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In the book of the venerable R. Yesa we find: It is written here “And Abram passed through the land”, and in another place it says “I will make all my goodness pass before thee” (Ex. 33, 19), this being an allusion to the holiness of the land which emanates from a heavenly source.
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UNTO THE PLACE OF SHECHEM, UNTO THE OAK OF MORETH, i.e. from one sphere to the other, as befitted. AND THE CANAANITE WAS THEN IN THE LAND. This confirms what has previously been said, that up to that time the wicked serpent that was cursed and brought curses on the world held sway over the land, as it is written, “Cursed is Canaan, a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren” (Gen. 9, 25), and of the serpent, “Cursed art thou above all cattle” (Gen. 3, 14). It was in that land that Abram drew near to God. For it is written here AND THE LORD APPEARED UNTO ABRAM: here was revealed to him what he could not previously find out, the hidden force that ruled over the (holy) land,
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and so HE BUILT THERE AN ALTAR TO THE LORD WHO APPEARED TO HIM. The words “who appeared to him”, which seem to be superfluous, indicate that here was revealed to him that grade which rules over the land, and that he entered into it and was confirmed in it.
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AND HE REMOVED FROM THENCE UNTO THE MOUNTAIN: The word ha-harah (to the mountain) can be rendered “to the mountain of he״, implying that he now became acquainted with this and with all the grades planted there. AND PITCHED HIS TENT: here, again, the letter he in the word aholoh (his tent) indicates that he purified himself and acknowledged the kingship of heaven in all the grades attached to it. He acquired the certainty that God rules over all, and so he built an altar.
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There were, in fact, two altars, because here it was revealed to him that God is ruler over all, and he became acquainted with the higher wisdom, which he had not known previously. He therefore built two altars, one for the grade (of the Godhead) which was already known to him, and one for the grade which was still concealed. This can be seen from the text: it first says “And he built there an altar to the Lord who appeared to him”, and afterwards it says “and he built an altar to the Lord”, simply-with an allusion to the higher wisdom.
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Thus Abram proceeded from grade to grade until he reached his own rightful grade, as it is written, “And Abram journeyed, going on still toward the South”, the South (typifying wisdom) being the allotted portion of Abram, and there he finally fixed himself.
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AND THERE WAS A FAMINE IN THE LAND: because up to now the power in charge of the land had not endowed the land with strength to produce food, since as yet it (the land) had not attained its complete development.
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So, seeing that the power in charge of the land was not endowing it with its rightful force and energy, ABRAM WENT DOWN TO EGYPT TO SOJOURN THERE.
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How did Abram know that the land was still defective? Because it was said to him, UNTO THY SEED WILL I GIVE THIS LAND. From this Abram knew that the land would not be invested with its appropriate holiness save through the grades of holiness which would be exhibited by his offspring.
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Sitrei Torah The Holy One, blessed be He, alluded to the supernal Wisdom through Abraham and Isaac; Abraham is the Neshamah of Neshamah, (referred to as 'the light of Chayah'). Sarah is the Neshamah, and Lot is the serpent, the spouse of Samael. The holy Ruach is Isaac; the Holy Nefesh is Rivkah. The Evil Inclination is the bestial Nefesh. And concerning this King Solomon said in his wisdom, "Who knows whether the spirit of man goes upwards, and the spirit of the beast goes downwards" (Kohelet 3:21). The bestial Nefesh is the Nefesh that comes from the side of the Evil Inclination.
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And this is what they meant by saying that the Neshamah of Neshamah rests upon a person who feels awe and has Wisdom. The Neshamah reaches a person in Binah, as it is written, "And to man He said, Behold the fear of Hashem, that is wisdom (Heb. חָכְמָה)" (Iyov 28:28). The Neshamah comes to a person through repentance, which is called 'Binah' and 'Sarah'. The Ruach is called 'the voice', and is also called 'Da'at.' And this is drawn down to a person who raises his voice in Torah. (The Ruach is) also called the written Torah, and all the positive deeds come from the mental Nefesh.
