Behold, Three Men – 2

93) After Abraham was circumcised, he was sitting and hurting, and the Creator sent him three angels openly to give him regards. How were they revealed? Who can see angels, since it is written, “He makes winds His messengers”?

94) But of course he saw them, since they came down to earth in the form of people. They were certainly holy spirits, but when they come down to the world, they clothe in air and in elements of cover and wrapping and seem to people precisely in their form.

95) Abraham saw them as in the form of people. And although he was in pain from the circumcision, he went out and ran toward them, since it was his way to welcome guests.

96) But he certainly saw them as angels, as is evident from what is written, “And the Lord [ADNI] said,” which is the name Aleph-Dalet of the Shechina. Aleph Dalet is an acronym of the name ADNI, since the Shechina was coming and those angels were her supports and her throne, since they are the three colors—white, red, and green—below the Shechina, from her Chazeh down, regarded as being under the degree in each degree. These angels are the externality of the Shechina, from the Chazeh down.

97) And he saw that they were angels because he was circumcised, which he did not see previously, before he was circumcised. In the beginning, he knew that they were men, and afterwards he knew that they were angels who came to him on a mission from the Creator when they told him, “Where is Sarah, your wife?” and gave him the news of Isaac.

98) The punctuated letters in the word “unto him” [in Hebrew] in the verse, “And they said unto him: ‘Where’” are Aleph-Yod-Vav. The sign Aleph-Yod-Vav implies to what is above; it implies to the Creator. It is about Him that they asked him, “Where.” And he said, “Behold, in the tent,” meaning he was adhered to the Shechina. This is because here it is written, “Behold, in the tent,” and there, “A tent that shall not be removed.” As there it means the Shechina, here it means the Shechina, as well.

Since the Aleph-Yod-Vav are already punctuated in the words “unto him,” why does it then say “Where”? It is because the joining of male and female together is faith. This is why they asked Aleph-Yod-Vav about the Creator, and “Where” about the Shechina. In other words, they evoked him to unify the Creator and His Shechina. At that time, it is written, “And he said, ‘Behold, in the tent,’” since there he connected everything—the Nukva, called “tent,” and there is the Creator.

99) Did the angels not know that Sarah was in the tent that they asked about her, “Where”? These angels know in this world only what is permitted for them to know.

It is written, “For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast, and I will execute judgment against all the gods of Egypt, I am the Lord.” But there are several emissaries and messengers to the Creator; why did He go through the land of Egypt Himself? It is because the angels cannot tell a drop of a firstborn from one that is not of a firstborn. Only the Creator knows that.

100) It is written, “And put a mark on the foreheads of the men.” Why do the angels need that sign? It is because the angels know only what is permitted for them to know, meaning all those things that the Creator is destined to bring to the world. And they know it because the Creator makes announcements through all the firmaments and announces the thing that He is destined to bring to the world, and the angels hear the announcements and know.

101) When there is a saboteur in the world, one should hide oneself in one’s home and not be seen on the street, so he will not sabotage, as it is written, “And none of you shall go out of the door of his house until the morning.” This is because one should hide from those angels that he can hide. But from the Creator, one does not need to hide, as it is written, “Can a man hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him?”

102) Why did they ask about Sarah? After all, even after they had heard that she was in the tent, they did not go in there to tell her, but told Abraham while he was outside. However, they did not wish to convey the message to her face. Hence, when he said, “Behold, in the tent,” he immediately said, “I will certainly return,” since they did not intend Sarah to hear.

It is good manners that before Abraham invited them to eat, they told him nothing so it would not seem as though he invited them to eat because of the news. Hence, after it is written, “And they ate,” they told him the news.

103) But do angels from on high eat? Indeed, for Abraham’s honor it seemed as though they were eating, meaning they were pretending to eat. But another said that they actually ate, since they are fire that consumes fire. And it was not that they seemed as though they were eating. Everything that Abraham gave them, they ate, since they ate from Abraham's side above.

Extending Hassadim is eating above. And Abraham is Hesed. Hence, they ate everything that he gave them from his quality, the quality of Hesed, since this is how they eat above, in heaven.

104) Everything that Abraham ate, he ate in purity. For this reason, he sacrificed before the angels and they ate. And Abraham kept purity and impurity in his home. An impure person could not even serve in his home until he gave him a Tevila [purifying bath]—if he were only slightly impure—or made him properly keep seven days in his home if he were in grave impurity, and afterwards he gave him a Tevila.

