Tikunim Chadashim - Tikun 21

"And for all the mighty hand and for all the great awe which Moshe did before the eyes of all Israel." [Devarim 34:12]

I. The Hand in the Bosom — Mighty Hand of Egypt

"The mighty hand" — this is the Exodus from Egypt. But this is the vision of the burning bush — for there it is written: "Put your hand into your bosom" [Shemos 4:6] — this is the Mighty Hand through which Israel went out from Egypt. And first He showed him that staff which turned into a serpent. And through many rectifications that Moshe prepared, it is said of it: "and it became a staff in his palm" [ibid. 4:4].

Then He showed him that leprous hand — because of the Sitra Achra that cleaved to it. The secret: a bright-white spot or reddish — white from the side of Yishmael; reddish from the side of Edom. And here: leprous from the side of Yishmael — this is Egypt. And afterward: "it returned like his flesh" — the Tikun was prepared to bring Israel out as is fitting. "His flesh" — this is the Shechina that rose out from the shells to cleave to the King afterward.

II. The Giving of the Torah — Eternal Bond

"The great awe" — with the giving of the Torah [Matan Torah], at the time Israel stood at Mount Sinai — for then Israel were bound to their roots forever. In Egypt they were separated from the Sitra Achra — as the Haggadah says: "Had the Holy One not taken our fathers out of Egypt, then we and our children and our children's children would still be enslaved..." — for at that time the Sitra Achra ruled over the holy side. And at the time of the redemption from it — they were redeemed completely. The secret of this: crushing servitude [avodas parech] was found only in Egypt — for there the holy side was completely enslaved to the impure side. But from there onward, the evil sides could not enslave it — only harm it.

Therefore one must always remember the Exodus from Egypt — for its redemption was an eternal redemption. Israel emerged from the foreskin through the blood of circumcision. Through the blood of Pesach they began to enter into the holy portion. And at Matan Torah they were completed — rooted in it forever. This is truly "the great awe".

III. At the Sea — The Shechina Revealed; At Sinai — Completed

Furthermore — in Egypt Israel were saved from the Sitra Achra. And at the sea the Sitra Achra was subdued beneath them. Then it is written: "Hashem shall reign forever and ever" [Shemos 15:18] — for the Sitra Achra sank into the pit of the great deep, and the holy dominion reigns in the world without ceasing. Afterward at Matan Torah — all was completed. This is the sixth day — for all the creatures of the world were weakened and could not stand — because the Sitra Achra surrounded them and clung to them — until Israel received the Torah, and all was bound to its root in supernal holiness to exist in complete existence.

IV. The Ancient of Elders Speaks — The Shechina's Hiddenness

Then the Ancient of Elders opened and said: Rebbe Rebbe — truly the Sitra Achra is not strengthened except at the time the holy side hides its light — as it is written: "He made darkness His hiding place, His canopy surrounding Him..." [Tehillim 18:12]. For at the time this light is hidden, it is written: "You set darkness and it becomes night, in it all the beasts of the forest creep" [ibid. 104:20]. And the Shechina at times is a mirror [mar'eh] — of which it is said [Bamidbar 12:6]: "In a vision I make Myself known to him" — for She shows the lights of the King below. Then what is written of Her? "And through the prophets I spoke in visions" [Hoshea 12:11].

And it is said of Her: "For in this let the one who boasts boast — that he understands and knows Me" [Yirmiyahu 9:23] — for from Her one gazes into the supernal hidden mysteries above. She is truly the hand of the prophets. And this is the Mighty Hand.