Daf 174b (דַּף קע״ד ע״ב)

“And she could no longer hide him, and she took for him…” (Exodus 2) (וְלֹא יָכְלָה עוֹד הַצְּפִינוֹ וַתִּקַּח לּוֹ וְגוֹ׳). What is, “and she took for him a basket of reeds”? (מַאי וַתִּקַּח לּוֹ תֵּיבַת גֹּמֶא). That she covered him with a sign, to be guarded from those fishes of the sea that swim in the Great Sea (דְּחָפַת לֵיהּ בְּסִימָנָהָא, לְמֶהֱוִי נָטִיר מֵאִינּוּן נוּנֵי יַמָּא, דְּשָׁאטִין בְּיַמָּא רַבָּא), as it is written: “There is creeping innumerable” (Psalm 104) (כְּמָה דִּכְתִיב שָׁם רֶמֶשׂ וְאֵין מִסְפָּר). And she covered him to be guarded from them, with a covering - some say: from the side of the precious Jubilee (וְהִיא חָפַת לֵיהּ לְמֶהֱוִי נָטִיר מִנַּיְיהוּ בְּחָפוּ [ס״א דסטרא דיובלא יקירא]) - of the creatures of the sea, without preciousness, in two colors: white and black (דִּבְנֵי יַמָּא בְּלָא יַקִּירָא בִּתְרֵי גַּוְונִין, בְּחִיוָּור וְאוּכָּם). And she placed Moshe to swim among them (וְאָנַח לֵיהּ לְמֹשֶׁה לְמֵישַׁט בֵּינַיְיהוּ), to be recognized among them, for he was destined to ascend among them another time, to receive the Orayta (לְאִשְׁתְּמוֹדַע בֵּינֵיהוֹן, בְּגִין דְּזַמִּין הוּא לְסַלְּקָא בֵּינַיְיהוּ, זִמְנָא אַחֲרָא, לְקַבְּלָא אוֹרַיְיתָא).

“And the daughter of Pharaoh went down” (Exodus 2) (וַתֵּרֶד בַּת פַּרְעֹה). This is she who comes from the side of the left, of harsh judgment (דָּא הִיא, דְּאַתְיָא מִסִּטְרָא שְׂמָאלָא דְּדִינָא קַשְׁיָא), as it is said: “to bathe upon the river” (כְּמָה דְּאִתְּמַר לִרְחוֹץ עַל הַיְאוֹר). Upon the river exactly, and not upon the sea (עַל הַיְאוֹר דַּיְיקָא, וְלָא עַל הַיָּם). And if you say, behold it is written: “And your rod, with which you struck the river” (Exodus 17) (וְאִי תֵּימָא, הָא כְּתִיב וּמַטְּךָ אֲשֶׁר הִכִּיתָ בּוֹ אֶת הַיְאוֹר). Yet Moshe struck only the sea, and the verse calls it “river” (וּמֹשֶׁה לָא הִכָּה אֶלָּא בַּיָּם, וְקַרְיֵיהּ קְרָא יְאוֹר). Rather, it was the river that Aharon struck by the hand of Moshe, and the verse attributes the deed as though he did it (אֶלָּא יְאוֹר הֲוָה דְּמָחָא אַהֲרֹן עַל יְדָא דְּמֹשֶׁה, וְשַׁוְויֵיהּ קְרָא דְּאִיהוּ עֲבַד).

Likewise, as it is written: “And seven days were fulfilled after Hashem smote the river” (Exodus 7) (כְּהַאי גַּוְונָא וְיִמָּלֵא שִׁבְעַת יָמִים אַחֲרֵי הַכּוֹת יְיָ אֶת הַיְאוֹר). And it was Aharon who struck. But until it comes from the side of Kudsha Berikh Hu, the verse calls it “smote of Hashem”; afterwards it attributes it in the name of Moshe (וְאַהֲרֹן הִכָּה, אֶלָּא [ס״א דעל דא] עַד דְּאָתָא מִסִּטְרָא דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, קַרְיֵיהּ קְרָא הַכּוֹת יְיָ, לְבָתַר קַרְיֵיהּ בִּשְׁמָא דְּמֹשֶׁה).

