"And the Angel of Elohim...moved"

146. Rabbi Aba said, How many thousands and how many ten thousands of holy camps does the Holy One, blessed be He, have. NAMELY, those with supernal faces, those with eyes, those with weapons, those who lament, those who sob, those who are merciful and those who judge. Above them, He appointed the Queen, WHO IS MALCHUT, to serve before Him in His sanctuary.

147. Corresponding to them, the Queen, WHO IS MALCHUT, has armed camps OF ANGELS. These armed camps have sixty faces. They are all girded with swords encircling MALCHUT. Many are leaving and many are coming. With six wings, they fly over the whole world. Fiery coals are lit before each one so that its garments are a flaming fire, and at his back is the blade of the sword that flames in the whole world to guard before Her. This is what is written, "And the bright blade of a revolving sword to guard the way to the Tree of Life" (Beresheet 3:24).

148. HE ASKS, Who is it that is called "the way to the Tree of Life?" HE ANSWERS, This is the Great Queen, WHO IS MALCHUT, which is the path to the great strong tree, WHICH IS ZEIR ANPIN called 'the Tree of Life.' It is written, "Behold it is his litter, that of Solomon; sixty valiant men are round about it, of the mighty men of Yisrael" (Shir Hashirim 3:7), that is Yisrael of above, THAT IS ZEIR ANPIN, "all girt with swords" (Ibid.).

149. When the Queen travels, they all travel with Her. This is what is written, "And the Angel of Elohim...moved" (Shemot 14:19). HE ASKS, Is then MALCHUT called "the Angel of Elohim?" Rabbi Aba said, Yes. Come and behold. Rabbi Shimon said, the Holy One, blessed be He, prepared before Him the Holy Sanctuary, the Supernal Sanctuary, the Holy City, the Supernal City. Jerusalem is called 'the Holy City.' ALL THESE ARE THE NAMES OF MALCHUT. Whoever comes to the King enters only from that Holy City, WHICH IS MALCHUT. FROM THERE begins the path to the King, because the path has been constructed from here.

150. Hence, it is written, "This is the gate to Hashem, into which the Righteous shall enter" (Tehilim 118:20). Every mission that the King, WHO IS ZEIR ANPIN desires, goes forth from the house of the Queen, WHO IS MALCHUT. Every mission THAT COMES from below the King, WHO IS ZEIR ANPIN, first enters before the Queen, and from there to the King. So in actuality, the Queen is the messenger of all, BOTH from below up and from above down. Therefore, she is the messenger of all. This is what is written, "And the Angel of Elohim, who went before the camp of Yisrael," meaning Yisrael of above, WHICH IS ZEIR ANPIN, and the Angel of Elohim, WHO IS MALCHUT. This is what is written about Him, "And Hashem went before them...by day and by night," and, "that they might go by day and night," as we established earlier, TO MEAN ZEIR ANPIN AND MALCHUT. SO WE SEE THAT MALCHUT WENT IN FRONT OF THE CHILDREN OF YISRAEL. THIS IS WHAT IS WRITTEN, "AND THE ANGEL OF ELOHIM, WHO WENT BEFORE THE CAMP OF THE CHILDREN OF YISRAEL, MOVED..."

151. HE ASKS, Is it an honor for the King, WHO IS ZEIR ANPIN, that the Queen, WHO IS MALCHUT, should go and do battle and go on a mission? HE ANSWERS, THIS IS SIMILAR to a king who married a lofty queen. The king saw her preciousness and that she exceeded all the other queens in the world. He said, 'All the others are considered concubines compared this queen of mine. She is above them all. What shall I do for her? All my house shall be in Her hands.' The king made an announcement: 'From now on, all the matters of the king will be given over to the hand of the queen.' What did He do? The king placed in Her hands all his weapons, all the men-of-war and the precious stones of the king - all the treasures of the king. He said, 'From now on, anyone who desires to speak with Me will not be able to speak to me, until he notifies the queen.

