Letter No. 17

Hello and all the best to my friend, who is tied to the shackles of my heart…

A response to your letter from December 29, 1955, to which until now I had no time to reply due to being burdened with my daughter’s wedding.

And regarding the first question, “Why did Jacob, our father, bless the sons through an angel?” It is explained in the writings of the Ari that NRN de Tzadikim [righteous] are the internality of the three worlds, Beria, Yetzira, Assiya. The origin of the souls is from the world of Beria, the Ruach extends from the world of Yetzira, and Nefesh is from the world of Assiya. And all the bestowals extend from the world of Atzilut, called “He, His life and His essence are one.”

In the world of Atzilut, the ten Sefirot over there divide into three discernments: 1, Keter; 2, Hochma and Bina; 3, ZA and Malchut.

They are regarded as Shoresh, meaning Keter, Mochin, meaning Hochma and Bina, and the recipients of the Mochin, meaning ZA and Malchut, called “male” and “female,” Israel and Leah, Jacob and Rachel. The ZON receive the Mochin for the souls of the righteous, who are the internality of the three worlds BYA.

The operator and transmitter of the upper abundance is Angel Matat, See in The Zohar (Vayetze, p 36 and in the Sulam [Ladder commentary], item 71, that he wrote there). Angel Matat is called the “minister of the world,” whose name is as the name of his rav. At one time he is called by the name HaVaYaH and another time by the name Shadai, since he performs two operations.

1. He receives the Hochma and gives to BYA, and then he is called Shadai, as in, “He said to His world, ‘enough,’ spread no more,’” referring to the abundance of Hochma, as there was a Tzimtzum [restriction] on receiving the Hochma in the Kelim [vessels] of the will to receive. Therefore, the Emanator brought back the left leg of the Tav back up, and because of it, the leg of the Tav is thick because He brought the left leg back up so it would not illuminate into the Klipot [shells] (see the “Introduction of the Book of Zohar,” p 26, and in the Sulam, item 23).

2. The second discernment of Angel Matat is when he also has Hassadim to bestow upon the lower ones. At that time his name is as the name of his rav which is HaVaYaH, and Matat is completed and is called by the name of its master, HaVaYaH.

When Jacob blessed his sons, he had to extend the blessing according to the order of the degree, until the abundance would be extended to the lower ones. Therefore, he extended the abundance for the sons up to Angel Matat, and from Matat the abundance would flow to the sons. This is why Jacob blessed his sons through Angel Matat, who is the bestower and the transmitter of the abundance from the world of Atzilut to NRN de Tzadikim and to the three worlds BYA, and this is why he said, “The redeeming angel will bless me.”

By that you will understand your second question regarding “my name in the midst of Him,” which Maimonides wrote, “for My name is included in the midst of Him” You asked, “What does it mean that his name is as the name of his Rav?” since we have no attainment in His essence, but only in the revealed.

The thing is that a joint name means that each name indicates an attainment, because that which we do not attain we do not define by name. And any attainment in spirituality is precisely when there is a connection between the attained and the attaining. This is called “shared by the attaining and the attained together.” Then we can say that there is the disclosure of a name, a form, and a specific limitation over the abundance. But, in attaining without an attained you cannot speak of any form or limitation, and no attainment is applied to it. This is regarded as “There is no thought or perception in him at all,” and as “essence without substance” (See in the “Preface to the Book of Zohar,” p 50, item 12).

This is the meaning of His name, meaning what we attain through Angel Matat, is as the name of his rav which is also specifically a disclosure, meaning that Matat gives the ZON,who are the recipients of the Mochin de Atzilut, where there are two discernments— Hochma and Bina—that appear to the lower ones in the form of Hassadim and Hochma.

When Matat gives Hochma, he is called by the name of his rav, by the name Shadai. And when he gives Hassadim as well, then the name of his rav is HaVaYaH. And then Matat is called “the elder of his home who rules over all that he has,” where Angel Matat is the minister of the world and rules the world, meaning that through him the abundance extends to the worlds BYA, and are included with the NRN de Tzadikim.

This is the meaning of “My name is in the midst of Him,” meaning that Matat’s giving the names of Matat refers to the form of the abundance that consists of two forms, which are Hochma and Hassadim, that these names operate in Matat according to the measure of the name of the rav that he extends.

