260115.vaera - General and particularRabbi Yosi opens with: "And I shall take you to me as a people and I will be to you as an Elohim and you will know that I am Hashem your Elohim." Rabbi Shimon tells us that the first and most important precept is to know God in the general sense - to know that there is a supernal ruler who is the master of the world and who created all the worlds, heaven and earth, and all their beings. Just as this is the beginning of the precepts, the end of them is to know Him particularly -- General and Particular are Beginning and End. They are also the secret of male and female as in Zeir Anpin and Nukva. At the end of 40 years of wandering following the exodus from Egypt, Moses told the children of Yisrael: "Know therefore this day, and consider it in your heart that Yud Hei Vav Hei is the Elohim." This then is the particular. Rabbi Shimon says that the fear of Hashem is the beginning of knowing Him in particular. We are told next that a person should perfect the 248 limbs of the soul of man - the 248 positive precepts. After he has been perfected in general, he will know in particular. Rabbi Shimon turns to a discussion of the limbs, the days of the year, the Sfirot and their cures. Blessings, life and cures come down to a person only after he completes all 248 precepts. The first word of the Torah when it was given on Mount Sinai was "Anochi (I am)," which is the secret of the first precept of knowing Him in general. "For Hashem your Elohim is a consuming fire" is an allusion to the particular.Vaera: Verse 55

Ra'aya Meheimna (The Faithful Shepherd). "And I will take you to Me for a people, and I will be to you as an Elohim; and you shall know that I am Hashem your Elohim..." (Shemot 6:7). This commandment is the first of all the precepts BECAUSE the very beginning of all the precepts IS to know the Holy One, blessed be He, in the general ASPECT. HE ASKS, What is meant by general? HE ANSWERS, IT IS to know that there is a Supernal Ruler, who is the Master of the world, and who created all the worlds, heaven and earth, and all their hosts. This is in general. And everything ends in the particular, NAMELY to know Him in the details.

Vaera: Verse 56

General and particular is beginning and end. THEY ARE the secret of male and female as one BECAUSE ZEIR ANPIN IS CALLED GENERAL AND THE NUKVA IS CALLED PARTICULAR. Thus man in this world WHO IS OCCUPIED WITH PRECEPTS is occupied with the general and particular, WHICH ARE THE BEGINNING AND THE END OF THE PRECEPTS. AND WE FIND man in this world to be general and particular MEANING THAT HE HAS TO BE PERFECTED BY BOTH. And the perfection of this world is general and particular, SO THE GENERAL, WHICH IS ZEIR ANPIN, WOULD BE UNITED WITH THE NUKVA, WHICH IS PARTICULAR. Therefore, it is first of all necessary to know that there is a ruler and judge in the world, who is the master of all the worlds, who created man from dust and blew into his nostrils the breath of life. This is general.

Vaera: Verse 57

When Yisrael left Egypt, they did not know the Holy One, blessed be He. When Moses came to them, he taught them this first precept, as it is written, "And you shall know that I am Hashem your Elohim, who brings you out..." Were it not for this commandment, Yisrael would not be faithful TO HASHEM, EVEN AFTER all these miracles and mighty acts that THE HOLY ONE, BLESSED BE HE, performed for them in Egypt. After they knew this commandment in general, miracles and mighty deeds were performed for them, FOR THEY WERE ALREADY CERTAIN THAT THEY WOULD BELIEVE IN HASHEM THROUGH THEM, AS IT IS WRITTEN, "AND YISRAEL SAW...AND BELIEVED IN HASHEM, AND IN MOSES HIS SERVANT" (SHEMOT 14:31).