החלצו מאתכם וגו׳

1“Arm from among you (hechaltzu me’itchem),” etc. We need to understand this, for it should have said yechaltzu (“let [men] be armed”): hechaltzu (“arm yourselves”) implies all of you, and since it says “from among you,” that is, some of you, “a thousand per tribe,” then it should have said yechaltzu.

Also, what is [meant by] “the vengeance of Havayah upon Midian”? And also, what is [meant by] “for all the tribes (lechol matos)”? It should have said “from all the tribes (mikol matos).” However, the level of Midian stands directly opposite the level of the Name Havayah;

and therefore, before the Giving of the Torah, there had to be the subduing of the kelipah (husk) of Midian through Yisro, the priest of Midian, who said, “Now I know,” etc. (as is written in the Zohar at the beginning of Parshas Yisro, 67b).

The matter is along the lines of what our Sages, of blessed memory, said: at the time of the Giving of the Torah all the nations gathered, etc., until all of them opened [their mouths] and said, “Havayah will give strength to His people; Havayah will bless His people with peace.” And as our Sages, of blessed memory, said: one who occupies himself with Torah makes peace in the household above and in the household below.

2To understand these two [kinds of] peace, it must be said: concerning the destruction of the First Temple, our Sages, of blessed memory, said that the Holy One, blessed be He, overlooked idolatry, forbidden relations and bloodshed, but did not overlook the neglect of Torah; and the destruction of the Second Temple came only because of the sin of baseless hatred alone.

3If so, why is the exile now so long, that the Holy Temple has lain destroyed for more than seventeen hundred years? While the Babylonian exile, which came because of the grave sins mentioned above, was nevertheless only seventy years.

But the explanation is this: concerning the seven nations that were in the land when our fathers came into the land, the Canaanite and the Hittite, etc., it is said, “And it shall be that those of them whom you leave remaining…,” etc.; for they were the seven evil emotive attributes (middos).

Therefore, when Israel sinned then, in [the time of] the First Temple, and these seven evil attributes grew strong in them because they had left [some] of them [remaining], as it is written

(in Judges, chapters 1 and 2), “And you shall make no covenant…,” etc., “but you have not listened to My voice,” etc.; and because of them they stumbled into the grave sins mentioned above.

Therefore the Babylonian exile was seventy years, for through it the seven attributes mentioned above were rectified: ten years for each attribute, since each one is composed of ten.

In the Second Temple, however, the sin was not in the evil attributes themselves but in baseless hatred; and this is the kelipah of Midian, which is not counted among the seven nations mentioned above, and is not complete evil like evil lusts, etc., [such as] adultery.

Rather, [it is] baseless hatred, for this is the meaning of the word Midian: quarrel and strife (madon). And this trait, although it is not complete evil, is nevertheless the source from which evil comes into being; and it is also the opposite of divine holiness (and see the Zohar, Vayikra, 16b),

which is precisely the quality of oneness and inter-inclusion, which is the foundation of the whole Torah, as Hillel the Elder said, “What is hateful to you…,” etc., “and the rest is its explanation.”

And this is because so it is above: “Havayah is One”: the quality of oneness and inter-inclusion, “He and His vessels (ihu vegarmohi) are one,” etc., “He is the Knower and He is the Knowledge.” For the meaning of “One” is not His being and essence, may He be blessed, which is called “Singular” (Yachid);

rather, the meaning of “One” is: One in the seven heavens and the earth, which above are the seven attributes, all of which are nullified and included in the One. And therefore the level of Midian, and “a grumbler separates,” is what opposes the Name Havayah,

which is One, in that even all the attributes and the opposites all become united and nullified in the light of Havayah, etc. And therefore this exile, which is the rectification and refinement of baseless hatred, lasts a much longer time.

4And this is what our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “The earlier ones, whose sin was revealed, had their end revealed,” etc. That is: their sin was revealed, for it was complete evil; therefore they did teshuvah (returned) for it at once.

