אנכי ה׳ אלהיך

I am Hashem your God, who brought you out from the land of Egypt, from the house of slaves (Exodus 20:2).

When a person knows that everything that happens to him is for his benefit, this perception is a foretaste of the World to Come. As <King David> said, “When He is YHVH, I will praise His word; when He is Elohim, I will praise His word” (Psalms 56:11).

And this perception is a foretaste of the World to Come, as our Sages taught: “On that day God shall be one and His Name one” (Zechariah 14:9). They asked: Is He now not one? And our Sages answered: At present, the blessing “Who is good and beneficent” is recited over good, whereas “the truthful Judge” is recited over bad. But in the Future, it will be entirely “Who is good and beneficent” (Pesachim 50a). The Holy Name YHVH and the Holy Name Elohim will be totally one.

2. Now, it is impossible for a person to grasp this perception except when he uplifts Malkhut d’Kedushah (Kingdom of Holiness) from its exile among the nations. For presently, malkhut and rule <are in the hands of> the nations. This is the reason <they rule over us with the power of malkhut they possess>. They nurse from the aspect of Malkhut, which is called Elohim, as is written (Psalms 74:12), “Elohim is my King from long ago.” But when a person raises Malkhut from among the nations, it is the fulfillment of the verse (Psalms 47:8), “For Elohim is King of all the earth.”

3. Yet it is impossible to return the kingdom to the Holy One, except by means of spoken confession in the presence of a Talmid Chakham (Torah scholar). Through this, one rectifies the aspect of Malkhut and raises it to its source.

{“Take d’varim (words) with you and return to YHVH (God)” (Hosea 14:3).} This is the meaning of, “Take D’VaRim with you…”—i.e., spoken confession. This is the aspect of Malkhut, as in, “one DaBoR (spokesman) to a generation” (Sanhedrin 8a) ; dabor connotes < malkhut> and ruler. “… and return to YHVH”—so that they rectify and elevate the aspect of d’varim / Malkhut / Elohim to [the level of] YHVH. As mentioned above, “When He is YHVH, I will praise His word; when He is Elohim, I will praise His word.” This is, to know that everything that happens to him is all for his good, and to recite the blessing “Who is good and beneficent” over everything.

4. Knowing all this is called complete awareness. For the essence of awareness is the union of < chasadim (benevolences) and gevurot (severities)>. This is called daat. In other words, he does not differentiate between lovingkindness and judgment, but blesses “Who is good and beneficent” over everything. This is called “YHVH is one and His Name is one.” As our Sages taught: In the Future, there will be total oneness and it will be entirely “Who is good and beneficent.”

This is: “YHVH is echad (one) [and His Name is echad].” “His Name” corresponds to Elohim / Malkhut, as is written (2 Samuel 8:13), “David made a name for himself”—<he being malkhut>. Echad has the same numerical value as ahavah (love).

Therefore, whether it be YHVH —which is compassion—or whether it be “His Name”—which corresponds to Elohim /judgment—all is for your benefit and a result of the love which the Holy One has for you. As it is written, “For those whom God loves, He rebukes” (Proverbs 3:12) ; and, “Of all the families of the earth, I knew only you [Israel]. That is why I will punish you for all your iniquities” (Amos 3:2).

5 . And, a person’s iniquities are on his bones, as is written (Ezekiel 32:27), “and their iniquities will be etched upon their bones.” Each sin has its own combination of letters. When a person commits a particular sin, a negative letter-combination is etched upon his bones. This brings the spoken aspect of the prohibition which he has transgressed into the realm of impurity. In other words, he brings the aspect of Malkhut /< dabor> among the nations, giving them the power to rule.

For example: If he transgressed the utterance of the prohibition “You shall have no [other gods besides Me]” (Exodus 20:3), then he destroys the utterance’s positive letter-combination and forms a negative letter-combination. This letter-combination is etched upon his bones,<in fulfillment of:> “It is your iniquities that have turned away these things” (Jeremiah 5:25). And it is written, “Evil is the deathblow of the wicked” (Psalms 34:22).

