"Saying to them"

161. Rabbi Shimon said: We learned in Safra Detzniuta (the hidden book) that the Holy Name is both revealed and concealed. The revealed one is spelled Yud-Vav-Dalet, Hei-Aleph, Vav-Aleph-Vav, Hei-Aleph. The concealed one is spelled by other letters, and that which is concealed is the most hidden. Rabbi Yehuda said: Even the one that is revealed is concealed by other letters, due to the most hidden one inside it.

162. Here the priest is required to permutate the Holy Name and bring down mercy, since everything is contained in the articulating of the 22 letters, the crowns of Mercy, THE SECRET OF THE NAME OF 22 LETTERS - ALEPH NUN KUF TAV MEM... - THAT IS BROUGHT WITH THE PRIESTLY BENEDICTION. In the letters of this name are concealed the 22 attributes of Mercy, WHICH ARE the thirteen CORRECTIONS (FORMATIONS) OF THE BEARD of Atika, the most concealed and hidden, and the nine CORRECTIONS (FORMATIONS) OF THE BEARD that were revealed from Zeir Anpin, AS NINE AND THIRTEEN EQUAL 22. All THE 22 ATTRIBUTES OF MERCY join in one permutation of the Name, on which the priest used to meditate when he raised his hands, with 22 engraved letters - MEANING THE NAME OF 22, ALEPH NUN KOF TAV MEM, ETC.

163. We learned that when modesty prevailed in the world, this name OF 22 LETTERS was revealed to all, but when impudence became more prevalent in the world, it was concealed along with its letters. During the time the name was revealed, the priest meditated and the name became explicit AND REVEALED. What was he meditating on? He was meditating on the concealed, hidden and covered, AND THE NAME would be revealed and become explicit. When impudence flourished in the world, everything was concealed in engraved letters, MEANING IN THE 22 LETTERS.

164. Come and see that Moses twice recited all these 22 attributes of Mercy. In the first instance, he said the thirteen attributes of the most Ancient, who is the most hidden - THAT IS ARICH ANPIN - to lower them to where the Judgment was prevalent - THAT IS ZEIR ANPIN - to subdue the Judgments. THAT IS THE SECRET OF THE THIRTEEN ATTRIBUTES OF MERCY THAT HE SAID IN THE PORTION OF KI TISA: "EL, MERCIFUL AND GRACIOUS" (SHEMOT 34:6). The second time, he said the nine attributes of Mercy, which ARE INCLUDED IN ZEIR ANPIN AND are illuminating from the most concealed ancient one. THEY ARE THE ONES MENTIONED IN THE PORTION OF SHELACH "LONG-SUFFERING, AND GREAT IN LOVE..." (BEMIDBAR 14:18). The priest incorporates all of them when he raises his hands to bless the nation, so that all worlds are blessed by the side of Mercy that flows from the most hidden and concealed ancient one. All 22 letters IN THE NAME THAT COMES OUT FROM THE PRIESTLY BENEDICTION - ALEPH NUN KUF TAV MEM, ETC. - are hidden attributes, WHICH ARE THE 22 ATTRIBUTES OF MERCY.

165. IN THE THREE WORDS: "Hashem bless you, and keep you" (Bemidbar 6:24), THERE ARE FIFTEEN LETTERS because of these three verses IN THE PRIESTLY BENEDICTION and the three names. AS IN EACH VERSE, THERE IS ONE NAME OF YUD HEI VAV HEI - WHICH ARE twelve letters, SINCE IN EACH NAME ARE FOUR LETTERS AND THREE TIMES FOUR EQUAL TWELVE. WITH THE THREE VERSES, THEY EQUAL FIFTEEN, which are correspondingly comprised IN THE FIFTEEN LETTERS OF: "HASHEM BLESS YOU, AND KEEP YOU." The priest has to meditate on all those, and all the higher and lower beings are mollified with the 22 letters. THAT IS IN THE NAME OF THE 22 LETTERS that are concealed in these three verses OF THE PRIESTLY BENEDICTION, which correspond to the all-inclusive 22 attributes of Mercy. Therefore, it is written: "saying TO THEM" in singular instead of the plural, as we have explained. "Saying" means that it is required to meditate on all these concealed secrets in all these levels; "saying" refers to the concealed matters of above and "saying" equals the number of 248 body parts in a person minus one, WHOSE SECRET WAS EXPLAINED ABOVE. What is the reason ONE IS MISSING? Because all 248 come out of the one UPPERMOST, WHICH IS ARICH ANPIN. Everything is blessed with this benediction in the three verses, as we have said. IN THE VERSE "SAYING TO THEM," "to them" is in order to include in this benediction the upper and lower beings.

