Kabbalah - Rabbi Aryeh Rotenberg

260610.Korach v009
Korach: Verse 9
"And they rose up before Moses..." (Bemidbar 16:2). This verse has been explained by the friends. Rabbi Shimon says: "Regularly summoned (Heb. kri'ei) to the congregation (Heb. mo'ed)" (Ibid.), is missing a Yud. Why is it written "Kriei?'' HE RESPONDS: It is only that the earthly kingdom is like heavenly kingdom, MEANING THAT MALCHUT BELOW IS LIKE MALCHUT ABOVE. That is the secret meaning of all these higher Sfirot onto which the Holy Name holds. All are summoned from the place that is called 'Holiness,' THAT IS THE SECRET OF SUPERNAL ABA AND IMA, as it is written: "which you shall proclaim to be (also: 'summoned from') holy gatherings" (Vayikra 23:37). When is this? When mo'ed prevails in the world, THAT IS, DURING FESTIVALS AND APPOINTED TIMES (HEB. MO'ED). Just as these higher Sfirot are summoned by the Upper Temple, SO AS TO SANCTIFY THEM, similarly the Lower Sanctity summons its legions to adorn and uplift them. THESE ARE THREE WORLDS BRIYAH, YETZIRAH AND ASIYAH, WHICH ARE THE LEGIONS OF MALCHUT THAT ADORNS THEM AND UPLIFTS THEM TO ATZILUT.
Korach: Verse 10
The higher Holiness is known AS ABA AND IMA ABOVE, and the lower Holiness is the wisdom of Solomon, MEANING MALCHUT, which also summons all her legions TO SANCTIFY THEM WITH HER HOLINESS. These legions are all invited to be adorned in this lower Holiness at a time when a festival prevails in the world. As her legions are standing above IN ATZILUT SUMMONED BY MALCHUT, so are the appointed of the nation, MEANING THE CHIEFTAINS OF YISRAEL, according to her example below, IN THIS WORLD. Therefore, it is written as: "summoned to the congregation (Heb. mo'ed)," and of those below it is written, "summoned (Heb. kri'ei) to the congregation;'' "Kriei" is missing a Yud. However, they are then in increased wholeness.
Korach: Verse 11
"...Men of renown (also: 'name')..." (Bemidbar 16:2) is most certainly said and not 'men of Hashem' - MEANING THE PEOPLE OF MALCHUT CALLED 'NAME,' but not 'men of Hashem,' THAT IS ZEIR ANPIN. That is the secret of "and he who blasphemes the Name of Hashem shall be put to death" (Vayikra 24:16). We established THAT IT ALLUDES TO MALCHUT THAT IS CALLED 'NAME' and, therefore, they were certainly considered men of name, since they emerged from the aspect of Gvurah, WHICH IS MALCHUT CALLED 'THE LOWER GVURAH.' They are men of name and that WAS SAID to increase their praise. However, they took HER for themselves, MEANING THEY SEPARATED MALCHUT FROM ZEIR ANPIN, and held on to a dissension WITH MOSES, WHO IS THE SECRET OF ZEIR ANPIN.
Korach: Verse 12
"Tomorrow morning Hashem will show who is His" (Bemidbar 16:5). HE INQUIRES: Why in the morning, PRECISELY, and why "holy" and not pure, MEANING "AND WHO IS HOLY; AND WILL CAUSE HIM TO COME NEAR TO HIM" (IBID.)? IT SHOULD HAVE SAID, 'AND WHO IS PURE.' HE REPLIES: For they, THE CONGREGATION OF KORAH, came from the pure side, SINCE THE LEVITES ARE IN THE ASPECT OF PURE, AND NOT HOLY, and the priest is holy. Moses said in the morning when the Sfirah of the priest, WHICH IS CHESED, gets awakened in the world: 'If you are priests, here is the morning. Let them perform the service of the morning,' WHICH IS CHESED. Then, "Hashem will show who is His, and who is holy." "...who is His..." is unspecific, which is the Levi. "...and who is holy..." is the priest. Then, "and will cause him to come near to Him," HE WHO IS HOLY. There is no one who can discern the matter except the morning. THUS, HE SPOKE TO THEM: 'If you find yourself remaining on the side of Judgment, the morning, WHICH IS CHESED, will not tolerate you, since that is not the time of Judgment. But if you see yourselves remaining in Chesed, then here is its time. And you will stay with it, and it will accept you.'

