8. ALSO HERE, WHERE IT IS WRITTEN, "A song, a psalm," THIS SONG IS SUPERIOR TO OTHERS. It is a song describing the Holy One, blessed be He, which the sons of Korah were singing about those who were dwelling in the doorway of Gehenom. Who were THE SONS OF KORAH? They were the brothers of those residing at the gates of Gehenom, AS THE HOLY SAGES COMMENT ON THE VERSE, "THE SONS OF KORAH DID NOT DIE" (BEMIDBAR 26:11), BUT A PLACE WAS SET FOR THEM IN GEHENOM. As a result, this song was recited on Monday IN THE TEMPLE. I approached them and said to them: What are you doing in this place? They replied: We are merchants, but twice weekly we leave our community to study Torah here because IN THE SETTLEMENT, WE ARE DISTURBED EACH DAY by people and they do not allow us TO STUDY TORAH. I replied to them: How fortunate is your lot.
8. שִׁיר מִזְמוֹר, שִׁירָתָא דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, דְּקָא מְזַמְּרֵי בְּנֵי קֺרַח עַל אִינּוּן דְּיַתְבֵי, עַל פִּתְחָא דְּגֵיהִנָם. וּמַאן אִינּוּן, אֲחוּהוֹן דְּאִינּוּן דְּיַתְבֵי בְּתַרְעֵי דְּגֵיהִנָּם. וְעַ"ד, שִׁירָתָא דָּא בְּיוֹם שֵׁנִי אִתְּמַר. קָרִיבְנָא גַּבַּיְיהוּ, אֲמֵינָא לְהוּ, מַאי עֲסָקַיְיכוּ בַּאֲתַר דָּא. אָמְרוּ מְזַבְּנֵי אֲנָן, וּתְרֵי יוֹמֵי בְּשַׁבְּתָא, בָּדִילְנָא מִיִשׁוּבָא וְנַעֲסֵק בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא. בְּגִין דְּלָא שַׁבְקִין לָן בְּנֵי נָשָׁא, כָּל יוֹמָא וְיוֹמָא. אֲמֵינָא זַכָּאָה חוּלָקֵיכוֹן.
74. "Every man has his sword upon his thigh" (Ibid.): It is as you say, "Gird your sword upon your thigh, O mighty one" (Tehilim 45:4). THE SECRET MEANING OF THE SWORD HAS ALREADY BEEN EXPLAINED, "because of the fear by nights" (Shir Hashirim 3:8), they explained it as the fear of Gehenom. Yet, "because of the fear by nights" is saying where they receive it from - from fear, from the place called fear, as the verse says, "And the fear of Isaac, had been with me" (Beresheet 31:42), WHICH IS GVURAH OF ZEIR ANPIN, THE LEFT COLUMN KNOWN AS ISAAC. Just as this verse reads, "And Jacob swore by the fear of his father Isaac" (Ibid. 53), "by nights" REFERS TO those times designated for Judgments to be done, AS NIGHT IS THE TIME FOR JUDGMENT.
74. אִישׁ חַרְבּוֹ עַל יְרֵכוֹ. כד"א, חֲגוֹר חַרְבְּךָ עַל יָרֵךְ גִּבּוֹר. מִפַּחַד בַּלֵּילוֹת. הָא אוּקְמוּהָ, מִפַּחְדָהּ דְּגֵיהִנָּם וְכוּ' אֲבָל מִפַּחַד בַּלֵּילוֹת, כְּלוֹמַר, כָּל דָּא מָאֵן אֲתַר נַטְלִין, מִפַּחַד, מֵהַהוּא אֲתַר דְּאִקְרֵי פַּחַד, כד"א וּפַחַד יִצְחָק הָיָה לִי. וַיִשָּׁבַע יַעֲקֺב בְּפַחַד אָבִיו יִצְחָק. בַּלֵּילוֹת, בְּזִמְנִין דְּאִינּוּן מִתְפַּקְדִין לְמֶעְבַּד דִּינָא.
91. We have learned that Rabbi Yitzchak said in the name of Rabbi Yehuda: SOLOMON sent TO HIRAM a demon that lowered him to the seven chambers of Gehenom, and then raised him up. Then, he sent him letters daily until he repented FROM HIS DEEDS, and thanked Solomon ABOUT THIS. We have learned that Solomon inherited the moon, DENOTING MALCHUT, in all its aspects, BOTH CHOCHMAH AND CHASSADIM, for he ruled over all this with his wisdom. Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai ruled with his wisdom over mankind, and all those that rise to his level only rise to perfect MALCHUT with him.
91. וְתָנֵינָן, א"ר יִצְחָק א"ר יְהוּדָה, דְּשָׁדַר לֵיהּ, חַד שִׁידָא, וְנָחִית לְיָד שִׁבְעָה מָדוֹרִין דְּגֵיהִנָּם וְסַלְקֵיהּ, וְשָׁדַר לֵיהּ פִּתְקִין בְּכָל יוֹמָא וְיוֹמָא בִּידֵיהּ, עַד דְּאָהֲדָר, וְאוֹדֵי לֵיהּ לִשְׁלֹמֺה. וְתָנֵינָן. שְׁלֹמֺה יָרִית לָהּ לְסִיהֲרָא, בְּכָל סִטְרוֹי. בְּג"כ, בְּכֺלָּא שַׁלִּיט בְּחָכְמָתֵיהּ. וְר"ש בֶּן יוֹחָאי, שַׁלִּיט בְּחָכְמָתֵיהּ עַל כָּל בְּנֵי עָלְמָא, כָּל אִינּוּן דְּסַלְּקִין בְּדַרְגּוֹי, לָא סַלְּקִין אֶלָּא לְאַשְׁלְמָא עִמֵּיהּ.
