Tag Archives: Middot

Joseph and the Rothschilds

This week’s parasha, Vayeshev, relays the infamous story of the Sale of Joseph. As explored in the past, a careful reading of the text shows that Joseph’s brothers didn’t necessarily sell him (see ‘Was Joseph Really Sold by His Brothers?’ in Garments of Light, Volume One). They threw him in a pit and abandoned him. They then discussed what to do next, and Yehudah only suggested selling him. While they were still deliberating, Reuben goes to get Joseph from the pit and discovers that he is no longer there. Midianites had found Joseph and enslaved him, then sold him to Ishmaelites that took him down to Egypt. Reuben runs to his brothers to relay that Joseph is gone! (Genesis 37:29-30)

The plain reading of the text suggests the brothers did not sell Joseph. However, because they abandoned him and seriously considered selling him, they took on the blame for it anyway. Most commentaries, including Rashi, insist that the brothers really were directly involved in the sale, but some commentators argue otherwise, including Rashi’s grandson Rashbam (Rabbi Shmuel ben Meir, c. 1085-1158), who wrote:

… עברו אנשים מדיינים אחרים דרך שם, וראוהו בבור ומשכוהו ומכרוהו המדיינים לישמעאלים. ויש לומר שהאחים לא ידעו, ואף על פי אשר כתב: אשר מכרתם אותי מצרימה (בראשית מ”ה:ד’), יש לומר: שהגרמת מעשיהם סייעה במכירתו. זה נראה לי לפי עומק דרך פשוטו של מקרא. כי ויעברו אנשים מדיינים – משמע על ידי מקרה, והם מכרוהו לישמעאלים.

… other, Midianite people passed by there and saw [Joseph] in the pit and pulled him out and sold him to the Ishmaelites. One could say that the brothers did not know of this, even though it is later written “that you sold me to Egypt” (Genesis 45:4) this is to mean that their actions indirectly caused his sale. This appears to me to be the more profound simple understanding of the verses, for “Midianite people passed by” coincidentally at that time, and they sold him to the Ishmaelites.

This interpretation would explain many other details, for instance, why were the brothers so shocked to see Joseph years later in Egypt? If they had sold him to a slave caravan going down to Egypt, why would they be surprised to find him there? They should have known he is in Egypt! In fact, we know the brothers all repented wholeheartedly, so why did they not, at some point, go down to Egypt and look for him or try to bring him back? The evidence is quite strong that the brothers genuinely did not know where he was.

A related follow-up question: Which brothers were there when Joseph was sold to begin with? The parasha begins by telling us that Joseph “tended the flocks with his brothers, and he was a youth with the sons of his father’s wives Bilhah and Zilpah.” (Genesis 37:2) It seems Joseph spent most of his time with the four sons from the concubine-wives, ie. Dan, Naftali, Gad, and Asher—the younger siblings. The sons of Leah, meanwhile, kept to themselves, perhaps because of seniority or maybe even an air of superiority. It seems to be that Joseph and the four sons of the concubine wives stayed close to home and shepherded their flocks near Jacob’s tent, while the sons of Leah were shepherding further away near Shechem and Dotan, which is why Jacob sends Joseph on a mission to find them and see what they are up to (Genesis 37:14). Note how the only brothers that are named in the account surrounding the sale are Reuben, Shimon, and Judah—three of the six sons of Leah. None of the other brothers are mentioned. One could make the case that maybe only the sons of Leah were involved.

The Sefirot of Mochin above (in blue) and the Sefirot of the Middot below (in red) on the mystical “Tree of Life”.

Kabbalistically, the children of Leah make up a complete set corresponding to the lower Sefirot. Recall that the Ten Sefirot are divided up into the three lofty Mochin (“intellectual” faculties) and the seven lower Middot (“emotional” faculties). The firstborn Reuben, the kind one who tried to save Joseph, is Chessed, the first of the Middot. Chessed is associated with water, and Jacob later describes Reuben as pachaz k’mayim, “impetuous like water”. Second-born Shimon, the strongest, feistiest, and most judgemental of the brothers, neatly corresponds to second Gevurah, or Din, “severity” and “judgement”. The priestly Levi is Tiferet, the repentant Yehudah is Netzach, and Issachar and Zevulun are Hod and Yesod. Their sister Dinah, of course, corresponds to the feminine Malkhut.