260609.Korach ver005
Korach: Verse 5
Korah turned to disagreement. What is the meaning of disagreement? Distancing and repulsion; the distancing and repulsion of what is above and below, and whoever wishes to postpone the restoration of the universe will become lost from all the worlds. Conflict is a distancing of peace, and whoever is in conflict about peace is in disagreement with His Holy Name, because His Holy Name is called 'Peace.'
Korach: Verse 6
Come and behold: the world does not exist except through peace. When the Holy One, blessed be He, created the world, it could not endure until He came and made peace dwell upon them. What is it? It is the Shabbat, which is the peace of the upper and the lower grades. And then the world endured. THEREFORE, whoever creates dissension about this PEACE will be lost from the world.
Korach: Verse 7
Zelophehad was in dissension with the Shabbat because he was gathering wood (or: 'trees'). What were these trees? These were the other trees OF THE SEVENTY CHIEFTAINS, as we mentioned. These were secular matters and secular concerns do not prevail in sanctity. HENCE, he was in conflict with the world peace, WHICH IS SHABBAT, BECAUSE HE BLENDED THE SECULAR WITH THE SHABBAT.
Korach: Verse 8
Rabbi Yosi says that it is written: "great peace have they who love Your Torah" (Tehilim 119:165). The Torah is peace, as it is written: "and all her paths are peace" (Mishlei 3:17). And Korah came to blemish that peace of above - WHICH IS THE TORAH, MEANING THE CENTRAL COLUMN THAT IS CALLED 'TORAH' THAT PRODUCES PEACE BETWEEN THE RIGHT AND LEFT, and of below, OF MOSES. Therefore, he was punished from the higher and the lower aspects BY FIRE AND BY THE OPENING OF THE EARTHLY CHASM.
Korach: Verse 9
"And they rose up before Moses..." (Bemidbar 16:2). This verse has been explained by the friends. Rabbi Shimon says: "Regularly summoned (Heb. kri'ei) to the congregation (Heb. mo'ed)" (Ibid.), is missing a Yud. Why is it written "Kriei?'' HE RESPONDS: It is only that the earthly kingdom is like heavenly kingdom, MEANING THAT MALCHUT BELOW IS LIKE MALCHUT ABOVE. That is the secret meaning of all these higher Sfirot onto which the Holy Name holds. All are summoned from the place that is called 'Holiness,' THAT IS THE SECRET OF SUPERNAL ABA AND IMA, as it is written: "which you shall proclaim to be (also: 'summoned from') holy gatherings" (Vayikra 23:37). When is this? When mo'ed prevails in the world, THAT IS, DURING FESTIVALS AND APPOINTED TIMES (HEB. MO'ED). Just as these higher Sfirot are summoned by the Upper Temple, SO AS TO SANCTIFY THEM, similarly the Lower Sanctity summons its legions to adorn and uplift them. THESE ARE THREE WORLDS BRIYAH, YETZIRAH AND ASIYAH, WHICH ARE THE LEGIONS OF MALCHUT THAT ADORNS THEM AND UPLIFTS THEM TO ATZILUT.
