Kabbalah Library

16. One should be so careful guarding his ways in this world and walk on the path of truth, because all of one’s actions are written before the king and registered before him, and all are counted. The guards of the gates stand and testify, stand and seek honest judgments, and the judge is poised to accept the testimony. Those who make arguments to acquit themselves, speak and do not know if they will go from the right or turn to the left on the left.

17. When the spirits of people depart from this world, there are several slanderers standing over them, and the heralds come out both for better and for worse, according to what came out from the judgment. A person is judged in several judgments in this world, both during his life and afterwards, since all his words are in the judgment, and the Creator is always in mercy; His mercy is over all, and He does not want to judge people according to their actions.

David said, “If You kept track of iniquities, O Lord God, then who, O Lord, could stand?” Since he said “If You kept track of iniquities, O Lord,” why did he also say “God”? It would have sufficed for him to say “If You kept track of iniquities, O Lord.”

18. However, here David mentions three degrees of mercy: Yod-Hey, ADNI, Mem-Yod. “If You kept track of iniquities, O Lord,” which are AVI, called Yod-Hey [Lord]. If the iniquities are so many that they rose up to AVI, then there is ADNI, who is mercy. And if this name, ADNI—although it is mercy—awakens in judgment, and all the degrees are blocked with judgment, there is one degree to which we will return, as all the healings come from it, and it will have mercy on us: It is MI, Bina. MI [Who] will stand for us, as it is written, “Who will heal you?” For this reason, Yod-Hey ADNI, if those two names are blocked from him, MI [who] will stand, as all the roads of repentance are open from him.

Upper AVI are Yod-Hey, mercy. The Hassadim extended from them, pure air, are more important than Hochma. But this is for them, themselves, for they desire mercy and do not need Hochma. But the lower ones, who need Hochma, if they are not completed with Hochma beforehand, the Hassadim that they receive from AVI become VAK without a Rosh in them.

Hence, if the lower ones blemish their actions, which reach up to ZON, they blemish the illumination of Hochma. Then, even the Hassadim of AVI that they receive become blocked, VAK without a Rosh, since if the iniquities are so many, they blemish the Hassadim that they receive from AVI called Yod-Hey, making them VAK without a Rosh.

However, in AVI themselves, the blemish of the lower ones does not reach them at all. Although they sin, the Hassadim of AVI are always extended to them, which are complete mercy. The advice for this is to repent and awaken the name ADNI, the bottom Hochma, and to draw once more illumination of Hochma from the name ADNI. If they draw illumination of Hochma from ADNI, the Hassadim of AVI return to the state of GAR.

However, if their blemish is so big that they can no longer awaken the name ADNI, since their sin caused the revealing of the lock, Malchut of the quality of judgment, then she cannot receive any light, for if he is not rewarded, it is bad. As long as they do not blemish her, the quality of judgment is concealed in her and only the quality of mercy in her is revealed, for if he is rewarded, it is good. However, if she is blemished, Malchut of the quality of judgment will be revealed in her, and then all the degrees in her are blocked and are unfit to receive any light.

The advice for this is to repent and awaken MAN until Malchut of the quality of judgment rises and becomes sweetened in Bina, and returns there to the quality of mercy. This is why it was said that there is one degree that all the healings emerge from it; it will have mercy on us. It is MI, Bina, since by raising Malchut to Bina, Malchut is corrected once more with the quality of mercy and the quality of judgment is concealed. This is regarded as healing, that it was healed from the revealing of the point of the quality of judgment and returned to the quality of mercy, and became once more worthy of receiving all the lights.

All this is done by Bina, who is called MI, as it is written, “MI [who] will heal you?” At that time, Malchut will impart upon him once again the Mochin of illumination of Hochma, and the great Hassadim of AVI will be established once again, to be in the state of GAR in him, as well. This is the meaning of the verse, “If You kept track of iniquities, O Lord,” as these iniquities went up to the name Yod-Hey, as the Hassadim that receive from Yod-Hey become VAK without a Rosh. At that time, they awaken the name ADNI, to complete it with Mochin of illumination of Hochma.

If he inverts, through his iniquities, the name ADNI into the quality of judgment, where through his iniquities, Malchut of the quality of judgment has become revealed, then who “could stand,” meaning he will raise MAN and raise Malchut to Bina where she will return to the quality of mercy and bestow upon him the Mochin of illumination of Hochma, and the Hassadim of AVI will complete to GAR.