"And Yisrael saw that great work"

185. "And Yisrael saw that great work (lit. 'hand')..." (Shemot 14:31). Rabbi Chiya said, Here, WITH THE GREAT HAND was the LEFT hand completed, WHICH IS GVURAH, and all the fingers-CHESED, GVURAH, TIFERET, NETZACH, AND HOD - THAT ARE IN IT. And the LEFT hand is completed BY REASON OF it being included in the right. For we have learned that everything is included in the right and depends on the right. This is what is meant by, "Your right hand, Hashem, is glorious in power; Your right hand, Hashem, has dashed the enemy in pieces" (Shemot 15:6). EVEN THOUGH THIS PERTAINS TO GVURAH, SINCE IT DEPENDS ON THE RIGHT HAND, IT IS THEREFORE CALLED AFTER IT.

186. And Rabbi Yitzchak said, We did not find one who hardened his heart towards the Holy One, blessed be He, like Pharaoh. Rabbi Yosi said, But Sichon and Og also HARDENED THEIR HEARTS. He said to him, It is not so. They hardened their hearts against Yisrael, but they did not harden their hearts against the Holy One, blessed be He, as Pharaoh hardened his spirit against Him, for he saw His mighty acts, yet did not repent.

187. Rabbi Yehuda said in the name of Rabbi Yitzchak: Pharaoh was wiser than all his sorcerers, and he gazed into all these crowns and all the knowledge OF THE OTHER SIDE. He did not see redemption for Yisrael in their entire side, and it was not dependent on any of their crowns. For in all THE SUPERNAL POWERS OF THE OTHER SIDE they found a bond against Yisrael, THAT THEY WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO EMERGE FROM UNDER THIS CONTROL. Pharaoh did not think that there was another bond of Faith that dominated all THE POWERS OF THE OTHER SIDE. Therefore, he hardened his heart.

188. Rabbi Aba said, It was not Pharaoh who strengthened his heart, but this Name, YUD HEI VAV HEI. Because when Moses said, "Thus says Hashem," the very word, NAMELY YUD HEI VAV HEI, hardened his heart, as it is written, "And Hashem hardened the heart of Pharaoh" (Shemot 9:12). In all his wisdom, he did not find that this Name should dominate in the world, and therefore he said, "Who is Hashem?" (Shemot 5:2). WHEN HE THOUGHT OF REPENTING afterwards, he said, "Hashem is Righteous" (Shemot 9:27). Rabbi Yosi said, Afterwards, he stated, "I have sinned against Hashem" (Shemot 10:16) with the same mouth that said, "WHO IS HASHEM?"

189. Rabbi Chizkiyah opened the discussion, saying, "Therefore I said, 'It is all one; He destroys the innocent and the wicked'" (Iyov 9:22). This passage was interpreted in the secret of wisdom. What is, "It is all one?" HE ANSWERS, It is written, "My dove, My undefiled is but one, she is the only one of her mother" (Shir Hashirim 6:9), SHE BEING MALCHUT. And with this does the Holy One, blessed be He, execute His Judgments below and execute His Judgments above, in everything.

190. When the Holy One, blessed be He, arouses His judgments, He executes His Judgments with this crown, WHICH IS MALCHUT. Then it is written, "He destroys the innocent and the wicked," because the Righteous are snared in the sins of the wicked, as it is written, "And said to the angel that destroyed the people, 'It is enough (Heb. rav)..." (II Shmuel 24:16) WHICH MEANS take the greatest (Heb. rav) among them. Therefore Job said, "HE DESTROYS THE INNOCENT AND THE WICKED," but he did not explain THAT IT MEANT THE RIGHTEOUS WHO WERE SNARED IN THE SINS OF THE WICKED. Rabbi Yisa said, "It is all one," refers to the Congregation of Yisrael in exile in Egypt and; for Her, the Holy One, blessed be He, slew the Egyptians and took vengeance among them. This is what is meant by the verse, "He destroys the innocent and the wicked," FOR THERE WERE ALSO INNOCENTS PRESENT THERE WHO DID NOT ENSLAVE YISRAEL AND WERE SLAIN TOGETHER WITH THE WICKED AMONG THEM.