Whereas the later ones, whose sin was not revealed, that is, the matter of baseless hatred, about which each person deludes himself that it is not a complete sin: therefore their end was not revealed, because people do not regret it so much

(as Rabbeinu Yonah writes along these lines at the beginning of the first chapter of Berachos: that this is why the guilt-offering is two sela’im and the sin-offering is worth a danka, for since the guilt-offering comes for a doubtful sin, one does not regret it so much, etc.; see there). Or

as, by way of analogy, sorting out fine refuse takes more time than coarse refuse, which is recognizable to all as refuse.

So too with laws in the Gemara: there is no need for study [to know] that the raven is forbidden and the dove permitted; but to clarify doubtful laws, where the prohibition is not evident, requires effort and much more time in debate and study, after which one recognizes

that it is forbidden. So too the rectification and refinement of the sin of baseless hatred: because it is not considered so much as complete evil in a person’s eyes, since he imagines that he hates the other with justice, therefore it needs a long time.

But to understand somewhat the gravity of this matter of baseless hatred, how it is the very opposite of the Name Havayah: the explanation is that the Name Havayah is so called because it brings into being (mehaveh) from nothing (ayin) to something (yesh).

5Now, the question is well known: why is the coming into being called “from nothing to something”? On the contrary, He, may He be blessed, is the true Something (Yesh), and “all before Him is considered as nothing,” truly nothing and naught.

But the explanation is this: the Infinite One (Ein Sof), blessed be He, is as His name; He has no beginning, etc. Therefore, when there was to be a drawing forth of the light to bring into being created beings that have limits, this could not be through a chain of descent (hishtalshelus) of cause and effect, for if so, everything would have been without limit;

rather, there had to be a tremendous tzimtzum (contraction) at the outset, so that the revelation would be only a contracted illumination, in order that this illumination could then be the source and root for the coming into being of worlds that have limits, and that they not be nullified out of existence.

And this is the meaning of the yud of the Name Havayah: it is the level of tzimtzum, “He made darkness His hiding place,” only the revelation of a point, “and His arrow shall go forth like lightning,” etc.

After the yud there extends the level of the hei, which has length and breadth; this is the level of the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin) and the light that fills all worlds (memalei kol almin), upward without end and downward without limit, all of which extends after the level of the yud.

6Therefore creation is called “something from nothing” (yesh me’ayin): for the source of the coming into being of the something is through that which is “nothing” and “considered as nothing” relative to His being and essence, which is above this tzimtzum. And see what is written in the discourse beginning “And Israel saw.”

And this is what our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “As in the creation of the world: first darkness”; this is the level of the tzimtzum (and see the Zohar, Parshas Balak) (page 191), which explains “I am black” as the level of the yud, which has no white in it; “and afterwards light”; this is the level of the expansion.

Now, the tzimtzum and the expansion are two opposite qualities, and there must be an intermediary to join these two opposites;

and this is through a level that is above both of them, namely, a drawing forth from the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He, before Whom “darkness is as light”; for darkness and light apply only to the levels and degrees of the creation of the world,

but before the world was created these levels do not apply. And through a drawing forth from this level there can be a bond and joining between the two opposites, so that Chochmah (wisdom) and Binah (understanding), which are the yud and the hei, become

“two companions who never part,” although in essence they are two opposites and are called “nothing” and “something.” Nevertheless, through a drawing forth from the Infinite Light, blessed be He, which is above both levels, they are included in each other and become one. And this drawing forth is alluded to in the tip of the yud,

which is far above the level of the yud; and through it the yud spreads out and joins with the hei. As is explained in the Pardes, the yud has three tips; from the lower tip the hei extends, and in the lower tip there is the quality of the upper tip.

It follows that the yud’s spreading out and extending into the hei comes about through the tip of the yud, which is far above the essential level of the yud; and it is this that joins the yud with the hei.

(And see what is written on this at length on [the verse] “Go forth (Lech lecha)”; and see the Zohar, Parshas Vayikra) (pages 10b and 11b), and the Mikdash Melech there, in the name of Rabbi Chaim Vital, that the lower tip is Daas (knowledge);

that is, that Daas is what joins Chochmah and Binah. And see the Zohar HaRakia at the beginning of Parshas Bereishis, on “The letter tzaddi entered,” etc.; see there. And in the Zohar, Parshas Acharei (page 77b), on

“but their union depends on the mazal,” etc.; and in Sefer Hadras Melech (section 115), in the name of the Likkutei Torah of the Arizal; and in Pri Etz Chaim (Sha’ar HaBerachos, chapter 3), on [the verse] “and Your path is in the great waters”; and further in Sefer Hadras Melech (beginning of section 156).

