Kabbalah Library

1. “And Moses said to Joshua, ‘Choose us men and go out, fight against Amalek.’” What is the reason that Joshua made the war and not another one from the people? It is because Amalek came upon them for the iniquity of not observing the Shabbat [Sabbath], as we learn that if Israel had observed the first Shabbat, no nation or tongue would have governed them, as it is written, “And it came to pass on the seventh day that some of the people went out to gather but found none” and it is written afterwards, “And Amalek came.”

2. When the Creator commanded Israel with the Shabbat at Marah, since then the quality of judgment came to slander about that iniquity of selling the righteous, Joseph, who corresponds to the day of Shabbat, and they took him out to none-holiness since they sold him to the Egyptians, the Creator said, “There is a healing to that iniquity. If they observe the day of Shabbat, which corresponds to the righteous one who lives forever, the iniquity of selling Joseph will be atoned for them.”

It is written, “And the Lord showed him a tree.” This is the tree of life, that they should observe the day of Shabbat. But they desecrated it, so, as it is written, “And Amalek came”’ because of the desecration of Shabbat, the sin of selling Joseph had reawakened.

3. At that time, Moses said to Joshua, “Go, make war against Amalek, since it befits you, as you are the grandson of that righteous one, Joseph, and Amalek, for the sin of selling Joseph, came upon us.” If no enemy of Amalek would be found, from the portion and from the children of that righteous one, there would not be anyone who could stand up to Amalek. For this reason, Joshua did as Moses had told him.

4. Amalek came upon them for that iniquity of selling Joseph, since Amalek met them when they were behind the cloud, for the cloud ejected them and took from them the holy covenant, cut off their circumcision, and threw them up.

Had they not sinned against the righteous Joseph by observing the circumcision and the holy foundation, Amalek would have had no support from above to do so. However, he was given the power for this in order to show them that their iniquity against that righteous, Joseph, had become known, for he observed that covenant, and now they desecrated the Shabbat, which corresponds to him, and he stood to protect them against the quality of judgment.

5. “And they set out from Marah and came to Elim, and at Elim there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees.” What is Elim? It is that they returned to the work of the Creator and to accept His words wholeheartedly. This is why “to Elim,” with the letters of Eli [my God] MA, where Eli is Malchut, and MA is the name HaVaYaH filled with the letters Aleph, which is MA (45) in Gematria.

6. That place, Elim, which is Malchut, was more abundant in water, Hassadim, than all the places in the world, since the Written Torah is there, for it is ZA, HaVaYaH of MA, and Elim has the letters of Eli MA.

There, in Malchut, there are twelve fountains of water, which are bestowal of twelve combinations of HaVaYaH upon Malchut, and seven dates corresponding to the name AB, who bestows in Malchut, which is seventy Sanhedrin and two witnesses. It is all in faith, in Malchut, since all seventy Sanhedrin are nourished from this place and blessed by these sublime, sweet water in ZA.

7. Happy is he who has been rewarded with those waters, with being blessed by them. Holy Israel camped there and connected those high waters of ZA to those twelve lower fountains in Malchut. If, initially, they spoiled and sinned against the righteous, they returned him to his place to copulate with Malchut in Eli MA.

The world is nourished by it, and seventy dates, which are seventy Sanhedrin, are nourished by the date, Malchut. Twelve fountains correspond to the twelve upper tribes that surround the holy place, since opposite the twelve combinations of HaVaYaH, there are twelve tribes in Malchut.

8. Israel engaged in learning the Torah that they learned from Marah, and that holy covenant connected with them, Yesod. And the slant serpent, the Sitra Achra, parted from that well of water, Malchut, for the serpent was making those water bitter, which their iniquities had caused thus far.

9. But since they returned in repentance to the lord, and the Creator taught them the ways of the tree of life, ZA, it is as it is written, “And the Lord showed him a tree,” which is the Written Torah, ZA.

“And cast into the water” are the Oral Torah, Malchut. “Cast” has the letters of “you have” [in Hebrew]. “Have” is the next world, Hochma in next world, Hochma of Bina, as it is written, “to bestow upon those who love Me substance,” and “you” is upper Ima, Bina in the next world, since “you” is fifty in Gematria, fifty gates of Bina that adhere to ZA.

At that time, the waters became sweet and the upper dew came down from the holy Atik, Keter, and the apple field, Malchut, had been filled.

10. Who caused all this? Eli MA, the return of Israel to their lord, and then they had permission to park on those waters, as it is written, “and they camped there” by the water.” The potion of life, ZA, was parking in those waters, Malchut. This is why “they camped there,” by the water.