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27) There are four camps to the assembly of Israel, HG TM: Michael, Gabriel, Uriel, and Raphael. These are the twelve tribes and the twelve surrounding boundaries, since in each of the HG TM there are three lines, which make twelve. It is all as it is above, the twelve boundaries of ZA. It is written that this is where the tribes rose, meaning “The tribes of the Lord.” The tribes that rose there are the twelve tribes, the twelve boundaries below in Malchut that rose to the twelve boundaries of ZA.
28) “The tribes of the Lord.” Because Yod–Hey, meaning HB, are a testimony to Israel, it is written, “the Reubenites,” “the Simeonites,” where in each there are Yod–Hey—Hey in the beginning and Yod in the end. This is so because the upper, holy tree, HaVaYaH, sealed them with His seal, as it is written, “As for the likeness of their faces, they had the face of a man, and the face of a lion on the right side.” And the face of a man, Malchut, is included in all of them. There are four faces to the four directions of the world—lion, ox, eagle—which are separated in their form, and they are all included in man, Malchut. This is so because the lion, ox, and eagle are HGT, and the face of a man, Malchut, receives from all of them and they are all included in her.
29) Michael is to the right, south, Gabriel is to the left, north, Uriel is in front of them, east, and Raphael is behind them, to the west. And Divinity is over them. Two are from the south and the north, two are from the east and the west, and Malchut is in the middle. Similarly, in the land below, in banners, two are from here—the banner of the camp of Judah and the banner of the camp of Reuben, and two are from here—the banner of the camp of Ephraim and the banner of the camp of Dan. And Yod–Hey is in the middle, which are the two tables of the covenant in the ark, which was walking in the middle of them.
30) When the banners of Judah and Reuben went, it is written, “Then the tent of meeting shall set out with the camp of the Levites,” and afterwards the two banners—of Ephraim and of Dan—four camps to the four directions of the world. Thus, there are thirteen, since each banner comprises three tribes because it is below as it is above, in Malchut.
31) The first to set out was the banner of the camp of Judah, which corresponds to the camp of Uriel, and then the banner of the camp of Reuben, corresponding to the camp of Michael. Reuben is to the south, Hesed, Judah is to the east, Tifferet, and sprinkling on the altar was first in the southeastern corner, Hesed and Tifferet. The camp of Dan is to the north, opposite the camp of Gabriel; the camp of Ephraim is toward the sea, west, opposite the camp of Raphael. And the sprinkling on the altar was to the northwest, as well, meaning Gevura and Malchut.
Everything is tied in one another so that everything rises and unites in the Holy Name HaVaYaH, which is the beginning of everything. The Yod de HaVaYaH, which is Hochma, is superior to everything. The first Hey is Bina, the holiness of everything. Vav is Tifferet, in which everything is included, and the bottom Hey is Malchut.
The four banners in the four directions correspond to the four camps of Divinity—Uriel, Michael, Raphael, and Gabriel. The banner of the camp of Judah is to the east, which is Tifferet, middle line. Following, Reuben is to the south, Hesed, right line. Following him is Ephraim, to the west, Malchut, and after him is Dan in the north, Gevura, left line. Each banner comprises three tribes, thus they are twelve, opposite the twelve boundaries in Malchut that are sealed by the twelve boundaries in HaVaYaH.
32) The Yod of HaVaYaH de ZA, east, is the beginning of the light. It walks and roams and educes the south, Hesed. The south comes out and depends on the beginning of the east, which is Yod de HaVaYaH, Hochma. The Hey de HaVaYaH de ZA is south, from which the south in the world comes out, since the Hey is Bina, and Hesed, south, extends from Bina. But the Yod, Hochma, enters at the start of the east and brings out the Hesed, which hangs down and comes out through Bina to ZA.
33) And the north and south depend on the Hey, as well as on what is between them—the middle line that unites them. The south and north depend on the Yod–Hey—south from the Yod and north from the Hey, and Vav, which unites them, is in the middle. This is a male son, meaning Tifferet, the offspring of Yod–Hey, between north and south.