By means of spoken confession, however, the letters disappear from the bones into which they have been etched and are transformed into the words of confession. For speech emanates from one’s bones, as is written (Psalms 35:10), “All my bones will say.” He tears down the negative structure and combination, and from [the letters] builds Malkhut d’Kedushah.

This is what the Sages said: During the time the Israelites traveled in the desert, Yehudah’s bones rolled about [in his coffin] until Moshe said (Deuteronomy 33:7), “Hear, O God, the voice of Yehudah” (Sotah 7b). Moshe requested that the Holy One remember for Yehudah’s sake the confession he had made. And this is just what happened. Thus it was specifically “his bones rolled about,” as is written, “and their iniquities will be etched upon their bones.” But by means of the confession, they were rectified and each one went into its place.

And Yehudah corresponds to Malkhut —an allusion that the aspect of Malkhut is rectified through spoken confession.

This was accomplished with the aid of Moshe, who recalled the confession. For it is necessary that the confession take place in the presence of a Talmid Chakham. And every Torah scholar is an aspect of Moshe, <as the Talmud states:> “Moshe, you said it well” (Shabbat 101b). By Moshe’s mentioning the confession, it was considered as if [Yehudah] had now confessed <literally in his presence>. This caused the aspect of Malkhut to be rectified and the negative letter-combination, which had been etched upon [Yehudah’s] bones, to be torn down.

6. This is the aspect of returning Malkhut to its source. For the source of Malkhut is fire, as our Sages taught: Why did Nevat err? because he saw fire escape from his member (Sanhedrin 101b). And the Torah is called fire, because it is from there that Malkhut originates. As it is written (Jeremiah 23:29), “Behold, My Word is like fire,” and (Proverbs 8:15), “Through me kings rule.” And the essence of Torah is the Torah scholar, as our Sages taught (Makkot 22b): How foolish are those who stand up before a Torah scroll and yet do not stand before a rabbinical scholar!

This is: “Every davar (thing) that was used in fire, must go through fire <to be purged>” (Numbers 31:23). “Davar” corresponds to Malkhut, which has been <sunk> into the realm of impurity <due to> the heat of the evil inclination, as in, “the fire of Amram” (Kiddushin 81a). “… must go through the fire”—its rectification is by means of fire, i.e., spoken confession before a Talmid Chakham.

And this is the connotation of aveyrah (transgression): the AVeyRah letter-combination OVeR (crosses) within his bones, from AyVeR to AyVeR (side to side). The word mitzvah, however, connotes joining together. When a person performs bundles of commandments, he binds together the shattered fragments of his bones, as is written (Psalms 34:21), “[God] safeguards all his bones, [not one of them is broken].”

7. {“The King’s wrath is a messenger of death, but a wise man can pacify it” (Proverbs 16:14).} And this is the explanation of the verse: “The King’s wrath is a messenger of death.” For the wrath of the Holy One is on account of Malkhut <that has been demeaned among the nations>. “… but a wise man can pacify it”—i.e., the aspect of Talmid Chakham /Moshe, who will atone for [the sinner]. As it is written (Micah 7:18), “[The Lord] forgives the transgression for the remnant <of His inheritance>”—for the sake of the one who considers himself as remnants (Rosh HaShanah 17a).

We find, then, that when he comes before a Torah scholar and expresses all his letter-combinations in a Talmid Chakham’s presence…. The Torah scholar is an aspect of Moshe-<Mashiach,> who considered himself as “remnants,” as is written (Numbers 12:3), “The man Moshe, however, was very humble.” This is the reason he is called a wise man, as is written (Job 28:12), “Wisdom comes from Ayin (Nothingness).” Through this the wise man has the power to appease, as is written, “but a wise man can pacify it.”

