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696) “Dan shall judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel.” Dan, as it is written, is the last of all the camps, the left thigh, Hod. He walks last because Judah and Reuben journey, the Levites and the ark set up banners, and the banner of Ephraim journeys to the west. The right thigh journeys according to the order that the right thigh comes before the left thigh, Dan. Thus, Dan journeys last. Zebulun comes in and out, as it is written, “Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going forth.” Zebulun is the thigh, and not Ephraim. Judah, however, was mingled with all of them. Because Zebulun is included in the banner of Judah, he has no measure of his own but is included in Judah, the head of the banner. Only Ephraim, the head of the banner, has a measure of his own—the right thigh, Netzah.
697) Explaining the order of the four banners: Malchut above is the Nukva de ZA. She consists of all twelve ties. Judah is the lower Malchut. As the upper Malchut is mingled in everything, the lower Malchut, Judah, includes everything, a body and a thigh, meaning Tifferet and the twelve ties in the arms and thighs, to prevail in his strength.
698) It is written, “On his right was a fiery law. The Torah was given from the side of Gevura, fire. However, Gevura is included in the right, Hesed, in the Guf, Tifferet, and in the thigh, NH, and in all the Sefirot. Similarly, the first order of the journeying of the banners is Judah, meaning Malchut that comes from the side of Gevura but is included in the right in body and thigh, and mingled with all the Sefirot, similar to the Malchut above, Nukva de ZA, which was included in all the Sefirot.
699) The second order of the banners is Reuben, who is to the south, right, Hesed. However, Judah took all of Reuben’s power of the right because the kingship was taken from Reuben, and Judah increased in the power of the right, which was from Reuben. It is also written about David that he is from Judah, “The Lord says to my Lord, ‘Sit on my right,’” since the left is included in the right and is empowered by its strength, as it is written, “The right arm of the Lord does valiantly.” For this reason, Judah took all of Reuben’s power of the right and hence journeyed first. Judah and Reuben are two arms. Reuben is the right arm and Judah is the left arm.
700) The third order for the banners is Ephraim, the right thigh, Netzah, which always travels before the left thigh. Dan is the left thigh, Hod, and travels last. For this reason, he is the last among all the camps and their armies, and he walks last.
701) Judah took part in the two arms, HG, since Reuben, the right arm, had lost the birthright, the priesthood, and the kingship. This is why it is written about Judah, “His hands will contend for him,” meaning the two hands, HG.
702) It is written, “And King Solomon made a great throne of ivory.” He made Solomon’s throne as above: all the shapes of above—lion, ox, eagle, and man—he made here. Thus, Malchut below, Solomon, which comes from Judah, mingled with all the Sefirot, is as the upper Malchut, as it is written, “And Solomon sat on the throne of the Lord as king.” “King” is an unclear word. It is not necessarily referring to Solomon, but refers to the upper Malchut. This is why it is written, “And Solomon sat on the throne of the Lord,” like a king, the upper Malchut, included in all the Sefirot, like her. It is also written, “And Solomon sat upon the throne of David his father; and his kingdom was established firmly.” The words, “His kingdom,” relate to the upper Malchut [kingship], when the moon, upper Malchut, is in her full. Here, too, Melech [king] refers to the upper Malchut.
703) In the beginning it writes, “Dan shall judge his people,” and then it writes, “As one of the tribes of Israel.” “As one” means as the Unique one in the world, who judges alone, like the Unique one in the world, as it was with Samson, who performed Din [judgment] in the world alone, judging and killing together, and without needing help.
704) Dan is a serpent that lurks on roads and trails. Above, it is the small serpent behind all the camps, at the end of all the degrees of Kedusha, lurking on roads and trails. Afterwards, armies and camps of saboteurs come out of here, lurking for people to punish them for the sins that they cast behind their shoulders, which they do not sense and say, “We did not sin.” He is the primordial serpent above, before he was sweetened in the wine that delights.
There are two kinds of Dinim [judgments] from the two points: Man’ula [lock] and Miftacha [key]. The root of the Dinim in Bina is called Miftacha, and the root of the Dinim in Malchut is called Man’ula. Two serpents extend from them: the great serpent from the Miftacha, and the small serpent from the Man’ula. Dan—part of the Malchut, of the twelve ties in her end—is in the left thigh, Hod, and the power of the small serpent is placed in him, to subdue the Sitra Achra, as it is written, “Which bites the horse’s heels, so that his rider falls backward.” Also, there are roads and trails that extend from the Miftacha and which are called “roads,” and those that extend from the Man’ula are called “trails.”
