"For Hashem will pass through...on the lintel, and on the two side posts"

74. "For Hashem will pass through to smite Egypt..." (Shemot 12:23) We learned, as Rabbi Yosi said, that this passage is difficult. Could it be that first "He sees the blood" and then He "will pass over" (Ibid.), which means He made a sign? If you say it is because of the commandment to place the blood, then why WAS IT PLACED outside THE DOOR, and why on the lintel and two side posts? WHY DID HE NEED THIS? IS NOT EVERYTHING REVEALED BEFORE THE HOLY ONE, BLESSED BE HE? It is written, "He reveals the deep and secret things" (Daniel 2:22). And why did He have to have to reveal the blood on the lintel and two side posts?

75. HE ANSWERS, But we studied that it is written, "And when Hashem saw it, He abhorred them" (Devarim 32:19), and also, "And Hashem saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth" (Beresheet 6:5). Yet we learned that providence is not seen above unless an action below becomes manifest from it. Before an action is done below, there is no looking to punish, except for the thought of idolatry, WHICH IS PUNISHED WITHOUT AN ACTION, as it is written, "Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived" (Devarim 11:16). After the action is done, providence is aroused. Therefore everything, both good and bad, depends upon action.

76. Rabbi Yosi said, All the marketplaces of Egypt were full of idols. Moreover, every house had kinds OF WITCHCRAFTERS who with their witchcraft connected with the lower crowns that were below to arouse the Impure Spirit amongst them.

77. We have learnt the secret meaning of it. It is written, "And take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and touch with it the lintel and two side posts..." (Shemot 12:22). HE ASKS, Why a bunch of hyssops? HE ANSWERS, In order to destroy the Impure Spirit from among them and to indicate on their houses at these three places the Complete Faith, one on this side and one on that side - ON THE TWO SIDE POSTS THAT ALLUDE TO THE TWO COLUMNS, RIGHT AND LEFT - and one between them ON THE LINTEL THAT ALLUDES TO THE CENTRAL COLUMN. Therefore, "Hashem will pass over the door, and will not allow the Destroyer to come into your houses to smite you" (Ibid. 23), for He sees the Holy Name marked on the entrance, WHICH IS THE SECRET OF THE THREE COLUMNS.

78. Rabbi Yehuda said, If THEY ALLUDE TO THE THREE COLUMNS, why IS THIS DONE with blood? Did we not learn THAT THE COLORS OF THE THREE COLUMNS ARE white and red, and the one THAT IS BETWEEN THEM combines both colors; ITS COLOR IS GREEN LIKE THE SUN THAT COMBINES WHITE AND RED. AND WHY ARE ALL THREE COLUMNS ALLUDED TO WITH THE RED COLOR, WHICH IS BLOOD? He said to him, There were two kinds of blood, one of the Pascal sacrifice and one of circumcision AS THEY CIRCUMCISED THEMSELVES. The blood of the circumcision is Mercy, EVEN THOUGH IT IS RED, and the blood of the Pascal sacrifice is Judgment. IT THEREFORE DOES NOT DEPEND UPON COLORS IN THIS CASE.

79. Rabbi Yehuda said, It is not so, but rather as I learned that the Holy One, blessed be He, turned that blood into Mercy as though it was the white among the colors. This is the meaning of, "And when I passed by you, and saw you weltering in your blood and I said to you, 'In your blood live'..." (Yechezkel 16:6). Even though it was red, it was transformed into Mercy, for "In your blood live." IT IS NOT DEPENDENT UPON COLORS IN THIS CASE, and one therefore marked the entrance on three sides, one here, one there and one between them FOR THEY ALLUDE TO THE THREE COLUMNS.

80. Rabbi Chizkiyah learned that two types of blood appeared, THE BLOOD OF THE PASSOVER AND THE BLOOD OF CIRCUMCISION, which correspond to two crowns, MEANING SFIROT, that appeared above at that time - WHICH ARE THE TWO COLUMNS, CHESED AND GVURAH. Rabbi Yosi said, THEY CORRESPOND TO one crown that combines the two concealed sides, NAMELY, Mercy and Judgment.