This is why when Moshe prayed that the sin of the Golden Calf [be pardoned], he said (Exodus 32:32), “If You would, forgive their sin. But if not, please blot me out [from the book that You have written]!” It is impossible for a person not to feel some pride when he hears himself being praised. All the more so, when a great king praises and lauds the person; then, it is certainly impossible that he would not be moved to some feelings of self-importance. However, this necessitates the negation of all one’s emotions and corporeality. Then, a person can hear himself being praised and not come to any pride. This was the case with Moshe Rabbeinu, who saw it written in the Torah: “God spoke to Moshe,” [and] “God said to Moshe.” Each day, the Jewish people read in the Torah [God’s] praise of Moshe. What’s more, he himself related his praise to them. Yet Moshe had no feelings of haughtiness or pride from this, as is written, “The man Moshe, however, was very humble.” And, certainly, by means of his humility Moshe had the power to atone for the sin of the Golden Calf, as is written, “… but a wise man can pacify it.”

This was Moshe’s argument: “But if not”—i.e., if You do not forgive their sin, You are demonstrating that I do not possess the humility needed to atone for the sin of the Golden Calf. This is why I requested, “please blot me out,” so as not to be tripped up by pride. For I constantly see and hear the recounting of my name and praise in the Torah. Who can stand up to this—hearing his praise recounted and not become haughty—if not a very humble person? And, if I am humble, You must pardon their sin, as is written, “[The Lord] forgives the transgression for the remnant….”

This is (Deuteronomy 33:5): “There was a MeLeKh (king) in Yeshurun”—indicating that MaLKhut had risen to its source, as it is written (Psalms 37:11), “But the humble will inherit the earth.” “Earth” is dina d’malkhuta (the law of the government), as is written (Job 20:27), “Earth rises up against him.”

8. This is the meaning of what the Sages said:

It is comparable to someone who was walking along a path in the utter darkness of night. He was afraid of the thorns and the ditches, of wild beasts and bandits ; not knowing which path he was on. When he happened upon a lit torch, he was saved from the thorns and the ditches but he was still afraid of wild beasts and bandits ; not knowing which path he was on. When dawn broke, he was saved from wild beasts and bandits, yet still did not know which path he was on. When he came to a crossroads, he was saved from all of them…. What is this crossroads? Rabbi Chisda said: It is a Talmid Chakham and the day of death (Sotah 21a).

It is known that all evil character traits and their derivatives stem from the four yesodot (fundamental elements), the four humors. As is brought in Mishnat Chassidim: Melancholy and its derivatives stem from the mineral life form; evil passions and their derivatives stem from the vegetable life form; idle chatter and its derivatives stem from the animal life form; pride and its derivatives stem from the human life form.

Anyone who would take the path of <God> must break all of the vices <and talk about all his traits> in the presence of a Talmid Chakham —i.e., spoken confession. The Torah scholar will then define and clarify a path in line with the root of his soul.

Now, there are three steps in attachment to the tzaddikim. Through these three steps, everything is rectified. The three steps are as follows:

The first step entails seeing the tzaddik, as in (Isaiah 30:20), “your eyes will see your teacher.” This step negates the vices that stem from the two yesodot, mineral and vegetable—namely, melancholy with its derivatives, and evil passions. For the tzaddik of the generation is called “Mother,” because he nurses the Jewish people with the light of his Torah. And the Torah is called “milk,” as is written (Song of Songs 4:11), “Honey and milk under your tongue.” We have empirical validation for this: Even when a child is sad and lethargic, if he sees his mother, he very quickly stirs toward her—i.e., toward his source. We also see clearly that when a child is absorbed in his own nonsense, even though he has a great desire for this, if he sees his mother, he throws away all of his desires and draws close to her. We find, then, that the vices stemming from the two yesodot, mineral and vegetable, are negated by gazing at the countenance of the tzaddik.

This is: He was afraid of the thorns, the aspect of the vegetable life form; and the ditches, the aspect of the mineral life form. When he happened upon a lit torch —this is a Talmid Chakham, who <glows> with the light of the Torah. Through him he is saved from the vices that stem from the two yesodot, mineral and vegetable; and then he is saved from the thorns and the ditches .