One who places one’s bed between the north and the south will have male sons, since a male son is Tifferet, between the north and the south. This is so because the north and south depend on the upper Hey, Bina, meaning the two lines in her. And the son between them is Tifferet, uniting them like Yod–Vav–Hey. Yod is the right line on the south, and Vav is the middle line, whose right turns to the south and whose left is to the north. The Hey is the left line on the north, and the bottom Hey of HaVaYaH is west, Malchut.
34) For this reason, the south clings to the east, the beginning of the sun, and depends on it. Thus, the upper Hesed depends on and grips to Aba, which is Yod, and Gevura depends on Ima, which is Hey. And all is gripped to one another.
35) The corners of the altar are also poised that way. It comes to the southeastern corner because the strength of the south is in the east, in the middle line, the beginning of the sun, and the force of the sun is in its beginning. Afterwards, it comes to the northeastern corner, since after the south, Hesed, received the strength of the east, after the middle line united the south and the north, the east illuminated for the north and the north was included in the south, since the left is included in the right through the middle line.
36) Afterwards, he came to the northwest corner. This is so because the west—which is in the lower Hey, which is Malchut—takes from the north. Thus, the north goes to the west because Malchut is built from the left line and then comes to the southwest corner, where Malchut is going to connect in the south, meaning to clothe the Hochma in Hassadim, as the south depends on the east, the middle line.
For this reason, its strengthening, which is the east, goes first. The west, too, goes to grip to the south, and the south, which is its strength, goes first, as it is written, “And his right hand embrace me”; this right is south. For this reason, it nourishes from both sides, north and south, left and right, as it is written, “Let his left hand be under my head, and his right hand embrace me”; north is his left and right is his south.
Why has the order of degrees changed in the banners? First, Judah on the east, Tifferet, was walking in the lead, followed by Reuben in the south, who is Hesed, then Ephraim in the west, who is Malchut, and followed by Dan in the north, Gevura. Why did they not walk in order of degree—first Reuben, Hesed, then Dan in the north, Gevura, then Judah on the east, Tifferet, and then Ephraim in the west, Malchut? It is because the travels in the desert were to disclose the illumination of Hochma, since illumination of Hochma appears only while traveling, which is the disclosure of the lines one at a time.
And when they complete their journey, they rest, and the illumination of Hochma does not appear. It is written, “And it came to pass, when the ark set forward, that Moses said: ‘Rise up, O Lord, and let Your enemies be scattered,’” since disclosure of illumination of Hochma is rising, and all the Klipot scatter upon its disclosure because the illumination of Hochma chases them away.
But when the journey was through, it is said, “And when it rested, he said: ‘Return, O Lord, unto the tens of thousands and thousands of Israel,’” which is illumination of Hassadim, called “tens of thousands.” But since the illumination of Hochma was absorbed in them from their journey, they are called “tens of thousands and thousands” because thousands imply illumination of Hochma, as it is written, “And I will teach you wisdom” [in Hebrew, “teach” is spelled like thousands].
And since the travels were in the desert, the place of the outer ones, they need additional care so they will not nourish off them. Until the disclosure of the middle line, there is suction for the Dinim and external ones both on the right line and on the left line. This is so because then there is a dispute between them: the right is VAK without GAR, and the left is in Hochma without Hassadim, which is darkness, and all the outer ones and Dinim extend from it.
This is why the right and the left, south and north, did not appear earlier. Instead, the middle one appeared first, uniting the south and the north and complementing both. The right line, Hassadim, acquires GAR from the mingling with the left, and the left line, Hochma, acquires Hassadim by mingling with the right, and then it can shine, chasing away all the outer ones.
However, this decision of the middle line was done between the two lines—right and left—of Bina, when Tifferet rose to Bina and united them in Daat, at which time three lines came out in Bina, called Hochma, Bina, and Daat. And since the three lines HBD came out in Bina from Tifferet, the Tifferet was rewarded with those three lines, as well.
For this reason, the first to go was the banner of the camp of Judah, on the east, which is the middle line, whose beginning is in the hidden Daat, in the unification of right and left of AVI. Following it was the unification of the right and left of YESHSUT—the revealed Daat that unites right and left, so there will not be a grip to the Dinim and outer ones in them.