It appears from the plain text of the parasha that the children of Leah mostly kept to their own “Sefirotic” group. That said, we find that Reuben was not with them when they discussed the sale of Joseph. The Zohar (I, 185b) explains that the sons of Jacob took turns tending to their father’s needs. That day was the day that Reuben was responsible for Jacob, so he was away with his father. This explains why Reuben only reappears later in the narrative. He only rushed back, the Zohar says, to save Joseph from the pit, and was completely unaware of the sale (וְאֲפִילּוּ רְאוּבֵן לָא יָדַע מֵהַהוּא זְבִינָא דְיוֹסֵף). He would not find out until many years later in Egypt. If we put all of this information together, it appears only five of the brothers were directly involved: Shimon, Levi, Yehudah, Issachar, and Zevulun. All ten are ultimately held culpable because brothers are all responsible for each other, and should always be aware of each other’s whereabouts and wellbeing. The fact that they let Joseph get sold into slavery was an absolute failure on the part of all ten, even those who were not technically involved. And that’s why we have so many traditions and teachings about the need for all ten brothers to be rectified, including through the Ten Martyrs later in history (see ‘The Ten Martyrs & the Message of Yom Kippur’ in Garments of Light, Volume Two).

But what of the five brothers that were mainly culpable? They would certainly need a special, additional tikkun. As we look through Jewish history, we find several more groups of “five brothers” that are of tremendous significance. Each of these groups of five propel Judaism forward and usher in a new era in Jewish history. Who are these groups of five and how do they relate to the five brothers of Joseph?

The Maccabees & the Tannaim

We find a set of five brothers with similar names to the first set in the story of Chanukah. Parashat Vayeshev is always read right around Chanukah time, and there are no coincidences in the Jewish calendar! Could it be that the righteous Yehudah, who takes the lead among the sons of Jacob and takes the lead in repentance, returns as Yehudah Maccabee, who takes the lead among the sons of Matityahu and takes the lead to save Judaism in the Second Temple era? Shimon, who was the most culpable of the sons and was not even blessed by Jacob on his deathbed (Genesis 49), returns as Simon Thassi, “Shimon the Righteous”, the last surviving son of the Maccabees and arguably the first rabbi. What a tikkun that would make! Levi, the family priest in Jacob’s time, returns as Elazar, described as the most “religious” of the Maccabees, the one tasked with learning and praying while the other brothers fought the Seleucids (see II Maccabees 8:22-23). Elazar eventually joins the battle himself, and tragically gets trampled by a war elephant. The little-known Issachar and Zevulun, who are not mentioned in the Genesis account, parallel Yonatan and Yochanan, of whom we also know the least about when it comes to the Maccabees.

In fact, as explored in the past, it is possible that these same five souls return once again in the students of Rabbi Akiva: Yehuda bar Ilai, Shimon bar Yochai, Elazar ben Shammua, Yose bar Halafta, and Meir. These five rabbis were involved in a great war, too—the Bar Kochva Revolt—and were among the few survivors. The Talmud credits them with reviving Judaism after the devastation of the war (Yevamot 62b). Again, this would serve as a worthy tikkun for the five sons of Jacob and the failure with Joseph. The fact that the five rabbis were students of Akiva (Aramaic for “Yakov”) bar Yosef might further hint to a connection to Joseph in the Torah.

With the first five brothers, Joseph told them that they intended something negative, but it was all in Hashem’s hands and He orchestrated it all to bring about something positive. It was all meant to happen, to bring Israel to its next phase of development in Egypt, and to set the stage for the Exodus. The same was true the second time around during Chanukah, with the five sons of Matityahu saving Judaism and bringing it to its next stage of development, the rabbinic era. And the third time was with the students of Rabbi Akiva, who were once again able to preserve Judaism amidst intense Roman persecution and exile, and adapt Judaism to a reality without a Temple, while laying the foundations of the Mishnah and Talmud.