The second step is the charity one gives to a Talmid Chakham <who embodies a number of souls>. Through this he is saved from the vices that stem from the two yesodot, animal and human—the aspects of wild beasts and bandits, which are idle chatter and pride and their derivatives. This is because idle chatter and slanderous gossip engender poverty, as is written (Exodus 4:19), “All the men have died”—this is poverty (Nedarim 64b). Also, concerning pride it is taught: Poverty is a sign of a haughty spirit (Kiddushin 49b). But by giving charity, a person becomes wealthy. As the Sages taught: “Though they were united and likewise many, even so they are over and gone; I have afflicted you, but will afflict you no more” (Nahum 1:12) —he is never again made to experience the markings of poverty (Gittin 7b).

And this is: When dawn broke, he was saved from wild beasts and bandits. The break of dawn is an allusion to charity, as is written (Isaiah 58:7-8), “When you see the naked, and you clothe him…. Then your light shall burst forth like the dawn.” We find, then, that through charity one is saved from the vices that stem from the two yesodot, animal and human, corresponding to wild beasts and bandits.

The third step is when one makes a spoken confession in a Torah scholar’s presence. Through this the Talmid Chakham guides him on a proper path in line with the root of his soul.

This is: When he came to a crossroads. And the Sages comment, It is a Talmid Chakham and the day of death. This is the step of spoken confession before a Talmid Chakham. The day of death is an allusion to confession, as the Sages taught: All those about to be put to death, confess (Sanhedrin 43b). This is called PaRaShat DeRaKhim (a crossroads), because the Torah scholar maPhRiSh lo DeReKh (defines his path) in line with the root of his soul.

Then, he was saved from all of them . Because, before he confessed, even though he was close to the Torah scholar and had given him money, he still does not know which path he was on. For “A path may seem right to a man, but its end leads to death” (Proverbs 14:12). But when he comes to a crossroads, which is a Talmid Chakham and the day of death —i.e., spoken confession before a Talmid Chakham —then, he was saved from all of them .

9. This applies each time <you come to> a Torah scholar. <You should tell him all the conundrums in your heart.> The Talmid Chakham is an aspect of Moshe, who is an aspect of Ayin, as is written, “Wisdom comes from Ayin .” And in this way, you become encompassed in Ein Sof (Infinite One).

This is the concept of zarka: it is thrown back to the place from which it was taken (Tikkuney Zohar #21). This is returning Malkhut to Ein Sof, which is the will in all the wills. For Malkhut corresponds to the letters of speech, with the will of God clothed in each and every letter. It was God’s will that one letter have such and such a shape, and another letter have a different shape. We find, then, that [God’s] wills—i.e., the forms of the letters—serve to reveal His Malkhut. And all these wills, the forms, stem from the will of Ein Sof —which has no form <at all>.

And all the objects and material existence in the world originate from the letters, i.e., from Malkhut. This is because material existence is a consequence of Malkhut, of the Holy One’s desire that His Malkhut be revealed in the world. Through this He created the world ex nihilo. All the wills—the forms and all material existence, corresponding to Malkhut —receive their vitality from the will of Ein Sof. As is taught (Megillah 31a): “In every place that you find the greatness of the Holy One”—i.e., His Malkhut /wills—“there, you find His humility”—i.e., the will of Ein Sof.

And this is an aspect of stripping oneself of corporeality. For when a person wants to be encompassed in the will of Ein Sof, he must negate his material being.

This is what is written in the Zohar (II, 88b), that Moshe passed away on Shabbat, at the time of Minchah. For that is when raava d’raaven (Will of Wills) is revealed. This is the will of Ein Sof, from whom all wills <and all material existence> receive their vitality. This was because Moshe had totally negated his material being, as is written, “After all, nachnu mah (what are we)?” (Exodus 16:7).