And see further in the Pardes, in Erchei HaKinuyim, the entry “Kotz” (tip). And this is the meaning of [the saying] that one who occupies himself with Torah makes peace in the household above: for

that which causes this flow from the essence of the Infinite One, blessed be He, to join the yud and hei comes about through the Torah. And this is [the meaning of] “Or let him take hold of My strength, that he may make peace for Me”: peace for Me, literally,

that is, in the yud and hei of the Name Havayah. The reason is that “the Torah comes forth from Chochmah,” and our Sages, of blessed memory, said, “Whoever reads and studies, the Holy One, blessed be He, reads and studies opposite him.” If so, he draws [it] down so that the Holy One, blessed be He, who is the essence of the Infinite One, blessed be He, is drawn down and clothed in the Torah, which “comes forth from Chochmah.”

And this is [the meaning of] one who occupies himself with Torah lishmah: for its sake, for the sake of the Torah itself; and also lishmah: l’shem hei, “for the sake of the hei,” since through this the joining of the letters yud and hei is accomplished.

Therefore the Torah is called “peace” (for through it the level and degree of the upper tip is drawn down, etc.; for “the Torah comes forth from Chochmah,” and its root and source is from a level above Chochmah; for the 613 commandments of the Torah together with the seven commandments of the Rabbis are the level of Keser (the Crown), the 620 pillars of light;

and as a pillar joins the roof with the ground, so through this the joining of the yud and hei is accomplished, so that the flow is drawn down and spreads below as well, etc. And see what is written in the discourse beginning “After Havayah your G‑d shall you walk,” on “and to His voice shall you listen,” and what is written in the discourse beginning “On the day of Shemini Atzeres” on the matter of “Or let him take hold of My strength, that he may make peace for Me,” etc.):

72. The matter of peace in the household below is in the letters vav and hei of the Name. For it is written, “Yours, Havayah, are the greatness and the might,” etc., which are six supernal attributes; and this is the level of the vav of the Name Havayah.

Now, opposite this there are also seven evil attributes, and the source and root of their nurture is from the left line of holiness; as is written in the Zohar, there is a right and there is a left above, on the side of holiness; and from the left line the nurture of the external forces descends and is drawn.

And just as the River of Fire (Nehar Dinur) issues from the sweat of the Chayos, so Gehinnom came into being from the dross of the Gevuros (and see what is written on this matter in Parshas Chukas, on “This is the statute of the Torah,” etc.).

Therefore the rectification for this is that there must be “the left included in the right”; and the whole Torah rests on this foundation. As is written in the Zohar at the beginning of Parshas Korach, from this came the sin of Korach, who did not want the left to be included in the right, etc.; and this is the opposite of the foundation of the Torah.

Therefore the Torah is called “a Torah of kindness (chesed).” And this is [the meaning of] “Your right hand, Havayah, is glorious in power”; and through this, “Your right hand, Havayah, shatters the enemy.”

8In the same way, all the punishments of the Torah too, although they are Gevuros, are nevertheless included in Chassadim (kindnesses): for the punishment is such that through it a rectification is made for the sinner’s soul. As our Sages, of blessed memory, said, “All who are liable to kares (excision) who were flogged are released from their kares,” etc.

So too, even concerning the punishment of death by the court, our Sages, of blessed memory, said regarding Achan: “Havayah will trouble you this day”: this day you are troubled, but you will not be troubled in the World to Come. It follows that the punishment is to rectify his soul.

The sin itself, however, is more bitter than death, as it is written, “life and good, and death and evil.” It follows that evil is worse than death (and see what is written on this at the end of the discourse beginning “And Korach took”).

Thus in the Torah there is [the quality of] the left included in the right. Whereas the punishment that existed before the Giving of the Torah was from the level of Gevuros proper,

as with the generation of the Flood: our Sages, of blessed memory, said, “The generation of the Flood have no share in the World to Come,” etc.; and so too with the generation of the Dispersion.