Then Hesed emerged, the heart of the action of the middle line, to subdue the right and extend Hassadim, and to clothe the Hochma on the left, who was dark for lack of Hassadim. And since he disclosed the Hassadim, which is the traveling of the banner of the camp of Reuben, Malchut emerged after them to be included in the right, since Malchut was first built of Hochma without Hassadim and was dark. Hence, once the Hassadim appeared, with the traveling of Reuben’s camp in the south, Malchut—which is the banner of the camp of Ephraim—followed it, to clothe in Hassadim.
And since the core of Malchut’s structure is from the left, the banner of Dan’s camp followed her, which is from the left. Hence, the east preceded the south, since the east strengthens the south and unites it with the north. And since it complements the north, it went first. For this reason, the west preceded the north, so the Hassadim of the south would be in front of it and the Hochma of the north behind it, since so it is when Malchut is in Gadlut—Hassadim are her anterior and Hochma is her posterior. Hence, the south went before her and the north after her.
These words clarify all the words of the essay. In the beginning it clarifies the general, that the twelve boundaries in Malchut are sealed by the twelve boundaries of HaVaYaH de ZA. The twelve boundaries in Malchut are as those above, in ZA, HG TM, with three lines in each. And later he specifies and details the four animals and four angels, which are the structure of Divinity, upon which the illumination of Hochma appears in Malchut.
Afterwards he explains the relation between the four banners below with the structure of Malchut above, and then explains the order of advancement of the banners in relation to the structure of Malchut, where the first to go are the east and south, followed by the west and north. Afterwards he explains the change that takes place in the banners where the order is east, south, west, and north, and not the usual south, north, east, and west. This extends from the root of the twelve boundaries in ZA, HaVaYaH, whose root is Tifferet that rose to determine between the two lines of Bina and became Daat there. It is also considered east because it is essentially Tifferet.
The Hochma of the right, the essence of Hochma, extends from the closed Hochma, the Hochma of the ten Sefirot of Ohr Yashar [Direct Light], which was blocked and does not reach the worlds. Male and female in this Hochma are called “upper AVI,” Yod de HaVaYaH. The illumination of Hochma that spreads in the worlds is only from Bina of the ten Sefirot de Ohr Yashar, which return to being Hochma, whose male and female are called YESHSUT, Hey de HaVaYaH.
In general, the Yod–Hey de HaVaYaH are right and left, and the Vav, the middle line, sentences and unites them. However, in particular, when Tifferet rises to determine between the Yod–Hey, it first rises to unite the right and left in the Yod de HaVaYaH, upper AVI. But no Hochma extends from their unification, but only Hesed. This is why the Daat that unites the upper AVI is called “the hidden Daat.”
Afterwards it comes and unites the right and left in the Hey de HaVaYaH, YESHSUT, which is Bina that returns to Hochma. By the Daat that unites them, Hochma and Hassadim are extended together, since the Hochma appears in them. For this reason, this Daat is called “the revealed Daat.”
He said that Yod is east and the Hey de HaVaYaH, upper AVI, shine through the east, which is the hidden Daat that unites them. This is so because the beginning of the light that comes out through the unification of the Daat is in the Yod de HaVaYaH. And from this Zivug emerges the south, Hesed. But the north, Hochma, is hidden here.
The beginning of the east is the hidden Daat, which begins with upper AVI, and only Hesed comes out through its Zivug. However, the Hesed does not come directly out of upper AVI to ZA, but rather the Hey, south. This is so because the Hesed comes out from Bina to ZA, where AVI, Yod, enter and mate through the hidden Daat, which is called “the beginning of the east,” and elicits the Hesed for ZA through the Hey de HaVaYaH, Bina. This is because a degree can receive something only from its adjacent degree and not from the one above its superior.
It turns out that Hesed, south, meaning right line, appears through the east first, which is the hidden Daat in the Yod de HaVaYaH. Thus, the unification of the three lines to disclose Hochma and Hassadim does not apply in upper AVI, Yod de HaVaYaH, for only the right line appears there. Rather, the unification of the three lines appears in YESHSUT, and from the Hey de HaVaYaH, Bina, appear three lines—south, north, and middle—which is the revealed Daat that extends Hochma and Hassadim together through the unification of the north and south in one another.
