והנה פרח מטה אהרן כו׳ ויגמול שקדים

1“And behold, the staff of Aharon had blossomed,” etc., “and it ripened almonds.” To understand: why almonds? (And see Midrash Rabbah, at the end of Parshas Korach.) Now, almonds are quicker to ripen than all the fruits and crops, such as the olive, the vine, the fig, etc.,

for they all take a much longer time than the almonds. As is written in Midrash Rabbah, at the end of Koheles (115b): “What is the sign of this almond? From the time it buds until the time it ripens is twenty-one days.”

Therefore it is called shaked (almond), which connotes speed, as it is written (in Jeremiah, chapter 1): “A rod of almond (shaked),” etc., “for I am hastening (shoked) over My word, to fulfill it.” And this is an allusion to the priesthood.

For, behold, Aharon has the letters of nir’eh (“is seen”) (see what is written about this in the discourse beginning “When you kindle”), for through him came all the revelation and the drawing down of the lights from above to below. And see what is written at the end of the discourse beginning “For with You is the source of life; in Your light we see light.”

Now, the flows drawn down through him are drawn from the loftiest heights down to below with great speed, without any delays. For

behold, it is written in the Grace after Meals, “Who nourishes the whole world in His goodness, with grace, with kindness.” For physical bounty to come into being from His supernal goodness and kindness, there must be a descent of the kindness through the chain of descending worlds (hishtalshelus), [a chain] of very many levels, until the flow from it thickens into physical kindness. And through Aharon,

who is the level of nir’eh or (“light is seen”), that is, the flow of kindness will be drawn down swiftly, so that it is not held back in the worlds and in the many stages of the chain of descent through which it must necessarily be drawn until it is drawn down and revealed below; rather, it will pass and be drawn through them swiftly, without being held back in them.

(And see the like, on the subject of speed, in the Ramaz (Rabbi Moshe Zacuto) on Emor, at the beginning of folio 99, etc.) Therefore the allusion to this is almonds, as mentioned above.

The explanation of the matter: the question is well known: why is it that every day we ask and pray, “Heal us, Havayah,” “Bless for us,” when the main judgment of a person is on Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur? And this question is raised in Tosafos (first chapter of Shabbos, folio 12b, and first chapter of Rosh HaShanah, folio 16a).

But the matter is this: what is inscribed and sealed on Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur means that kindness is drawn down for him upon his soul; and that kindness, drawn from the Infinite One (Ein Sof), blessed be He, is still above, in the Malchus (sovereignty) of the World of Atzilus (Emanation), which is the source of [the worlds of] Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah.

And this is what is said: “in His goodness, with grace and with kindness” — His own, which is the supernal kindness, blessed be He, which is far, far above the very nature of physical bounty. As is known from the matter of “I am dust and ashes,” which Avraham said of his own kindness and great love (ahavah rabbah): that it bears no comparison to the kindness of Atzilus, but is only

like dust and ashes, etc. Therefore, in order that physical bounty in Asiyah, according to the needs of the soul in the body, be drawn from the kindness that is in Atzilus,

it must descend step by step and come down through a chain of many levels in the chambers (heichalos) of Atzilus, Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah, from chamber to chamber, until it becomes coarse enough for His kindness to be in physical matters: to heal the sick and to bless the years.

(This will be understood from what is written elsewhere: in the discourse beginning “Eliyahu opened,” regarding “There is no blade of grass,” etc.; at the end of the discourse beginning “The mezuzah on the right,” on the matter of “three thousand parables”; in the discourse beginning “Their appearance and their workings,” etc., on the matter of “Who does kindness to thousands”; and in the discourse beginning “Take from among you an offering.”)

Of this our Sages, of blessed memory, said, “A person is judged every day”: he is judged according to his deeds that day, whether he is fit and worthy for the supernal kindness, already drawn down upon his soul above on Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur, to descend and be drawn down, so that it goes down and is drawn from level to level, from chamber to chamber,

in order to be drawn from spirituality into physicality; or perhaps the person is not fit for this, and then it will be held back and will not descend below, but will remain above, in spirituality, and there it will reach him in that his delight in Gan Eden will be increased, since the kindness was drawn down for him.

Yet even so, nothing of it will be drawn down below at all. (And although the saying “A person is judged every day” is the view of Rabbi Yose and Rabbi Nasan, whereas according to the Rabbis it is not so, nevertheless you are compelled [to say] that even according to Rabbi Yose and Rabbi Nasan

the main judgment is on Rosh HaShanah. For otherwise, how would they explain the verse “For it is a statute for Israel, a judgment of the G‑d of Yaakov,” which refers to Rosh HaShanah, and also what is written, “The eyes of Havayah your G‑d are upon it from the beginning of the year,” from which they learned in the first chapter of Rosh HaShanah (folio 8) that Rosh HaShanah is the new year for judgment, etc.?

Moreover, otherwise, what is the point of the Malchiyos, Zichronos and Shofros that are said on Rosh HaShanah, and “the King of judgment” in the Ten Days of Teshuvah? And how does [this] day differ from [other] days?

Rather, it must be that Rabbi Yose and Rabbi Nasan also agree that Rosh HaShanah is the Day of Judgment. So too the saying of our Sages, of blessed memory (chapter 2 of Beitzah, folio 17a): “A person’s sustenance is allotted to him from Rosh HaShanah until Yom Kippur.”