It follows that the punishment was not for the sake of rectifying the sinner’s soul; and these are complete Gevuros (yet even so, their purpose is kindness, for the good of the world in general; and see the Ramaz at the beginning of Parshas Shoftim).

And this level, that the left be included in the right, is called peace in the household below; and it is the sweetening of the Gevuros by the Chassadim.

This too comes through the Torah, for of the Torah it is said, “From His right hand, a fiery law”: black fire upon white fire. And this is “I am” and “You shall not have,” which are the source of Chesed (kindness) and Gevurah (restraint).

9So too, all the fine points of the Torah are Gevuros and contractions: that only in such-and-such a way will it be valid, etc., and if not, it is invalid. And these Gevuros are the ultimate kindness, for through this there will be a revelation of G‑dliness.

And this is [the meaning of] “From His right hand, a fire,” etc. This too is through the light of the drawing forth that is above the chain of descent (hishtalshelus): from there it comes about that Chesed and Gevurah are included in each other, although in themselves they are two opposites, and that the left is included in the right, and “abundant in kindness” inclines toward kindness;

and this is “peace he shall make for Me,” literally: that the attributes be included in one another, “He and His vessels (ihu vegarmohi) are one,” so that they are united in a complete and true union, until they are truly one.

103. Now likewise, the two [kinds of] peace mentioned above are also in the soul of man. For the soul too has in it the level of the Name Havayah

(as is explained elsewhere on the verse “But Havayah your G‑d would not listen to Bilaam,” etc.), as it is written, “that the Name of Havayah is called upon you”; for the soul is composed of the Ten Sefiros.

Now, in the Chochmah (wisdom) and Binah (understanding) of the soul the yud and hei are clothed. And it is stated, “Chochmah is the brain and Binah is the heart,” as the saying goes, “The heart understands.”

The difference between the brain and the heart is that the brain is cold and moist, for there is the source of the element of water and moisture, while the heart is the dwelling place of the element of fire.

11So too [with] the level of Chochmah and the knowledge (daas) of the greatness of G‑d, how “His greatness is unsearchable” and “all before Him is considered as nothing”: when a person grasps this in his mind,

from this comes the nullification (bittul) of will: to nullify oneself completely before the will of G‑d. Therefore this level is called yud,

for the yud is the level of tzimtzum, as explained above; and this tzimtzum in man is that he nullify his will, etc., and likewise nullify himself in thought, speech and action, not to think and speak as he wishes, etc. Humility, too, comes from this.

12Therefore it is said of Moshe, “And the man Moshe was very humble,” because he was of the level of Chochmah. Awe, too, comes from the brain and from Chochmah, as it is written, “The beginning of wisdom (chochmah) is the awe of Havayah”; and also, “With wisdom He founded the earth”: “Abba founded the daughter,” who is called “a woman who fears Havayah.”

13Therefore the bones derive from the brain. The nature of the bones is that they have great strength, and they are also the quality of standing; and standing is the quality of the nullification of will, and this nullification is with great strength,

that is, because of constancy in fixing the mind (daas) firmly on the greatness of G‑d always, and not that it pass and be gone after prayer.

Nevertheless, since the brain is water and moisture, it is in a state of coolness. But the virtue of the heart is that there is the element of fire, and thirst, with the revelation of love in veritable flashes of fire, from “the inward part of a man and a deep heart.”

This comes from the level of Binah (understanding), and it is the level of the hei, which has extension in length and breadth: the extension of the emotive attributes (middos), love, etc. And this is [the meaning of] “He established the heavens with understanding (tevunah)”: the heavens, the level of fire, derive from the level of tevunah;

and from this comes [the quality of] “His heart was lifted up in the ways of Havayah” and “I will walk in a broad place.” Now, from the heart comes the flesh; and this is [the meaning of] “My heart and my flesh sing for joy,” etc.

14Now, in truth both levels, of brain and heart, are needed. The virtue of fire is that with it one cooks a thing, and through the fire it is transformed into another

nature, whereas without fire it would remain in its original nature. So through the fire there can be a transformation of the emotive attributes of the animal soul. And there must also be [the quality of] “His heart was lifted up,” etc.

