Hebrew Bible Study
Hebrew Bible Study

Kabbalah for Numbers 24:20

וַיַּרְא֙ אֶת־עֲמָלֵ֔ק וַיִּשָּׂ֥א מְשָׁל֖וֹ וַיֹּאמַ֑ר רֵאשִׁ֤ית גּוֹיִם֙ עֲמָלֵ֔ק וְאַחֲרִית֖וֹ עֲדֵ֥י אֹבֵֽד׃

And he looked on Amalek, and took up his parable, and said: Amalek was the first of the nations; But his end shall come to destruction.

Shaarei Orah

And we need to wake you up to the many places in the Torah where the name Y"ah is said, as for example: "" (Exodus 17:16). What is 'from generation to generation'? And this is the explanation of the verse: the evil Amalek came from the power of the Primordial Snake, and Amalek's clinging and power come from there, and from the moment that the Primordial Snake threw its pollution on Chava, Adam cut the saplings upward and separated himself, distanced, and this is the secret of the separation of the Shechinah whose essence among the lower ones was "and the dove did not find a resting place for her foot" (Gen. 8:9). Even though Israel stood at Sinai and their pollution ceased, the defect of the moon did not cease permanently, and only at certain times, such as when the appropriate sacrifices were brought, goats on which it was known that Se'ir [a play on the words, goat, sa'ir and Se'ir] was clung onto, which is the first force of Amalek, as in "the first of peoples, Amalek" (Numbers 24:20). And when Amalek came it added sin to the defect of the moon, and it hurt the sciatic nerve on Yaakov, and therefore the kingship of David spread out. And behold, when the saplings were cut in the time of the Primordial Adam and Amalek hurt the sciatic nerve on Yaakov the reading of Amalek was established/fixed. And behold, this is, as if it were possible, that the last two letters of the Name were made defective through Amalek, and the reason is that the hand of YHV"H touched them, as in "and the hand of YHV"H was against them" (I Samuel 12:15). And it says "a snake makes its way over a rock" (Prov. 30:19) and its hint: "And Amalek came and waged war against Israel in Refidim" (Ex. 17:8). Refidim = Refyion yadayim (weakness of hands, see Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 17:8:4). And therefore it is necessary to say that the Primordial Snake and Amalek both hurt the two last letters of the Name, which are vav and hey, and what was left were the letters yud and hey in which they did not extend hand, since there is not place [in those letters] for the higher princes, because they [the letters] are Above, as we explained. And therefore [the text says] "a hand on the throne of Ya'h", the touched the Throne [kise, kaf-samech-alef] and made a defect on it, and it remained kaf"samech, they hurt the two last letters and Y"ah remained, and therefore, 'al kes Y'ah".
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Previous VerseFull ChapterNext Verse