121. If he does know, he is required to teach his son and give him the cup to make the blessing. Whoever prevents his son from getting an education, "the people shall curse him." "He who holds back corn (Heb. bar)," MEANING THAT HE PREVENTS HIS SON (ARAM. BAR) from blessing the Holy One, blessed be He, and being trained in the precepts, "the people shall curse him." HE ASKS: either "shall curse (plur.)" should have been in the singular form, or it should have said "the peoples shall curse (plur.) him," since "people" is one NATION, as it says, "And the one people shall be stronger than the other people" (Beresheet 25:23). Why is it "the people (sing.) shall curse (plur.) him?" HE REPLIES: It is written: "le'om," BECAUSE IT REFERS TO holy mother (Heb. la'em), THAT IS MALCHUT, who will curse that person that prevented that son from giving blessings to the Holy One, blessed be He, MEANING HE WAS CURSED TO MALCHUT, SO THAT SHE WILL NOT PROVIDE HIM BLESSINGS.

124. The secret of this matter is written in the secret above: "What is His name and what is the name of His son, if you can tell" (Mishlei 30:4). That name is known: Hashem Tzva'ot is His name, WHICH IS BINAH, AS ALL THE LEGIONS (HEB. TZVA'OT) ARE HERS, the name of His son: that is, Yisrael is his name, WHICH IS ZEIR ANPIN, CALLED 'YISRAEL,' as it is written: "Yisrael is My son, My firstborn" (Shemot 4:22). Here we have Yisrael with all the keys of the Faith, MEANING ALL THE LEVELS OF MALCHUT CONSIDERED FAITH, hanging from him - ZEIR ANPIN CALLED 'YISRAEL.' He praises himself and says, "Hashem has said to me, 'You are My son'" (Tehilim 2:7). THAT IS, YUD HEI VAV HEI THAT IS BINAH SAID TO ZEIR ANPIN, YOU ARE MY SON. And it is definitely so, since Aba and Ima, WHICH IS RIGHT AND LEFT OF BINAH THAT ARE CALLED 'YISRAEL-SABA AND TEVUNAH,' AND ALSO 'ABA' AND 'IMA,' have adorned ZEIR ANPIN and blessed Him with many blessings, SINCE ALL MOCHIN OF ZEIR ANPIN ARE FROM YISRAEL-SABA AND TEVUNAH. They commanded everyone to "worship (also: 'kiss') in purity (Heb. bar)" (Ibid. 12), meaning kiss the hand of this son (Aram. bar), THAT IS, ZEIR ANPIN, MEANING it is as if He gave him dominion over everything, so that all shall serve him. "Lest He be angry" (Ibid.), because ABA AND IMA have adorned him, ZEIR ANPIN, with Judgment and Mercy. Whoever deserves Judgment is for Judgment and whoever deserves Mercy is for Mercy.

136. Petor is a name of a place, as it is written: "From Petor of Aram Naharaim (Eng. 'two rivers') to curse you" (Devarim 23:5). Why was it called that way? Because it is written: "That set out a table for Fortune" (Yeshayah 65:11). He set a table there every day, since that is the custom of the evil sides. They set up for them a table with food and drink, performed sorcery, and smoked incense before that table. Then all the defiled spirits gathered there and informed them of whatever they wished. And all the magic and sorcery in the world were on that table, which is why the name of the place was called 'Petorah,' since a table is called 'Petora' in Aram Naharaim (Eng. 'two rivers').

154. Come and see: Because Yisrael said, "will we do," they were neither afraid of any deeds that the practitioners of witchcraft of the world were capable of doing nor of any sorcerers in the world. What is the reason? One is THAT THEY SAID, "WILL WE DO" and one is because the Holy One, blessed be He, broke all the witchcraft and sorcery before the children of Yisrael, when He took them out of Egypt, so that they should have no effect on them. When Balak came, he was aware of it. Immediately, "he sent messengers to Bilaam the son of Beor to Petor, which is by the river" (Bemidbar 22:5). What is Petor? It is that he prepared a table (Aram. Ptora) from which to ask for counsel as to what to do. "by the river:" HE ASKS: It should have said 'two rivers (Heb. naharaim),' SINCE HE WAS FROM ARAM NAHARAIM (ENG. 'TWO RIVERS'). HE REPLIES: He certainly dwells at all times on one river, MEANING TO SAY THE TABLE OF THE KLIPAH, WHICH IS MALCHUT OF KLIPAH, STANDS ABOVE ONE RIVER OF THAT KLIPAH, WHICH IS YESOD OF THE KLIPAH.

422. People that know the location OF AZA AND AZAEL visit them. They teach people witchcraft, enchantments and divinations. These dark mountains are referred to as the mountains of old. What is the reason? Because the darkness preceded the light. That is why the dark mountains are called "Mountains of old." Laban and Bilaam learned witchcraft from them and that is what Bilaam said, "Balak the king of Moab has brought me from Aram, out of the mountains of old" (Bemidbar 23:7).

425. During that time, there was nobody in the world who was with them, AZA AND AZAEL, except for him, BILAAM, who would daily shut himself with them in those mountains. That is why it says, "Balak the king of Moab has brought me from Aram, out of the mountains of old," surely from "the mountains of old," WHICH ARE THE MOUNTAINS OF THE DARKNESS, AS MENTIONED, and not from the land of the people of the east (also: 'of old').