But the virtue of the brain is very great, for from it come the strength and endurance of the nullification of will in thought, speech and action; for it to be carried out in actual deed comes specifically through the power of the brain. And this is [the meaning of] “With wisdom He founded the earth,” which is the level of action, etc. Likewise, humility is a great principle.

But they are two opposites, water and fire; therefore there must be peace between them, joining them to be truly “two companions.”

15And this is the peace in the household above that is within the soul: that the brain rule over the heart. For from the heart comes the level of running (ratzo), “if your heart runs”;

but afterwards there must be returning (shov), and that is the main thing. And also concerning “his heart was lifted up,” our Sages, of blessed memory, said that a Torah scholar should have an eighth of an eighth [of pride], etc.

If so, humility must be much, much more than [the quality of] “his heart was lifted up,” etc.; and see what is written on this in the discourse beginning “Let them bring royal apparel.” And this is what our Sages, of blessed memory, said: one who prays must bow until an issar is seen opposite his heart. The meaning: issar is a term for binding,

as in “and she binds a bond (ve’asrah issar)”; that is, to bind the flow from the brain to the heart, so that the brain rules over the heart and both virtues, of brain and of heart, are maintained. Along these lines were the Kohanim and the Levites: the service of the Kohanim was in silence, and that is from the level of Chochmah (wisdom); and the Levites [served] with song and music, etc.,

the level of running. And it is written of the Levites, “that they may be joined to you and serve you,” for they were nullified before the Kohanim. Now, this peace in the household above comes through occupation with Torah,

which is the drawing down of the Supernal Will that is above Chochmah and Binah (understanding), and it is what makes peace between them, as explained above concerning the tip of the yud. So too there is in the soul the level of the tip of the yud: the will that is above reason, etc.;

and from it comes the level of the higher Daas (knowledge), which joins and unites Chochmah and Binah, brain and heart. That is, occupation with Torah is in a state of self-nullification, “To You, Havayah, I lift up my soul”: thought with thought, speech with speech, etc.

16Therefore, through this it comes about that the brain rules over the heart, so that the heart’s arousal in love will not be in the manner of “there is an ‘I’ who loves” and “there is an ‘I,’” etc.,

but rather in the manner of “and with all your soul,” self-nullification: for “To You, Havayah, I lift up my soul,” because “You will one day take it from me,” etc. And see what is written in the discourse beginning “And you shall know this day,” concerning “peace to the one who is far” who has become near.

174. The matter of peace in the household below is to include the left in the right. That is: the emotive attributes (middos) of the G‑dly soul are called, in general, the right, since Chesed (kindness) prevails in them;

and therefore the soul is called “the daughter of a Kohen.” But the attributes of the animal soul are the left, for the root and source of the animal soul is from “the face of an ox on the left.”

18Now, there are twenty-eight “times”: at times the animal soul is utterly subdued to the G‑dly soul, and at times it grows strong, to be drawn after physical desires; and this is not peace.

Rather, peace is that the left be included in the right: that the attributes of the animal soul be refined so as to be nullified in the attributes of the G‑dly soul. And see what is written on this in the Biur (explanation) on “And I was with Him as a nursling (amon),”

and as it is said, “with all your heart (levavcha)”: with both your inclinations; that the evil inclination itself be turned to the love of G‑d, through contemplating how in truth “there is nothing else,” literally; and if so, whom should one desire besides Him, may He be blessed?

Now, this peace too is brought about through the Torah. For the main refinement of the attributes is through the drawing down of Daas (knowledge), which is the life-force of the attributes and their inner dimension; and it is what draws Chochmah (wisdom) and Binah (understanding) into the attributes, so that “through Chochmah they are refined,” the attributes of the animal soul

(as is written on this in the Biur on “Many waters cannot quench the love,” on the matter of Daas: what its function is.

And see also what is written in the discourse beginning “And all your children,” on the matter of “Do not read ‘your children’ (banayich) but ‘your builders’ (bonayich)”: that for there to be [the quality of] “and great peace,” this comes through the level of “your builders,” which is the yoke of Torah. And see what is written in the Biur on “Many waters,” etc.)

Now, through this the sweetening of the Gevuros is drawn forth above; and this is the union of vav and hei, which is the drawing of the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin) into the light that fills all worlds (memalei kol almin). And this drawing forth, in general, comes through the performance of the mitzvos.