105) It is written, “If there is among you any man who is unclean because of a nocturnal emission,” what is his correction? It is written, “When evening approaches, he shall bathe himself with water.” If some other grave impurity occurs to him, such as gonorrhea or leprosy or menstruation, meaning he has two impurities, the Tevila that he took for his emission that day before evening is insufficient. Instead, he must keep seven days and then perform Tevila again. And it makes no difference if the emission occurred to him before he received the other impurity or afterwards.

106) Abraham and Sarah were setting up Tevila for every person—he for the men and she for the women. The reason why Abraham engaged in purifying people is that he was pure and he was called “pure,” as it is written, “Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one,” and Abraham is pure who came out of Terah, who was unclean.

107) This is why Abraham engaged in Tevila, to correct the degree of Abraham. And his degree is water, Hassadim, for which he was made to purify all the people in the world with water. Similarly, when he invited the angels, in the beginning of his words, it is written, “Let him take some water,” to grow stronger in the degree of Hesed, where there is water.

108) For this reason, he was purifying people from everything, purifying them from any idolatry and purifying them from the side of impurity. And as he was purifying the men, she was purifying the women. Thus, all those who came to him were purified from everything, from idolatry and from impurity.

109) Wherever Abraham lived, he planted a tree. But it did not grow properly in any place except when he lived in the land of Canaan. And by that tree, he would know who was united with the Creator and who was united with idolatry.

110) When one was united with the Creator, the tree would spread its branches over him and cover his head and give him a nice shade. When one united with idolatry, the tree would lift itself from him, and its branches would rise up. Then Abraham knew that he was an idolater and warned him and did not let go until he united with faith in the Creator.

111) One who is pure, that tree receives him. And one who is not pure, that tree does not receive him, and then Abraham knew that he was impure and would purify him with water.

112) There was a spring under the tree. When anyone needed Tevila, the waters would immediately rise toward him, and the branches of the tree would rise. Then Abraham knew that he was impure and needed immediate Tevila, meaning that he was only slightly impure and did not need to wait seven days. And if he did not need Tevila at once, the water would dry out. Then Abraham would know that he still needs to be impure and wait for seven days.

The tree is the tree of life, ZA, the middle line. The spring beneath it is the screen of Hirik, which became a perpetual spring, emitting the level of Hassadim by which he subdues the left line and mingles with the right. And all the prohibitions and the Sitra Achra, such as idolatry and impurity, come from the left line because they wish to give the left dominance over the right and to draw the abundance of the left from above downward, which is the source of all the prohibitions in the world.

It turns out that within the impure who clings to the left, there is that same correction that was during the elicitation of the left line, when it was in dispute and shutting of lights until the level of Hassadim was extended over the screen of Hirik in the middle line. At that time, the Hassadim overcame the left line, and it surrendered and was included in the right line.

It is the same with one who fails by the Sitra Achra and clings to the left line to draw from it from above downward. He cannot be corrected unless by receiving the level of Hassadim from the middle line. At that time, he is incorporated in the right and is pure. And what is its correction? It is written, “What is his correction? But it shall be when evening approaches, he shall bathe himself in water.” This is because he needs to return and draw the left line, and draw the sentencing of the middle line through coming in water, which is the level of Hassadim that comes out on the screen of Hirik under the tree.

“When evening approaches” he returns and draws the illumination of the left because there is no illumination of the left in the daylight. “He shall bathe himself in water” means that he returns and draws the level Hassadim in the middle line that subdues the illumination of the left and incorporates it in the right.

It is known that there are two points in the Nukva: one is sweetened in Bina and is called a key, and one is of the quality of judgment, from the first restriction. This one is unsweetened in Bina and is called a lock. One who is rewarded with adhering to the middle line, the point of the quality of judgment is concealed for him, and the point of the quality of mercy is revealed for him in the high governance. If he is rewarded, good. If he is not rewarded but clings to the domination of the left, the point of the quality of judgment appears—in Nukva of the first restriction that was on the Malchut that is unfit for reception of direct light. And at that time, all the lights depart her. Thus, if he is not rewarded, it is bad.

For this reason, there are two kinds of impurities. One is slight impurity, such as night emission, when one clings to the left line, but not enough to reveal the point of the lock, as in, if he is not rewarded, it is bad. Thus, he lacks only the subjugation of the middle line through the level of Hassadim, and he goes in water and he is purified.

