Kabbalah Library

1. “And Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites.” He saw in the looking of Hochma, and saw with the eyes of Hochma [wisdom]. He saw in the looking of Hochma, as it is written, “Avimelech king of the Philistines looked out the window.” “Out the window” is as it is written, “Out of the window she peered, the mother of Sisera wailed.” But indeed, the window of Hochma at the edges of the stars is the window of the mother of Sisera and of Avimelech, and they are the windows of Hochma.

There are many windows, and there is one window where all the Hochma is in, and those who see in it, see the root of the Hochma. Here, too, Balak feared, with his wisdom, in the private window.

The moon is Malchut, called “bottom Hochma.” From her comes most of the Hochma. There are also stars from which Hochma shines and glitters. These are the parts of Malchut and her armies. At the edge of the end of their illumination, there the windows are, from which the external ones receive Hochma, a tiny illumination, and not more.

Balak feared because he saw in the looking in the Hochma, as did Avimelech and the mother of Sisera, the window of Hochma at the end of the edges of the stars, that the edges of the fringes of the stars were established as windows for the external ones. But there is one window, a window of Hochma, the window of Malchut, where no stranger will come.

2. “The son of Zippor” means that he was from the sons of the sons of Jethro, who was called Zippor. But actually “the son of Zippor” means that all his engagements were with Zippor, since his charms were in several kinds of that Zippor [bird]. He took the bird, and banged with grass, and sends to the air. He did deeds and whispered charms, and that bird would come with that grass in its mouth and tweet before him.

He put it in a cage, burned incense before it, and it would notify him several things. He performed charms and the bird would tweet and fly away, and roam to the one whose eyes are revealed, who would let it know, and it would come. All his words were in that bird.

The bird is idol-worship in the GAR of the shell. The charmers want to receive from it wisdom and knowledge; they must draw to it two Mochin HB, right and left, and then the bird notifies them everything they want. However, the external ones have a grip only on the lock, the screen of Malchut of the quality of judgment, so how can they draw the Moach [sing. of Mochin] of the right to the bird, which is VAK of Bina, called Hochma?

Therefore, first they awaken the judgments of the lock, which give them the strength to grip only to Malchut. Afterwards, they fly the lock in the air of Bina like the holiness, and the judgments grip to Bina, and the judgments diminish Bina into VAK without a Rosh. At that time, they, too, can grip and draw lights from VAK of Bina, for they have become the Moach of the right of the bird, which is the Hochma of that shell.

Afterwards, they draw the Moach of the left to the bird. Through charms and whispers, they attach the bird to Azael, who is called “whose eyes are revealed,” illumination of GAR of Hochma of the left, who fell to the mountains of darkness. From there, the Moach of the left is drawn to the bird, and it is used from above downward, as the external ones do. After they draw these two Moachs to the bird, the bird reveals to them everything they want.

It was said, “actually the son of Zippor,” since his charms were in several kinds of that bird, both in kinds of the Moach of the right, and in kinds of the Moach of the left. He took the bird and banged with grass. Grass is judgments of the lock, which are given a grip only on Malchut. He would rattle and strike with this grass in order to awaken the judgment in Malchut. Afterwards, he would fly the grass to the air of Bina in order to blemish Bina through the grass.

In order for his actions to succeed, he did deeds and whispered charms, for even with charms, if there is no awakening from below, he cannot act at all above, as it is in holiness, and the awakening from below must be through actions and speech.

By doing deeds and whispering whispers, that bird would come with that grass in its mouth, as the bird obtained the grass from the air of Bina, and by this it suckled with its mouth and gripped to VAK of Bina. it tweets before him that it is happy about being received; however, due to the lack of GAR that he caused her, it is considered that through his actions, he put a boundary on his actions, as in a cage, where it cannot spread as it wants. He burned incense before it, for the incense pleases it, and the bird reveals to him several things that are from the phase of these Mochin of VAK.

To complete it with GAR, he must draw to it the Moach of the left. Since the left of holiness does not shine from above downward, and all the lust of the outer ones is only to draw the left from above downward, he therefore sends the bird to Azael, in the mountains of darkness, whose Hochma is from above downward, and he makes his charms, the awakening of below. At that time, the bird tweets and flies and roams to the one whose eyes are revealed, who is Azael in the mountains of darkness, and he notifies it, bestowing upon it from his illumination of the left.

Once the bird receives the Moach of the left from Azael, it returns and comes to Balak, who uses it and receives from it everything he wants. All his words were about that bird, that he would always use it.

3. One day, he did his deeds and took that bird, which flew and went, and was delayed, and did not come to him. Balak himself was sorry, and before it came, he saw a flame of fire flying after the bird and burning its wings. Then he saw what he saw and was afraid of Israel.

