"You did stretch out Your right hand, the earth swallowed them"

Synopsis

The rabbis have some difficulty with the fact that God stretched out His right hand seemingly to perform judgment, yet the right hand is of Chesed. The explanation is that He separated the right hand so that the left hand performed the acts of judgment. We are told that He has guided the righteous with His strength and His arm to His holy habitation. Rabbi Shimon speaks about the latter generation that Joshua circumcised, and in whom He revealed the holy imprint of the Name of God; everyone who is circumcised and in whom the holy marking has been revealed is called 'righteous.' Rabbi Shimon reminds us that there is no word or letter in the Torah that does not contain supernal secrets.

Earth Egyptians Elazar Judgment Oath Water

327. "You did stretch out Your right hand, the earth swallowed them" (Shemot 15:12): YET, HE WAS ASKED AGAIN, THE RIGHT ACTS WITH CHESED. AND HE ANSWERS, But we have learned THAT IT MEANS You have raised Your right hand, AND THE LEFT REMAINED ALONE AND PERFORMED ACTS OF JUDGMENT. Rabbi Yitzchak said, The friends observed that when the Holy One, blessed be He, extracted the dead Egyptians from under the water, He said to the earth: 'Gather them unto you.' It did not want to, until the Holy One, blessed be He, lifted the right hand against it and placed it under oath. Then it is written, "The earth swallowed them." Rabbi Elazar said, "You did stretch out your right hand," MEANING to separate it from the left, and Judgment was performed THROUGH THE LEFT.

327. נָטִיתָ יְמִינְךָ תִּבְלָעֵמוֹ אָרֶץ. הָא אִתְּמַר, אֲרִימַת יְמִינְךָ. אָמַר רִבִּי יִצְחָק, הָא אִתְּעָרוּ בֵּיהּ חַבְרַיָּיא, דְּכָל אַפִּיק קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא לְמִצְרָאֵי מֵתִין מִתְּחוֹת מַיָּא, אָמַר לְאַרְעָא, כָּנִישׁ לוֹן בְּגַוָּוךְ, וְלָא בָּעָאת, עַד דְּאוֹשִׁיט קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא יְמִינָא לְקַבְּלָהּ, וְאוּמֵי לָהּ, כְּדֵין בְּלָעַתְינוּן אַרְעָא, הה"ד תִּבְלָעֵמוֹ אָרֶץ. אָמַר ר' אֶלְעָזָר, נָטִיתָ יְמִינְךָ: לְאַפְרְשָׁא לָהּ מִשְּׂמָאלָא וּכְדֵין אִתְעָבֵיד בְּהוּ דִּינָא.

Light Mercy Righteous Strength

328. "You in Your mercy led forth the people whom You have redeemed" (Shemot 15:13). This is as it is written, "But Your right hand, and Your arm, and the light of Your countenance, because You did favorably accept them" (Tehilim 44:4). "But Your right hand," refers to greatness, NAMELY CHESED. "You have guided them in Your strength:" what is meant by, "and your arm," which is Gvurah? "To Your holy habitation," is what is written, "and the light of Your countenance, for You did favorably accept them." It is the Righteous, WHICH IS YESOD. And they are all present in the passage, ALL THE SIX SFIROT, BECAUSE CHESED AND GVURAH INCLUDE TIFERET, AND YESOD INCLUDES NETZACH AND HOD.

328. נָחִיתָ בְּחַסְדְּךָ עַם זוּ גָּאָלְתָּ, כְּמָה דִּכְתִּיב כִּי יְמִינְךָ וּזְרוֹעֲךָ וְאוֹר פָּנֶיךָ כִּי רְצִיתָם כִּי יְמִינְךָ: דָּא גְּדוֹלָה. נֵהַלְתָּ בְעָזְּךָ דָּא דִּכְתִּיב וּזְרוֹעֲךָ, דָּא גְּבוּרָה. אֶל נְוֵה קָדְשֶׁךָ, דָּא דִּכְתִּיב, וְאוֹר פָּנֶיךָ כִּי רְצִיתָם, דָּא צַדִּיק. וְכֻלְּהוּ מִשְׁתַּכְּחֵי בִּקְרָא.