And this is [the meaning of] “And the work of charity (tzedakah) shall be peace”: charity too draws down the peace mentioned above. For just as through charity peace is made below, since the poor man envies the rich one, and through charity peace is made between them, so too it brings about peace above, between the giver and the receiver, etc.

19And see Iggeres HaKodesh, in the letter beginning “And the work of charity shall be peace.” And see what is written further on this matter, of peace in the household above, the joining of the running and returning (ratzo vashov) of heart and brain, and of peace in the household below, in the discourse beginning “And all the people saw the voices,” in Parshas Yisro; see there.

20After all this, the matter of “the vengeance of Havayah upon Midian” will be understood: for baseless hatred and separation is the very thing that opposes the Name Havayah, whose essence is the peace and inter-inclusion in the household above and in the one below.

The explanation is that through the inter-inclusion that is brought about, a supernal light is drawn down from the level of “the wholeness of all” (shelimusa dechola), which includes everything, for it is written, “For all comes from You.” Whereas with separation, etc.

21Therefore the war against Midian is to take the vengeance of the Name Havayah itself. And this is [the meaning of] “Arm yourselves (hechaltzu),” which implies all of you: that is, every person must stand in this war, to fight with his inclination for the sake of the Name Havayah, which denotes unity;

that is, that there be inter-inclusion, all of them truly as one, as one man, without any division of hearts, etc.; and specifically through this they will subdue Midian.

22And this is [the meaning of] what is written, “for all the tribes (matos)”: for the six hundred thousand souls correspond to the six extremities (vav ketzavos), each of which is composed of ten, and [each] ten of ten, etc.

Now, there are six extremities from above to below and from below to above, and these are two levels of tribes, as it is written, “where the tribes went up, the tribes of Yah”: that is, from the masculine world and the world of Nukva (the feminine).

So too with matos there are two levels: the first, inclining and drawing down from above to below, as in “Incline Your heavens and come down” (Psalms 144); and there is inclining from below to above: “I have inclined my heart to perform Your statutes.”

“And behold, the staff (mateh) of Aharon had blossomed”; “Lift up your staff (mateh),” etc. And there must be the inter-inclusion of all the levels, through the two [kinds of] peace mentioned above, of the household above and of the one below.

And this is [why it says] “for all the tribes” and not “from all”: for “from all” would imply only from the tribes below, which are of the level of the world of Nukva;

but “for all” implies all of them. That is, through the inter-inclusion below, in the twelve tribes below, light will be drawn from above, from the root of the twelve tribes, which are called “the tribes of Yah,” the level of the household above, as mentioned above.

23And this is [the meaning of] “and let them be over (al) Midian”: that through this there will rest upon them a light from the level of “the wholeness of all,” which is far above the root of the level of Midian, etc.

And this is [the meaning of] what is written, “Say to Him, ‘All’”: for He, may He be blessed, is called “All,” since He includes everything, and He rests [upon them] through the inter-inclusion below. From all the above, the gravity of baseless hatred will be understood. And see what is written in the discourse beginning “Behold, one people and one language.”

24Now, what brings about the joining and inter-inclusion is the level of Moshe, “and what are we,” etc.; therefore the war and the vengeance against Midian had to be specifically through Moshe.

And this is what is said in [Midrash] Rabbah on Song of Songs, on the verse “Your teeth are like a flock of ewes,” etc., “all of which are matched,” that it refers to Israel, who went to the war against Midian; and so it is also in [Midrash] Rabbah (at the beginning of Parshas Matos).

The explanation, as is written elsewhere on the verse mentioned above, is that the meaning of “which have come up from the washing” is the drawing forth of mayin duchrin (masculine waters) from the sea of Chochmah (wisdom); and this is through Moshe, the faithful shepherd (Raaya Mehemna), of whom it is said, “for I drew him out of the water.”

Therefore “which have come up from the washing” (she’alu min harachtzah) has the initials of Moshe. And through this they became “all of them matched,” which is the level of inter-inclusion, truly together; and therefore it was specifically they who fought against Midian, as mentioned above: to be over Midian comes through inter-inclusion together.