Kabbalah Library

201) “I will go down now and see if as the outcry that has come to Me, they have done abolishing.” To whom did the Creator say, “done abolishing,” to the angels? Or did He speak to Abraham and commanded the angels? And he says that he said to Abraham, “Done all that,” for those places were in his domain.

202) Is it to Abraham? Why did He say, “they have done,” in plural form? He spoke to Abraham and to the Shechina, who did not move from him, and this is why he said, “they have done.”

And if He spoke to the angels and said, “they have done abolishing”? Who has seen such a thing, speaking to one and commanding another? Since the angels were there to execute judgment, He told them, “Do.”

203) Did the Creator not know, that He had to say, “I will go down and see”? But everything is revealed to Him. Indeed, “I will go down” means descending from the degree of mercy to the degree of judgment. “And see,” this seeing is about seeing which judgment He should inflict on them.

204) We have found evidence that it is for the better, and we have found evidence that it is for the worse. Evidence for the better is in the words “And God saw the children of Israel, and God knew.” Evidence for the worse is in the words “I will go down and see,” to watch over them in judgment. And the Creator said about that, “Do I hide from Abraham?”