16. "And Moab said to the elders of Midian, 'Now shall this company lick up...'" (Bemidbar 22:4). Rabbi Chiya opened the discussion with the verse: "And he showed me Joshua the High Priest standing before the angel of Hashem" (Zecharyah 3:1). How much should a man watch his ways in this world and walk in a true path, since all the actions of a person are recorded before the King and are inscribed before Him, and all are counted. The guards at the gates stand and give evidence and request true justice, and the judge is ready to receive the evidence. Those who have claims FOR THEIR JUSTIFICATION murmur and do not know if they should go from the right or turn to the left side.
17. When the human spirits exit from this world, many Accusers stand up about them and proclamations go out, both for their benefit and for their detriment, in accordance with the outcome of their trial; we are taught that a person is tried many times in this world, both during his lifetime and also afterwards, since all his words are through judgment. The Holy One, blessed be He, is always filled with compassion, and His mercy is over all, and He does not wish to judge people according to their deeds. This is what David said, "If You, Yah, should mark iniquities, Adonai, who could stand" (Tehilim 130:3). Here we must observe, since he said Yud-Hei. Why DID HE SAY IN ADDITION Adonai? IT WOULD HAVE BEEN SUFFICIENT TO SAY, 'IF YOU, YAH, SHOULD MARK INIQUITIES, WHO COULD STAND.'
18. HE RESPONDS: It is because there are three levels of compassion that David mentions here, WHICH ARE YUD-HEI, ADONAI AND 'WHO.' "If You, Yah, should mark iniquities:" THAT IS ABA AND IMA REFERRED TO BY YUD-HEI AS EXPLAINED. If the iniquities are so many that they have ascended above to Aba and Ima, then it is "Adonai," which is Mercy. Although this name ADONAI is merciful, it will be aroused in judgment, and all the levels will be blocked through Judgment. Yet there is still one level that we can turn to, as all the remedies emanate from it, that one should have mercy on us. That one is 'WHO' THAT IS BINAH, "who could stand" FOR US assuredly, as it says, "Who can heal you" (Eichah 2:13). Therefore, if these TWO names, Yud-Hei Adonai, were sealed and hidden from him, "who could stand," because all the roads to repentance are open from it.
19. Come and see Joshua, son of Yehotzedek, was entirely righteous, a man that used to enter to the innermost sanctum. They raised him up to the Yeshivah up in the heavens, and all the members of that Yeshivah were gathered to consider his sentence. Such are the ways of that Yeshivah of the firmament, when they bring in A PERSON'S SPIRIT to be judged. A proclamation is sounded, all the members of the Yeshivah enter into a concealed chamber and the court is gathered into session.