81. Rabbi Aba said, The Holy One, blessed be He had compassion for His children on many occasions. A man made a house and the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, 'Write My Name and place it on your door so when you sit in your house, I will sit outside by your door to guard you.' Here AT PASSOVER, He said, 'Mark on your entrance the secret of Faith in Me,' NAMELY THE THREE COLUMNS ON THE TWO SIDE POSTS AND ON THE LINTEL, AS MENTIONED. 'Sit in your house and I will guard you from outside,' as it is written, "And none of you shall go out at the door entrance of his house until the morning...and when He sees the blood on the lintel, and on the two side posts, Hashem will pass over the door, and will not allow the Destroyer to come into your house to smite you" (Shemot 12:22-23). SO WE SEE THAT THE HOLY ONE, BLESSED BE HE, GUARDED THEM FROM OUTSIDE.

82. Rabbi Aba also said, they made the semblance of the Holy Name Hei at the time, NAMELY THREE LINES - TWO ON THE SIDE POSTS AND ONE ON THE LINTEL ABOVE - WHICH RESEMBLES THE FORM OF THE LETTER HEI, WHICH IS MALCHUT. THEREFORE, as the Holy Name changed at that time to be of Judgment AGAINST THE EGYPTIANS, so did the blood change at that moment into Judgment, as it is written, "and when He sees the blood on the lintel, and on the two side posts." For everybody's mark was red, WHICH ALLUDES TO JUDGMENT, to show THAT EVEN THOUGH IT WAS MERCY FOR YISRAEL, it changed to Judgment to wreak revenge AGAINST THE EGYPTIANS

83. The secret of this matter is that they had to display below in the same manner it was above at the time-if it was Mercy, then Mercy, if Judgment, then Judgment. Since ABOVE THERE WAS JUDGMENT AGAINST EGYPT, it is written, "And dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and touch with it the lintel..." (Shemot 12:22), FOR BLOOD ALLUDES TO JUDGMENT. About the future time to come, it is written, "Who is this that comes from Edom, with crimsoned garments from Botzrah" (Yeshayah 63:1), for He will show Judgment to them all to wreak revenge. HIS GARMENTS WILL THEN REDDEN WITH BLOOD.

84. "And none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning." HE ASKS, What is the reason THAT THEY WERE PROHIBITED TO GO OUT OF THEIR HOUSE DOOR? HE ANSWERS, We learned that a person should not go in the market place and be in the market place at the time when Judgment hovers over the city, because once the Destroyer has been granted permission, whomever he meets comes to harm. THEREFORE, since there was Judgment FOR THE EGYPTIANS, they must not go out.

85. We learned, as Rabbi Yosi said, in the same place where there was Judgment for the Egyptians, there also was Mercy for the children of Yisrael. This is the meaning of, "And when I see the blood, I will pass over you" (Shemot 12:13). So have we learned that throughout the holy crowns above, as there is Judgment in them, so is Mercy simultaneously. Rabbi Chizkiyah taught that it is written, "And Hashem will smite Egypt, He shall smite and heal" (Yeshayah 19:22), MEANING the smiting of Egypt and the healing of Yisrael. HE ASKS what is the healing for, AND ANSWERS they needed healing from their circumcision.

86. We learned that Yisrael were healed at the same moment the Egyptians were smitten. Rabbi Yosi said, we learned the verse, "Hashem will pass over the door." Why does it say "over the door," when it should have stated, 'Hashem will pass over you?' HE ANSWERS, Rather, "over the door," refers to the actual door, the opening of the body. And what is the opening of the body? Say it is the circumcision, MEANING THAT HE HEALED IT.