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In a similar way, the Holy One, blessed be He, created the body from the four elements namely, Fire, Air, Earth and Water, which correspond to the Neshamah of Neshamah, the Neshamah, the Ruach, and the Nefesh. Water which is the aspect of the male refers to the sweet waters of holiness. The contrasting bitter waters represent the Evil Inclination. The holy fire which is the aspect of the female. There is the foreign fire, to which the words "that he come not at all times to the holy place" (Vayikra 16:2) apply. And this is the female of the Evil Inclination. The holy Ruach is the aspect of the Male, similar to the Ruach that comes from the Sefirah of Da'at. The unholy Ruach, which is the Evil Inclination. As it is written, "for out of the serpent's root shall come forth a viper" (Isaiah 14:29). There is holy Earth, similar to the Nefesh that comes from the left side of Da'at. And in contrast, there is an Unholy Earth.
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Therefore, the Neshamah, which is repentance, (Binah) attacks and overcomes the serpent by the power of enslavement that belongs to repentance. And it drags the serpent to the synagogue and the learning academies. And the four elements expand to 22 letters, Aleph-Chet-Hei-Ayin (throat); Bet-Vav-Mem-Pe (lips); Gimel-Yud-Caf-Kof (palate); Dalet-Tet-Lamed-Nun-Tav (tounge); Zayin-Samech-Shin-Resh-Tzadik from the teeth. [These five vowels of articulation of the mouth are equivalent to Keter, Chochmah, Binah, Tiferet, and Malchut, which are the four elements of Water, Fire, Air and Earth. This is why he says that the four elements, which are the secret of the five vowels of articulation of the mouth, expand to 22 letters]. (End of the Gilayon)
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The verse, "And Abram passed through the land to the place of Shechem," alludes to the synagogue, the place where the Shechinah resides. As it is written, "Moreover I have given to you one portion (Heb. שְׁ'כֶ'ם')" (Gen. 48:22), (Shechem) is the Shechinah, which is fit for (Yosef), as he is called 'righteous.' Because righteousness (i.e. the Shechinah) does not reside anywhere else but in the righteous (Yosef). This is the meaning of "to the place of Shechem," (i.e. the shul). "To the plain of Moreh" alludes to Torah-learning academies, where they teach and instruct Torah to the public.
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"And the Canaanite was then in the land" means that the Evil Inclination was sweetened and amended in spite of itself, in the body because it has many names. "Was then in the land" is certainly against its will. The serpent is not yet completely removed from the body. Therefore, because the body is still attached (to the serpent), the "Canaanite was then in the land."
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The soul is properly established in this world, so that we can merit receiving it after it leaves the world. If a soul has merit, it returns to the place from whence it came. As it is written, "To the place of the altar, which he had made there in the beginning" (Gen. 13:4), and "to the place where his tent (Heb. אָהֳלה) had been at the beginning..." (Ibid. 3). אָהֳלה is spelled with an additional Hei (representing the Shechinah).
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Now, (in this world) it is (in the middle) between rising upward and descending downward, between Bethel, (Up) and Ay (Down). If it has merit, it will rise up "to the place of the altar, which he had made..." Who is 'he' who 'had made,' and what is 'the altar'? "He had made there" applies to the Holy One, blessed be He, who had made that altar and established it upon twelve stones, "according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of Hashem came, saying, Yisrael shall be your name" (I Kings 18:31), for sure.
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And this altar, "he had made there at first," when the upper world, which is concealed from all other worlds, was created. And Michael the High Priest stands high and sacrifices upon it the offerings of the souls (of the righteous). And since the soul ascends there and rises up, it is written, "and there Abram called in the name of Hashem" (Gen. 13:4). The soul calls there and is attached to the bundle of life.
