Kabbalah Library

25. The order of the unification is that the east, which is ZA, the sun, first shines to the south, which is Hesed, as it is written, “goes toward the south.” This is why it is written, “And Aaron and all the presidents of the congregation returned to him,” since Moses is east, ZA, and Aaron, Hesed, shines from Moses, and all the presidents are Nahshon, who is the head of all the presidents, and they all followed him. He is Gevura, north, and stands to the left of Moses.

26. It is written, “Your greatness and your mighty hand.” “Your greatness” is Aaron, on the right, meaning Hesed and south. “And your mighty hand” Nahshon, on the left, Gevura and north. This is so because after the south, which is Hesed, Aaron, illuminated from the shining mirror, which is ZA, Moses, the north will shine, which is Gevura, Nahshon, as it is written, “goes toward the south and turns toward the north.”

The illumination of Rachamim [mercy] surrounds the north side from all the sides: From the south side, it is Hesed, and from the east side, Rachamim, so that the north side, left, does not come out with its flames to burn the world. Once it is surrounded with Rachamim on both sides, the judgment will be perfumed with Rachamim. Rachamim, the sun, ZA, is also called Ruach, as it is written, “The wind whirls about continually,” since Rachamim, which is wind surrounds everything.

27. “And the wind returns to its surroundings,” the surroundings of the place that is written above, “and aspires for its place.” This is the west, Malchut. Until there, until Malchut, the wind, ZA, returns, to shine in those seventy years, the seven Sefirot HGT NHYM, each of which consists of ten. His place, Malchut, is incorporated with them to shine to the worlds and to shine to seventy appointed ministers who stand around that place of the sun, around Malchut.

28. Moses below, ZA, is like that, shining for Aaron, south, Hesed, and then to the presidents, north, Gevura, as it is written, “and goes toward the north,” surrounding them around the altar, which is Malchut. Afterwards, it is as it is written, “And I will take of the spirit which is upon you, and will put it upon them,” on seventy elders. This is as it is written, “And the wind returns to its surroundings.”

29. At first, these seventy were suckling from Moses. These are the elders on the edge of the camp, the officers in the camp who were burned in a burning fire, since it is written about them, “And they beheld God, and ate and drank,” behaving frivolously. Since Moses saw that Israel could not exist without elders, he sought help to shine to Israel.

The Creator said to him, “Gather to Me seventy men of the elders of Israel … and I will take of the spirit which is upon you.” This is the spirit of the shining mirror, ZA, which is in Moses and in no one else, since Moses was a Merkava [chariot/structure] for ZA, which is why they had to shine from him. This is as it is written, “And the wind returns to its surroundings,” to shine as in the beginning, as to the first seventy elders who were burned.

30. When Solomon saw this, he said, “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity … And the sun rises, and the sun sets, and strives to the place where it arose.”

“And the sun rises” was in the days of Moses, when the sun shone for Israel forty years, corresponding to the light of above that he received in the forty days he was in them. And part of the first year is as important as all of the forty years, since in them, he received the light to shine below.

“And the sun sets,” when the sun departed from the world.

“And strives to the place where it arose,” as it is written, “Blessed be the Lord from His place,” a high place, Bina, which shines to the bottom place, Malchut.

31. “To its place,” meaning the upper light strives to the very bottom place, Malchut. It shines there, shining to the moon, Malchut. This is Joshua, who shone from him, since Joshua is Malchut, as it is written, “And you shall put some of your glory on him.” The face of Moses is as the face of the sun, ZA, and the face of Joshua is as the face of the moon, Malchut.

“Goes to its place,” at first. When Moses was in the world, all the sides shone from him. But once he has departed, he shines in his place, only in Malchut.