Kabbalah Library

26. “Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him.” Satan, that appointee over the souls in Hell, whose craving is to take him to Hell, always stands and says “Give! Give! Give the wicked to Hell,” to accuse him, to mention his iniquities. At that time, “And the Lord said to Satan, ‘The Lord will rebuke you, Satan, and the Lord will rebuke you.’” Why two rebukes? One, for Angel Dumah, the minister of Hell, and one, for that one who comes out from Hell, Satan, who is always poised to accuse.

27. The upper Satan comes down, dresses in the shape of an ox, and grazes all those evil spirits that were sentenced to be put into Hell in one instant and snatches them. He descends and gives them to Dumah after having swallowed them, as it is written, “And Moab said to the elders of Midian, ‘Now the horde will graze all our surroundings like the ox grazes the grass of the field.’” The is the well-known ox, Satan, who is poised to harm all the people in the world. “The grass of the field” are those spirits of people, the field, Malchut.

28. Thus, Balak was clever, for he knew that Satan was clothing in an ox. He was clever indeed, and so he should know all the ways of that ox. Had he not known them, he would not be able to perform his miracles and charms of that ox when the crops are called out. All those days when there are calls, and all those days that point to people’s spirits are the days of Nissan and the days of Tishrey.