The Small Sanhedrin and the Great Sanhedrin

Synopsis

Speaking about the higher court, Rabbi Shimon next tells the Faithful Shepherd that he was Gadol, the highest above the seventy greater Sanhedrin. He says that Moses is the friend of God and the friend of Malchut. He also talks about the lower court, and about the greater and smaller lamplights. The greater lamplight is the light of God and the smaller is the song of the Levites.

Court Judges Precepts Sanhedrin Seventy-Two

21. The following precept is to accept the ruling of the Great Sanhedrin on them, which is Binah, which, from the aspect of Chesed, is called Elohim-- the great Sanhedrin, SINCE GREAT IS CHESED. It is great in judgment, WHICH IS THE LEFT, and great in finding merit, WHICH IS THE RIGHT. THIS MEANS THAT WHEN THE LEFT SIDE OF BINAH IS INCLUDED WITHIN THE RIGHT, WHICH IS CHESED, BOTH ARE CONSIDERED GREAT, as we learned in relation to the precept, "you may appoint (lit. 'appoint you shall appoint') a king over you" (Devarim 17:15), in which "appoint" is above IN BINAH, and "you shall appoint" is below, IN MALCHUT. In the same way one must accept upon himself the Great Sanhedrin FROM THE ASPECT OF BINAH, although he accepted upon himself the Small Sanhedrin FROM THE ASPECT OF MALCHUT. The small court consists of three from the aspect of the lower Shechinah - WHICH IS MALCHUT. The great court consists of those in the Great Sanhedrin OF 72 MEMBERS, SEVENTY SANHEDRIN JUDGES AND TWO SCRIBES.

21. פִּקּוּדָא בָּתַר דָּא, לְקַבֵּל בֵּית דִּין הַגָּדוֹל עָלַיְיהוּ, בִּינָה, מִסִּטְרָא דִּגְדוּלָה אִקְרֵי אֱלֹהִים, בֵּית דִּין הַגָּדוֹל, רַב בְּדִינוֹי, וְרַב בְּזַכְווֹי, כְּגַוְונָא דְּאִתְּמַר שׂוֹם תָּשִׂים עָלֶיךָ מֶלֶךְ בְּפִקּוּדָא, שׂוֹם לְעֵילָּא, תָּשִׂים לְתַתָּא. הָכִי לְקַבֵּל עָלֵיהּ ב"ד רַבְרְבָא, אע"ג דְּקַבִּיל עָלֵיהּ ב"ד זְעֵירָא. בֵּית דִּין זְעֵירָא, בֵּית דִּין שֶׁל שְׁלֺֹשָׁה, מִסִּטְרָא דִּשְׁכִינְתָּא תַּתָּאָה. ב"ד רַבְרְבָא, מֵאִלֵּין סַנְהֶדְּרֵי גְּדוֹלָה.

Court Sanhedrin Shechinah Shepherd

22. The Holy Luminary, RABBI SHIMON, said TO THE FAITHFUL SHEPHERD: The Great Sanhedrin consisted of seventy members, and you are the greatest of them all, as it is written: "every great matter they shall bring to you, but every small matter they shall judge" (Shemot 18:22), which relates to the Great Sanhedrin and the Small Sanhedrin, ABOUT WHICH IT IS SAID, "GREAT MATTER" AND "SMALL MATTER." The Great Sanhedrin are from the aspect of the supernal Shechinah, WHICH IS BINAH, and the Small Sanhedrin are from the aspect of the lower Shechinah, WHICH IS MALCHUT.

22. אָמַר בּוּצִינָא קַדִּישָׁא, שִׁבְעִים סַנְהֶדְּרֵי גְּדוֹלָה הֲווֹ, וְאַנְתְּ רַבְרְבָא עַל כֻּלְּהוּ, וְהָיָה כָּל הַדָּבָר הַגָּדוֹל יָבִיאוּ אֵלֶיךָ וְכָל הַדָּבָר הַקָּטֺן יִשְׁפְּטוּ הֵם. אֵלּוּ. הֵם סַנְהֶדְּרֵי גְּדוֹלָה, סַנְהֶדְּרֵי קְטַנָּה. סַנְהֶדְּרֵי גְּדוֹלָה מִסִּטְרָא דִּשְׁכִינְתָּא עִלָּאָה, סַנְהֶדְּרֵי קְטַנָּה מִסִּטְרָא דִּשְׁכִינְתָּא תַּתָּאָה.