191. Rabbi Chiya said, Job was not stricken until the time that Yisrael went out of Egypt. Job said, 'If so, then all people are equal: "He destroys the innocent and the wicked."' Pharaoh oppressed Yisrael and said, "Who is Hashem, that I should obey His voice" - I did not oppress them and I did nothing, but "He destroys the innocent and the wicked." "He who feared the word of Hashem among the servants of Pharaoh" (Shemot 9:20), refers to Job, BECAUSE HE WAS PRESENT AT THE TIME OF THE EXODUS FROM EGYPT.

192. Rabbi Yehuda said, the hailstones that were falling ON THE EGYPTIANS and were stopped by Moses wreaked vengeance later on, in the days of Joshua. And in the time to come, the rest will drop on Edom and its descendants. Rabbi Yosi said, This is what is written, "As in the days of your coming out of the land of Egypt, I will show him marvelous things" (Michah 7:15).

193. Another explanation of, "And Yisrael saw the great hand." the beginning of the verse is not RELATED to the ending, nor is the ending RELATED to its beginning. First, "And Yisrael saw," and afterwards, "and the people feared Hashem." IS "AND YISRAEL SAW" THE REASON WHY "THE PEOPLE FEARED HASHEM?" AND BEFOREHAND, DID THEY NOT FEAR HASHEM? But Rabbi Yehuda said, That old man who went down with his children into exile and suffered the exile himself, actually saw all the vengeances and all the mighty deeds that the Holy One, blessed be He, did against Egypt. Hence, it is written, "And Yisrael saw." It was actually Yisrael, NAMELY JACOB.

194. Rabbi Yehuda also said, the Holy One, blessed be He, raised that old man and said to him, 'Arise, see your children who are going out from a strong nation; arise, see the mighty deeds that I did for your children in Egypt.'

195. Rabbi Yisa said, When Yisrael traveled to descend into the exile in Egypt, a strong fear and terror fell upon him. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Jacob: 'Why do you fear?' "Fear not to go down to Egypt" (Beresheet 46:3). From the words, "fear not," we understand that he did fear.

196. He said to him, "For I will there make of you a great nation" (Ibid.). He said to Him, 'I fear that they will destroy my children.' "He said to him, 'I will go down with you Egypt.'" Again, he said to Him, 'I also fear that I will not merit to be buried among my fathers and I will not see the deliverance of my children, and the mighty deeds that You will do for them.' He said to him, "And I will surely bring you up again (lit. 'bringing you up')." "I will bring you up" to be buried in the tomb of your fathers, "bringing you up" to see the deliverance of your children, and the mighty deeds that I will do for them.

197. On the day that Yisrael went out from Egypt, the Holy One, blessed be He, raised Jacob and said to him, 'Arise and see the redemption of your children, for so many years and mighty deeds did I for them.' Jacob was there and saw everything, as it is written, "And Yisrael saw the great hand."

198. Rabbi Yitzchak said, From here it IS UNDERSTOOD THAT JACOB WAS PRESENT AT THE TIME OF THE REDEMPTION, FOR IT IS WRITTEN, "And brought you out, He Himself being present, with His mighty power, out of Egypt" (Devarim 4:37). What is the meaning of "being present?" It refers to Jacob, because He brought all PATRIARCHS there. Rabbi Chizkiyah said, "Being present (lit. 'in his face')" refers to Abraham, as it is written, "And Abraham fell on his face" (Beresheet 17:3).

199. Come and behold, Abraham said, "Shall a child be born to him that is a hundred years old?" (Ibid. 17). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, 'I swear, you will see many multitudes and many camps that have emerged from you.' By the time that Yisrael left Egypt, all the tribes and all those myriads did the Holy One, blessed be He, bring up to Abraham, who saw them. This is what is written, "And brought you out, He Himself being present." Rabbi Aba said, All the Patriarchs gathered there throughout that redemption. This is what is written, "And brought you out, He Himself being present." What is the meaning of "in his face?" These are the Patriarchs.