“Dan is a serpent that lurks on roads and trails,” since being a small serpent he has power in the roads, from the Miftacha, and in the trails from the Man’ula.
Above in Bina, too, there is a small serpent, and it, too, lurks by roads and trails because the Malchut rose to Bina and elevated the power of Dinim in her to the Bina. Hence, there is a small serpent there, as well, which extends from the Man’ula.
Also, there is the primordial serpent above, in Bina, before the Bina was mitigated in the delighting wine from the time of Bina’s Katnut, which she received by Malchut’s ascent to her. However, once she received the Gadlut, the delighting wine, she lowered those Dinim from her and the small serpent is no longer in her.
705) “Dan shall be a serpent in the way.” As there is a road above in Bina, Miftacha, there is a road below in Malchut, Man’ula. The sea divides by two ways into several ways on each side, where each way consists of both. There is one road only from the Miftacha, in which there is no part of the Man’ula, which comes and increases the sea, Malchut, with Mochin de GAR, since the Mochin de GAR extend only through the Miftacha. It raises all kinds of bad fish because the Klipot draw near to suck the abundance from there and they grow from it. As the water below produce good fish, bad fish, and frog-type fish, all kinds of bad ships emerge in the upper sea, as well.
706) When the Klipot use this road in the sea, meaning suck abundance from there, they are seen riding their horses. And had it not been for the serpent behind all the camps, Dan, the little serpent, lurking at the end of the roads and scattering them back, they would have destroyed the world, as it is written, “Which bites the horse’s heels, so that his rider falls backward,” the harm-doers who ride horses. Enchanters go out to the world from those Klipot, and it is written about Balaam, “He did not go, as on other times, toward serpents,” since they are poised to whisper in the charms of the world.
707) “Dan shall be a serpent in the way.” What is “In the way”? One who follows the serpent denies the household of above, causing emaciation in the armies of holiness in the upper worlds. This is so because that high way that comes out from above—Miftacha that comes out of Bina, as it is written, “Who makes a way in the sea”—one who follows the serpent, it is as though he is following that high way, to emaciate it, meaning to reduce the abundance. This is so because the upper worlds are nourished by that way, and he is spoiling their nourishments, inflicting emaciation in them, since one who follows the serpent, who extends the abundance of the left from above downwards, causes a cessation of the upper Zivug, from which the worlds are fed.
708) Is Dan at this degree because he is an evil Klipa? It is written, “And the flaming sword which turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.” Similarly, here it is written, “Which bites the horse’s heels, so that his rider falls backward,” to keep all the camps. In other words, Dan’s gripping of the degree of Klipa is a correction of the throne, the Nukva, to keep it from the suction of the harm-doers that ride the horses. Solomon’s throne was a serpent hanging by the knots of the scepter above the lions in the throne. Thus, there is a serpent in the correction of the throne.
709) It is written, “And the woman bore a child and called his name, Samson … and the spirit of the Lord began to beat in him in the camp of Dan.” Samson was a hermit from the world, abstained from the world. A mighty force mounted in him and he was a serpent in this world against the idol worshipping nations because he inherited the part of the blessings in the inheritance of his father Dan, as it is written, “Dan shall be a serpent in the way, a horned snake in the path.”
710) The meaning of the correction of the spells is that the serpent is a horned snake. Even though they are two kings, their charmers make them as though they were one kind. Similarly, that wicked one, Balaam, knew everything, as it is written, “And he went Shefi [alone],” which implies to Shefifon [horned snake]. And previously, it was written, “He did not go, as on other times, toward serpents.” Thus, at times he used this and at times he used that, at times a serpent and at times a horned snake, since he knew how to use both.
711) But is it not Dan’s degree to use the serpent and the horned snake? Of course it is. However, he was appointed over this degree to rule over it for the needs of holiness, since he is the last discernment. It is to his merit, since there are the King’s appointees on this, and there are appointees on that. It is an honor to all the appointees together to be appointees of the King without considering what he is appointed on.
