Aza and Azael

493. There was no one as wise in harm-doing as wicked Balaam. At first, he was in Egypt. Through him, the Egyptians conspired against Israel, so they would never emerge from their servitude. It is as he said, “How can I harm them?” I made it that they would never come out from the work of Egypt. However, as it is written, “God brings him out of Egypt.” And against Him, the wise one and the sorcerers of the world cannot prevail.

494. How lovely are words of Torah; how lovely is the Torah before the Creator. How lovely is the Torah, whom the Creator bequeathed to the assembly of Israel. When they came out of Egypt, Balaam heard that his sorcerers and magicians and all those ties they made did not help with Israel. He began to scratch and pull the hair on his head. He went to the mountains of darkness and reached the iron chains to which Aza and Azael were tied.

495. Such is the way of one who reaches them. Once a person has entered the top of the mountains, Azael sees him, the one who is called open-eyed. Promptly, he says to Aza. Then they make a sound and great serpents assemble to them, which burn and encircle them. They send toward the person a kind of small animal, called “onimta,” which is like a kind of cat, whose head is like the head of a snake, it has two tails, and its hands and legs are small. A person who sees it covers his face and brings a vessel with ashes from the burning of a white rooster, and throws it in its face, and it comes with him.

496. Finally, he reaches the top of the chains, which is stuck in the earth and reaches down to the abyss. There, in the abyss, there is a ledge that is stuck in the bottom abyss, and the top chain is tied to that ledge. When a person reaches the top chain, he strikes it three times, and Aza and Azael call him. Then, he kneels and bows, and walks and closes his eyes until he reaches them. Then, he sits in front of them, and all those serpents surround him from this side and from that side. He opens his eyes and sees them; he is alarmed and falls on his face and bows down before them.

497. Afterwards, Aza and Azael teach him spells and charms, and he dwells with them for fifty days. When it is time for him to go his way, that small animal, called onimta, and all those serpents, walk in front of him until he comes out of the mountains from that strong darkness.

498. When Balaam came to Aza and Azael, he told them what he wanted from them and closed himself with them in the mountains. He asked to slander Israel and have them return to Egypt, and the Creator confused and spoiled all the wisdoms in the world and all the spells in the world, and they could not approach Israel.

499. When Balaam saw that he could not harm Israel, he returned himself and advised Balak, which he did not ask of him, in order to harm Israel. His advice was about those females of Midian, who were beautiful. If Moses did not tell us, we would not know, as it is written, “Behold, these women caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam.”

500. Since the Creator saw his advice, He said, “You yourself are destined to fall by your own advice,” since he was killed by the vengeance of Midian. What did that power that governs all the spells, Malchut, do? It showed him the end of everything. Does he have permission to see into the distant future? The eye saw, and the words were said by the one who is standing on them, by Malchut, so that Balaam’s words of repugnance would not come true, through the will of the upper one, through the upper Daat [reason] of the Torah.

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