200. Rabbi Elazar said, "And brought you out, He Himself being present." This refers to Jacob; "with His power," refers to Isaac; "mighty," refers to Abraham. Rabbi Shimon said, For the sake of the patriarchs there always occurs a redemption for Yisrael, as it is written, "Then I will remember My Covenant with Jacob, and also my Covenant with Isaac, and also my Covenant with Abraham will I remember, and I will remember the land" (Vayikra 26:42). HE ASKS, THE Patriarchs are worthy of being remembered, but what is the meaning of, "And I will remember the land?" HE ANSWERS, In order to include David among them, NAMELY MALCHUT, THAT IS CALLED 'THE LAND,' who is a Chariot together with the Patriarchs, WHO ARE CHESED GVURAH, AND TIFERET. And they always arouse redemption for the children of Yisrael.

201. "And Yisrael saw that great hand which Hashem did upon Egypt." HE ASKS, Did He do it now? It was done earlier. What is "the great hand which Hashem did?" HE ANSWERS, A hand is not so considered if there are less than five fingers. "That great," MEANS that it includes five other fingers OF THE LEFT HAND, AND THEN it is called 'great,' BECAUSE THE ASPECT OF THE FIRST THREE SFIROT IS ACQUIRED BY THE RIGHT HAND BY BEING INCLUDED IN THE LEFT, and every individual finger is of great value. The Holy One, blessed be He, performs miracles and mighty deeds with them, and this way all the levels are uprooted from having continuity.

202. From here we learn that with the five first fingers, NAMELY, THE FIRST FIVE PLAGUES, it is written, "And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened." As soon as these five fingers OF THE LEFT HAND were completed, there was nothing left under Pharaoh's jurisdiction TO HARDEN HIS HEART, and it is written, "And Hashem hardened the heart of Pharaoh."

203. Therefore, "And Yisrael saw that great hand... and believed in Hashem." HE ASKS, Until now did they not believe in Hashem? Yet it is written, "And the people believed, and...they heard" (Shemot 4:31). And they did see all the mighty deeds that the Holy One, blessed be He, performed for them in Egypt. HE ANSWERS, But what is the meaning of, "and believed?" THEY BELIEVED what he said, "And Moses said to the people, 'Fear not, stand still, and see...'"

204. Rabbi Yisa said, It is written, "And Yisrael saw Egypt dead," and it is written, "You will not see them again any more for ever" (Shemot 14:13). Rabbi Yosi said, they saw them dead. He said to him, If it had been written, 'You will not see them again alive,' I would say so. Rabbi Aba said to him, You asked well.

205. But, come and behold, it is written, "Forever and ever (lit. 'from the world and until the world')" (I Divrei Hayamim 16:36). We learned that there is a world above and there is a world below. From the world of above is the beginning of kindling the candles, WHICH IS BINAH, THE SOURCE OF ALL MOCHIN THAT ARE CALLED 'CANDLES.' The lower world is the culmination, NAMELY, MALCHUT THAT CULMINATES ALL THE SFIROT, and it is composed of them all. And from this lower world are aroused the Judgments upon the lower beings.

206. The Holy One, blessed be He, performs miracles for Yisrael in this LOWER world, and marvels occur for them. When this world aroused to do miracles, all the Egyptians sank in the sea through the actions of this world, and a miracle occurred to Yisrael in this world. Therefore, it is written, "You shall not see them again any more forever (lit. 'until the world')," MEANING until that world is aroused and they are given over to its Judgments. As soon as they were given over to it to be judged, it is written, "And Yisrael saw Egypt dead upon the sea shore." This is the meaning of the verse, "from the world and until the world" - until the world precisely, MEANING UNTIL THE WORLD OF BELOW IS AROUSED. Then it is written, "And believed in Hashem and in Moses his servant."