Chapter Thirty-Eight (פֶּרֶק שְׁלֹשִׁים וּשְׁמוֹנָה)

We shall speak further concerning the hairs of Ze’ir that are mentioned in the verse: “His locks are curled, black as a raven” (עוֹד נְדַבֵּר בְּעִנְיַן הַשְּׂעָרוֹת שֶׁל זְעֵיר שֶׁנִּזְכָּרִים בַּפָּסוּק: קְוֻצּוֹתָיו תַּלְתַּלִּים שְׁחוֹרוֹת כָּעוֹרֵב) (Song of Songs 5:11), which is said concerning Ze’ir (נֶאֱמַר עַל זְעֵיר), for they come to him through ten Elokim Names, two times right and left, whose total is Taltel [curl] (שֶׁבָּאִים לוֹ מִכֹּחַ עֶשֶׂר אֱלֹהִי״ם ב׳ פְּעָמִים יָמִין וּשְׂמֹאל, עוֹלֶה תַּלְתֵּל), and they come from Imma through the Fifty Gates of Binah (וְהֵם בָּאִים מֵאִמָּא מֵחֲמִשִּׁים שַׁעֲרֵי בִינָה). For they are the five letters of the ten Elokim Names from the secret of the Primordial Sea, their total being Taltalim [curls] (כִּי הֵם חָמֵשׁ אוֹתִיּוֹת שֶׁל עֶשֶׂר שֵׁמוֹת אֱלֹהִי״ם מִסּוֹד יַמָּא קַדְמוֹנִי כְּלָלָם תַּלְתַּלִּים), and these enter from Imma into Ze’ir (וְהֵם הַנִּכְנָסִים מֵאִמָּא בִּזְעֵיר), and after they descend they return to ascend through the head (וְחוֹזְרִים אַחַר שֶׁיָּרְדוּ, לַעֲלוֹת דֶּרֶךְ הָרֹאשׁ), and this is judgment within judgment (וַהֲרֵי זֶה דִּינָא (ב)[ד]דִינָא), for from their beginning until their end they were judgment in the secret of Katnut [smallness], until now when they are in the secret of Ohr Chozer [Returning Light] (שֶׁכְּבָר הָיוּ מִתְּחִלָּתָן וְעַד סוֹפָן דִּין בְּסוֹד הַקַּטְנוּת, וְעַד שֶׁהֵן עַתָּה בְּסוֹד אוֹר חוֹזֵר). And the proof is that red becomes black (וְהָרְאָיָה שֶׁהָאָדוֹם נַעֲשֶׂה שָׁחוֹר), and this is the doubling of the judgments, of red and black (וְהוּא כֶּפֶל הַדִּינִין, שֶׁל אָדוֹם וְשָׁחוֹר), as our Sages of blessed memory said: “Black blood is really red blood, but it has deteriorated” (הַאי דָּם שָׁחוֹר אָדוֹם הוּא אֶלָּא שֶׁלָּקָה) [Sukkah 33b], two colors (תְּרֵין גַּוְונִין). And concerning this it is written: “When you go out to war against your enemies, and Hashem your God delivers them into your hand” (וּכְתִיב בֵּיהּ כִּי תֵצֵא לַמִּלְחָמָה עַל אֹיְבֶיךָ וּנְתָנוֹ יְיָ אֱלֹהֶיךָ בְּיָדֶךָ) (Deuteronomy 21:10). And the intention is what we explained (וְהַכַּוָּנָה הוּא שֶׁבֵּאַרְנוּ), that the five right-side Elokim Names should include the five left-side Elokim Names (שֶׁיִּהְיוּ הַה׳ אֱלֹהִי״ם יְמָנִיִּים, כּוֹלְלִים הַחֲמֵשָׁה אֱלֹהִי״ם שְׂמָאלִיִּים), to double the Gevurot against the enemy (לִכְפֹּל הַגְּבוּרוֹת כְּנֶגֶד הָאוֹיֵב), so that all the judgments will rule over him (וְיִשְׁלְטוּ בוֹ כָּל הַדִּינִים). And the word Ki together with the Tav of Tetze equals four hundred and thirty in gematria (וַהֲרֵי מִלַּת כִּי וְאוֹת תָּיו שֶׁל תֵּצֵא עוֹלֶה ת״ל בְּגִימַטְרִיָּא), which is the numerical value of five Elokim Names (חֲמֵשָׁה אֱלֹהִי״ם). And the remaining ninety-one of the word Tetze (וְצ״א הוּא שְׁאֵרִית מִלַּת תֵּצֵא), is the numerical value of YAHDVNHY (בְּגִימַטְרִיָּא יאהדונה״י), and it is also equal to the numerical value of “Hashem your God” in this verse, together with the kolel [inclusive