"Sanctify to Me all the firstborn"

197. "Sanctify to Me all the firstborn, whatever opens the womb..." (Shemot 13:2). This commandment is to sanctify the firstborn of the animals. A common person needs two things. He should be redeemed from under the power of the Evil Inclination, which is his master. As Jacob said to Esau, "Let my master, I pray you, pass over before his servant" (Beresheet 33:14), MEANING in this world HE IS the master because of the many sins upon the body. As we explained, the Evil Inclination judges the wicked, and the Good Inclination judges the righteous. The average man is judged by both; an average man is a brother of the Evil Inclination and a brother of the Good Inclination, AS IT IS WRITTEN, "My brother; keep what you have to yourself" (Ibid. 9).

198. And when the merits are numerous, the wind breaks two of the watches OF THE NIGHT, WHICH ARE a braying donkey and barking dogs, and rises to the THIRD watch of the dawn wherein there is man, THAT IS, A WIFE CONVERSING WITH HER HUSBAND. Man again becomes master OVER ALL THE CREATURES. This is the meaning of, "And I have oxen, and donkeys, flocks, and menservants, and womenservants" (Beresheet 32:6). He ascends to the level of man, of which it says, "And have dominion over the fish in the sea, and over the birds of air..." (Beresheet 1:28) as well as, "And the fear of you and the dread of you..." (Beresheet 9:2). THIS IS THE SECOND THING THAT A COMMON PERSON SHOULD STRIVE FOR.

199. When there is an average amount of merit, "And there wrestled a man with him" (Beresheet 32:25), MEANING that the merits and sins wrestle in war. From the side of the merits, IT IS WRITTEN, "And when he saw that he did not prevail against him" (Ibid. 26). From the side of the sins, IT IS WRITTEN, "he touched the hollow of his thigh," in the sinew of the thigh (Heb. nashe)." "Nashe" is derived from, "For Elohim has made me forget (Heb. nashani) all my toil" (Beresheet 41:51). It is a term of forgetfulness, which is one compartment of the seven lands. Whoever descends there forgets his knowledge.

200. Before a person comes to this world and emerges from his mother's womb; "And there wrestled a man with him," that is Gabriel. "AND THERE WRESTLED (HEB. VAYE'AVEK)" MEANS in the dust (Heb. avak) of earth, as it is written, "And Hashem Elohim formed (Heb. vayyitzer) man of the dust of the ground" (Beresheet 2:7). SO WE FIND THAT MAN IS EARTH AND THE DUST OF THAT EARTH IS THE EVIL INCLINATION, AND GABRIEL IS THE GOOD INCLINATION WHO BATTLES WITH THE EVIL INCLINATION CALLED 'DUST.' He teaches him seventy languages. Therefore, "vayyitzer" IS SPELLED WITH TWO YUD'S, one YUD corresponds to the Good Inclination, WHICH IS GABRIEL, who taught him seventy languages, and one YUD corresponds to the Evil Inclination who wrestled with him, as it is written, "Because he touched the hollow of Jacob's thigh in the sinew of the vein" (Beresheet 32:33). And he caused him to forget the seventy languages which the Good Inclination taught him.

201. Before all this, four angels descended with him, as it is written, "For He shall give His angels charge over you" (Tehilim 91:11). If he has ancestral merit, THEN one is Michael by the merit of Abraham, the second is Gabriel by the merit of Isaac, the third who descends with him is Nuriel by the merit of Jacob and the fourth is Raphael by the merit of Adam. And the Good Inclination is above him.

202. If he has no merit, then four ANGELS OF DESTRUCTION accompany him, Sin, Destroyer, Anger and Fury. And the Evil Inclination is over them to judge him in the World to Come. Therefore, they explained that a wicked person is judged by the Evil Inclination, a righteous person is judged by the Good Inclination and an average man is judged by both. Therefore, if he is an average person, both Gabriel, who is the Good Inclination, and Samael, the Evil Inclination, judge him.

203. For every person who has in him the four elements - FIRE, AIR, WATER, EARTH - four angels descend with him to his right and four to his left. The four on the right ARE Michael, Gabriel, Raphael and Nuriel, while the four on the left are Sin, Destroyer, Anger and Fury. And on the side of the body, Metatron descends upon him on the right and Samael on the left.