152. So the Holy One, blessed be He, in His great affection and love for the Congregation of Yisrael, WHO IS MALCHUT, placed everything in Her jurisdiction. He said, All the rest are considered as nothing compared to Her. He said, "There are sixty queens... My dove, my undefiled, is but one" (Shir Hashirim 6:8-9). What shall I do for Her? Thus, all My house will be in Her hands. The King made an announcement. From now on all the matters of the King would be given over into the hands of the Queen. He placed in her hands all his weapons, spears, swords, bows, arrows, knives, catapult STONES, fortifications, wood, rocks and all soldiers. This is what is written, "Behold it is his litter, that of Solomon, sixty valiant men...all girt with swords, and expert in war..." (Shir Hashirim 3:8)

153. The King said, From now on, My wars are given over into your hand. My weapons and my soldiers shall be in your hand, and from now on you will guard me. It is written, "He who keeps Yisrael" (Tehilim 121:3), WHICH IS ZEIR ANPIN CALLED 'YISRAEL.' From now on, whoever needs me will not be able to talk to me until he notifies the queen. This is what is written, "Thus (lit. 'with Zot') shall Aaron come into the holy place" (Vayikra 16:3). AND ZOT ('THIS,' FEM.) IS MALCHUT, the representative of the King in everything as we have established, so we find that everything is in Her hands. This is the honor of the Queen. This is what is written, "And the Angel Elohim...moved" (Shemot 14:19), as we have learned.

154. "And went behind them" (Ibid.). HE ASKS, What is the reason he went behind them? HE ANSWERS, It was in order that warriors, catapultors, spearsmen and swordsmen should be positioned in front of them, so that they should be visible in front of them, because other camps were coming from above to do battle against Yisrael. Therefore, he "went behind them," IN ORDER TO GIVE ROOM FOR THE MEN OF WAR OF YISRAEL'S SIDE TO FIGHT WITH THEM.

155. We learned at that time the reigning minister who was appointed over Egypt came and gathered six hundred chariots of persecutors, with six hundred appointed ruling prosecuting officers on every single chariot. This is what is written, "And he took six hundred chosen chariots..." (Shemot 14:7). HE ASKS, Were not the six hundred chosen chariots the chariots of Egypt? For what reason DOES IT SAY AFTERWARDS, "And all the chariots of Egypt?" HE ANSWERS, We learned that Samael loaned six hundred prosecuting chariots to help THE PATRON ANGEL OF EGYPT. This is what is written, "And he took six hundred chosen chariots," THAT WERE NOT OF EGYPT.

156. When did the Holy One, blessed be He, repay Samael? It was during the wars of Sisra that the Holy One, blessed be He, uprooted all these chariots and they were given over to the hands of the Queen. This is what is written, "The waters of Kishon swept them away, that ancient brook..." (Shoftim 5:21). In the days to come, they will all be handed over, as it is written, "Who is this that comes from Edom, with crimsoned garments from Batzrah..." (Yeshayah 63:1). Therefore, he "went behind them," MEANING THAT the Shechinah shall uproot them from the world in the end of the days.

157. "And the pillar of cloud went from before their face" (Shemot 14:19). HE ASKS, What is this pillar of cloud? Rabbi Yosi said, This is the cloud that always appears with the Shechinah, WHO IS THE ANGEL MICHAEL, and this is the cloud into which Moses entered. Rabbi Aba said, It is written, "And Hashem went before them by day in a pillar of cloud," SO WE SEE THAT IT IS NOT MICHAEL WHICH IS THE ASPECT OF SHECHINAH, but rather it is the support of the righteous, THAT IS, YESOD IN ZEIR ANPIN. He spreads CHASSADIM of his imprint, FOR YESOD SPREADS OUT CHASSADIM OVER THE CHOCHMAH IN MALCHUT AND THEN SHE IS ABLE TO ILLUMINATE. Therefore, this cloud goes by day, WHICH IS THE TIME WHEN CHASSADIM SHINE, as it is written, "Yet Hashem commands his steadfast love (lit. 'Chesed') in the daytime" (Tehilim 42:9), because this cloud comes from the side of Chesed and is called 'Chesed.' A different cloud goes by night, and is called 'a pillar of fire,' WHICH IS FROM THE SIDE OF MALCHUT.

158. Rabbi Shimon said, "By day in a pillar of a cloud," refers to Abraham, who is Chesed. "By night the pillar of fire," refers to Isaac, WHO IS GVURAH, and both of them are present in the Shechinah. Rabbi Aba said THAT IT IS THE SUPPORT OF THE RIGHTEOUS, for THEY are present IN THE SHECHINAH through that level.

159. The passage, "And the Angel of Elohim, who went before the camp of Yisrael, moved and went behind them," MEANS that he moved from the side of Chesed and joined the side of Gvurah - BECAUSE CHESED IS FRONT AND GVURAH IS BACK - because the time had come to become attired with Judgment.