The Rothschilds & the Chanukah Lights

One might go even further and find another set of five Jewish brothers who make a massive impact not only on the course of the Jewish people but on the world at large: the five original Rothschild sons. Their father Mayer Rothschild was initially set to become a rabbi. In his youth, he apprenticed with a banker and eventually became one himself. He was a deeply religious man, and ensured his five sons were the same. None of them intermarried or converted out. (Eldest son Amschel was particularly known to be very religious, and was nicknamed “the pious Rothschild”. Grandson Lionel was the first Jew in British parliament, and was sworn in over a Tanakh, wearing a kippah.)

The Rothschilds invested huge sums in support of shuls, yeshivas, orphanages, and Jewish institutions, and later played a big role in the Zionist movement and establishing some of the first Jewish towns in Israel. (A famous Hasidic story attributes Rothschild wealth and success to a blessing from Rabbi Hershelle Tschortkower.) Grandson Edmond de Rothschild gave the funds to establish Rishon Lezion, Metulla, Ekron, Rosh Pina, and Zichron Yaakov (named after his father Jacob Rothschild). He purchased an additional 125,000 acres of land in Israel, and gave the equivalent of what is today $700 million for the early infrastructure that made Israel possible. He was beloved by Jews and Arabs alike, and was called haNadiv haYadua, “the Famous Benefactor”.

Edmond de Rothschild on an Israeli 500 Shekel Note (1982)

The name “Rothschild”, literally red shield, comes from the red banner the family had above their door in the Jewish quarter of Frankfurt. The family later designed a coat of arms that included a red shield, and an arm holding five arrows to represent the five brothers, based on Psalms 127:4, “Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are sons born to a man in his youth.” Some conspiracy theorists have argued that the red shield is symbolic of the family secretly being Edomites, connected to the wicked Esau. However, one could make the opposite case: the Rothschilds probably did more than any other family at the time to shield the Jewish people from the oppression of Edom! They also invested heavily in Edom, paying for some of the first European rail networks and modern factories, as well as hospitals, universities and research labs, museums, charities, and large public works.

We find a great deal of similarity between the five Maccabee sons and the five Rothschild sons. In both cases, the sons were deeply religious, their children less so, and the descendants that followed leaving the faith entirely. The Hasmonean dynasty of the Maccabees soon became entirely Hellenistic, taking on Greek names (like Alexander Yannai and Yochanan Hyrcanus) and Greek titles (like strategos and basileus), and eventually even persecuting rabbis, causing sages like Shimon ben Shatach and Yehoshua ben Perachia to flee to Egypt. Among the Rothschilds, too, within a few generations there was widespread assimilation, intermarriage, conversions, and support for all kinds of things antithetical to Judaism. Some Rothschilds even became vocal anti-Zionists and refused to ever visit Israel.

‘Joseph Makes Himself Known to His Brethren’ by Gustav Doré

And it all ties back to Joseph in Egypt. In fact, some see Joseph as a spiritual precursor to the Rothschilds: a “Court Jew” who became incredibly wealthy and powerful, drawing the ire and resentment of the Egyptians. The result is ultimately more antisemitism and persecution of Jews, but that leads to an Exodus to the Promised Land. This is, of course, reminiscent of what we witnessed in the 20th Century. It all reminds us of Joseph’s own words: “Now, do not be distressed or reproach yourselves because you sold me here; it was to save life that God sent me ahead of you… God has sent me ahead of you to ensure your survival on earth, and to save your lives in an extraordinary deliverance. So, it was not you who sent me here, but God…” (Genesis 45:4-8) We must remember that all is in Hashem’s hands. He orchestrates every detail of history. Moments that initially appear negative end up being revealed as positive in the long run. And this was Joseph’s superpower: having an ayin tova, a good eye, and seeing the positive within all things. That is why Jacob described him as being ben porat Yosef, ben porat alei ayin, good upon the eye (Genesis 49:22).

