Kabbalah Library

321. “And he raised his eyes and saw the women and the children, and he said, ‘Who are these to you?’ And he said, ‘The children that God has gifted to your servant.’” That wicked one looked at the women, and because of him, Jacob made his corrections. First, Jacob placed the maidservants, then the boys, who are more important, then Leah, and her sons after her, then Joseph, and behind him Rachel, and he himself went in front of them.

322. When they all bowed, it is written, “Then the maidservants and their children approached and bowed down.” Afterwards, it is written, “Leah and her children also approached and bowed down, and then,” as it is written, “Joseph and Rachel approached and bowed down.” Was Joseph the last and Rachel before him? was Joseph not before Rachel? However, the good son, the beloved son, the righteous of the world, Joseph, since he saw that the eyes of that wicked one were looking at the women, he feared for his mother, so he came out from behind her and spread his arms and his body covered her so that that wicked one would not cast his eyes on his mother. He increased six cubits to each side and covered her, so that the eye of that wicked one would not be able to control her. It follows that at first, Joseph was behind her, but afterwards, he came out from behind her and went ahead of her.

323. Similarly, “And Balaam raised his eyes.” It is written “his eye,” that evil eye that wanted to look at them, that awakened on them the evil shell called “evil eye.” “…and saw Israel encamped according to their tribes.” The bribe of Joseph and the tribe of Benjamin were there. The tribe of Joseph, which the evil eye does not control, as it is written, “Joseph is a fruitful vine, a fruitful vine by a spring.” “A fruitful vine,” which multiplied and expanded to cover his mother because of Esau’s evil eye. “A fruitful vine by a spring,” which the evil eye does not control—the tribe of Benjamin, of which it is written, “And dwells between his shoulders,” and it is written “will dwell safely.” “Safely,” for he is unafraid of the evil eye and does not fear harm-doers.

324. That wicked one said, “I will revoke and cancel this line of the tribe of Joseph and the tribe of Benjamin so they do not exist in the world, and I will look at them with an evil eye. Rachel was there; she saw that the eye of that wicked one was poised to harm; she came out and spread her wings on them, and covered her children. It is written, “And Balaam raised his eyes and saw Israel.” Since he saw the holy spirit, Malchut, who is called Rachel, Balaam’s toothed eye, it is promptly written, “And the Spirit of God came upon him,” upon Israel, that the spirit of God spread its wings and covered them. Promptly, that wicked one went back.

325. At first, the son was covering his mother, and now the mother was covering her son. At the time when Joseph was covering his mother Rachel, so the eye of that wicked one would not control her, the Creator said to Joseph, “When another evil eye comes to look at your children and My children, your mother will cover them. You covered your mother, and your mother will cover them; you covered your mother, your mother will cover you.

326. “And he raised his eyes and saw the women.” This verse was said in wisdom. On Yom Kippur [Day of Atonement], when the people of the world stand in judgment and Israel repent before the Creator to atone for their sins, and that slanderer stands over them, intending to destroy them because of their iniquities, at that time, he is sent a gift, the goat to Azazel. Then, it is written, “For he said, ‘I will appease him with the present that goes before me.” Once the slanderer receives the gift, he is inverted into being their advocator.

327. The slanderer raises his eyes and sees Israel, all of whom being tormented in the torment [Day of Atonement prohibitions], barefoot, he sees women, he sees children, everyone is in torment, everyone clean in cleansing. “And he said, ‘Who are these to you?’” The holy name Elokim [God], comprised of the letter MI-ELEH, are to you, to Israel.

He asked about the children, and he told him, “The children that God has gifted your servant.” Why did he need to reply anything to him? Since he received the bribe, meaning the goat to Azazel, he was inverted into being their advocator. He raised his eyes and saw Israel like that, and thought that because of the fear that he might slander them, they are in torment and in repentance.

328. He asked about the children and said, “Who are these to you?” He said, the torment and the repentance are correct for you, for you have sinned against the king, but why are the children in torment? Who are they to you? And he said, “the children.” The holy spirit said, and this is why there is an upright intonation mark, Big Zakef, on the word “and he said,” and on the word “the children,” in a concealed way, to indicate that the holy spirit said.

“Which God has gifted your servant.” Did the holy spirit say to Esau “your servant”? Rather, the holy spirit said, “these are the children who did not sin and did not taste the taste of sin in their first incarnation, and the Creator has placed them in the hands of your appointee and killed them without a sin, as it is written, “On the side of their oppressors there was power.” This is “your servant.” And it is written, “that God has gifted,” that God has gifted your servant your appointee, and gave him the souls of the children who did not taste the taste of sin.

329. Since he heard from those children, he promptly went up before the Creator and said, “Master of the world, all Your ways in judgment are true, and if there is judgment on Israel, it is because of their iniquities. Their children, who did not sin against You, why did You hand them over to kill them without a sin?” The Creator accepts his words on this and has mercy on them. At that time on Yom Kippur, there is no diphtheria in children.

330. And that slanderer takes envy from that appointee under his hand. He said, “Did the Creator give those who dress in sins and iniquities to me, and to that appointee of mine, He has given children without sin, who did not taste the taste of sin?” Promptly, he went to take them out from under his hand, so he would not control them. For this reason, the holy spirit rushed and told him, “the children, which God has gifted to your servant,” that servant. He has gifted with giving to him children who are without iniquity and without sin. In order for his appointee not to have more praise than his, he wants to take them out from his hand.