147. At twilight, all of these 1,590 tens of thousands THAT ARE DRAWN THERE, ARE called those who lament. They sing at that time and dissent is then dominant in the world. That hour is when the Holy One, blessed be He, awakens Isaac, REPRESENTING THE LEFT COLUMN OF ZEIR ANPIN. He rises and judges the wicked that violate the words of the Torah. Seven rivers of fire - CORRESPONDING TO CHESED, GVURAH, TIFERET, NETZACH, HOD, YESOD AND MALCHUT - are drawn out and hover over the heads of the wicked, and a flame of fiery coals stirs from above downward. Then Abraham, THE SECRET OF CHESED, returns to his position, MEANING THAT CHESED RETURNS TO ITS SOURCE AND DISAPPEARS FROM THE ONES BELOW, as the verse says, "And Abraham returned to his place" (Beresheet 18:33). The day departs and the wicked in Gehenom cry out and say, "Woe to us! For the day declines, for the shadows of the evening are lengthened" (Yirmeyah 6:4). At that time, one should be prudent with the Minchah prayer.
147. בְּהַהוּא זִמְנָא דְּבֵין הָעַרְבָּיִם, כָּל אִינּוּן אֲלַף וַחֲמֵשׁ מְאָה וְתִשְׁעִין אֲלַף רִבּוֹא מָארֵי דִּילָלָה אִקְרוּן, וּמְזַמְּרִין בְּהַהִיא שַׁעֲתָא, וּקְטָטוּתָא שַׁרְיָא בְּעָלְמָא, וְהַהִיא שַׁעֲתָא אִתְּעָרוּתָא דְּאִתְּעַר קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא לְיִצְחָק, וְקָם וְדָאִין לְחַיָּיבַיָּא דְּעַבְרִין עַל פִּתְגָּמֵי אוֹרַיְיתָא, וְשִׁבְעָה נַהֲרֵי אֶשָּׁא נַגְדִּין וְנָפְקִין וְחָלִין עַל רֵישֵׁיהוֹן דְּרַשִׁיעַיָּיא, וְשַׁלְהוֹבֵי גּוּמְרִין דְּנוּרָא מִתְעָרִין מֵעֵילָּא לְתַתָּא, וּכְדֵין תָּב אַבְרָהָם לְאַתְרֵיהּ. כד"א, וְאַבְרָהָם שָׁב לִמְקוֹמוֹ. וְיוֹמָא אִתְפְּנֵי, וְחַיָּיבֵי גֵּיהִנָּם צַוְוחִין וְאַמְרִין אוֹי לָנוּ כִּי פָּנָה הַיּוֹם כִּי יִנָּטוּ צִלְלֵי עָרֶב. וְהַהִיא שַׁעֲתָא, בָּעֵי ב"נ לְאִזְדַּהֲרָא, בִּצְלוֹתָא דְּמִנְחָה.
253. Rabbi Yosi said: If so, it is pleasing to the wicked to become harming forces in the world. Where is the punishment of Gehenom and where is the bad that awaits them in that world? Rabbi Chiya replied: We have learned and established that many prosecutors are ready to receive the souls of the wicked at the time they depart the world and deliver them to Gehenom. They receive three punishments daily in Gehenom. Later, DEMONS join them and the souls go, hover over the world and mislead the wicked people against whom repentance has been closed. Then they are returned to Gehenom to be punished there - and this continues daily.
253. אָמַר רִבִּי יוֹסֵי, אִי הָכִי טַב לְהוּ לְחַיָּיבַיָּא דְּאִתְעַבְּדִין מַזִּיקִין בְּעָלְמָא, אָן הוּא עוֹנְשָׁא דְּגֵיהִנָּם. אָן הוּא בִּישָׁא דִּזְמִינָא לְהוֹן בְּהַהוּא עָלְמָא. אָמַר רִבִּי חִיָּיא, הָכִי תָּנֵינָן, וְהָא אוֹקִימְנָא מִלֵּי, נַפְשָׁתָא דְּרַשִׁיעַיָּיא בְּשַׁעֲתָא דְּנָפְקִין מֵעָלְמָא, כַּמָה גַּרְדִּינֵי נִמוּסִין מִזְדַּמְּנֵי לְקַבְּלָא לְהוּ, וּלְאַעְלָאָה לְהוּ לְגֵּיהִנָם, וְעַאָלִין לְהוּ בִּתְלַת דִּינִין בְּכָל יוֹמָא, בַּגֵיהִנָּם. לְבָתַר מִזְדַּוְּוגֵי בְּהוּ, וְאַזְלִין וְשָׁאטִין בְּעָלְמָא, וּמַטְעָן לְהוּ לְרַשִׁיעַיָּיא, לְאִינּוּן דְּקָא אַסְתִּים תְּשׁוּבָה מִקַּמַּיְיהוּ. לְבָתַר תַּיְיבִין לְהוּ לְגֵּיהִנָם, וְאִתְדְּנוּן תַּמָּן, וְכַךְ בְּכָל יוֹמָא.