“And her maidens walked” (Exodus 2) (וְנַעֲרוֹתֶיהָ הוֹלְכוֹת) - these are the other camps that come from this side (אִינּוּן שְׁאַר מַשִׁרְיָין דְּאַתְיָין מִסִּטְרָא דָּא). “And she opened it and saw the child” (Exodus 2) (וַתִּפְתַּח וַתִּרְאֵהוּ אֶת הַיֶּלֶד). “And she saw him” - it should have said “she saw”; what is “she saw him”? (וַתִּרְאֵהוּ, וַתֵּרֶא מִבָּעֵי לֵיהּ, מַאי וַתִּרְאֵהוּ). But Rabbi Shim‘on said: There is not a single word in the Orayta, nor even a single letter, that does not contain precious and supernal secrets (וְהָא אָמַר רִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן לֵית לָךְ מִלָּה בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, אוֹ אָת חַד בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, דְּלָא אִית בֵּיהּ רָזִין יַקִירִין וְעִלָאִין). Rather, thus we have learned: the sign of the King and Matronita is found in it (אֶלָּא הָכִי אוֹלִיפְנָא, רְשִׁימָא דְּמַלְכָּא וּמַטְרוֹנִיתָא אִשְׁתְּכַחַת בֵּיהּ), and these are the sign of Vav-Heh (וְאִינּוּן רְשִׁימָא דְּוָא״ו הֵ״א). Immediately “she had compassion on him” and so forth (מִיַּד וַתַּחְמוֹל עָלָיו וְגוֹ׳).

Until here is above (עַד כָּאן לְעֵילָּא). From here and below, this verse applies: “And his sister stood from afar” (Exodus 2) (מִכָּאן וּלְהָלְאָה לְתַתָּא, בַּר הַאי קְרָא, דִּכְתִיב וַתֵּתַצַּב אֲחוֹתוֹ מֵרָחוֹק). His sister - whose sister? (אֲחוֹתוֹ דְּמַאן). His sister, who is called Knesset Yisrael “my sister” (אֲחוֹתוֹ דְּהַאי אִיהוּ, דְּקָרָא לִכְנֶסֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲחוֹתִי), as it is said: “Open to me, my sister” (Song of Songs 5) (כְּמָה דְאַתְּ אָמֵר פִּתְחִי לִי אֲחוֹתִי). “From afar” - as it is said: “From afar Hashem appeared to me” (Jeremiah 31) (מֵרָחוֹק: כְּמָה דְאַתְּ אָמֵר מֵרָחוֹק יְיָ נִרְאָה לִי).

What does it mean? (מַאי מַשְׁמַע). It means that those who are meritorious, before they descend to the world, are known above in relation to all (מַשְׁמַע דְּאִינּוּן זַכָּאִין, עַד דְּלָא נַחְתּוּ לְעָלְמָא, אִשְׁתְּמוֹדְעָן אִינּוּן לְעֵילָּא לְגַבֵּי כֹּלָּא), and all the more so Moshe (וְכָל שֶׁכֵּן מֹשֶׁה). And it means that the souls of the Righteous are drawn from a supernal place, as we have established (וּמַשְׁמַע דְּנִשְׁמָתְהוֹן דְּצַדִּיקַיָּיא, אִתְמְשַׁךְ מֵאֲתָר עִלָּאָה, כְּמָה דְּאוֹקִימְנָא). And the secret of the matter we have learned, that it means a soul has father and mother just as a body has father and mother on earth (וְרָזָא דְּמִלָּה אוֹלִיפְנָא, דְּמַשְׁמַע דְּאָב וְאֵם אִית לְנִשְׁמְתָא, כְּמָה דְּאִית אָב וְאֵם לְגוּפָא, בְּאַרְעָא). And it means that in all aspects, both above and below, male and female, everything comes forth and exists (וּמַשְׁמַע דִּבְכָל סִטְרִין, בֵּין לְעֵילָּא, בֵּין לְתַתָּא, מִדְּכָר וְנוּקְבָּא כֹּלָּא אַתְיָא וְאִשְׁתְּכַח). And behold, the secret is established, as it is written: “Let the earth bring forth a living soul” (Bereshit 1) (וְהָא אוּקְמוּהָ רָזָא דִּכְתִיב, תּוֹצֵא הָאָרֶץ נֶפֶשׁ חַיָּה). “The earth” - this is Knesset Yisrael (הָאָרֶץ, דָּא כְּנֶסֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל). “A living soul” - the soul of the supernal Adam Kadma’ah, as it is said (נֶפֶשׁ חַיָּה, נַפְשָׁא דְּאָדָם קַדְמָאָה עִלָּאָה, כְּמָה דְּאִתְּמַר).

