The Modern Erev Rav (mixed multitude) Pt.3

THE EREV RAV WERE FROM THE SPARKS OF MOSHE, WHICH
IS WHY MOSHE WORKED SO HARD ON THEIR BEHALF TO
RECTIFY THEM. (AITZ CHAIM, SHA'AR 32, PEREK 2)

Knowing this, we can now understand why Moshe was born to Yocheved when she
was 130 years old, corresponding to the 130 years during which Adam 'made' these souls. Furthermore, explains the Arizal, the following verse is another
similar allusion:
Nachshon, the son of Aminadav of the tribe of Yehudah offered on the first day. He offered one silver dish, 130 shekels in weight (mem-shin-KUF- LAMED-heh)...  (Bamidbar 7:12-13)

First of all, the silver dish weighed 130 shekels, again, corresponding
to the 130 years of Adam HaRishon. Secondly, the word for weight (mishkelah)is comprised of two words: mem-shin-heh, and, kuf-lamed, which means, "Moshe 130," emphasizing the connection between Moshe and the Erev Rav that he insisted on bringing along.

IN FACT, THE ABOVE POSUK IS FROM THE DEDICATION OF
THE MISHKAN, WHICH HAD BEEN BUILT AS A TIKUN FOR
THE GOLDEN CALF, WHICH HAD BEEN INSTIGATED BY THE
EREV RAV.
Hence, the silver dish brought by each prince was equal to 130 shekels, and the
word 'mishkelah' is made up of 'Moshe' and '130,' connecting the construction of the Mishkan to the 130 years of Adam HaRishon, and Moshe Rabbeinu as well.
As well, this explains why Ya'akov came down to Egypt in his 130th year (Bereishis 47:9). Ya'akov, like his son Yosef, knew that Tikun Olam-World Rectification depended upon transforming these wayward souls from the side of evil to the side of good. That Divine Providence worked it out that Ya'akov should end up in Egypt in his 130th year was a signal from Heaven regarding one of his main purposes for being there, amongst the K'lipos. This is not the whole story of the spiritual origins of what is turning out to be the most difficult enemy the Jewish people have ever confronted:
. . . Therefore, our main service and battle is to break and to remove the strength of the Erev Rav, the k'lipah of Armelius the Evil, from Israel; the Erev Rav is our greatest enemy, the one who separates the two moshiachs.
The k'lipah of the Erev Rav works only through deception and roundabout ways. Therefore, the war against the Erev Rav is the most difficult and bitterest of all. (Kol HaTor, Chapter 2, Section 2, Letter 'bais')

But, as the Vilna Gaon wrote:
They are called 'Erev Rav' because they are the heads of the Jews in exile, and
therefore they are called 'rav.' (Likutim HaGra)
In fact, some of the most frightening words come from the Divrei Chaim, who says:
"Before the arrival of Moshiach, most of the rabbis will be from the Erev Rav,
because Israel in themselves are holy, but the Erev Rav only work for their own
benefit . . . wanting to rule over the public . . . One should only join with those who truly serve G-d and sacrifice themselves to Him, but not in order to receive any benefit." (Divrei Chaim, Parashas Vayakhel, 'Omissions')
Thus, a tell-tale sign of Erev Rav is not what the person does, but his motivation for doing it, which is not always simple to know. However, over time it is clear which leaders serve G-d and His people 'lishmah' - for altruistic reasons - and which ones do so for the sake of some personal benefit. Thus, you can find simple, unlearned but devoted Jews who are cherished by Heaven, and intelligent and well-learned leaders who are self-serving, and despised by Heaven, especially when they fool the public and garner their respect.

THE EREV RAV DOES NOT HAVE AN OUTWARDLY
SECULAR NATURE. ON THE CONTRARY, THEY CAN
APPEAR QUITE RELIGIOUS AND, FOR THE MOST
PART, FULFILL THE MITZVOS INCUMBENT UPON A
JEW TODAY, AT LEAST EXTERNALLY. HOWEVER,
THE ZOHAR ITSELF, AND THEN THE VILNA GAON,
HAVE MORE TO ADD TO THIS LIST, BRINGING INTO
EVEN GREATER FOCUS THE WORST OF ALL JEWISH
ENEMIES THAT LIVES WITHIN.

(to be continued)

The Modern Erev Rav (mixed multitude) Pt.2

IN THE WRITINGS OF THE ARIZAL IT SAYS:

All the 'Shiddin' and 'Ruchin' that they created during the 130 years that Adam
separated from Chava, as it is known, were all elevated and holy souls from the level of Da'as (in the Sefiros; according to the Arizal, 'erev rav' is equal in gematria to the word 'da'as' [474] ; Aitz Chaim, Sha'ar 32, Perek 2). However, they became mixed together with the K'lipos (Negative Forces), and, as a result, require many gilgulim (reincarnations) to 'refine' and 'whiten' (i.e., to rectify) them. This is why the Jewish nation did not come into being until Ya'akov's time, because until that time, most of the souls were intermingled with the K'lipos, and were in a process of refinement and reincarnation from generation to generation. They didn't begin their tikun(rectification) until Ya'akov, the 'chosen' of the Forefathers who rectified Adam HaRishon. That was also when his sons began their tikun . . . throughout the Egyptian exile. This is the underlying meaning of the verse, "Could any other god come and take a nation out from within a nation?" (Devarim 4:34). Chazal teach: It does not say "a PEOPLE within a nation," rather, "a NATION from within a nation," because that is what really occurred since they were well within the midst of the K'lipos (Egypt), and were a nation like them. They were then refined, purified, and taken out from the midst of that nation literally. The beginning of their gilgulim was in the Generation of the Flood . . . This is the deeper meaning of the verse, "God regretted that He made THE MAN [HA ADAM] on the land (Bereishis 6:7), which refers to the Generation of the Flood. This hinted to the fact that they were on the level of Adam (Man) HaRishon himself, emanating from him during the 130 years (the Arizal brings many more possukim discussing the evil of this generation to support this point) . . . Next, they reincarnated as the Generation of the Dispersion, and were evil like their fathers . . . This is what is written, "God
went down to see the city and the tower that mankind (literally, "son of THE
MAN") built" (Bereishis 11:5). As the Zohar elucidates (Bereishis 75a): Literally,
son of "the Man," Adam HaRishon, to hint to the fact that they were literally his
sons . . . The third reincarnation was as the people S'dom, and therefore it says,
"The people of S'dom were evil and sinned greatly against God" (Bereishis 13:13), to hint that their evil was the result of the destroyed seed of Adam, which was called "evil" . . . After these three gilgulim over three generations . . . they returned a fourth time in Egypt, in B'nei Israel, born into the generation of that exile, at which time the tikun finally began .  (Arizal, Sha'ar HaKevanos 1b)

Of course, the missing link is the following:

All the souls that were rectified completely reincarnated into the Children of Israel and were the generation that went down to Egypt. However, there were souls that were not yet rectified, and they became Egyptians. Yosef had them circumcised, as it says, "Go to Yosef and do whatever he tells you to do" (Bereishis 41:55).
 Also, Ya'akov, his father, made many converts in Egypt (Bereishis Rabbah 84:4). Those who converted and did Milah lived apart from the rest of Egyptian society, and stood out amongst the rest of the Egyptians. Pharoh noticed these two levels, and it is with respect to the converts that he said, "The people, the Children of Israel are more numerous and greater than us"; they were the Erev Rav that left with the Children of Israel, and they were more than double the Jewish people . . . (Sha'arei HaPesukim, Shemos 1:8)

                                             (to be continued)

THE MODERN EREV RAV(MIXED MULTITUDE) pt.1

“The Erev Rav delay the redemption much more than all the nations of the World”

(Raaya Mehemna-Sefer Ha Zohar)

What is the Erev rav? Who are they?

The first time the Erev Rav appears in the Torah:

“The Children of Israel traveled from Ramses towards Succot. There were about 600,000 adult males on foot, besides the children. The Erev Rav also went up with them”. (Shemot 12:37-38)

THE EREV RAV WERE THE SORCERERS AND MAGICIANS OF EGYPT WHO

MOSHE TOOK OUT OF EGYPT IN SPITE OF HASHEM’S WARNING NOT TO TAKE

THEM ALONG AND WHEN THE PEOPLE SAW THAT MOSHE DELAYED (boshesh)

TO COME DOWN OUT OF THE MOUNT.

The word "people" denotes the "mixed multitude". And who were the "mixed multitude"? Were they Lydians, Ethiopians, or Cyprians? Were they not all Egyptians and did they not all come from Egypt? If they had consisted of a mixture of many different nations, would not the plural verb 'Alu (went up) have been used instead of the singular Ala (Ex. XII, 38)? In fact, however, the "mixed multitude" consisted entirely of one people; all the members of which spoke one language, namely, all the sorcerers of Egypt and all its magicians as it is written:

"And the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments" (Ex. 7, 2); for they wanted to oppose the wonderful works of The Holy One, blessed be He. When they saw the signs and the wonders which Moshe wrought in Egypt they came to Moshe to be converted. Said the Holy One to Moshe: "Do not receive them"

Moshe, however, replied: "Sovereign of the universe, now that they have seen Your power they desire to accept our Faith, let them see Your power every day and they will learn that there is no G-d like You." And Moshe accepted them. (ZOHAR HA KADOSH KI TISSA 191A)



THE ORIGINS OF THE EREV RAV


Rebi Yirmiyah son of Elazar said: All the years Adam was in excommunication, he fathered Ruchin, Shiddin, and Lillin [Demons and evil spirits], as it says, "Adam lived 130 years and he fathered a son in his likeness and his image" (Bereishis 5:3), implying that until then, he fathered those unlike his form. This was questioned, for
Rebi Meir said: Adam HaRishon was extremely pious, because when he saw that he had brought about the punishment of death, he sat in fasting for 130 years, and separated from his wife for 130 years as well! This implies that he was unable to father anything for that duration of time. However, the Talmud answers:
" He wore a belt of date branches over his skin for 130 years which forced him to emit seed" (and produce the souls mentioned above). (Eruvin 18b)

                               (to be continued)