And regarding your third question, why the Holy Torah elaborates in the introduction of Ephraim to Menashe, we can explain this according to the rule that we have in the work of the Creator, that the goal must always be before him, and to know what is his role in life, and to which final point a person should come so he can say that he has achieved peace and quiet.

This is so because only when the final goal is revealed before him can a person prepare himself with all the means and activate the forces at his disposal. Were it not for this, he would not know how to balance his forces and the keeping, because the real means required in order to have as keeping in the ways that involve dangers, when he does not know the full force of the lurking enemy, if he does not know who is the real enemy that should be subdued. Therefore, when beginning to speak of the orders of the work, and of having blessing in the work, the goal should be of utmost importance.

Also, it is known that when beginning to walk on the path of work, one begins from light to heavy. At first we learn and do the easiest things to understand and to do, and then what is a little more difficult, etc., until we are accustomed and experienced in the ways of the war of the inclination. At that time we attack the fiercest attacks.

It turns out that we have two things that we should put one before the other. Joseph’s view was that we should mainly speak of the ways of the work according to the order, meaning from easy to hard. And Jacob’s view was that first and foremost we have to speak of the goal.

Drafts and Appendices to This Letter

1) Regarding your third question, “Why the Holy Torah so elaborates in the introduction Ephraim to Menashe: It is known that preceeding one to the other depends on the importance of the matter. Regarding the work of the Creator, we must know what is important, meaning to give the main emphasis on the main point, being the goal.

…It is written in The Zohar (Yayechi 4:14, and in the Sulam, item 41) that there are two great and important ministers. One minister is from Ephraim, whose quality is to keep Israel in exile and to have them multiply there. The other minister is from Menashe, therefore his quality is to make them forgotten in exile.

He explains there that there are two kinds of judgements: 1) judgments from Rachamim, called Malchut in Bina, and one from Malchut in Malchut called “judgements that come from Malchut.” He explains there that each minister consists of both discernments.

…He explains there that the minister of Menashe consists of Rachamim (mercy), and judgement in mercy, and the minister of Ephraim consists of mercy, and judgement in judgement, called Malchut.

It follows that Jacob blessed them, meaning that the judgement would be mitigated, and by that would be the redemption. And since the order of the work is in mercy and then judgement, for it is known that there are four discernments: 1) receiving in order to receive; 2) bestowing in order to receive; 3) bestowing in order to bestow; 4) receiving in order to bestow.

The first two discernments are not really according to the way of Torah, but according to the Torah Lishma [for Her sake], beginning with bestowing in order to bestow, and this is called the “quality of mercy.” The second discernment of Torah Lishma is called “receiving in order to bestow,” and this is called the “quality of judgement.?

This is why Joseph wanted to bless them on the order of the work, where first comes the quality of mercy, called Menashe, and then the quality of Ephraim, called judgement, but Jacob blessed according to the order of importance, meaning that the complete correction is the quality of judgement to be corrected, which is called “the darkness shines as light.” Jacob’s view was that although we begin to work with the quality of mercy, the goal should be revealed before him—that the purpose is to achieve the end of correction, and afterwards begin to work according to the order, meaning with the quality of mercy.

2) Angel: The Shechina [divinity] is called an angel, as it is written, “Behold! I send an angel before you.” It is called an angel because the Shechina works through Matat. This is so during the exile, but at the time of redemption he is in Dvekut [adhesion] with the king called ZA (Vayechi p 18, items 53, 23).

3) See in the portion, Vayetze (p 36, item 71 in the Sulam), where he explains what is written in the corrections [Tikkunim] (Tikkun no. 70, p 119) about the verse, “and the animals ran to and fro.” “To” is Nuriel, and “fro” is Matat. He interprets there in the Sulam that “to” means Hochma and “fro” means Hassadim. Since he already has Hochma, he is going to receive Hassadim. It turns out that he already has the complete Hochma and Hassadim together. This is why Matat is called the “minister of the world,” since there is wholeness in him for the lower ones in the three worlds BYA where the NRN de Tzadikim are found, who are called there the “internality of BYA.”

This is the meaning of “the elder of his home rules all that he has,” meaning that he has Hochma and Hassadim. In ruling the world, he is with the name Shadai, which is the first discernment of “and fro,” meaning from the Sefira Hochma, which is left, and this is the meaning of the name Shadai. Afterwards he goes up, which is the second discernment of “and fro.” This means that he returns to the name HaVaYaH which is Hassadim, and he called by the name of his master HaVaYaH.