The Chanukah lights have the same message. They represent the ohr haganuz, the hidden light of Creation. We are not supposed to derive physical benefit from the Chanukah lights (hence the shamash) to remember to gaze beyond the physical light and into the spiritual. They remind us that things are not always as they appear to be. There is a hidden light beneath the revealed one. Sometimes we just need to look a little deeper to uncover it.

Happy Chanukah!

What Exactly is the Yetzer HaRa?

This week’s parasha, Ki Tetze, begins by describing the procedure when Israelite men “go out to war” and encounter a beautiful woman behind enemy lines. The Torah permits taking this woman for a wife, but on condition that the soldier waits for one month. He is to bring her to his home, where she shaves her head and cuts her nails while mourning for a month for the loss of her family. Only then, if the soldier still wants her, he can take her as a wife. If he no longer wants her, then she is to be set free unconditionally. The Torah cautions that she must not be treated as a slave or sold. A big question here is: is the soldier permitted to have relations with the “beautiful captive” immediately, or must he wait one month until she is eligible to be his wife? Continue reading →

The Kabbalah of Neurotransmitters

With gratitude to my dear friend Rabbi Yehoshua Gerzi, who first suggested the idea. 

The centrepiece of this week’s parasha, Yitro, is the Ten Commandments relayed at Mount Sinai. As is well-known, all “tens” in the Torah are connected and parallel each other, starting with the Ten Utterances of Creation and the Ten Sefirot, the ten trials of Abraham, the Ten Plagues, and the Ten Commandments. Similarly, there are patterns of ten all over science and nature. Our entire mathematical system is built upon a base-10 system of digits. The human body has ten senses. Relatedly, we find that the human brain relies primarily on a set of ten neurotransmitters (out of a total of about forty altogether). This is particularly relevant to this week’s parasha, where the Sinai Revelation is described as something akin to a synesthetic and psychedelic experience. What are the brain’s major neurotransmitters, and what is their spiritual root in the Sefirot?

The most abundant neurotransmitter in the brain, by far, is glutamate. Glutamate is a small molecule closely related to the the amino acid glutamic acid, and made from the similar amino acid glutamine. Glutamate is an excitatory neurotransmitter whose job is to turn things “on”. It is vital for learning, memory, and the formation of new synapses between brain cells. It is also used to make a different neurotransmitter which has the exact opposite role, to turn things “off”: GABA. Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is the main inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain. It is also important for brain development, and is involved in regulating moods, and blood sugar, too (directly affecting insulin-producing cells in the pancreas). Alcohol’s effect on the brain is caused by increasing levels of GABA, resulting in an inhibitory effect.

In terms of Sefirot, it is quite clear that glutamate and GABA parallel Chessed and Gevurah, “positive” and “negative” energies that balance each other out and are both vital for healthy functioning. Recall that Chessed is often referred to as Gedulah, “largeness”, fitting for glutamate which is the most abundant neurotransmitter in the body. Meanwhile, mystical texts parallel red wine (and, by extension, all alcohol) to the realm of Gevurah, further solidying the connection to GABA.

It is worth noting that glutamate activates the tongue’s “savoury” (or umami) taste receptors. This is why monosodium glutamate, infamously known as MSG, is added to many foods and snacks. Some have argued that since glutamate is an excitatory neurotransmitter, too much MSG consumption can result in “excitotoxicity” in the brain, possibly damaging brain cells or interfering with brain development. This is why people often look for MSG on labels to avoid them, so food producers use alternate names to avoid detection, including “flavour enhancer 621” or even just “yeast extract” or “autolyzed yeast”.

At the neuromuscular junction, the axon (top) releases acetylcholine, which then binds acetylcholine (ACh) receptors on the muscle, ultimately triggering a contraction.