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All this happens if (the soul) merited to amend the body in this world and overcome the power of that cursed being, (the Evil Inclination, which is Lot) until it is separated from it. As it is written, "And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram's cattle (the soul) and the herdsmen of Lot's cattle, (the Evil Inclination)" (Gen. 13:7). Because in this world, on each and every day, those camps and rulers from the side of the soul are in strife with the camps and rulers from the side of the body, and they fight with each other while all the parts of the body are trapped in agony between them, between the soul and the serpent, between those forces that fight each other every day.
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Thus it is written, "And Abram said to Lot" (Gen. 13:8) that the soul answered the Evil Inclination, "Let there be no strife, I pray you, between me and you, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen." Between my camps and your camps "for we are brethren"; because the Good Inclination and the Evil Inclination are close to each other, the one to man's right and the other to his left.
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"Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself, pray you, from me..." (Ibid. 9). There are a lot of wicked men in the world; go and chase after them and leave me alone. "If you will go to the left, then I will go to the right..."; it reproves and annoys it with many fights and arguments every day, until, as it is written, "and they separated themselves the one from the other" (Ibid. 11).
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Since they have separated themselves from each other, it is written, "Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan" (Gen. 13:12), the soul has settled among the righteous in a good and peaceful settlement. "And Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain", the cursed adversary went to prosecute and join the wicked in their dwellings. As it is written, "and pitched his tent toward Sodom," followed by, "And the men of Sodom were wicked and were sinners before Hashem exceedingly" (Gen. 13:13). There he dwelt and set his residence among them; he joined them, so that he could deceive them and destroy them by evil deeds.
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As the adversary leaves the soul and the body is purified from that defilement, the Holy One, blessed be He, immediately takes up residence beside him, and he inherits the upper and lower portion and is delighted among the righteous. While that cursed one, referring to Lot, is among the wicked and they sin together with him until finally they cannot be redeemed from their sins.
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It is then written, "And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive..." (Gen. 14:14). "And when Abram heard" refers to the soul which remained purified in the body. "That his brother was taken captive" refers to the Evil Inclination, which was taken captive among the wicked by their innumerable sins. "And he armed his trained servants, born in his own house," means the righteous men who learn Torah and are the limbs of the body, armed to join him. They number three hundred and eighteen - 248 limbs of the body and seventy that belong to the secret of the soul. The soul comes from (the Seven Sefirot of Zeir Anpin). He was armed with all these to confront those sinners to make them repent and atone for their sins.
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Then, it is written, "and pursued them to Dan (also, judge)." This means he pursued them and told them about the judgment of the World of Truth and the punishment of Gehenom. And he did not allow his eyes to sleep, neither during the day nor at night, until he reproved the sinners and brought them to atone and ask for forgiveness from the Holy One, blessed be He. It is written, "And he brought back all the goods..." (Gen. 13:16), because he brought them to atone completely for their sins!
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The words "And also brought again his brother Lot" mean that he even attacked that Evil Inclination until he overcame it by force against its will and weakened it, as should be. He brought them all to wholeheartedly atone for their sins, as should properly be. He reproved and reprimanded them day and night for every single sin they performed, until they repented completely.
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Let us return to the first subject of this passage, where it is written, "The watchmen that go about the city found me..." (Shir Hashirim 5:7). have guards stationed upon them. As it is written, "I have set watchmen upon your walls, Jerusalem..." (Yeshayah 62:6). And Michael, the High Priest, is the highest of the gate watchmen.
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When the soul leaves this world, if that person has merit, the soul enters the earthly Garden of Eden, which the Holy One, blessed be He, planted for the spirits of the righteous. Similarly, He created the Garden of Eden on high, where all the righteous people of the world dwell.
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So when the soul leaves this world, it (first) enters the cave of Machpelah, where the opening leading to the Garden of Eden is located. Then it meets Adam and the Patriarchs who are there. If the soul is meritorious, they rejoice with it and open all the openings so the soul can enter them. If not, it is pushed outside. If it has merit it enters the Garden and sits there, it clothes itself with a garment in the image of this world and enjoys itself. 4. Not translated.