The King’s throne is corrected with all the appointees together. Under all these appointees, ways and degrees divide, for better and for worse, and all of them together unite in the corrections of the throne, the Nukva. For this reason, Dan is to the north, on the left thigh of the Nukva, Hod, at the hole of the great abyss at the end of the left thigh, Bina de Klipa, where there are several regiments of harm doers, all of whom are ministers appointed to harm the world.
712) This is the reason why Jacob prayed and said, “For Your salvation I hope, O Lord.” In all the tribes, he does not say, “For Your salvation.” Why does he do it in this one? It is because he saw the might of the serpent’s power upon the awakening of the Din to prevail over the Kedusha [holiness], hence he prayed, “For Your salvation.”
713) “One should always praise one’s Master and then pray his prayer.” One whose heart is pure and wishes to pray his prayer, or is in trouble and cannot praise his Master, what is he?
714) Even though he cannot aim the heart and will, why should he diminish his Master’s praise? Rather, he will praise his Master even though he cannot aim, and then he shall pray his prayer. It is written, “A prayer of David. Hear a just cause, O Lord, hear my singing, listen to my prayer.” “Hear a just cause, O Lord,” first, since he praised his Master. Afterwards, “Hear my singing, listen to my prayer.” One who can praise his Master and does not do so, it is written about him, “Even if you pray profusely, I do not hear.”
715) They set up prayers corresponding to the continual offerings. The morning prayer corresponds to the morning continual offering, and the one of noon corresponds to the offering of the afternoon. In the awakening below through the making of the offering, above awakens, too. It is likewise in the awakening above toward the one above it, until the awakening reaches a place where the candle must be lit, and it is lit. It follows that upon the awakening of the smoke that rises from the offering below, the candle above, the Nukva, lights up. When this candle lights up, all the other candles light up and all the worlds are blessed by it. It follows that the awakening of the sacrifice is the correction of the world and the blessings of all the worlds.
This is so because the lower ones in the world of Assiya cannot raise MAN directly to ZON de Atzilut, but only to the adjacent degree above. In turn, that degree raises higher, to the one adjacent to it from above, and so the MAN rises from degree to degree until the MAN reaches ZON de Atzilut. This is why it is said that upon the awakening below through the offering that the lower ones offer in the world of Assiya, above awakens, too, meaning that the degrees in the world of Yetzira awaken to raise the MAN that they received from Assiya to the world of Beria. And upon the awakening of the degrees of Beria above to the one above it, the world of Atzilut, its own adjacent superior awakens until the MAN reaches the Nukva and raises the MAN to ZA, and she shines from him. Lighting the candle means uniting the Nukva, who is called “a candle,” in ZA, to receive light from it. This is considered that she is lit by it.
716) How is this done? The smoke of the offering begins to rise—those holy forms appointed over the world of Assiya. They are established to arise to raise MAN, and they awaken to degrees above them in the world of Yetzira, in high craving, as it is written, “The young lions roar for prey.” Those in the world of Yetzira awaken to degrees above them in the world of Beria until the awakening reaches the place where they must light the candle, meaning until the king, ZA, wishes to unite with the queen, the Nukva.
717) What are MAN? In the craving below, lower waters rise, meaning MAN, to receive upper waters, MAD, from the degree atop them. This is so because lower waters, MAN, spring out only by an awakening of the desire of the lower one. At that time, the craving of the lower one and the upper one become attached, and lower waters spring out opposite the descending upper waters, the Zivug ends and the worlds are blessed, all the candles light up, and the upper ones and lower ones are in blessings.
Each lower degree is considered a female with respect to the degree above it. Thus, Assiya is considered a female with respect to the world of Yetzira, and Yetzira is considered a female with respect to the world of Beria. Similarly, the upper degree is considered a male with respect to the one below it, such as Yetzira being considered a male with respect to the world of Assiya and Beria is considered a male with respect to the world of Yetzira. This is so because the rule is that the giver is a male and the receiver is a female.
And since a degree cannot receive anything from a degree that is more than one degree above it, and receives only from its adjacent higher degree, it follows that each upper degree that gives is a male, and each lower degree that receives from it is a female. And through the craving, when each lower one craves to receive abundance from the one above, it raises MAN to it in a way that each lower one raises MAN to the one above it, adjacent to it, until it reaches Ein Sof. At that time, Ein Sof brings down abundance, MAD, and each upper degree gives the abundance that it received to the adjacent degree below it, since the MAD cascades from one degree to the next, through the lower ones in the world of Assiya.