It turns out that the unification through the beginning of the east, which appears in the Yod de HaVaYaH, reveals only the right line, Hesed, south. And the unification that occurs in the Hey de HaVaYaH through the revealed Daat reveals the north, the left line, Hochma. It was already said that Yod is east, and the Yod reveals the Hesed by the force of the east, the hidden Daat. Thus, Yod–Hey, south and north, depend on it. Hesed—right line, the source of the Hassadim—depends on the Zivug of the Yod, but the left line is hidden in it, and the left line—north, where there is revealed Hochma of the left—appears from the Zivug of the Hey. It turns out that the north depends on the Hey. In this respect, AVI are considered right line, and YESHSUT is left line, Yod–Hey, and the Vav is in the middle because the Vav de HaVaYaH mates them.
It was written that south is Hesed, and grips to the east and depends on it as a branch with its root. This is so because the hidden Daat is the beginning of the sun, whose essence is Tifferet, called “sun” and east. But with its ascent to Yod–Hey it becomes Daat. In the beginning of the Daat in upper AVI, a root is made for the disclosure of Hesed, by which the upper AVI mate and elicit the Hesed. This clarifies why the banner of the camp of Judah in the east, which is Tifferet, went before the banner of the camp of Reuben on the south, which is Hesed. It is so because the east, the beginning of the east, is the hidden Daat, the root of the disclosure of Hesed, and the Hesed, south, is its branch.
He brings an example from the sprinkling on the altar: He begins with the southeastern corner because the strength of the south, Hesed, is in the east, Tifferet. This is the beginning of the sun, the hidden Daat, where through its Zivug appears the light of Hesed. At its inception, the core of the force of the middle line, the sun, is in the Daat that unites the upper AVI to extend the light of Hesed. Then it is northeast, after the south took its strength from the east, which appeared by it in the unification of the hidden Daat with the Yod de HaVaYaH. The east shines to reveal the north, the left, and the Daat, east, comes and unites the right and left in the Hey de HaVaYaH, YESHSUT, which appears and shines in the north, in the revealed Daat, through this unification.
The north is included in the south. Through the east, the revealed Daat, the two lines are incorporated in one another, and Hochma of the left clothes in Hassadim of the right. And Malchut, which is to the west, is built primarily from the left line. Then the Hochma in her should clothe in Hassadim, south. Hence, the west receives from the south.
It turns out that now the west, Malchut, turns its face to the south so that Malchut will receive Hesed from the south to receive illumination of Hochma in the north. This is similar to the journeying of the banners where the banner of the camp of Ephraim on the west, which is Malchut, faces south because it is following the banner of the camp of Reuben on the south, to receive Hesed from him. And following the banner of Malchut travels the banner of the camp of Dan in the north, which is Gevura and left line, from whom Malchut receives Hochma.
It turns out that the banner of the camp of Ephraim on the west is facing south and its back is toward the north, as with the sprinkling on the altar. This is so because Malchut does not receive from the north, left line, except in her Kelim de Achoraim [posterior vessels], and receives Hassadim from the right line in the Kelim de Panim [anterior vessels].
This explains the reason for the journeying of the banners, which were east first, which is the hidden Daat, the beginning of the light, the root of the light of Hesed that appears from AVI. This is why the south follows it, for it is its branch. And following it is the west, which is Malchut, whose face should turn to the south. And following it is the north, for the back of Malchut should turn to the north, as it is written, “Let his left hand be under my head, and his right hand embrace me,” and “under” always means Achoraim.
37) The Creator places His bed between the north and the south, for His bed is Malchut. She grips to the son, ZA, who is there between the south and the north. This is why people should place their beds between the north and the south, so the right side of the bed is facing south and the left side of the bed is facing north, like the position of ZA between the south and the north. And so my father taught me—that they are given sons because they aim toward the complete upper faith in utter completeness, meaning to the Creator, who is between the north and the south. And also to the assembly of Israel, Malchut, which is called “bed,” which is between the north and the south. And he will certainly have sons.
38) In everything, an act should appear to be as it is above. And as the act appears to be below, so it is awakened upon him above.
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