{“So Moshe the servant of God died there, in the land of Moav, by the kiss of God. [God] buried him in the valley in the land of Moav, opposite Beit Pe’or. No man knows his burial place to this day” (Deuteronomy 34:5-7).} This is the meaning of “[God] buried him in the valley”—it alludes to < Ein Sof,> as is written (Isaiah 40:4), “Every valley shall be elevated.” “In the land of Moav”—this alludes to Malkhut, for King David descended from Moav. Moshe ascended into Ein Sof, into Will of Wills, <the aspect of> raava d’raaven. This corresponds to the will of Ein Sof, which is clothed in the wills/forms of the letters, the aspect of Malkhut. As explained, “In every place that you find His greatness”—i.e., Malkhut, the aspect of <will>—“there, you find <His humility>”—i.e., the will of Ein Sof.

This is: “opposite Beit Pe’or.” As the Sages taught: Why was [the idol] called Pe’or? Because it opens its mouth wide. For when one blemishes Malkhut, [Pe’or] then has the power to open its mouth wide with negative letter-combinations. But Moshe rectified the aspect of Malkhut, and as a result Pe’or could not open its mouth wide (Sotah 14a). This is: “No man knows [his burial place]”—even Moshe did not know (ibid.). For he was negated in Ein Sof.

All this was at his death. However, also during his lifetime [Moshe] certainly stripped away all corporeality and attached himself to the Light of Ein Sof. But then, this stripping was in an aspect of “the living creatures ran and returned” (Ezekiel 1:14). This is because the Holy One desires our service, as is written (Yom Kippur Liturgy), “You desire praise from mounds of dust, from lumps of clay.” Therefore, it is imperative not to remain [in this state of negation], until such a time that the Holy One Himself comes and takes one’s soul.

This is why we see that now and then a person becomes inspired while praying and he recites several words with tremendous fervor. This is due to God’s compassion for him; the Light of Ein Sof has been opened to him and shines for him. When a person sees this radiance—and even though he might not see, his mazal sees (Megillah 3a) —his soul is instantly ignited in great devotion, so that he attaches himself to the Light of Ein Sof. And, to the degree that Ein Sof is revealed—commensurate with the number of words that have been opened and begun to radiate—he recites all these words with great devotion, with a surrender of self, and with a negation of all his senses. Then, during the time he is negated in Ein Sof, he is in a state of “and no man knows,” so that he himself is unaware of his own existence. But this must be in the aspect of “running and returning,” in order to preserve <his soul within him>.

We find, then, that when he is in a state of “returning,” he must also disclose <this perception> to his daat. For at the beginning, at the time of devotion, his daat was nullified, as in, “and no man knows.” But when he is in a state of “returning,” returning to his material being, then he <also> returns to his daat. And when he returns to his daat, he knows the oneness and beneficence of Ein Sof. Then, there is no difference between YHVH and Elohim, between the divine attribute of judgment and the divine attribute of compassion.

For a change of will is not applicable to Ein Sof, Heaven forbid. Changes only occur in the changing of the forms. Nevertheless, by virtue of a person’s attachment to Ein Sof —where there is no change of will, for there the will is uniform—afterwards, an imprint of this oneness remains within him. Then, later, when he is in a state of “returning,” this imprint illuminates <his daat>, so that he knows that all is good and all is one.

This is what Moshe said to his generation: “It has been clearly demonstrated to your daat that YHVH (God) is the Elohim (Lord)” (Deuteronomy 4:35). For Moshe corresponds to < daat, as is known.> Thus it was fitting for his generation, who were attached to him, to [have] daat —i.e., to illuminate the daat [with an awareness of] Ein Sof / raava d’raaven, the aspect of “YHVH is the Elohim .”