This implies that it certainly holds according to all opinions, and there is no dispute about it at all; and nevertheless they hold that a person is also judged every day,

and this is in the manner that has been explained. And likewise, also according to the Rabbis, who disagree with Rabbi Yose and Rabbi Nasan, even for them you are compelled to say that an aspect of judgment applies every day,

for all the requests are asked in the Shemoneh Esreh even according to the Rabbis, as is explained in the Gemara, first chapter of Shabbos (folio 12a and b); and this too is in the manner that has been explained. As for the matter of the dispute between them, this is not the place for it.

And this has also already been discussed at length in Asarah Maamaros, Maamar Chakor Din, Part 2, chapter 1 and chapter 26.) Now, this flow of kindness is held back and lingers until it is drawn down and comes below,

for at every step of the descent from chamber to chamber it is through judgment: whether he is fit for the flow to be drawn down below. His case is examined, and there is one who accuses, saying that he sinned and is not fit for this.

(This is the saying of our Sages, of blessed memory, in Midrash Rabbah, Vayishlach, chapter 76, on the verse “And Benayahu said,” etc., “Amen, so may [He] say”: “But was it not already said, ‘Behold, a son will be born to you; he will be a man of rest’? Rather, he said: Many accusers will stand up from here to Gichon.” See there.)

But when the light and the flow are drawn down through Aharon, and, in his place, [through] the Kohanim of his stock, who raise their hands and bless the people with the Priestly Blessing,

then the flow is drawn swiftly through all the worlds, with nothing to prevent it or hold it back, and there is no examination of judgment at all.

(This is along the lines of what was explained on the verse “But Havayah your G‑d would not listen to Bilam,” etc.: that He did not hear any accusation, and this was through “for He loved you,” etc. And this is why the Kohanim recite the blessing, “who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to bless His people Israel with love.”

Along these lines one can explain the meaning of the verse “He sends His utterance to the earth; His word runs very swiftly.” The meaning of “He sends” is when the flow descends slowly, little by little, gradually and unhurriedly; but “His word runs very swiftly” is when the flow goes swiftly, in the manner mentioned above. And see what is written on this verse elsewhere.

And see Midrash Rabbah, Parshas Va’eschanan: “There is a prayer that is answered in forty days, etc.; and there is a prayer that is answered in twenty days, etc.; and there is a prayer that is answered in one day, etc.; and there is a prayer,” etc. See there. And see what is written elsewhere on the meaning of “Hurry, take the garment,” etc., in the discourse beginning “Until he does not know between,” etc.)

And this is the meaning of the Priestly Blessing: “Havayah bless you and keep you.” And our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “‘Bless you’ — with wealth, etc.; ‘bless you’ — with children, etc.; ‘and keep you’ — from those that do harm,” as is written in Midrash Rabbah, Naso, chapter 11.

That is, the supernal kindness is drawn down immediately into the physical, so that the blessing is in children and sustenance. “Havayah make His face shine” — this is the shining of the face; “and be gracious to you” — that it is drawn down to the very lowest.

2Now indeed, the root reason for this, that the drawing down of kindness through Aharon is drawn swiftly, with nothing to hold back or prevent the drawing down, is because

there is kindness and there is kindness: chesed olam (“everlasting kindness”) and v’rav chesed (“and abundant in kindness”). And the drawing down through Aharon is from the level of “and abundant in kindness,” as mentioned on the verse “When you kindle”

3and on the verse “And you shall make holy garments.” This is kindness without limit, which descends and is drawn down according to His attributes, and there is no aspect of judgment at all that could hold it back.

Whereas with everlasting kindness (chesed olam), there is opposite it an aspect of judgment that holds it back. And see what is written elsewhere on the verse “The kindnesses of Havayah, for we have not ceased.”

4The analogy for this, by way of illustration, is a very great river, where the water flows with great force: the flow of the water cannot be held back.

Whereas with rivers that are not so great, the going and the flow of their water is held back with wood, earth and the like, until by this means a mill or bridges are set up on them.

But a very great river will not be held back by the obstacles and hindrances mentioned above; rather, it will keep on flowing, as is its way, and will sweep away the wood and the earth that hold it back.

So it is in the analogue, with the drawing down from the level of “and abundant in kindness”: it goes and is drawn down at a run, and all the judgments pass away and are nullified because of it, etc.

(And see what is written elsewhere on the verse “Day to day utters (yabia) speech,” as is explained in the Zohar, Terumah, 136b: “Yabia, as it is said, mabba — it was made swiftly, to be illuminated one from the other.” [Mabba is] a term of speed, as [the Targum] translates “and the things to come upon them hasten” as “umaba de’asid lehon.”

That is, on Shabbos the light and the flow are also drawn down swiftly, because “all judgments pass away from it,” etc. See there. And see further on the subject of almonds in Parshas Shemos (15b).) And it will be understood from what is written (in Jeremiah, chapter 31, [verse] 28), that there is a hastening (shekidah) for ill and for good.

And along these lines it is said, “For the matter is established by G‑d, and G‑d hastens to do it”: and there were the years of plenty, and also the opposite. And see about this in the book Magen David, on the letter gimmel.

And the almonds with regard to Aharon’s staff, “and it ripened (vayigmol) almonds,” are as in the saying “G‑d Most High, who bestows (gomel) good kindnesses,” where the meaning of “good” is in the manner of “the light, that it was good.” Aharon has the letters of nir’eh: that the light be drawn down below, to be nir’eh or (“light is seen”).

And see what is written further on the subject of the Priestly Blessing in the discourse beginning “The matter of ‘Who gladdens the groom’” (and see the Ramaz on Parshas Shelach, folio 158; and it is further known that the two kinds of flow are these very ones, etc. See there.)