What is the name of that bird? It is known, and all those who use and know how to use that bird, did not know its charms as Balak knew.

Along with the illumination of Hochma on the left, harsh judgments are extended on the heads of the wicked and the external ones, who want to draw illumination of Hochma from above downward. There are two kinds of judgments in them: 1) male judgments, which come from the illumination of Hochma itself, 2) female judgments from the forces of the screen. These are revealed at the end of the male judgments, as it is written, “Sin crouches at the door.”

With these two kinds of judgments, Moses destroyed the two kings of the Amorites, for then Moses drew illumination of Hochma on the left line, and the two kinds of judgments appeared along with it. Those two kings, since they draw the Hochma from above downward, as do the kings of the Amorites, were killed and destroyed by these judgments: Sihon King of Heshbon was destroyed by the male judgments, and Og King of Bashan was destroyed by the female judgments.

At that time, Balak, too, was busy with his bird to draw Hochma from above downward. For this reason, both he and his bird were hurt by those two kinds of judgments. One day, he did his deeds and took that bird. That was at the time when Moses killed Sihon King of Heshbon and his people. By drawing Hochma on the left line of holiness, which destroys all those who draw Hochma from above downward, by this he destroyed Sihon king of Heshbon. Because of it, fear and dread fell upon the bird and it flew and went away, and did not come to him as it usually did. This is why he was sorry about that incident.

Before it came, he saw one flame of fire flying after the bird and burning its wings. That was at the time when Moses destroyed Og King of Bashan through female judgments, which are a flame of fire. Hence, that flame of fire chased the bird, as well, in whom there is the force of drawing Hochma from above downward, and burned its wings. But it did not kill it altogether since it hid and disappeared from Balak, and he did not use it at that time from above downward. However, burning its wings is burning its GAR, so it can no longer fly in the air and draw Hochma.

At that time, he saw what he saw, as it is written, “And Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites,” since he saw all that in his bird, which was harmed, too, by those two kinds of judgments by which Israel destroyed the kings of the Amorites. He feared Israel, as it is written, “And Moab was in great dread of the people.”

The name of that bird is called “known,” since it received all the Hochma in it from Angel Azael, who fell from Heaven to Earth, to the Mountains of Darkness. After he fell to the Mountains of Darkness, he can no longer draw any Hochma, and all the Hochma in him is what had been absorbed in him before, while he was in Heaven. Hence, the bird that receives from him is called “known,” which is past tense, from his time in Heaven, and not “knowledge,” which is present tense, since now he is in the Mountains of Darkness, tied with iron chains.

4. All the wisdom [Hochma] that he knew, he knew in that bird. This is what he would do: He would bow himself down before the bird and burn incense. He would cover his head and bow himself down, and speak. He said, “The people,” and the bird replied to him, “Israel.” He said, “very,” and the bird replied, “many,” after the high Rav [“teacher,” as well as “many”] who walked among them.

Balak and the bird tweeted each other seventy times. He said, “poor,” and the bird replied, “many.” Then, he feared, as it is written, “And Moab was in great dread of the people because they were many.” Indeed, they were many.

There are four changes in the portion in the fear of Balak and Moab: 1) “And Moab was in great dread of the people.” The people indicates the poor among the people, meaning that his fear was mainly from the poor among the people. 2) “Because they were many, and Moab was overcome with fear of the children of Israel.” Israel indicates the great ones in the nation, since Israel has the letters of Li-Rosh [Mine is the head]. Also, “because they were many” means that he mainly feared the great ones in the nation, and not the regular people. 3) What he sent to the elders of Midian, as it is written, “Now the horde will graze all our surroundings like the ox grazes the grass of the field.” Here, it does not mention a nation or the nation of Israel, but rather the horde, as well as the comparison to the grazing of an ox 4) What he sent to Balaam, as it is written, “They cover the face of the earth.” This is a new matter which was not mentioned thus far.

The Zohar sensed these changes and replies to them, for two bodies spoke here, Balak and Zippor, and at two times, when they were in VAK, and when they were in GAR. It was after the incidence when a flame of fire burned the bird’s wings, meaning the GAR of the bird were burned, and then both Balak and the bird remained in VAK without a Rosh.

All of Balak’s wisdom was only what he had received from the bird. When the GAR departed from the bird, they also departed from Balak. Since the bird fell to the state of VAK, Balak, too, fell to the state of VAK.

This is what he did: He bowed himself before the bird and burned incense, and covered his head. Working before the bird with a bent body and a covered head indicates his fall from the degree of GAR, which are called Rosh [head], and they are also an upright stance and not a bent one. Speaking to her was also with a bent posture, when he bowed himself and spoke.