The second is grave impurity where by adhering to the left, the point of the lock has already appeared and removed all the lights from the Nukva, as in, if he is not rewarded, it is bad. At that time, he must first sweeten the Malchut in Bina in the two phases, in Katnut and in Gadlut, which are the count of seven days.

Thus, with light impurity, the tree raises its branches and does not shade him, since he is still attached to the left line, which is his impurity. This is so because while the middle line mingles the two lines—left and right—in one another, it makes a shade that covers the GAR of GAR. Therefore, when he clings to the left line, he has no shade at all, and the tree removes its branches from him. But the spring under the tree, the middle line, raises its level of Hassadim to him, which stretches over him so he would immediately come inside the water, the lines will be incorporated in one another, and he will be purified.

But in the acute impurity, when the lock appears on him, the waters in the spring dry out, which means that there is no coupling on the screen in the middle line to elicit the level of Hassadim. This is so because due to the disclosure of the lock, the coupling ceases, for as long as the lock is revealed in ZON, they are unfit to receive the upper light. Hence, the spring dries up until he counts the seven days and returns and sweetens the Malchut in Bina, as in third and seventh for Katnut and for Gadlut. At that time, the coupling on the screen in the middle line and the spring regain their strength, and he goes in the water and purifies, for he lacks only the reception of the determining of the middle line, which comes with the Tevila.

However, this pertains only to the screen of Hirik in the middle line of ZON. But the screen is not obligated to sweeten in the key in the screen of Hirik of the middle line in Bina, but the coupling for the level of Hassadim emerges on the lock, since the screen of the lock does not act in any way to blemish above its own source, above ZON, since the first restriction occurred only on the Malchut herself, as well as on ZA who serves her, but not at all in Bina.

113) Even when Abraham invited the angels, he told them, “Lean under the tree,” to see and to examine them. He examined all the people in the world in that tree, since the Creator said that it is the tree of life for all. This is why he told them, “Lean under the tree,” which is the Creator, and not under idolatry.

114) When Adam ha Rishon sinned, he sinned with the tree of knowledge of good and evil, as it is written, “but of the tree of the knowledge.” And he sinned in it and caused death to the whole world. It is written, “And now, he might reach out his hand and take from the tree of life, as well, and eat, and live forever.” And when Abraham came, he corrected the world with the other tree, the tree of life, and announced the faith to all the people in the world.

115) If we examine the portion, we must examine wisely. If we interpret it concerning the soul, the beginning is not as the end, and the end is not as the beginning, since it is hard to explain the end of the portion in regard to the soul, as well. It follows that its end is not as its beginning, and its beginning not as its end. And if we interpret it in regard to man’s passing from the world, we will continue in this way throughout the portion.

Whether we interpret this portion this way or that, we must continue. What is the meaning of the words “Let him take some water, and wash your feet”? What is, “And I will fetch a piece of bread”? What is, “And Abraham rushed into the tent to Sarah”? What is, “And Abraham ran to the herd”? And what is, “And he took butter and milk”?

116) The soul found no use for the body except what he implies here of the offerings in these verses, where it is written, “Let him take some water and wash your feet.” And although they canceled the offerings because the Temple was ruined, the Torah was not canceled, and he can engage in Torah, which will do him even more good than the offerings.

117) When the Creator interpreted the offerings, Moses said, “Lord of the world, this is possible while Israel are on their land. When they are exiled from their land, what should they do?” He said to him, “Moses, they will engage in Torah, and I will forgive them because of it more than because of all the offerings in the world, as it is written, ‘This is the law of the burnt offering, of the grain offering, of the sin offering, of the guilt offering.’ In other words, this is the law, for a burnt offering, for a grain offering, for a sin offering, and for the guilt offering.”

118) Anyone who utters the matter of offerings and sacrifices in synagogues and seminaries and intends it, a covenant is made that those angels that mention his iniquities to harm him can only do him good.

119) And who proves it? This portion proves it to us. He said, “Three men stood opposite him.” What is “opposite”? It is to consider his judgment. Since the soul of the righteous saw it, it is written, “And Abraham hastened into the tent.” The tent is the seminary. And what did he say to Sarah? “Hurry, prepare three measures,” which are the sacrifices, and the soul intends in them. And it is written, “And Abraham ran to the herd,” and then they are content and cannot harm him.

120) It is written, “And, behold, the plague was begun among the people.” And it is written, “And Moses said unto Aaron, ‘Take thy fire-pan,’” and it is written, “And the plague was stopped.” In the same manner, here it writes, “quickly,” when it says that he rushes to the congregation, and there it writes, “Hurry, prepare three measures.” As it is a sacrifice to be saved there, it is a sacrifice to be saved here, as well.

121) Rabbi Pinhas said, “I once met Elijah. I said, ‘Let my lord say a word that is good for people.’ He told me, ‘The Creator made a covenant. When all those appointed angels come before him to mention a person’s iniquities, when people mention the sacrifices that Moses commanded and set their hearts and desire on them, all the angels mention them favorably.’”

122) Elijah also told me that when there is a plague among people, a covenant is made, and an announcer declares to all the hosts of heaven that if his sons enter synagogues and seminaries in the land and wholeheartedly say the matter of the incense that was for Israel, the plague will be removed from them.

123) It is written, “And Moses said unto Aaron, ‘Take thy fire-pan.’” Aaron told him, “What for?” Moses said, “For there is wrath gone out from the Lord.” It is written, “And ran into the midst of the assembly … and the plague was stopped.” The damaging angel could not rule, and the plague was revoked. Thus, it explains that the incense cancels the plague.

124) Rabbi Aha went to the village of Tarsha and went into a hotel there. All the townspeople talked about him and said, “A great man has come, let us go to him.” They went to him and told him, “Have you no mercy for the plague?” He said, “What is that?” They told him that for seven days now there has been a plague in the city, which is getting stronger every day without letting up.

125) He told them, “Let us go to the synagogue and ask for the Creator’s mercy.” While they were walking, people came and told them that so and so have died, and that so and so are about to die. Rabbi Aha told them, “It is not the time to stand idle, time is of the essence.”

126) “Take forty of your purest men and divide them into four parts of ten, and I am with you. Ten to this corner of the city, ten to that corner of the city, and ten to the four corners of the city. And say with your soul’s desire the matter of the incense that the Creator gave to Moses. And also, say the matter of the sacrifices with it, too.”

There is Dever [Bubonic plague], and there is a plague. Dever is if three people die within three days in a city, one after the other. This is Dever. A plague, however, is mass mortality, as was written in the portion about Korah, “Now they that died by the plague were fourteen thousand and seven hundred.”

There are two phases in the judgments in general: judgments of Nukva, called “the tent door,” and male judgments, called “in the heat of the day.” Dever is extended from the judgments of Nukva, as in, if he is not rewarded, it is bad, when the quality of judgment in it appears. It requires prayer and repentance to sweeten it once more with the quality of mercy, as it was prior to the sin. And a plague is extended from the male judgments, from the overcoming of the left line over the right. These judgments are extended from Bina, the male world, the quality of mercy. Hence, no prayer is required here, whose purpose is to sweeten the Nukva with the quality of mercy, Bina.

On the contrary, these judgments from the quality of mercy come from Bina, the place of these three lines. Instead, what is needed is to raise MAN in the screen of Hirik and to draw the middle line and include the right and left lines in each other, in Bina itself, and from there to ZON. This is done by offering the incense or by saying it with intention.

In the beginning, Rabbi Aha thought that there was Dever in the city for which a prayer is required to bring the Nukva back to the quality of mercy. This is why he told them to pray. But when he heard that there were multiple deaths, when he was told that so and so have died and so and so were about to die, he saw that it was a plague, and a prayer does not help with a plague. This is because this does not require the mitigation in the quality of mercy. Rather, the incense is required to reveal the middle line in it and to incorporate the lines in one another. And all this is done by the incense or by saying the portion of the incense with intention.

Four times ten men that he took with him and arranged for them to say the portion of the incense in the four corners of the city, and who did this three times, is to draw the thirteen holy attributes from Dikna of AA. This is why he circled the city three times, since three times four in the forty men is twelve, which was corresponding to the one that contains all twelve, and together they were thirteen.

127) And so they did. Afterwards, he told them, “Let us go to those who are about to die and say these verses: ‘And Moses said unto Aaron, ‘Take thy fire-pan…’ And Aaron … And he stood between the dead.’” So they did, and the plague was removed from them.

128) They heard a voice saying, “Concealment, the first concealment was sweetened above, for the judgment of heaven does not abide here, since they know how to cancel it.”

Two things were meant to be corrected by saying the incense: 1) To raise MAN to the screen of Hirik on which the level of Hassadim—the middle line—extends. 2) To draw the coupling on the screen of Hirik and to include the right and left lines in one another and draw GAR.

However, because of the sins of the townspeople, they raised only the screen of Hirik, which weakens the strength of the left line by which the male judgments, the plague, were canceled. But because of it, they came into a second concealment when they fell into a state of VAK without Rosh, since they did not reveal the coupling on the screen to draw the GAR.

That voice awakened them saying “Only the first concealment, the plague, was sweetened above, meaning male judgments, called ‘heaven,’ are no longer here.” This is so because through the incense, they raised the screen of Hirik that cancels out the male judgments. However, for this reason, they came into the second concealment, VAK without a Rosh, and it is to that that the voice evoked them.

Rabbi Aha’s heart was weakened. He drowsed. He heard himself being told, “As you did this, do that. Go and tell them to repent, for they are sinners before Me.” He rose and reformed them in complete repentance, and they took it upon themselves to never abandon the Torah. They changed the name of the city and called it “Shelter Town,” for the Creator sheltered [in Hebrew: also spared] them.

After Rabbi Aha heard the voice, his heart was weakened and he drowsed. He, too, felt the departure of the Mochin. By that, he was told that he must reform them in complete repentance so they will draw the GAR by drawing the coupling on the screen and include the lines in one another, at which time a coupling of face-to-face was extended to ZON. This is called Teshuva [repentance or returning]—when the letter Hey Tashuv [will return] to the letter Vav. Since you brought them to VAK without a Rosh, you must instruct them to draw the GAR, as well, so they will forever cling to the middle line, called Torah.

This is so because previously it was called “The Village of Rocks,” from the term “a field of rocks,” meaning a field that is filled with rocks and is unsuitable for sowing because its dwellers follow the left line. But now that they have clung to the middle line and drew GAR, the place has been changed and has become a shelter city, a place that the Creator shelters and imparts them with abundance.

129) It is not enough for the righteous that they revoke the decree, but afterwards, they are blessed. So it is, since the soul says to the body, “Hurry, prepare three measures,” and that whole matter, and it cancels the judgment, as it is written, “And he said, ‘I will surely return to you,’” thus, a blessing.

130) When the angels see her, that he had made a decision, what do they do? They go to the wicked to examine their judgment and to execute their sentence, as it is written, “Then the men rose up from there, and looked down toward Sodom,” the place of the wicked, to execute the sentence against them.

131) Such is the way of the righteous: When he sees that his judgment is being scrutinized, he does not delay to return and pray, and offer his fat and his blood to his rock until the accusers move away from him.

132) When it is written, “He lifted up his eyes and looked, behold, three men were standing opposite him,” what is written about the soul? “And Abraham rushed into the tent to Sarah and said,” quickly and in haste, without any detainment, the soul rushes to the body to reform it and ask with what it can be atoned, until the accusers move away from him.

133) It is written, “Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in years; the way of women had ceased to be with Sarah.” However, since the soul retains its merit and the body remains in the earth several years, many days and years pass, and the manner of the rest of the people stops, it becomes flesh, to revive the body.

134) And he says, “After I have been worn out, I shall have youth?” After I have been worn in the dust for several years, I shall have youth and regeneration, “And my lord is old,” for it has been several years since you went out from me and did not visit me.

135) The Creator said, “Is anything too difficult for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you.” What is the appointed time? It is the one that I know to revive the dead. “And Sarah will have a son,” indicating that he will be regenerated as a three-year-old.

136) When the soul is nourished by the brightness of above, the Creator says to that angel called Dumah, “Go and tell this and that body that I will revive it when I revive the righteous in the future [end of correction].” And it replies, “After I have been worn out, I shall have youth? After I have been worn in the dust, lying in the ground, maggots have eaten my flesh, and a lump of earth, I shall have regeneration?”

137) The Creator says to the soul, as it is written, “And the Lord said to Abraham, ‘Is anything too difficult for the Lord?’ At a time that I know to revive the dead, ‘I shall return to you,’ that body, which is holy, revived as in the beginning, since you are holy angels. And that day I will delight in them, as it is written, ‘May the glory of the Lord endure forever; may the Lord rejoice in his works.’”