Aaron Bride Hebrew Letters Judges Lamps Light Moses Sanhedrin Seventy-Two Zeir Anpin

23. Moses is the best man of the King, ZEIR ANPIN; Aaron is the best man of the Queen. Together with them there are 72 members to the Sanhedrin, MEANING WITH THE SEVENTY SANHEDRIN JUDGES OVER WHOM MOSES AND AARON PRESIDE, which have the same number as Chesed, WHICH HAS THE NUMERICAL VALUE OF 72. Hence, THEY ARE CONSIDERED the Great Sanhedrin, SINCE CHESED IS CALLED GREAT, AS MENTIONED ABOVE. The Small Sanhedrin are from the aspect of the left, THAT IS MALCHUT, WHICH IS ERECTED FROM THE LEFT, ABOUT WHICH IT IS WRITTEN: "and the lesser light to rule the night" (Beresheet 1:16).

23. מֺשֶׁה שׁוּשְׁבִינָא דְּמַלְכָּא, אַהֲרֺן שׁוּשְׁבִינָא דְּמַטְרוֹנִיתָא. וְעִמְּהוֹן שַׁבְעִין וּתְרֵין סַנְהֶדְרִין, כְּמִנְיַן חֶסֶד, וּמֵהָכָא סַנְהֶדְּרֵי גְּדוֹלָה. סַנְהֶדְּרֵי קְטַנָּה, מִסִּטְרָא דִּשְׂמָאלָא, אֶת הַמָּאוֹר הַקָּטֺן לְמֶמְשֶׁלֶת הַלַּיְלָה.

Earth Ground Jesse Lamps Levites Light Love Pinchas Righteous Shechinah Singing Ten

24. Due to this, Tiferet IS CONSIDERED "the greater light to rule the day" (Ibid.), BECAUSE it says about it, "Hashem will command His steadfast love (Heb. Chesed) in the daytime" (Tehilim 42:9). SINCE IT IS CHESED, IT IS CALLED THE GREATER LIGHT. "And the lesser light to rule the night" means: "and in the night His song shall be with me" (Ibid.), that is, the song of the Levites, which is Yesod IN MALCHUT, ACCORDING TO THE MEANING OF THE WORDS: "the son of Jesse lives on the ground" (I Shmuel 20:31), IN WHICH 'LIVES' REFERS TO YESOD, AND THE GROUND IS MALCHUT. He has composed ten types of songs in Tehilim, MEANING 'BLESSED,' 'A SONG,' 'A POEM,' ETC. The Righteous is to the left, MEANING YESOD IN MALCHUT, AND THE LEFT, "the lesser light" is the Shechinah that was taken from the left.

24. וּבג"ד, תִּפְאֶרֶת אֶת הַמָּאוֹר הַגָּדוֹל לְמֶמְשֶׁלֶת הַיּוֹם, דְּאִתְּמַר בֵּיהּ יוֹמָם יְצַוֶּה יְיָ' חַסְדּוֹ. אֶת הַמָּאוֹר הַקָּטֺן לְמֶמְשֶׁלֶת הַלַּיְלָה, וּבַלַּיְלָה שִׁירֺה עִמִּי. שִׁיר דִּלְוִיִּים, וְדָא יְסוֹד. בֶּן יִשַׁי חַי עַל הָאֲדָמָה. דְּתָקִּין עֶשֶׂר מִינֵי תְּהִלִּים, בְּשִׁירָה. וְאִיהוּ צַדִּיק לִשְׂמָאלָא, אֶת הַמָאוֹר הַקָּטֺן, וְדָא שְׁכִינְתָּא, דְּאַתְנְטִילַת מִשְּׂמָאלָא.