The carriers of the female judgments are called the “people.” They are regarded as VAK without a Rosh. The carriers of the male judgments are called “Israel,” which is the letters of Li-Rosh, since there are no female judgments in them, which cause the departure of the GAR. However, male judgments, which are drawn from Hochma without Hassadim, operate during the GAR, as well.

He said “the people,” as it is written, “And Moab was in great dread of the people,” since after he fell to VAK due to the power of Israel, he thought that the fear was mainly from the female judgments, whose carriers are the nation. However, the bird replied to him, “Israel,” notifying him that the fear was mainly from the male judgments.

They are a direct extension from the left line of holiness, which falls on the external ones. However, female judgments follow them by the way, as it is written, “Sin crouches at the door.” Also, male judgments are never canceled, but female judgments are gradually canceled until they are completely canceled, as it is written, “Death will be swallowed up forever.”

He also said “very.” “Very” are female judgments, as we learn that “very” is the angel of death. The bird replied, “‘Because they are many,’ and Moab was in great dread of the people.” The bird said that, since the left line is called “many,” as wicked Esau bragged and said, “I have much,” and by the words “because they are many,” the bird implied the high Rav [spelled the same as “many” and “much”] who was walking among them, the illumination of Hochma on the left, which was previously in them, and was called “many,” as one should fear the illumination of the left in Israel.

However, afterwards, Balak grew stronger in his charms and drew the left to the bird once more, from the one whose eyes are revealed in the Mountains of Darkness. This is the intimation, “They tweeted seventy times,” where seventy implies Hochma, called “eyes.” However, the male judgments still crouched on the illumination of the left, and he felt poverty and meagerness with this Hochma on the left, since the meagerness is extended from the judgments of the left.

Then he said “poor,” hinting to the bird about the male judgments, which control him, who are called “poor” [or meager]. It is as Balak said to the elders of Midian, “Now the horde will graze all our surroundings,” meaning the left line of Israel will make us poor and empty. This is the comparison “like the ox grazes the grass of the field,” since an ox is called the “left line of holiness.” However, the bird said “many,” that the left line of Israel is great and big, and there is no advice against it.

This is the meaning of Balak sending for Balaam, as it is written, “Behold, a people has come out of Egypt; they cover the face of the earth,” that it is no longer possible to draw Hochma, called “eye,” to the earth, from above downward, due to Israel’s control.

By this, the four formulas in the words of Balak have been clarified, for they were said in two bodies and in two times: 1) Balak said, “And Moab was in great dread of the people; 2) “Because they were many, and Moab was overcome with fear of the children of Israel”; 3) Balak said, “Now the horde will graze all our surroundings like the ox grazes the grass of the field,” when he returned and drew the left; 4) “Behold, a people has come out of Egypt; they cover the face of the earth,” said the bird, or Balak through the mouth of the bird.

5. In the kinds of charms, Kasdiel was the first. It follows that that bird was made at specific times from silver mixed with gold, for silver is the right line, Hassadim, and gold is the left line, Hochma. They would make and assemble the bird to be similar to the holiness, like a monkey with regard to humans. As with holiness, the Hochma on the left is mixed with the Hassadim on the right, they wanted to draw in this way. However, since they do not have the power of unification of the middle line, everything is waste in them.

The Rosh, the GAR of the bird, is from gold, the waste of gold; her mouth is from silver, the waste of silver; her wings, Hesed and Gevura, are from shining copper, left, mixed with silver, right, since each one consists of right and left. The body is from gold; dots of silver are in her feather. Its legs, NHY, are of gold, and a tongue of that bird called “known” is placed in its mouth, since the tongue is Daat, and since the shells have no Daat [knowledge], they have “known” instead.

6. They place the bird in one window, and in the day, they open the window toward the sun, the governance of the day. At night, they open the window toward the moon, the governance of the night. They burn incense and perform charms, and in the day, they adjure to bestow its abundance. At night, they adjure the moon, and they do so seven days.

From here on, that tongue chatters in the mouth of the bird, but it cannot speak. Afterwards, that tongue is punctured with a needle of gold and speaks great things by itself. Balak knew everything through that bird, which is why he was called Balak, Son of Zippor [bird], and why he saw what no other man could know or see.

First, VAK is drawn to it, through adjuring in the sun and the moon, which are Torah and commandments on all seven days. But she still cannot speak because the speech is from Hochma. Hence, in order for it to receive Hochma from the holes in the tongue, to make it a receptacle for Hochma, with a gold needle, through the force of the left from their Bina, called a “gold needle,” it receives Hochma and becomes a tongue that speaks great things, which is Hochma.