10. This is the explanation:

Rabbah bar bar Chanah recounted: One time we were traveling on a sephina (ship) and we saw this kavra in whose nostrils was sitting a mudeater. The kavra died and the water tossed it about and cast it ashore. It destroyed sixty cities. Sixty cities then ate from it. Sixty cities salted its flesh. And from one eyeball they filled three meah (hundred) kegs with oil. When we returned after twelve months time, we saw them sawing planks from its bones with which to rebuild those cities (Bava Batra 73b).

Rashbam:

Kavra—a fish. Akhla tina—a small creeping creature. B’usay—the creature entered the fish’s nostrils. V’idchuhu maya—the water washed it up and cast it onto dry land, as is the way of the sea, which does not tolerate a dead thing. Charvu minei shittin mechozei—the water cast it upon sixty cities and destroyed them all, so large was it. V’akhalu minei shittin mechozei—sixty cities ate from it while it was fresh. U’malchu minei shittin mechozei—sixty other, distant cities salted flesh from it and carried it home. Mechad galgala d’eina—from its eyeball they took three hundred jugs of oil. Havu m’nasrei—they sawed beams from the fish’s bones to rebuild the cities it had destroyed.

The explanation is:

SePhiNa — This connotes importance, corresponding to Malkhut. Rabbah bar bar Chanah used his intellect to investigate the status of Malkhut and the means by which the Jewish people could elevate it.

we saw this kavra — The Jewish people are called “fish,” as in (Genesis 48:16), “May they increase in the land like fish.”

in whose nostrils was sitting a mudeater — This corresponds to the prayers of the Jewish people. As is written (Isaiah 48:9), “For My praise, echtom (I will restrain my anger) from you.” A worm, an impurity, had become intermingled in his prayer and divine service. It disturbed him and this Jew could not perform his divine service properly. What did this person do? He executed the three steps mentioned above. These are: attaching himself to the tzaddik, donating charity, and spoken confession.

And this is the explanation:

The fish died and the water tossed it about and cast it ashore. The three steps are mentioned from top to bottom.

It died — This is the step of spoken confession, as is said: “All those about to be put to death, confess.”

the water tossed it about — This is charity. As is written, “Cast your bread upon the waters” (Ecclesiastes 11:1), and, “Happy are you that sow beside all waters” (Isaiah 32:20).

and cast it ashore — The tzaddik is called a “shore,” which has the connotation of fence, because he “fences in the breaches of Israel.” This is, and cast it ashore. <He gave charity to the tzaddik he had gotten close to>.

And because of these three steps:

It destroyed sixty cities — That is, through death, which is spoken confession, he elevated Malkhut from among <the nations>, and the tzaddik taught him the proper path.

{“I will destroy mountains and hills…. I will lead the blind by a road they did not know” (Isaiah 42:15-16).} As is written in the haftarah of Bereishit, “I will destroy mountains and hills”—this alludes to the destruction of the rule of the nations. <And afterwards,> “I will lead the blind by a path they did not know”—this corresponds to the tzaddik guiding him along the proper path. This is the aspect of “a crossroads.” And sixty cities alludes to the ascent of MaLKhuT, as is written (Song of Songs 6:8), “There are sixty M’LaKhoT (queens).”

Sixty cities then ate from it — This alludes to the two vices that stem from the animal and human life forms, which, as mentioned, lead to poverty. But by giving charity, they are rectified and abundance is drawn [into the world]. This is: then ate from it. And sixty cities alludes to the aspect of “sixty men of strength” (Song of Songs 3:7). Livelihood stems from there, as is taught: “strong rains” (Berakhot 33a).

Sixty cities salted its flesh — This alludes to the rectification of the two vices [that stem from] the mineral and vegetable life forms. This is accomplished by means of <drawing close to the tzaddikim>, because the tzaddik is “a covenant of salt forever” (Numbers 18:19). Both melancholy and evil passions come from putrid blood, whereas salt expels the bad blood. And sixty cities alludes to the sixty letters of the Birkat Kohanim (Priestly Blessing), which are in the hands of the tzaddik, as is written (Proverbs 10:6), “Blessings are upon the head of the tzaddik.”

