very ugly form and with meager flesh; I have not seen such ugly ones throughout the entire land of Egypt.		יט. וְהִנֵּה שֶׁבַע פָּרוֹת אֲחֵרוֹת עֹלוֹת אַחֲרֵיהֶן דַּלּוֹת וְרָעוֹת תֹּאַר מְאֹד וְרַקּוֹת בָּשָׂר לֹא רָאִיתִי כָהֵנָּה בְּכָל אֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם לָרֹעַ:
20. And the meager and ugly cows devoured the first seven healthy cows.		כ. וַתֹּאכַלְנָה הַפָּרוֹת הָרַקּוֹת וְהָרָעוֹת אֵת שֶׁבַע הַפָּרוֹת הָרִאשֹׁנוֹת הַבְּרִיאֹת:
21. And they went inside them, but it was not known that they had gone inside of them, for their appearance was as ugly as in the beginning; then I awoke.		כא. וַתָּבֹאנָה אֶל קִרְבֶּנָה וְלֹא נוֹדַע כִּי בָאוּ אֶל קִרְבֶּנָה וּמַרְאֵיהֶן רַע כַּאֲשֶׁר בַּתְּחִלָּה וָאִיקָץ

Two sets of Seven Cows. Good and Bad.

Two sets of Seven Middos, emotions of the soul. Good and Bad.

Seven Branches of the Menorah, one set holy in Kedushah and one lit for the Other Side for the Seven Nations of Canaan.

   
Seven cows from the Egyptian Book of the Dead 
Verse 21 tells us that the bad cows swallowed up the good cows which are now hidden inside, and still look bad (for their appearance was as ugly as in the beginning). This alludes to  Rasha v'Tov lo.... a bad person who inside contains some good. Yes, the tragedy of Man is that the body swallows the soul (after the eating of the fruit of the tree of good and bad).

Man’s task is serving Hashem with the goal of refining the animal nature of the body. Through prayer and Israel’s role in history, in Israel and in the world, the animal will  be refined so that the concealed is revealed and overwhelms and transforms the body and then shall Man become a unified godly whole.

 

Sources: Mittler Rebbe of Chabad Shaare Orah and Toras Chaim. Tiferes Shlomo. Ohr Meir. Sefer Chareidim al HaTorah, Magen Avraham of Trisk. Meor Einayim.

 

Comments

[Chaim Gershon]

דף הבית > ספרי כ"ק אדמו"ר האמצעי > תורת חיים > בראשית ח"ב > פרשת מקץ > ויהי מקץ שנתיים ימים - תקפ"ו

Mashal also applied to davening and whether after the holy experience, anything good is left to be seen.

[super real]

That's the kind of image that i really thing is super image like. If more images very real like this were out there we'd be super full of graet images in the world.

[Anderson]

That is a good tip particularly to those new to the blogosphere. Simple but very precise info… Many thanks for sharing this one. A must read post!