בס”ד
By Rabbi Moshe Goodman, Kollel Ohr Shlomo, Hebron
According to the Rambam this parsha contains some of the more explicit references to the Mashiach, such as “a star will come from Yakov and a staff shall rise from Israel.” This painting depicts four cities which the acronym of their names spells Mashiach. The shofar seen here to encompass all the cities is a clear reference to the redemption call of the shofar, as it says “on that day a great shofar shall be sounded etc.”
I asked R’ Nachshon’s grandson for an explanation why specifically these cities were chosen, and he answered me the following: Meron represents the tomb of Rabbi Shimon bar Yohai, identified with the Zohar through which the redemption and Mashiach will come compassionately, as the Zohar says “through this work [of the Zohar] they shall leave Exile in compassion.” Shechem is associated with the tomb of Yosef, which stands for the Mashiach ben Yosef. Yericho carries the verb root “reach” which means “to smell,” standing for the ability of Mashiach to be able to smell people and thereby know their internal essence. Hebron is the City of the Patriarchs and stands for the Mashiach coming due to the merit of the Patriarchs.
In my humble opinion it seems that these four cities correspond to the four letters of the Tetragrammaton. According to the Kabbalists the letter yod is associated with the attribute of kindness, and indeed we mentioned that Meron is associated with the redemption coming in a kind and compassionate way. Moreover, the letter yod is also associated with the world of Atzilut, associated with the study of the Kabbalah, of which the Zohar is one of its primary works. The letter heh is associated with the ox in Ezekiel’s vision, and Yosef is compared to an ox in the parshat Vezot Habracha. The letter vav is associated to “smelling” in the context of the four attributes of “sight, hearing, smelling, and speech,” discussed by the Kabbalists. Thus, smelling associated with Yericho corresponds to the letter vav. Hebron is associated in various sources to the last heh, representing the sefira of malchut – kingship. Indeed, it was through Hebron that the kingship of King David, considered a prototype of Mashiach, began…