Kabbalah Library

7. “The Lord said, ‘I will bring back from Bashan, I will bring them back from the depths of the sea.’” We should pay attention to faith in the Creator, whose every word is truth and great faith. Once He says something, it is done in its entirety. But this narrow-hearted man, if He says that this will be completed after several years and within how long, it is so. With the Creator, according to His governance, where all the worlds are filled with His glory, it is especially so.

Man’s words are small, and all his words are transient, as is he himself, transient, like a fleeting shadow. But in repentance and prayer, in good deeds and in many tears, he is holy, since the great one, the superior one over the whole world shines His light and restricts His holiness for man to do His will.

8. In the future, the Creator will awaken and bring back from Bashan all those whom animals of the field have killed and ate, since “from Bashan” has the letters of Mibein Shinei HaChayot [from between the animals’ teeth], since there is a place of settlement in the world where all the big animals and high mountains are. They hide in one another, the animals hide in the mountain, and that place is called “Bashan.”

There is the strong Desert African Ass there, who is Og, who was among the Desert African Asses, and there was his strength, since he was the king of Bashan, the king of that place. All the kings in the world would not fight against him due to the power of the Bashan, and Moses came and waged war against him. The African Ass is an animal that is similar to a donkey.

9. Sihon, Sihon was the foal of the desert, and Moab’s confidence relied on it, as it is written, “For the Arnon is the border of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites,” for Sihon was Moab’s neighbor and guarded his boundary.

When Israel destroyed the city of Sihon, the herald went through the kingdom of heaven among the seventy ministers of the seventy nations: “Assemble, Mighty ones who govern the rest of the nation, and see the kingdom of the Amorite, how his kingdom is ruined.”

10. At that time, all those rulers who were appointed over seven nations gathered and wished to restore Sihon’s kingship. When they saw Moses’ strength, they retreated, as it is written, “Therefore, the rulers will say, ‘Come to Heshbon.’” These are the rulers appointed over the nations, who gathered and said, “Come to Heshbon, who is it who ruined it? Let it be built and established as before, and let the kingship be restored.”

11. When they saw Moses’ strength and the flame of his Malchut, they said, “For fire came out from Heshbon, a flame from the city of Sihon.” Since it is written “from Hesbon,” why is it also written “from the city of Sihon”? After all, the city of Sihon was Heshbon, as it is written, “For Heshbon was the city of Sihon, king of the Amorites”?

12. However, the flame of the king of heaven emerged and destroyed everything. When they were saying simply, “Let it be built; let the city of Sihon be established, and they did not say “Heshbon,” since they thought that because of it, it would be built for the dwelling of the Amorites, then they replied and said, “We cannot,” since all the roads and trails were blocked by the might of their upper great one.

If we repeat and say and mention that Heshbon will be built, then fire emerged from Heshbon. If we repeat and say “the city of Sihon,” then indeed, a flame emerged from the city of Sihon. Since that flame of fire is on her, as well, no one can return it to its place, since from all the sides, we have no permission.

Moses killed the kings of the Amorites by awakening the Hochma of the left line of holiness, with which two judgments are drawn over the heads of the wicked ones and the external ones, who draw Hochma from above downward: 1) male judgments, 2) female judgments.

The drawing of Hochma is called Heshbon. This is the control of Sihon in Heshbon, who would draw the Hochma from above downward. For this reason, the judgments emerged from the left line of holiness and destroyed the kingdom of Heshbon of the shell.

Once the kings of the rest of the nations saw this, they thought that the city of Heshbon itself could not be saved from the judgments of the left of holiness, but it is possible for a regular city of dwelling for the Amorites to be built, where they would no longer draw Hochma, Heshbon [calculation], but would settle for the Hochma that had already been absorbed in them. They thought that such a city of dwelling could be built, and therefore said, “Let it be built; let the city of Sihon be established,” simply, without saying “Heshbon,” since they thought that as a result, a dwelling place for the Amorites would be built and not Heshbon, that they would no longer draw Hochma from above downward. They thought that then the judgments of the left would not control them.

However, then they replied and said,” We cannot,” since they looked at the matter and said that they cannot even build a city of dwelling because all the roads and trails were blocked by the might of their upper great one, the illumination of Hochma on the left.

It is known that the illumination of the left without the right of above blocks and freezes all the lights. Because the lights were blocked and froze, they would no longer build it, even as a mere city of dwelling, since all the roads and trails froze and were blocked until nothing could be done. Due to the force of the judgments of the upper left on them, of left without right, from which the external ones draw, for in a mere dwelling place, too, there are judgments and ruin, because of it, they said that from all the sides, we have no permission, both in the city of Heshbon, and simply in the city of Sihon.

13. From here on, woe unto you Moab, for the one who has protected you has been broken. For this reason, when Moab saw that their defender had been broken, “Moab was in great dread of the people.” “Great dread,” more than death, since “great” [as in “many” or “much”] implies the angel of death.

14. “Because they are many.” Previously, Esau was great, and great [much] is small, as it is written about him, “Behold, I will make you small among the nations,” and Israel became much instead of Esau, as it is written about them, “And the older will serve the younger.” They thought of Israel as great because they saw that Israel ruled above and below, since it is written, “all that Israel had done to the Amorites.” It should have written “that Israel did to the Amorites”; what does it mean that it is written “all that [Israel had done]”? It is to include above and below.

Above means that they overthrew their ministers and rulers above, and overthrew their ministers and rulers below, in this world. This is why it is written, “All that Israel had done,” and this is why it is said “because they are many,” instead of the much, who is a holy firstborn, instead of Esau’s birthright, as it is written, “My son, my firstborn, Israel.”

15. Did the Creator want to give Israel the birthright and it is without merit? Esau was a shell and the Sitra Achra, and it is known that the shell comes before the marrow, which is why he emerged first. Once the shell has gone out and passed, the marrow is found. The first foreskin, Esau, is outside, which is why he came out first. The covenant, the most respectable, Jacob, was revealed later. For this reason, Esau’s preceding is not regarded as birthright, since he is a shell and a foreskin, who has no value or comparison whatsoever with the marrow and the covenant. Rather, he came out first for that same reason, that the shell comes before the fruit.