Korach: Verse 10
The higher Holiness is known AS ABA AND IMA ABOVE, and the lower Holiness is the wisdom of Solomon, MEANING MALCHUT, which also summons all her legions TO SANCTIFY THEM WITH HER HOLINESS. These legions are all invited to be adorned in this lower Holiness at a time when a festival prevails in the world. As her legions are standing above IN ATZILUT SUMMONED BY MALCHUT, so are the appointed of the nation, MEANING THE CHIEFTAINS OF YISRAEL, according to her example below, IN THIS WORLD. Therefore, it is written as: "summoned to the congregation (Heb. mo'ed)," and of those below it is written, "summoned (Heb. kri'ei) to the congregation;'' "Kriei" is missing a Yud. However, they are then in increased wholeness.

260607.ShlachLecha v315
Shlach Lecha: Verse 315
"And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself at the River" (Shemot 2:5). This DAUGHTER OF PHARAOH came from the left aspect of harsh Judgment, as it is written: "To wash herself at the River." "At the River" is exact, instead of "at the sea," SINCE THE SEA INDICATES MALCHUT. HOWEVER, THE RIVER IS HARSH JUDGMENT FROM THE LEFT SIDE, WHICH THE EGYPTIANS HAVE MADE THEIR DEITY. If you wonder about this, that it is written: "And your rod, with which you smote the river" (Shemot 17:5), although Moses never struck the river but rather the sea. The verse refers to it as river INDICATING THAT THE TERM RIVER IS NOT ACCURATE. HE REPLIES: It is indeed the River which Aaron struck under Moses direction, and the scripture assigned it as if Moses himself did the striking.
Shlach Lecha: Verse 316
Similarly, "And seven days were completed, after Hashem had smitten the River" (Shemot 7:25). EVEN THOUGH Aaron struck it, it is only because it came from the Holy One, blessed be He, WHO COMMANDED HIM, that the scripture referred to it as: "Hashem had smitten." Later on, it was referred to in the name of Moses, FOR THE SAME REASON. "And her maidens walked along" (Shemot 2:5): These are the rest of the camps that came from that LEFT side.
Shlach Lecha: Verse 317
"And when she had opened it, she saw him, the child" (Ibid. 6). HE INQUIRES: What is: "she saw him?'' "She saw" was the proper way to use. Why "she saw him?'' Didn't Rabbi Shimon say that there was nothing in the Torah, or even one letter in the Torah, that does not contain highly valuable secrets? HE RESPONDS: That is how we have learned. The impression of the King and the Matron, THAT ARE ZEIR ANPIN AND MALCHUT, THE SECRET OF VAV-HEI OF YUD HEI VAV HEI, was found upon him, and that is the impression of Vav-Hei THAT WERE ADDED TO "SHE SAW (HEB. VATERE)." THEREFORE, IT IS SPELLED "VATIR'EHU (ENG. 'SHE SAW HIM')." Instantly, "she had compassion on him..." (Ibid.). Up to here it relates to the higher, TO HIGHER REALMS. From here on, IT DISCUSSES THIS WORLD below, except for this verse, in which is written: "And his sister stood afar off" (Ibid. 4). HE INQUIRES: Whose sister, AND REPLIES: The sister of the one, MEANING ZEIR ANPIN, who called the Congregation of Yisrael my sister, as it says, "Open to me, my sister" (Shir Hashirim 5:2). "afar off" MEANS as in, "Hashem appeared from afar to me" (Yirmeyah 31:2).
Shlach Lecha: Verse 318
HE INQUIRES: What is to be derived FROM THIS PASSAGE? HE REPLIES: It means that all these righteous, prior to their descent to the world, are made known to all above. THAT APPLIES TO ALL THE RIGHTEOUS, and most certainly to Moses. It means that the souls of the righteous are derived from a lofty place, SINCE "of the house of Levi" ALLUDES TO SUPERNAL CHOCHMAH AND BINAH, as we have explained. We learned the secret of the matter, which means that there are a father and a mother to the soul, as there are a father and mother to the body on earth, SINCE A MAN IS ZEIR ANPIN AND "DAUGHTER OF LEVI" IS MALCHUT. AND FROM THEIR UNION, THE SOUL OF MOSES WAS BORN.