count] (וְעוֹלֶה גַּם כֵּן כְּמִנְיַן יְיָ אֱלֹהֶיךָ שֶׁבַּפָּסוּק הַזֶּה, עִם הַכּוֹלֵל), which is the Name of Unity of Ze’ir Anpin and Nukvah, to guard the camp of Yisrael from the Klipot (שֶׁהוּא שֵׁם הַיִּחוּד שֶׁל זו״ן, לִשְׁמוֹר מַחֲנֵה יִשְׂרָאֵל, מִן הַקְּלִיפּוֹת). Therefore, when the right-side powers are included with the left-side powers, and the left-side powers are not visible and do not ascend in the Name, but only the right-side powers (לְפִיכָךְ בְּהִיכָּלֵל הַיְמָנִיִּים עִם הַשְּׂמָאלִיִּים, וְהַשְּׂמָאלִיִּים לֹא הָיוּ נִרְאִים, וְעוֹלִים בַּשֵּׁם, אֶלָּא הַיְמָנִיִּים), then the attribute of mercy prevails, namely judgment sweetened (אָז מִדַּת הָרַחֲמִים גּוֹבֶר, דְּהַיְינוּ דִּין מְמוּתָּק), to strike the Klipot (לְהַכּוֹת הַקְּלִיפּוֹת). And this is the secret of the verse: “Your right hand, Hashem, is glorious in power; Your right hand, Hashem, shatters the enemy” (וְזֶהוּ סוֹד הַפָּסוּק: יְמִינְךָ יְיָ נֶאְדָּרִי בַּכֹּחַ יְמִינְךָ יְיָ תִּרְעַץ אוֹיֵב) (Exodus 15:6). And this is the secret of what our Sages of blessed memory said: “Every single plague was composed of five plagues, as it is said: ‘It is the finger of God’” (וְזֶהוּ סוֹד שֶׁאָמְרוּ חז״ל: כָּל מַכָּה וּמַכָּה הָיְתָה שֶׁל חָמֵשׁ מַכּוֹת שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר אֶצְבַּע אֱלֹהִים הִיא) [Mekhilta deRabbi Yishmael, Beshalach, Masekhta deVayehi 6], from there were drawn the plagues of Pharaoh in Egypt (מִשָּׁם נִמְשָׁךְ מַכּוֹת פַּרְעֹה בְּמִצְרַיִם). And at the Sea they were struck with two hundred and fifty plagues (וְעַל הַיָּם לָקוּ חֲמִשִּׁים וּמָאתַיִם מַכּוֹת), for fifty is the secret of the ten Elokim Names mentioned above, right and left, which contain fifty letters (כִּי חֲמִשִּׁים הוּא סוֹד עֶשֶׂר אֱלֹהִים הַנִּזְכָּרִים יְמָנִיִּים וּשְׂמָאלִיִּים, אֲשֶׁר יֵשׁ בָּהֶם חֲמִשִּׁים אוֹתִיּוֹת), and two hundred is the Name Elokim in its square expansion, whose value is two hundred, thus: Alef, Alef-Lamed, Alef-Lamed-Heh, Alef-Lamed-Heh-Yud, Alef-Lamed-Heh-Yud-Mem (וּמָאתַיִם הוּא שֵׁם אֱלֹהִים בְּרִבּוּעוֹ, הָעוֹלֶה מָאתַיִם כָּזֶה: א׳ א״ל אל״ה אלה״י אלהי״ם). And likewise all the calculations there are from the Name Elokim, through which He executed vengeance (וְכֵן כָּל הַחֶשְׁבּוֹנוֹת אֲשֶׁר שָׁם הֵם מִשֵּׁם אֱלֹהִים שֶׁהָיָה עוֹשֶׂה בָּהֶם נְקָמָה), as I shall explain in its place with the help of the Holy One Blessed Be He and His Shekhinah (כַּאֲשֶׁר אֲבָאֵר בִּמְקוֹמוֹ בְּסִיַּעְתָּא דְּקב״ה וּשְׁכִינְתֵּיהּ). It emerges from our discussion (יָצָא לָנוּ מִנִּדּוֹן דִּידָן), that the five left-side Elokim Names are in the category of “shall not be seen” (שֶׁה׳ אֱלֹהִים הַשְּׂמָאלִיִּים הֵם בְּבַל יֵרָאֶה), only the right-side ones are visible (רַק הַיְמָנִיִּים), and proof of this is the straps of the Tefillin of the head, which are black as a raven (וּרְאָיָה לָזֶה רְצוּעוֹת שֶׁל תְּפִלִּין, שֶׁל רֹאשׁ שֶׁהֵן שְׁחוֹרוֹת כָּעוֹרֵב), and the right strap is longer than the left strap (וְהַיְמָנִית הִיא יוֹתֵר אֲרוּכָּה מִן הַשְּׂמָאלִית).