There are five phases of Neshama, and a person is not complete except with them. However, few are rewarded with these NRNHY in one incarnation. Some are rewarded only up to GAR of Ruach, and die, and incarnate once more to acquire the rest of the parts of the soul. Those souls that died in GAR of Ruach are called “infants,” since these Mochin are Mochin of suckling, and they are called “children of the world.”

They are regarded as having died without sin, since in GAR of Ruach shines the Hochma of the left line, which distances them from all the sins. Why do they die? It is as it is written, “On the side of their oppressors there was power,” that because they were given to death, they acquire the strength to be rewarded with the rest of the parts of the soul.

This is on Yom Kippur, since then the goat to Azazel is given to the Sitra Achra, which is similar to that Mochin of suckling, for the goat to Azazel is GAR of the left, where through the death of infants, the Mochin of GAR of the left are canceled. For this reason, Sam is envious of his appointee, who puts to death those children since he blemishes the illumination of the goat to Azazel.

Therefore, the holy spirit, the Shechina, reminds him of all those souls of the infants, the souls that have been rewarded only with Mochin of suckling, and the Creator has given them to the Sitra Achra to put them to death so they would acquire strength from them through the accuser who becomes an advocate on Yom Kippur by the force of the illumination of the Azazel he received.

Since he heard from those children, he promptly went up before the Creator and said, “Their children, who did not sin against You, why did You hand them over to be killed without sin?” He felt that giving them to the Sitra Achra to be put to death spoils the illumination of Azazel he had received, and therefore became their advocate, as it is written, “On the side of their oppressors there was power,” for were they not handed over to be put to death, the general slanderer would not have become their advocate on Yom Kippur.

Since the slanderer has become their advocate, you find that the oppressors have given strength to those souls to receive the completeness of the rest of the parts of the souls, since the confession of a litigant is similar to one-hundred witnesses. The Creator accepts his word about it and has mercy on them, which completes them with the rest of the parts of the Mochin.

That slanderer takes envy from that appointee under his hand since he blemishes the illumination of his goat to Azazel. Since that appointee is from the harsh judgments, which he can overcome and also cancel his illumination, and in order for his appointee not to have more praise than him, he must save the children from his hand, so he will not overcome him and cancel the illumination of his goat to Azazel, and his merit will be more important than his.

331. When the prayers of Israel rise before the Creator on that day, it is written, “And he passed over before them.” The holy spirit, Malchut, passed over before them, as it is written, “And their king passed over before them. “And bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near his brother.”

The holy spirit, Malchut, diminished himself upward, to ZA, seven times, to the seven upper degrees HGT NHYM of ZA on it. He diminished himself in order to incorporate them with him, each and every one. “Until he came near his brother,” that degree of Rachamim [mercy], ZA, who is called the “brother of the holy spirit,” Malchut.

They are a son and a daughter to Bina, which is why they are brothers. ZA is called a “son,” as it is written, “My son, My firstborn, Israel,” ZA. The daughter is the assembly of Israel, Malchut. The holy spirit performed a diminution on himself until he approached his brother, ZA.

At first, Malchut was as big as ZA, in the state of the two great lights. But then, she could not bestow upon Israel. In order to bestow upon Israel, she diminished herself seven times, exiting all her seven big Sefirot, and becoming a dot under Yesod. Afterwards, she was rebuilt and became worthy of including all seven Sefirot of ZA within her.

The holy spirit, Malchut, diminished himself upward, to ZA, seven times, to the seven upper degrees, so he could be built from the seven Sefirot HGT NHYM of ZA, and diminished himself “until he came near his brother.” Malchut, who is called the “holy spirit,” diminished herself until she could connect to ZA. Had she not diminished herself, she would have been unable to approach him.

332. Since Malchut arrived at ZA, she asked him and notified him of the sorrow of their children below in this world, and the two of them, ZA and Malchut, enter a hidden and concealed hall of the Day of Atonement, Bina, their mother, since on the Day of Atonement, ZON rise to Ima and ask about Israel to atone for them. At that time, it is written, “For on this day, shall atone for you to purify you.” It is not written, “I will atone for you,” but rather “shall atone for you,” in a concealed manner, implying Bina.

333. And now, the children, those wise ones who are here, the Creator has given them the secrets of Torah to crown and perfect themselves in them. The evil eye does not control them because of the good eye and the holy spirit that are over them.

334. Here, the Creator, who agreed with us, not only gave us one tree, but has given us three trees. However, that fountain is an upper form corresponding to that hidden and concealed fountain, Bina. These three trees are three cedars, called the cedars of Lebanon, and they have the form of three great trees, the fathers, HGT of ZA. They are called “cedars of Lebanon” because they emerge from Bina, who is called Lebanon.

335. The trees bent down and branches spread to every side over the heads of the friends. Rabbi Pinhas wept and said, “Happy am I and happy are my eyes that have seen this. And not only for yours and not only for mine am I happy, but for Rabbi Elazar our son I am happy, who is as important in the eyes of the holy king as one of us, since a tree bent over the head of Rabbi Elazar as over the head of Rabbi Shimon and over the head of Rabbi Pinhas.” Rabbi Shimon said, “Elazar, arise and stand, and speak words of Torah before your master.” Rabbi Elazar arose.