The next major neurotransmitter is acetylcholine. It is involved in excitation, learning, and memory, as well, but has many more roles all over the body. Perhaps most importantly, acetylcholine is the chemical that transforms the brain’s electrical signals into muscle contractions. At every neuromuscular junction between nerves and skeletal muscles is acetylcholine. It is vital for the heart, too, and regulates heart rate and blood pressure. Acetylcholine is precisely the central Sefirah of Tiferet, the only one that intertwines with all other Sefirot, sending energy in all directions, and serving as the “heart” of the Sefirot.

The next two Sefirot, Netzach and Hod, always come in a pair, their literal names meaning “victory” and “glory”. They are compared to the “legs”, and are sources of strength, elevation, and prophecy. Of course, they neatly parallel the twin pair of epinephrine (adrenaline) and norepinephrine, the main neurotransmitters in the body’s sympathetic “fight-or-flight” response. These neurotransmitters turn up one’s heart rate, breath rate, stress levels, alertness, attention, and focus. No victory or glory was ever achieved in battle (or at a sports game) without a steady flow of adrenaline in the participants. Medically, epinephrine is most commonly used to stop allergic reactions, asthma attacks, and heart attacks, making it a key life-saver (another point for Netzach). Meanwhile, many medications for ADHD and depression upregulate the body’s norepinephrine levels.

We then get to Yesod, the domain of pleasure and intimacy. This corresponds to endorphins, the body’s natural painkillers and pleasure-producers. Release of endorphins from the pituitary gland is the primary cause of sexual pleasure. (The pituitary gland also releases hormones that control the reproductive system and production of both male and female gametes.) The term “endorphin” comes from endogenous morphine, and many drugs and painkillers are actually endorphin mimics. In fact, these are some of the most addictive drugs—including opioids, which are tragically resulting in the deaths of countless people. It is fairly well-known that Kabbalistic texts pinpoint life’s most difficult test to be in the realm of Yesod, and the final tikkun of the pre-Mashiach generation is specifically about rectifying Yesod—which certainly explains the world we see around us today, on many levels.

Finally, we come to Malkhut at the base of the Sefirot, where the final reward lies after the test of Yesod is passed. This is the place of the reward hormone dopamine. Like other neurotransmitters, dopamine plays an important role in learning, memory, and concentration. However, its most famous role is to produce a sense of reward and positivity. Most recreational drugs (including nicotine, cannabis, cocaine, meth, and heroine) mimic dopamine or increase the amount of dopamine in the brain. It is interesting that in mystical texts Malkhut is always described as being “empty”, often devoid of its own energy, and is also called shiflut, “lowliness”. This might explain why people who are in such a state of lowliness or emptiness tend to abuse dopamine-type drugs.

The amino acid phenylalanine (top left) is used to produce a number of important neurotransmitters including dopamine, epinephrine, and norepinephrine.

Now we come to the upper three Sefirot, the Mochin, most closely associated with the brain itself. The motherly Binah, also called Ima, neatly corresponds to the neurotransmitter and hormone oxytocin. Recall that it is oxytocin that causes contractions during childbirth, and is involved with production of breastmilk afterwards. Oxytocin plays a huge role (in men and women) in love and emotional attachment, trust and social bonding, sexual arousal, and even anger management.

On the other side is Chokhmah, the fatherly Abba. This corresponds well with a molecule that until recently was thought to be only a hormone, but is now recognized as an important neurotransmitter, too: histamine. Histamine is made directly from the amino acid histidine, and is popularly known for its role in the immune system and allergic responses. It was once thought that histamine is only made in the immune system and by immune cells. We now know it is produced by the brain as well, and is primarily involved with alertness (hence antihistamines causing drowsiness). More recently, it was found to play a key role in male arousal and erectile function. It also plays a protective role for neurons, and may be involved in forgetting unnecessary things (another stereotypical male trait).