Fear Shechinah Torah

Circumcision Joshua Righteous Zeir Anpin

330. Similarly, "You shall bring them (Heb. tevi'emo) in, and plant them (Heb. tita'emo) in the mountain of Your inheritance..." It should have said 'tevi'em' and 'tita'em.' Why tevi'emo (with Vav)? HE ANSWERS, The Holy Spirit is speaking about the latter generation that Joshua circumcised, and in whom He revealed the holy imprint of the Name of the Holy One, blessed be He. They were linked with the Vav, WHICH IS ZEIR ANPIN, and they were worthy to inherit the land, as it is written, "Your people also shall be all Righteous, they shall inherit the land forever" (Yeshayah 60:21). Because everyone who is circumcised and in whom the holy marking has been revealed, and who observes it, is called 'righteous.' Therefore, "they shall inherit the land forever."

330. כְּהַאי גַּוְונָא, תְּבִאֵמוֹ וְתִטָּעֵמוֹ בְּהַר נַחֲלָתְךָ וְגוֹ,' תְּבִאֵמוֹ וְתִטָּעֵמוֹ, תְּבִאֵם וְתִטָּעֵם מִבָּעֵי לֵיהּ, מַאי תְּבִאֵמוֹ. אֶלָּא רוּחָא דְּקוּדְשָׁא אָמַר, עַל אִינּוּן דָּרָא בַּתְרָאָה, דְּגָזַר יְהוֹשֻׁעַ, וְאִתְגַּלְיָא בְּהוּ גִּלּוּיָא דִּרְשִׁימָא קַדִּישָׁא דִּשְׁמֵיהּ דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, דְּאִלֵּין אֲחִידָן בֵּיהּ בְּו,' וְאִלֵּין אִתְחֲזִיאוּ לְמֵירַת אַרְעָא. כְּמָה דִּכְתִּיב וְעַמֵּךְ כֻּלָּם צַדִּיקִים לְעוֹלָם יִירְשׁוּ אָרֶץ. דְּכָל מַאן דְּאִתְגְּזַר, וְאִתְגַּלְיָא בֵּיהּ רְשִׁימָא קַדִּישָׁא, וְנָטִיר לֵיהּ, אִקְרֵי צַדִּיק, בְּגִין, כַּךְ, לְעוֹלָם יִירְשׁוּ אָרֶץ.

Joshua Torah Zeir Anpin

331. Therefore "tevi'emo" is spelled with an extra Vav, WHICH MEANS that You will bring those attached to the Vav. "And plant them," as is said, "the branch of My planting, the work of My hands, that I may be glorified" (Ibid.), those that are connected to the Vav, THAT IS ZEIR ANPIN. And is the allusion to those latter ones, IN THE TIMES OF JOSHUA. There is no word or small letter in the Torah that does not contain supernal secrets and holy reasons. Blessed is the portion of those who are familiar with them.

331. וְע"ד תְּבִאֵמוֹ, ו' יְתֵירָה, תְּבִיאֵמוֹ לְאִינוּן דַּאֲחִידָן בְּו.' וְתִטָּעֵמוֹ כד"א נֵצֶר מַטָּעַי מַעֲשֵׂה יָדַי לְהִתְפָּאֵר. לְאִינוּן דַּאֲחִידָן בְּו,' וּלְאִינּוּן בַּתְרָאֵי, אִתְּעַר מִלָּה. וְלֵית לָךְ מִלָּה בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, אוֹ אָת זְעֵירָא בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, דְּלֵית בָּהּ רָזִין עִלָּאִין, וְטַעֲמִין קַדִּישִׁין, זַכָּאָה חוּלָקֵהוֹן דְּיַדְעִין בְּהוּ.