בס”ד
By Rabbi Moshe Goodman, Kollel Ohr Shlomo, Hebron
This parsha is the only one in the Torah that begins with a war and ends with a war. Therefore, it seems that this parsha especially is important to contemplate in context of Israel’s current war. This painting seems to depict a war between good and evil and between Israel and the first prototype of their enemy, the Egyptians, clearly hinted to by the pyramids here.
The Egyptian on the chariot with horse is a clear inference to the chase of the Egyptians after Israel at the Splitting of the Sea. The crocodiles here hint to the description of Pharaoh as a crocodile/serpent in the Nile (Yehezkel 29). Next to the large crocodile we also see a snake, a symbol of evil since the Tree of Knowledge. Adjacent to this crocodile we also see a sphere with white “tributaries” which seem to hint to the Nile itself which has tributaries towards the Mediterranean Sea. The sphere resembles a swirl pool, perhaps hinting to Egypt being a “swallowing” force of evil. There are seven plants growing out of Egypt, hinting to the seven lower sefirot from the side of evil, for just as there are such seven sefirot from the side of good, so too there are from the side of evil. To the bottom left there are eleven red sparks, a matter discussed in the Kabbalah that corresponds to the eleven types of incense in the Temple. These types of incense when offered and also when said are beneficial in “redeeming” these sparks of holiness from their “capture” in evil.
In contrast to evil we see twelve angelic candles in the heavens, hinting to the twelve tribes of Israel. These twelve are divided between seven within the matza, a symbol of freedom from Egypt, and five outside this matza. This matter may hint to the verse said at the Splitting of the Sea “zeh eli veanvehu,” with zeh being comprised of zayin of the numerical value of seven and heh of the numerical value of five. It seems that corresponding to these twelve are four celestial shins, each having three prongs, altogether containing twelve prongs. The fourth shin is different than rest, being painted fiery-red and being adjacent to the Temple. This matter may hint to the fourth and highest world of Atzilut associated with fire [in the four elements fire, wind, water, and dust]. This world is also associated with the concept of “kedusha” – holiness, which may explain its juxtaposition to the Beit Hamikdash. Indeed the twelve tribes correspond to the permutations of the Tetragrammaton, of which three permutations begin with the letter yod, associated with the world of Atzilut. The name Kiryat Arba also alludes to these four worlds. Next to the matza we see a talis and tefilin, symbols of prayer and devotion to Hashem. All these matters, Jerusalem and Hebron, devotion and spiritual freedom, spiritual ascent and national unity (the twelve ascending candles), together join to combat the powers of evil at the bottom of the painting.