Shlach Lecha: Verse 319
It seems on all sides, both above, THE MALE AND FEMALE PRINCIPLES, and below, FATHER AND MOTHER OF THIS WORLD, that is comprised of male and female. That is how the secret of the scripture was explained: "Let the earth bring forth living creatures (Heb. Nefesh)" (Beresheet 1:24). "The earth" refers to the Congregation of Yisrael THAT IS MALCHUT; the living Soul (lit. 'Nefesh') IS the Soul (lit. 'Nefes') of supernal Adam, as we have learned, SINCE MALCHUT IS THE MOTHER OF THE SOUL (LIT. 'NEFESH') OF THE FIRST MAN. Rabbi Aba approached him and kissed him. He said, You certainly spoke properly, and it is as you say.

260604.ShlachLecha v042
Shlach Lecha: Verse 42
Rabbi Yehuda was walking along the way with Rabbi Aba. He said to him: I wish to ask you one thing. Since the Holy One, blessed be He, was aware that Adam was going to commit sin in His presence and that He would sentence him to death, why did He create him? Didn't the Torah exist 2,000 years prior to the creation of the world, MEANING BEFORE THE SIN OF ADAM? And in the Torah it is written: "When a man dies in a tent" (Bemidbar 19:14), "if a man die," "and...died" and "such and such lived and died." What did the Holy One, blessed be He, want from man in this world? If man studies Torah day and night he will die, and if he does not study Torah he will die. The same course applies to all, except that THE SINNER is removed from the World to Come. HOWEVER, IN THIS WORLD ALL ARE EQUAL, as it is written: "As is the good, so is the sinner" (Kohelet 9:2).
Shlach Lecha: Verse 43
He said to him: Why do you need to toil in the ways of your Master and the edicts of your Master? Ask about that which you have permission to know and gaze at, and about that which you have no permission to know, it is written: "Do not let your mouth cause your flesh to sin" (Kohelet 5:5), since we have no right to inquire about the ways of the Holy One, blessed be He, and His mysteries, the utmost high secrets that He covered and hid. He said to him: If so, the entire Torah is concealed and hidden, since it is the most Holy Name and whoever studies the Torah, it is as if he deals in His Holy Name. If so, we are not permitted to inquire and gaze IN THE TORAH.
Shlach Lecha: Verse 44
He said to him: The entire Torah is both concealed and revealed and the Holy Name is both concealed and revealed, as it is written: "The secret things belong to Hashem our Elohim: but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children" (Devarim 29:28). "But those things which are revealed belong to us," meaning that we have permission to inquire and observe and gaze at them to know them. However, "the secret things belong to Hashem our Elohim:'' They are His and to Him they are proper, since who could know and comprehend His concealed mind, let alone ask about it.
Shlach Lecha: Verse 45
Come and see, people are not permitted to talk about concealed matters and explain them, besides the Holy Luminary, Rabbi Shimon, since the Holy One, blessed be He, acceded to him. Since his generation is distinguished above and below, the matters are therefore said through him openly. There will be no other generation like the generation that he resides in, until the coming of King Messiah.
Shlach Lecha: Verse 46
Come and see, it is written: "So Elohim created man in His own image, in the image of Elohim He created him" (Beresheet 1:27). The secret of the matter is that the Holy One, blessed be He, has three worlds in which He is concealed. The first world is the uppermost world that is concealed from all, at which we should not gaze. Nothing is known of it except that He is concealed in it. THIS IS THE WORLD OF ZEIR ANPIN OF ATZILUT.
Shlach Lecha: Verse 47
The second world, which is tied to that WORLD above, is the one by which the Holy One, blessed be He, is known, as it is written: "Open to me the gates of righteousness" (Tehilim 118:19) and "This is the gate of Hashem" (Tehilim 118:20). AND THAT IS THE WORLD OF MALCHUT IN ATZILUT, WHICH IS THE GATE TO ZEIR ANPIN and constitutes the second world.

260603.ShaarHapsukim