87. Rabbi Shimon said, at midnight, the male is awakened towards the holy crown, WHICH IS MALCHUT. Who is that male? He is supreme Chesed OF ZEIR ANPIN, as is known that one does not come about without the other. EVEN THOUGH THE NIGHT IS THE ASPECT OF MALCHUT ALONE, IT WILL NEVER OCCUR THAT MALCHUT SHALL BE WITHOUT ZEIR ANPIN, HER HUSBAND. Therefore, MALCHUT smites and ZEIR ANPIN heals at the same time.

88. And it is written, "Hashem will pass over the door," NAMELY the known door, THE DOOR OF THE BODY AS MENTIONED ABOVE. What is the door, WHY IS IT CALLED DOOR? It is the opening to draw the spirit and the body, BECAUSE THEY WERE BORN FROM THERE. Come and behold, until Abraham was circumcised, he was shut off and closed from all sides, AND WAS NOT ABLE TO BEGET IN HOLINESS. As soon as he was circumcised, everything in him opened up, and he was no longer blocked and closed as before.

89. And this is the secret that we learned, "As he sat in the tent door" (Beresheet 18:1), because Yud was revealed. HE ASKS, Why does he say so? HE ANSWERS, But Rabbi Yitzchak says, by this revealing OF THE YUD, He caused Chesed to dwell in Righteousness. This is the entrance of the supernal holy Tabernacle, WHICH IS MALCHUT. This is understood from "the tent," meaning the specific tent, WHICH IS MALCHUT CALLED 'TENT.'

90. Rabbi Elazar said, When this Yud was revealed, ABRAHAM was given the news and was blessed at the tent door, which is Righteousness, NAMELY MALCHUT that was sweetened with Chesed. This is the meaning of, "in the heat of the day," as DAYTIME is the time when Chesed reigns, which is the portion of Abraham, SINCE ABRAHAM IS A CHARIOT TO CHESED OF ZEIR ANPIN. How do we know that the tent door, WHICH IS MALCHUT, was mellowed with Chesed by the powers of Abraham? IT IS BECAUSE it is written, "And Hashem blessed Abraham in all things (Heb. bakol)" (Beresheet 24:1). BAKOL IS MALCHUT sweetened with Chesed BY ABRAHAM after Yud was revealed in him THROUGH CIRCUMCISION.

91. Rabbi Aba said, "As he sat in the tent door," is similar to: "And Hashem blessed Abraham in all things (Heb. bakol)." As THE TENT door IS MALCHUT THAT IS CALLED "BAKOL." It is the tenth crown, WHICH IS MALCHUT. 'CROWN' MEANS A SFIRAH. "In the heat of the day" MEANS as the Sfirah of Chesed THAT IS CALLED 'DAY' was given to him, SO DID HE MERIT THE TENT DOOR, FOR CHESED OPENS MALCHUT CALLED 'TENT,' SO IT CAN ILLUMINATE. As he sits IN CHESED, THAT IS CALLED 'DAY,' so does he sit IN MALCHUT THAT IS CALLED 'THE TENT DOOR,' because one does not rise without the other.

92. Another explanation FOR, "For Hashem will pass through to smite Egypt." THE MEANING OF "pass through" is that He went over the line of Judgment of the crowns that were connected with other crowns above, and disconnected them from their sustenance. THUS THE HOLY ONE, BLESSED BE HE, forwent His ways, NAMELY, HE DISRUPTED THE EVOLUTION OF THE CROWNS, in order to perform Judgment BY EGYPT, and to guard Yisrael. It is so wherever it is written, "He will pass through;" "I will pass through;" "He passed through." IT INDICATES THAT the Holy One, blessed be He, forwent His ways, MEANING THE ORDER OF THE EVOLUTION OF THE SFIROT, either to perform Judgment or for Mercy. Here, "He will pass through," MEANS to perform Judgment, while, "And Hashem passed by BEFORE HIM..." (Shemot 34:6) is in order to have mercy.