And from one eyeball they filled three meah (hundred) kegs with oil — The kegs with oil correspond to daat, because “holy anointing oil” (Exodus 30:31) is the aspect of intellect.

Now, three MeaH alludes to Moshe. This is the concept of the tzaddik contracting himself in the aspect of MaH . He must make himself insignificant in three attributes: <wisdom, strength and wealth>. As is written (Jeremiah 9:22), “Let not the wise man… the strong man… the rich man exult.” We find, then, that in each of these three steps he becomes mah.

In this way he is able to strip himself of corporeality and adhere to the Light of Ein Sof, where there is no change of will whatsoever. Rather, “YHVH is the Elohim”—i.e., “entirely ‘Who is good and beneficent.’” This is the aspect of one eyeball. As is brought in the Idra (Zohar III, 137b): In the time to come, there will be the one eye of compassion. This corresponds to “entirely ‘Who is good and beneficent.’”

We find, then, that when the tzaddik makes himself mah, he attaches himself to “the one eye of compassion,” to Ein Sof. And afterwards, when he returns in an aspect of “running and returning,” he draws from the Light of Ein Sof —the oneness <and> the uniform will—by way of his mah. MaH is thus transformed into MeAH. As is taught: Do not read mah, but rather meah (Menachot 43b). Three hundred is made from the three mah, and he draws this light to his daat and intellect. This is kegs with oil, which is intellect, as explained.

[This is the meaning of] “It has been clearly demonstrated to your daat” (Deuteronomy 4:35). He draws the Light of Ein Sof to his daat, so that he might know the oneness: “YHVH is the Elohim.” He then makes the blessing “Who is good and beneficent” over everything, as it will be in the Future.

When we returned after twelve months time, we saw them sawing planks from its bones with which to rebuild those cities — Behind holiness—[holiness being] the twelve tribes, through whom Malkhut is rectified—is impurity.

Now, there are people who move outside the realm of holiness. This is what the Tanna recounted: He returned to inquire about those who are after twelve months time —those who are behind the twelve tribes of holiness. They move outside the Jewish community as a result of their evil deeds.

we saw them sawing from its bones — That is, in consequence of their evil deeds, which were etched upon their bones; with the etching crossing over from side to side, exactly like a saw mark.

But because of the Jew mentioned above, who was moved to repentance by the small worm in his nostrils—because [his prayer] had been disturbed by a small impurity—[they can be saved]. By means of his repentance, he causes also these evildoers to be transformed into an abode for holiness.

with which to rebuild those cities — These [evildoers] also help those serving God in rebuilding the above mentioned cities.

11. This is the explanation [of the opening verse]: {“ Anokhi YHVH Elohekha (I am God your Lord) Who brought you out of the land of Mitzrayim (Egypt), from the house of slavery.”}

Anokhi YHVH Elohekha — Whether it be YHVH or Elohekha, understand that all this is Anokhi (“I”). That is, one should fulfill: “When He is YHVH, I will praise His word; when He is Elohim, I will praise His word”—i.e., “entirely ‘Who is good and beneficent,’” as above.

Who brought you out of the land of Mitzrayim, Egypt — The Midrash (Bereishit Rabbah 16:4) states: All exiles are known as MiTZRayIM, because they MeTZeiRIM (cause anguish and suffering) to the Jewish people. <But when Malkhut of Holiness ascends from among them, there is no exile.>

from the house of slavery — This alludes to the nullification of the vices that stem from the four yesodot, which are called “slaves.” For all four yesodot are beneath the celestial band of the moon. And the moon is called “slave,” as is brought in the Zohar (I, 181a): “Behold, My slave will become wise” (Isaiah 52:13) —this refers to the moon.

This means that with the help of the tzaddik, Malkhut ascends from the nations and the vices are nullified. Through this, a person achieves [an awareness that is] an aspect of the World to Come—corresponding to, “When He is YHVH, I will praise His word; when He is Elohim, I will praise His word.”