At last, we get to the highest Sefirah of Keter, the root of willpower, ratzon. This is undoubtedly the all-important serotonin, deeply involved in our own human willpower. Serotonin is made from the amino acid tryptophan, and has countless functions in the brain and body. It plays key roles in the digestive system and circulatory system, serves as a growth factor for some cells and organs, and regulates bone mass. (Note that Keter is often referred to as the “skull”.) Its best-known role is in mood regulation, and a lack of serotonin (or rapid reuptake of it) causes depression and a lack of willpower. Many antidepressants target serotonin and serotonin-related receptors and channels, as do many antipsychotics and antimigraine drugs. Interestingly, psychedelic drugs like DMT, psilocybin, LSD, and peyote (mescaline) are also serotonin mimics. And this brings us to the hidden Sefirah of Da’at:

Da’at is thought of as the inner “realization” of Keter, the application of the initial will. It lies directly beneath Keter, between Chokhmah and Binah, usually concealed on a diagram of the Sefirot. It is sometimes described as the “integration” of knowledge. Da’at is intricately tied to Keter, so we should expect it to have its own related set of neurotransmitters. First is melatonin, the sleep hormone. Like serotonin (which also plays a small role in sleep), melatonin is made from tryptophan and has a very similar structure. Sleep is absolutely vital, shutting down our consciousness to allow the brain to reorganize and clean itself up. Like Da’at, sleep allows for “integration” of knowledge. Spiritually, our holy texts teach that most of the soul ascends to higher worlds during sleep, hence the body’s “dead-like” state. And this is what allows some of our dreams to be prophetic, as the wandering soul may pick up and retain higher knowledge from Above.

Scientifically, dreaming is very poorly understood and is still mostly a mystery. No one knows the biological reason for dreaming, but we do know it is essential, and going without dreaming (and the corresponding REM sleep) could be fatal. Incredibly, the Talmud (Berakhot 55a) knew this long ago, pointing out that the Hebrew word for “dream”, chalom, shares a root with “health” and “healing”, hachlamah. Based on Isaiah 38:16, the Talmud points out that dreaming keeps a person alive!

On the neurotransmitter level, dreaming has been linked to another tryptophan-derived molecule closely related to melatonin, popularly called DMT (dimethyltryptamine). DMT is famous for its hallucinogenic and psychedelic properties, and as the active ingredient in Ayahuasca. It can be highly transformative and therapeutic for many people. DMT is found in various plants (including those mentioned in the Torah, as described in a previous essay here.) And it is believed that tiny amounts of DMT may even be naturally produced by our brains, in the same pineal gland that makes melatonin. It may be involved in our own dreams, possibly including prophetic ones.

The pineal gland—often called the “third eye”—sits at the base of the brain, just as Da’at sits at the base of the Mochin, the literal “brain” of the Sefirot. The pineal gland actually contains photoreceptors like our eyes do, and in birds, for example, it sits at the top of the brain and picks up light signals to help birds navigate as they fly. This “third eye” pineal gland has been linked to the head tefillin worn between the eyes (as well as wearing a kippah, as explored in the past here). Amazingly, the Zohar taught centuries ago that the reason the head tefillin is split into four compartments (while the arm tefillin has just one) is both because it corresponds to the four light receptors in the eyes (the Zohar seems to have incredibly known about rods and cones!) as well as the four aspects of the Mochin! (Ie. Keter, Chokhmah, Binah, and Da’at. See Zohar III, 292b-293b, Idra Zuta.)

To complete the discussion, there is one more minor neurotransmitter that needs to be mentioned in the concealed “Da’at” category: adenosine. Adenosine is better known for its role as one of the four letters that make up our genetic alphabet (the adenine “A” of ACTG). But it happens to play a critical role in sleep and wakefulness, too. In fact, caffeine is an adenosine mimic, and specifically blocks adenosine receptors to prevent sleepiness! Lastly, while we can group adenosine, melatonin, and DMT together in the “Da’at” category, there is an alternative: In deeper mystical texts, two additional aspects of Keter are mentioned: Ta’anug, “pleasure”, and Emunah, “faith”. So, one might also align sleepy adenosine with Ta’anug (sleep being particularly associated with “pleasure” and oneg Shabbat), and spiritually uplifting DMT with Emunah.

To summarize: