435. “And their backs were full of eyes,” to look at all the sides, although there are others with eyes, to look in the mirror of below, those who look with these eyes, these in those around, from before them and from behind them, since the eyes surround all the sides.
The mirror that is below, in Malchut, which is the place of the revelation of the illumination of Hochma, the looking is mainly to the left side from which the Hochma shines. Conversely, the mirror in ZA, although there are Hochma and Hassadim in him, he chooses the governance of Hassadim. For this reason, it is considered that he looks to all four sides equally, right, left, face, and back, the three lines and Malchut who receives them.
Since these animals shine from the side of ZA, it is written about them, “And their backs were full of eyes,” which look in all four sides equally. Although there are others with eyes, to look in the mirror that is below, who look in the place of Malchut, where the looking is mainly to the left, but these look with these eyes, these at those around, since those from ZA look to all the sides—face, back, right, and left—equally.
436. Because they see on this side and on that side, when they look ahead, they see what was. When they look back, they see what is destined to be, as it is written, “eyes around.” They see from the right and from the left. They see from the right, Hesed, in any manner of merit and truth. They see from the left, Gevura, in any manner that is not true and that has no merit. For this reason, they look to all the sides, and by this they have governance and Tevuna over all, to look in all those sides, which others do not look this way.
437. Nevertheless, they cannot look above, and they were not given permission to look. When they want to look, they all fear with dread and tremble, and they all call with great fear and a loud voice, “Blessed is the glory of the Lord from His place.”
438. Why is it written “and their backs,” and it is not written what they are, as it is written afterwards, “And their backs were full of eyes”? They backs are the Guf that looks ahead, to the hidden point, upper AVI, for the four colors of the Guf are under the governance of Hassadim, as it is written, “And their back sides turned inward.”
439. Abraham approached the meaning of the covenant until he ascended in the upper one, meaning became a Merkava for ZA, and rose up to Hesed, the right of ZA. For this reason, he was not rewarded like Jacob, since Jacob is called “a whole man,” a man of God, the owner of the house, Malchut, who is called Elokim.
Jacob is a Merkava for the Guf of ZA, the middle line, which contains Hochma and Hassadim as one. With respect to the middle line, ZA is regarded as the husband of Malchut. Conversely, Abraham was not a Merkava for the Guf of ZA, but only to his right line, and in that respect, ZA is not the husband of Malchut, since Malchut is emanated from the Guf of ZA, from both his sides together.
Moses is called the man of God; Jacob is called a whole man; and it is all one, since they are a Merkava for the middle line, which is why they are regarded as bestowing upon Malchut. This is the meaning of what is written, “And their backs,” the phase of the Guf of the animals, the phase of the Guf of ZA, the middle line, where Hochma and Hassadim shine as one under the governance of Hassadim, which is internality. In that respect, it is written, “and their height,” that they have more height than all other degrees.
440. Similarly, “And their backs” is like that, like “and their backs,” which is the same one that stands at the anterior, under the governance of Hassadim of upper AVI, which are the internality. They are all filled with eyes to look outward to the governance of Hochma of YESHSUT, outside of AVI. It is explained that although they do not look inward, then, too, they have more height than the rest of the degrees, as it is written, “And their height,” and it is written “And their backs were full of eyes.”
That is, although their backs were full of eyes to look outward, they have height. Since their construction is mainly to look within, but to bestow upon Malchut, they look outward, to draw Hochma for her from YESHSUT, which are the externality of AVI. Since their construction is mainly under the governance of Hassadim of AVI, even when they look outside, they have the same height.