166. We learned that Rabbi Yosi said: One day I sat before Rabbi Elazar the son of Rabbi Shimon. I asked him, Rabbi, why did David see fit to say: "Hashem, you preserve man and beast" (Tehilim 36:7)? Man befits nicely, but why a beast? He said to me: You asked properly. Everything is taken into account FOR PRESERVATION. If people are worthy, THEY ARE PRSEVED like humans. If they are not worthy, THEY ARE PRESERVED like beasts.

167. I said: My teacher, I wish to know the secret of this matter. He said to me: Everything has been said, BOTH THE ESOTERIC AND THE LITERAL MEANING. Come and see: The Holy One, blessed be He, called Yisrael man, in the likeness of the higher, WHICH IS ZEIR ANPIN, and also called them beast. And it is all in one verse, as it is written: "But you, my flock, the flock of my pasture, are men" (Yechezkel 34:31). "But you, my flock, the flock of my pasture:" Here HE REFERS TO THEM IN THE NAME OF beast. "Are men:" Here HE REFERS TO THEM AS man. For Yisrael are referred to as both man and beast. Therefore, "Hashem, you preserve man and beast." Another secret lies within the matter: if they have merit, they are a man in the image of the above. If they do not have merit, they are referred to as beasts. They are all blessed simultaneously, both man above - THE SECRET OF ZEIR ANPIN, THAT IS CALLED YUD HEI VAV HEI FULLY SPELLED WITH ALEPH'S, WHICH NUMERICALLY AMOUNTS TO "MAN" - and the beast below - THE SECRET OF MALCHUT THAT IS CALLED YUD HEI VAV HEI, FULLY SPELLED WITH HEI'S AND NUMERICALLY EQUALING TO "BEAST." There is everything among Yisrael, SINCE ALSO AMONG YISRAEL THERE ARE THE TWO LEVELS, MAN AND BEAST, MEANING THE SOULS THAT ARE DRAWN FROM ZEIR ANPIN AND THOSE SOULS THAT ARE DRAWN FROM MALCHUT. This is why it says: "Hashem, you preserve man and beast."

168. Come and see that no blessing is available below until it is available above FIRST. When it is present above, it is also present down below. All this depends upon ABOVE BOTH for good and for bad. For good, as it is written: "I will answer the heavens, and they will answer the earth" (Hoshea 2:23). For bad, as it is written: "That Hashem shall punish the host of the high ones on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth" (Yeshayah 24:21).

169. Rabbi Yehuda said: Therefore it is simply written: "Saying to them," unspecified, WHICH INDICATES that the higher and lower beings should be blessed all together. It is written at first: "In this way you shall bless" (Bemidbar 6:23), and thereafter "the children of Yisrael, saying to them" (Ibid.), in a general way. IT IS NOT SPECIFICALLY WRITTEN: 'SAYING TO YISRAEL,' WHICH MEANS that they should be blessed together, BOTH UPPER AND LOWER GRADES. "Hashem bless you" (Ibid. 24) above, "and keep you" (Ibid.) below, "Hashem make His face shine" (Ibid. 25) above "and be gracious to you" (Ibid.) below, "Hashem lift up His countenance" (Ibid. 26) above, "and give you peace" (Ibid.) below.

170. Rabbi Aba said: All are blessed together with 22 engraved letters of the Holy Name that is included and concealed here, IN THE PRIESTLY BENEDICTION. IN THE NAME OF the 22 letters, everything is blessed. They are of Mercy within Mercy, as there is no Judgment in them. HE ASKS: Yet not so, for it is written: "Hashem lift up His countenance to you" AND "LIFT UP" INDICATES JUDGMENT. Rabbi Aba said: "Lift up" MEANS He shall remove and cause to pass away, so there shall be no Judgment at all.