Rabbi Abba came and kissed him (אָתָא רִבִּי אַבָּא וּנְשָׁקֵיהּ), and said: Surely you have spoken well, and here is everything (אָמַר ודַּאי שַׁפִּיר קָא אַמְרַת, וְהָכָא הוּא כֹּלָּא). Blessed is the portion of Moshe, the faithful prophet, above all other prophets of the world (זַכָּאָה חוּלָקֵיהּ דְּמֹשֶׁה נְבִיאָה מְהֵימָנָא, עַל כָּל שְׁאַר נְבִיאֵי עָלְמָא). Because of this, no one attended to him when he departed from the world, except Kudsha Berikh Hu, Who raised him into His curtain (בְּגִין כַּךְ, לָא אִשְׁתְּדַּל בֵּיהּ כַּד אִסְתַּלָּק מֵעָלְמָא, בַּר קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, דְּאַעֲלֵיהּ לְפַרְגּוֹדֵיהּ). And because of this Moshe ascended in supernal prophecy and in precious degrees above all the prophets of the world (וְעַל דָּא סָלִיק מֹשֶׁה בִּנְּבוּאָה עִלָּאָה, וּבְדַרְגִין יַקִּירִין, מִכָּל נְבִיאֵי עָלְמָא). And the other prophets beheld after many walls (וּשְׁאַר נְבִיאֵי חָמָאן בָּתַר כּוֹתָלִין סַגִּיאִין). “And he showed me Yehoshua the high priest” (Zechariah 3) (זכריה ג וַיַּרְאֵנִי אֶת יְהוֹשֻׁעַ הַכֹּהֵן הַגָּדוֹל). What did he see? That he was standing before an angel, and clothed in filthy garments, until a herald went forth and said: “Remove the filthy garments from him” (מַאי קָא חָמָא, דְּהֲוָה קָאִים קָמֵי מַלְאָכָא, וּמִתְלְבַּשׁ בִּלְבוּשִׁין מְלוּכְלָכִין, עַד דְּכָרוֹזָא נָפִיק, וְאָמַר הָסִירוּ הַבְּגָדִים הַצּוֹאִים מֵעָלָיו).

Rabbi Yitzḥak said (אָמַר רִבִּי יִצְחָק): It is written here, “and standing before the angel” - what is “before the angel”? (כְּתִיב הָכָא וְעוֹמֵד לִפְנֵי הַמַּלְאָךְ, מַאי לִפְנֵי הַמַּלְאָךְ). That he was judged in judgment, as it is written: “And do not say before the angel, it was an error” (Ecclesiastes 5) (דְּהֲוָה דָאִין דִּינוֹי, הַהוּא דִּכְתִיב בֵּיהּ, וְאַל תֹּאמַר לִפְנֵי הַמַּלְאָךְ כִּי שְׁגָגָה הִיא). What does this teach us? (מַאי קָא מַשְׁמַע לָן). That every man who does not merit in this world to wrap himself in the wrapping of mitzvah, and to be clothed in the garment of mitzvah (דְּכָל בַּר נָשׁ דְּלָא זָכֵי בְּהַאי עָלְמָא, לְאִתְעַטְּפָא בְּעִטּוּפָא דְּמִצְוָה, וּלְאִתְלַבְּשָׁא בִּלְבוּשָׁא דְּמִצְוָה), when he enters that world, he stands in a filthy garment not fitting, and judgment stands upon him (כַּד עָיֵיל בְּהַהוּא עָלְמָא, קָאִים בִּלְבוּשָׁא טִנּוּפָא, דְּלָא אִצְטְרִיךְ, וְקָאִים בְּדִינָא עָלֵיהּ).