204. There is no person that does not have the four elements - FIRE, AIR, WATER, EARTH - but the four elements line after the preceding element. If his sign is Lion, WHICH IS CHESED, Michael comes first, followed by Gabriel, Nuriel and Raphael. If his sign is Ox, WHICH IS GVURAH, Gabriel precedes followed by Michael, Nuriel and Raphael. If his sign is Eagle, WHICH IS TIFERET, Nuriel precedes, then Michael, Gabriel and finally Raphael. If his sign is man, WHICH IS MALCHUT, Raphael precedes, followed by Michael, Gabriel and Nuriel.

205. All FOUR aspects - LION, OX, EAGLE, MAN - of those on the right side, which is the aspect of Michael, are of Mercy. Such men perform charitable deeds and have a pale face. Such a man is charitable, pious and wise if he is occupied with Torah. If he does not OCCUPY HIMSELF WITH TORAH, he is the opposite, coming from the side of the Evil Inclination. He is a thief, a fool and has no kindness because 'an unlearned person cannot be pious.'

206. From the side of Gabriel, WHICH IS LEFT, his four faces - OX, LION, EAGLE, MAN - are Judgment, namely the quality of Judgment against the wicked, and he provokes them as we have explained that it is permitted to provoke the wicked in this world. He prevails against his inclination, and fears sins. He will be a magistrate if he is occupied in Torah, and excels in his study. Conversely, if he is from the side of the Evil Inclination, he provokes the righteous to punish them heavily, and he will exceed in committing transgressions. He does not fear sin, his face is reddish and he spills blood LIKE Esau.

207. One whose sign is Eagle, WHICH IS OF THE CENTRAL COLUMN, is neither excessively compassionate nor has an excess of the quality of Judgment, but is rather intermediate in his Good Inclination and in his good traits, and intermediate in his Evil Inclination and in bad traits. His face is both pale and reddish.

208. One whose sign is man, WHICH IS MALCHUT, incorporates from the good side every good trait; he is pious, wise, mighty in the Torah, fears sin, full with many good qualities and his face will be blackish. If he is of the side of the Evil Inclination, he will be full of all kinds of bad traits.

209. If the sins of a person are in the majority, then all the legions of the Evil Inclination have power over him until all the legions of the Good Inclination leave him. He causes Samael and all his legions to reign over his limbs.

210. If his merits are in the majority, then the legions of the Good Inclination dominate him until all the legions of the Evil Inclination leave him. He causes the legions of the Good Inclination to reign over his limbs. At that time, the name of Yud Hei Vav Hei rules over him.

211. If he is average, then the hosts of heaven stand by him on his right and on his left, some urge him toward the right to merit and others urge towards the left towards sin, and whichever is stronger prevails. Therefore the sages of the Mishnah declared, A person should always view himself as if the whole world depends on him, MEANING THAT HE SHOULD CONSIDER HIMSELF AS AVERAGE PERSON AND THAT THE WHOLE WORLD IS AVERAGE. IF HE PERFORMS ONE GOOD DEED, HE TIPS THE SCALE FOR HIMSELF AND THE WHOLE WORLD TOWARDS MERIT. IF HE COMMITS ONE SIN, HE TIPS FOR THE SCALE FOR HIMSELF AND FOR THE WHOLE WORLD TOWARDS GUILT.

212. From the side of Michael, man is called 'firstborn' whose level is white silver, WHICH ALLUDES TO CHESED. Therefore, the redemption of the firstborn son is by silver, five Selas, like the numerical value of Hei (= 5) of Abraham. For if he grows wise with Torah, Yud will be added to him, which is holy, NAMELY CHOCHMAH, with which one should make holy the firstborn of cattle; namely, "Yisrael is holy to Hashem" (Yirmeyah 2:3). He needs this to tithe newborns, for each baby is from the side of the son of Yud-Hei, who is Vav, NAMELY TIFERET.

213. All animals, which are the holy living creatures, are named after the letters of the Holy Name. This is the meaning of, "Every one that is called by My Name, for I have created him for My glory" (Yeshayah 43:7). All the creatures were formed with THE LETTERS OF THE HOLY NAME, and there is no creature that is not marked with this name, in order to recognize who created it. This Yud OF THE NAME YUD HEI VAV HEI is the shape of the head of every creature. Hei-Hei OF THE NAME are the shapes of the five fingers of the right HAND and five of the left HAND. Vav is the shape of the body.