Kabbalah Mazmur 89:16: Zohar & Sha'arei Orah

AND THE LORD SAID UNTO MOSES, GO IN UNTO PHARAOH, FOR I HAVE HARDENED HIS HEART. R. Judah opened here with the verse: Blessed is the people that knows the joyful sound; O Lord, they shall walk in the light of thy countenance (Ps. 89, 16). He exclaimed: ‘How important it is for man to walk in the ways of the Holy One, blessed be He, and keep the commandments of the Torah, that so he may be worthy of the world to come and triumph over all accusations, both on earth and in heaven! For as there are accusers of man here below, so there are also accusers above.

But the truth is as follows. It is written, and “the Lord smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt” (Ibid. 29). Now “and the Lord” (V-TETRAGRAMMATON) everywhere denotes “He together with His tribunal”, and on any such occasion it behoves man to exhibit some visible act in order to be saved. It is thus of importance to have sacrifices offered on the altar so as to keep at a distance the Destroyer during a service.

I now will enlighten your eyes about this, with HaShem’s-יהו״ה help, blessed is He. Know that wherever in Torah you find the “light of His face” (Ohr Panav-אור פניו), it refers to a great secret in HaShem’s-יהו״ה Godliness above. That is, there are 310 facets-Panim-פנים of wrath-Za’am-זעם, all of which are tied to the fear of Yitzchak-Pachad Yitzchak-פחד יצחק.³⁶⁷This will be discussed again later in the Seventh Gate, (cited and discussed in Pardes Rimonim, Shaar 20, Ch. 5). However, towards the end of the book Imrei Shefer, by Rabbi Avraham Abulafia, of righteous memory, the teacher of Rabbi Yosef Gikatilla, he explains and hints that the Crown-Keter-כתר-620 relates to the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:2-14) which consist of 620 letters, corresponding to the Crown-Keter-כתר-620. (In Exodus 34:28 the Torah calls them, “The Ten Commandments-Aseret HaDvarim-עשרת הדברים-1231” which has the same numerical value as “The Crown of Torah-Keter Torah-כתר תורה-1231.”) He explains that there are two sides to the Ten Commandments. That is, for those who are meritorious they are the Crown-Keter-כתר-620, but for those who are guilty they bring the excision-Karet-כרת-620 of the soul. Thus, the Ten Commandments are divided into two tablets, each consisting of five commandments, and in the same manner, the 620 letters divide into two sets of 310-ש״י letters and י״ש-310 letters (which combine to form the “pure marble stones-Avnei Shayish Tahor-אבני שי״ש טהור” [mentioned in Chagigah 14b]), one half being kindness-Chessed, and the other half being judgment-Din, which is the quality of the fear of Yitzchak-Pachad Yitzchak-פחד יצחק. Now, when the letters are arranged into ten rows on each side, they are ten times E”l-א״ל-31, E”l-א"ל-31 being one-tenth of 310-ש״י, which is half of the crown-Keter-כת״ר-620. (Altogether, with both sides, they are twenty-Esreem-עשרי״ם rows of letters times E”l-א״ל-31, the numerical value of twenty-Esreem-עשרי״ם-620 being the same as the whole Crown-Keter-כת״ר-620.) In Etz Chayim, Shaar 17, Ch. 1, it similarly is explained that there are two halves to the Crown-Keter-כתר (called Arich Anpin-אריך אנפין, which means “Slow to Anger-Erech Apayim-ארך אפים”). There is the upper half and the lower half. The lower emotional qualities (of Zeir Anpin-זעיר אנפין, which means “Quick to Anger” [Short Tempered]) are garbed in the lower half of the Crown-Keter-כתר, which are only the 310-י״ש lights that lean toward judgement. [Nonetheless, because of the secret of tithes, mentioned here and in the First Gate, the dominant one-tenth of these 310-ש״י is the quality of E”l-א״ל-31 which is the quality of the kindness-Chessed of Avraham.] Also see Tikkunei Zohar 129b. However, when the quality of the Crown-Keter-כתר shines its face,³⁶⁸That is, the full countenance of the Crown-Keter-כתר, and not just the half-ש״י-310 that manifests in the lower qualities. and takes out the banner of mercy, upon which the quality of E”l-א״ל is engraved, this being the secret of tithing (Ma’aser) the facets-Panim-פנים of wrath-Za’am-זעם, then all these facets-Panim-פנים become illuminated and transformed to mercy-Rachamim. This is the secret of the verse,³⁶⁹Psalms 118:27 “HaShem is God-E”l HaShem-א״ל יהו״ה and He shines for us,” and is likewise the secret of the verse,³⁷⁰Psalms 89:16 – That is, it is repentance-Teshuvah to HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He, which reaches to and elicits the radiance of the Crown-Keter-כתר, tearing up and overturning all judgments. It is for this reason that it also states (Sanhedrin 97b; Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Teshuvah 7:5), “Israel will only be redeemed through repentance-Teshuvah.” “Happy is the nation who know the cry of the Shofar (Teru’ah-תרועה); HaShem-יהו״ה, they walk in the light of Your face (Ohr Panecha-אור פניך).”