161. The holy name is revealed and concealed. The revealed one is written with Yod-He-Vav-He. The concealed one is written with other letters. The one that has been covered is concealed from all. Even the one that has been revealed is covered with other letters because of the one that is more concealed of all that is concealed that is inside.
The revealed name is ZA. The concealed one, AA, is covered with other letters, Aleph-Hey-Yod-Hey [EKYEH], which is the name of Keter. AA is clothed in the internality of ZA, and even the one that has been revealed is covered with other letters, Aleph-Dalet-Nun-Yod [ADNI], the name of Malchut. Because of the one who is more concealed of all that is concealed, AA, who is clothed in the internality of ZA, ZA is covered, too, and only ADNI is revealed.
162. Here the priest must add the holy name and remove the Rachamim, which are all included in the speaking of twenty-two letters, the Ketarim of Rachamim. This is the name of the twenty-two letters presented in the Blessing of the Priests [part of the Eighteen Prayer]. The twenty-two qualities of Rachamim [mercy] are concealed in the letters of this name, which are the thirteen corrections of Dikna of Atik, which is more concealed and hidden than all, and the nine corrections of Dikna that were revealed from ZA.
Nine and thirteen are twenty-two, and all twenty-two qualities of Rachamim connect in the combination of one name that the priest was aiming when he raised his hands, in the twenty-two engraved letters in the name twenty-two.
163. When there was humility in the world, the name of the twenty-two letters was revealed to all. When insolence increased in the world, it was concealed in its letters. When it was revealed, the priest would aim and the name would be interpreted and revealed. He would aim with the blocked, concealed, and hidden, and the name would be revealed and interpreted. When insolence increased in the world, everything became concealed in inscribed letters, in the twenty-two letters.
164. Moses said all twenty-two qualities of Rachamim on two occasions: 1) He said thirteen qualities of the Atik of Atiks that is more concealed than all, who is AA, to lower them to the place where judgment is present, to ZA, to subdue the judgments. They are the thirteen qualities of Rachamim that he said in the portion Ki Tissa, “Merciful and gracious God,” etc. 2) He said nine qualities of Rachamim that are incorporated in ZA and shine from Atik that is more concealed than all, which are said in the portion Shlach: Patient and very kind,” etc.
The priest contains them when he raises his hands to bless the people, and you find that all the worlds are blessed on the side of Rachamim, which are extended from the concealed Atik, who is more concealed than all. All those twenty-two letters in the name that emerges from the Blessing of the Priests are concealed qualities, the twenty-two qualities of Rachamim.
165. There are fifteen letters in the three words [in Hebrew] “The Lord will bless you and preserve you.” These are three verses in the Blessing of the Priests, and three names, where in each verse there is one name of the Lord [HaVaYaH], which are twelve letters. This is so because in each name there are four letters, and three times four is twelve. With the three verses, they are fifteen, which are incorporated opposite them in the fifteen letters of “The Lord will bless you and preserve you.” The priest aims in all of this.
All the upper ones and lower ones are perfumed in the twenty-two letters, in the name twenty-two, which are concealed in these three verses of the Blessing of the Priests, which correspond to the twenty-two qualities of Rachamim that contain everything.
This is why it is written, “say to them,” and not “tell them,” that he should aim in all those degrees. “Say,” with hidden words of above. “Say,” with the count of 248 organs in a person, minus one. Minus one, since all 248 are dependent on the upper one, AA, and all are blessed in this blessing in these three verses, “Say to them.” “To them,” to include the upper ones and lower ones in the blessing.
166. What did David see that he said, “You preserve man and beast, O Lord”? With man, it is fitting, but why a beast? It is all in the calculation of the salvation. If they merit, they are saved like man; if they do not merit, they are saved like a beast.
167. The Creator called Israel Adam [man], such as above, ZA, and He called them beast, all in one verse, as it is written, “And You are My flock, the flock of My pasture, you are man.” This is so because Israel are called “man” and “beast.” For this reason, “You preserve man and beast, O Lord.”
If they merit, they are called “man,” such as above. If they do not merit, they are called “beast,” and all are blessed at the same time. Man above is ZA, HaVaYaH filled with the letters Aleph, which is Adam [man] in Gematria (45). The beast below, Malchut, is HaVaYaH filled with the letters Hey, which is Behema [beast] in Gematria (52). In Israel, too, there are two degrees, man and beast, those souls that are drawn from ZA and those souls that are drawn from Malchut. This is “You save man and beast, O Lord.”
168. There is no blessing below before it is present above, first. When it is present above, it is also present below. Everything depends on above, for better and for worse. For better, as it is written, “I will answer the heaven, and they will answer the earth.” For worse, as it is written, “The Lord will command the hosts of above, above, and the kings of the earth, on the earth.”
169 This is why it is written, “Say to them,” indicating that the upper ones and lower ones will all be blessed together. In the beginning, it is written, “Thus shall you bless,” and afterwards, “the children of Israel,” simply “tell them.” It is not written, “Say to Israel,” so that all will be blessed together, upper ones and lower ones,” The Lord will bless you,” above, “and preserve you,” below. “The Lord will shine His face to you,” above, “and pardon you,” below. “The Lord will lift up His face to you,” above, “and give you peace,” below.
170. All are blessed together in the twenty-two engraved letters of the holy name, incorporated and concealed in the Blessing of the Priests. All are blessed in the twenty-two letters. They are Rachamim within Rachamim, and there is no judgment in them. “The Lord will lift up His face to you.” Is “lift up” not judgment? “Lift up” means take away and remove, so that judgment is not present whatsoever.