Kabbalah Library

26) “He who sits in the heavens laughs, the Lord scoffs at them.” “He who sits in the heavens laughs” is Isaac, which comes from wine—which shines and laughs first, and is enraged and confusing later. It is written, “He who sits in the heavens laughs.” It does not say, “Sits in heaven,” for heaven is ZA, which includes HGT NHY. Had it said “Sits in heaven,” I would have said it is ZA. But it writes, “Sits in the heavens,” meaning one end from the heavens, which is Gevura, and the quality of Isaac. And since Isaac [Yitzhak] shines and laughs [Tzohek], the judgment laughs and shines to the wicked.

27) Such is the way of the wicked: The Creator shines for them in this world and shows them a face as bright as wine, for it shines first, and is then angered and kills. And the Creator pulls the wicked toward Him so they will repent. If they return to Him, good. If not, He consumes them from the next world and they have no share in it, and they are blotted out from everything. If they come to purify, they are assisted and the Creator purifies them and brings them close to Him, and calls “peace” upon them, as it is written, “Peace, peace to him who is far and to him who is near, says the Lord, ‘and I will heal them.’”

28. It is written, “Behold, a day for the Lord is coming, and your spoil will be divided in your midst.” It should have written, “Behold, a day will come”; why is it written, “a day for the Lord is coming”? However, it already came before the world was created, meaning Malchut, who appoints all the judgments.

It is a day in which judgment will be executed on the wicked, a day in which the Creator will avenge those who afflicted Israel. That day is coming and stands before the Creator, and demands of Him to execute judgment and obliterate the idol-worshipers, and He is given permission, as it is written, “And I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem.”

29. There are two days to the Creator: one that is with Him, Gevura, and one that comes before Him, Malchut. With those two, the Creator makes wars. When a day that is Malchut comes to make war, it connects to a day that is Gevura of ZA, and takes the weapon of Gevura over his own weapon, as it is written, “For a day for the Lord of hosts over every proud and lofty, and over every high and low.”

30. “If a woman has a discharge of blood” is as it is written, “A sword for the Lord, full of blood.” Malchut is called “sword” and is called “woman.” “Full of blood” means judgments, as it is written, “If a woman has a discharge of blood for many days.”

“At a time other than her menstrual period” is as it is written, “And the Lord hurried with the calamity and brought it upon us,” meaning the Creator hurries and brings the punishments to the world, which the wicked cause by their iniquities, before their time, so the punishments will come to the world early. This is the meaning of the words, “at a time other than her menstrual period.”

“Or if she has a discharge beyond the time of her menstrual period” is as it is written, “and I will afflict you more,” adding judgment to judgment and giving blood over blood, more than there is, with “a sword for the Lord full of blood,” meaning more judgments than there are in Malchut herself, as it is written, “or if she has a discharge,” discharging more judgments than there are in her menstrual period, which are her own judgments.

31. “I will no longer curse the ground for man’s sake.” “No longer” means “I will no longer give additional judgments to this sword, to Malchut, except in a way that the world can tolerate. But it is written, “and I will … more,” meaning that He does give additional judgments to Malchut? However, it is written, “and I will afflict you more,” and it is not written “to obliterate.” Thus, He adds only to the extent that the world can tolerate, as it is written, “Or if she has a discharge beyond the time of her menstrual period,” meaning she will have discharge of judgments more than there are in her, herself.

32. Why is it written, “all the days of her the discharge of her impurity”? The wicked defile themselves through their iniquities, and they also defile the Temple of the Lord, and the spirit of impurity awakens upon them. In the days to come, the Creator will purify Israel and remove the spirit of impurity from the world, as it is written, “An uncircumcised and an impure will no longer come among you,” and as it is written, “And I will remove the spirit of impurity from the earth.”