"And the ark rested in the seventh month"

12. Rabbi Elazar and Rabbi Yosi and Rabbi Yitzchak were going along their way. They reached those mountains of darkness while traveling. Rabbi Elazar raised his eyes and saw those lofty mountains, and they were dark and awesome and frightful. Rabbi Elazar said to his friends: If my father was here, I would not be frightened. Yet since we are three and are speaking of Torah among us, no Judgment will prevail here.

13. Rabbi Elazar opened the discussion with the verse: "and the ark rested in the seventh month...upon the mountains of Ararat..." (Beresheet 8:4). How beloved are the words of Torah that each and every word has lofty secrets and the entire Torah is considered supernal. We learned IN THE BARAITA of the thirteen qualities of the Torah. Whatever is part of the whole, yet it is an exception, it is so in order to teach a general rule, not teach merely about itself. Since the Torah is the highest generality, even though a simple story is an exception to the rule, its function most certainly is not merely to tell us just that story but rather to demonstrate the highest matters and the utmost secrets. It is not considered as an exception so as to teach about itself, but rather to demonstrate a general rule, since that story of the Torah or that occurrence, although it stands to itself outside the Torah, did not come to show this alone but rather came to demonstrate the general law of the entire Torah.

14. For example, it is written: "and the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat." Most likely, this scriptural verse is an exception to the generality of the Torah and came to relate a simple story. HE ASKS: What do we care if it landed on this mountain or on that mountain? It had to rest somewhere. HE RESPONDS: It is only to instruct us on the general as a whole that it was specified, SINCE IT ALLUDES TO A TIME OF JUDGMENT, AS WE MENTIONED BEFORE. Praised are Yisrael that the loftiest Torah was granted to them, a Torah of truth. Whoever says that this Torah story is mentioned simply to relate only that story alone, may he breathe his last, because then it is not supernal Torah, the Torah of truth. But most certainly, the holy Torah, the loftiest, is a Torah of truth.

15. Come and behold: there is a king of flesh and blood. It is no honor for him to have simple talk and, most certainly, to write these simple things down. Could you imagine if the exalted King, the Holy One, blessed be He, had no holy things to write about with which to produce the Torah, but He merely gathered all the simplest matters, such as: the utterings of Esau; the utterings of Hagar; the utterings of Laban to Jacob; the utterings of the mule; the utterings of Bilaam; the utterings of Balak and the utterings of Zimri. And then He gathered them and all the stories that were written and made a Torah out of them.

16. If so, why is it referred to as "the Torah of Truth" (Malachi 2:6)? "The Torah of Hashem is perfect...the testimony of Hashem is sure... The statutes of Hashem are right...the commandment of Hashem is pure... The fear of Hashem is clean...the Judgments of Hashem are True... More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold" (Tehilim 19:8-11); these words refer to Torah matters. Most certainly, the holy loftiest Torah is a Torah of Truth, since "the Torah of Hashem is perfect." Every individual word comes to designate the highest things, since that specific matter which is in a story is not here to teach about itself alone, but rather to imply the overall aspect, as we have explained.

17. Come and behold: "and the ark rested." This verse is true, AS WILL BE EXPLAINED, as are others, most certainly. At the moment that Judgment hangs upon the world and Judgments prevail, the Holy One, blessed be He, sits on the Throne of Judgment to put the world on trial. Through that Throne, how many notes are recorded on it, how many verdicts are stored in it, in the bag of the King? All the open books were stored there and, therefore, nothing was forgotten by the King. That Throne is not ready and is not available save during the seventh month. Then is the Day of Judgment, a day in which all the people in the world are counted and everyone passes before that Throne. Hence, "the ark rested." MALCHUT, THAT IS REFERRED TO AS 'ARK,' "rested in the seventh month;" most certainly the seventh month, which is when the Judgment of the world comes.

18. "...Upon the mountains of Ararat..." ARARAT IS DERIVED FROM ARUR (ENG. 'CURSED'), INDICATING those Prosecutors who whine and wail, and all those emissaries THAT ARE PRESENT on that day before the Holy One, blessed be He. How many shielding ones are wakened on that day. And they all stand under that Throne when the world is on trial.

19. And Yisrael put forth their prayers on that day and beg and beseech before Him, and blow the Shofar. The Holy One, blessed be He, has mercy for them and reverses Judgment to Mercy. All the upper and lower beings say, "happy is the people that know the joyful note" (Tehilim 89:16). It is therefore required on that day that whoever blows should be familiar with the main SECRETS OF THE matters; he should concentrate on the blowing and expedite the matters with the HIGHEST wisdom. Therefore, it is written: "Happy is the people that know the joyful note," and not: 'that blow the joyful note.' We have already explained this.