718) The priests are right line, and the Levites are left line, awakening upon the offering of the sacrifice, to unite the right with the left. With the priests and the Levites, upon offering the sacrifice, one evokes the left, the Levites, and one evokes the right, the priests, since the bonding of male to female is only in left and right, as it is written, “Let his left be under my head, and his right shall embrace me.” Then, after the embrace of right and left, the male bonds with the female and the craving is present, the worlds are blessed, and the upper and lower rejoice.
The Nukva has nothing of her own and ZA gives her everything. In the beginning, he gives her illumination of Hochma from the left line, and then gives her the light of Hassadim from the right line. This is not considered a Zivug, but an embrace, when he embraces her with his left and right. This is so because although now the Nukva has right and left, as do ZA, they are still not equal, since the right and left in ZA are dominated by the right, the left does not shine in it, and the right and left of the Nukva are dominated by the left, and the right does not shine in her. A Zivug is equivalence of form. Hence, here it is not considered a Zivug, but an embrace.
Once the Nukva is completed in right and left, he unites with her through the middle line, which contains an equal measure of right and left. At that time, ZON are equal to each other, in the quality of the middle line, which shines in both of them together. At that time, it is considered a Zivug—that they are in equivalence of form. Thus, the majority of abundance is the illuminations on the right and on the left, and nothing more. However, the Nukva receives them only through the middle line, the Zivug, by equivalence of form, and then she receives the abundance from ZA to the worlds.
719) Hence, the thing below, the offering, is evoked through the priests and the Levites, to evoke craving and love above. Also, craving is left and love is right, since everything depends on the right and the left, since the middle line is only what unites them. It follows that the offering is the foundation of the world, the correction of the world, the joy of upper and lower. And it all ascends in one, in the middle line, which unites and complements the right and the left.
720) Now, the prayer is in the place of the offering, and one first needs to properly praise the Creator. If he does not praise Him, his prayer is not a prayer. The complete order of the praise of the Creator is that one who knows how to unite the holy Name properly, meaning raise MAN for the unification of ZON, by that, the upper ones and lower ones awaken and draw blessings to all the worlds.
Since the prayer is in the place of the offering, first one needs to praise the Creator, meaning extend the two illuminations from the right and from the left, as with the offering, which is the embrace. Afterwards, he will pray the prayer, in which the Zivug is in the middle line that unites the both of them. If he does not extend the right and left beforehand, his prayer is not a prayer because the Zivug is only the unification of the right and left, and since he still did not extend them to the Nukva, no Zivug is possible, since there is nothing to unite there.
721) The Creator placed Israel in exile among the nations for the sole purpose that the rest of the nations would be blessed because of Israel, since they draw blessings from above downwards each day.
723) “Dan shall be a serpent in the way.” Dan was a serpent in the days of Jeroboam, since a serpent is idolatry. “In the way” means that they would avoid ascending to Jerusalem on it. This Dan was a serpent in the way for Israel, to prevent the pilgrimage to celebrate their celebrations and to offer sacrifices and offerings, and to worship there.
724) When the blessings came to Moses’ hand, to bless all the tribes, he saw Dan tied to a serpent. He retied him to a lion, Hesed, as it is written, “And to Dan he said, ‘Dan is a lion’s whelp that leaps forth from the Bashan.’” This is so to make the beginning and the end of the four banners tied—in Judah, who is a king, as it is written, “Judah is a lion’s whelp,” the beginning of the banners—and the end of the banners, which is Dan, as it is written, “Dan is a lion’s whelp,” to make the beginning and the end tied in one place: in a lion, Hesed.
725) “For Your salvation I hope, O Lord.” It is written, “And he shall begin to deliver Israel from the hands of the Philistines.” It is to this salvation of Samson that Jacob said, “For Your salvation.” Why was it said, “I hope”? After all, Jacob had already passed away from the world, so why did he say that he was awaiting that salvation? It is written, “And it came to pass that when Moses held his hand up Israel prevailed.” Simply Israel is ZA. Here, too, “And he shall begin to deliver Israel” is simple Israel, ZA, Jacob’s quality. It follows that this salvation of Samson relates to Jacob even though he had already passed away from the world. This is why he said, “For Your salvation I hope, O Lord.”
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