Kabbalah Yesaya 1:18: Sha'arei Orah

Know that Lavan-לבן (white) the Aramean, would swindle the creatures, entrapping them in the mountains of darkness, as the verse states,³⁶⁴Proverbs 14:12 “There is a way that seems upright to a person, but its end are the ways of death,” and similarly,³⁶⁵Proverbs 5:4-5 – This verse is explained to refer to the study of the wisdoms of the nations, which seem upright, but lead one astray from the foundations of truth. See Ginat Egoz of Rabbi Yosef Gikatilla, translated as HaShem Is One, Vol. 3 (The Letters of Creation, Part 2), The Gate explaining how all of Nature-Teva-טבע is sustained on the foundation of כ״ו-26. “The lips of a forbidden woman drip honey, but her end is as bitter as wormwood.” It is to this end that Lavan the Aramean desired to engage with Yaakov, for the purpose of uprooting everything, root and branch. For, such is his way with all who encounter him, “were it not for the God of Avraham, and the Dread of Yitzchak.”³⁶⁶Genesis 31:42 However, by virtue of the supernal power in him, Yaakov salvaged all the wealth of Lavan-לבן the Aramean, through the power of the sticks, by peeling white-Lavan-לבן stripes on the sticks.³⁶⁷Genesis 30:37 Therefore, “If your sins are like scarlet, they will become as white-Yalbeenu-ילבינו as snow; if they have become red as crimson, they will become as [white] as wool.”³⁶⁸Isaiah 1:18

I will give you a hint by which to understand this. The verse states,²¹⁸Isaiah 1:18 “If your sins are like scarlet (Shanim-שנים), they will become as white (Yalbeenu-ילבינו) as snow.” The upper one is called Whiteness-Levanon-לבנון,²¹⁹That is, the Understanding-Binah, as mentioned before. whereas the lower one is garbed in Her Scarlet-Shanim-שנים garment,²²⁰As previously explained in the Fifth Gate, the term “Year-Shanah-שנה” is of the root “change-Shinuy-שנוי,” and refers to the changes that the novel created beings undergo, that are brought forth from the thirty garments [“Shanim-שנים” in the plural] of Kingship-Malchut of the world of Emanation. and the Jewish people must transform Her Scarlet-Shanee-שני garment to Whiteness-Loven-לובן. This is why it is called the Day of Atonements-Yom HaKippurim-יום הכפורים [in the plural]. This is likewise the secret of the crimson strip that would turn white-Malbin-מלבין as a result of the atonements-Kippurim-כיפורים,²²¹See Talmud Bavli, Yoma 67a being that the Sefirah of Understanding-Binah would appear upon the Sefirah of Kingship-Malchut, to illuminate and purify Her of every impurity. This also is the secret of the goat that was pushed off the cliff on this day. Thus, since these two Sefirot are aligned corresponding to each other – and are the secret of the Upper Mother-Imma Ila’ah-אמא עילאה and the Lower Mother-Imma Tata’ah-אמא תתאה – and because on this day they would be engaged in purifying the Jewish people, it therefore is forbidden to engage in marital relations on the Day of Atonements-Yom HaKippurim,²²²That is, Yom HaKippurim is the ascent and union of the Sefirah of Kingship-Malchut with the Sefirah of Understanding-Binah, which is called the Coming World-Olam HaBa-עולם הבא, about which it states (Talmud Bavli, Brachot 17a), “In the Coming World there is no eating, drinking, procreation, or business negotiations etc.” Also see Zohar II 116a. though on Shabbat and Festivals it is permitted.²²³On Shabbat and the Festivals, the union is between the Sefirah of Splendor-Tiferet and the Sefirah of Kingship-Malchut. See Zohar III 81a and elsewhere. Those who know the hidden wisdom know that this secret is hinted in the verse,²²⁴Genesis 20:12 “Moreover, she indeed is my sister, my father’s daughter, though not my mother’s daughter; and she became my wife.”²²⁵See Zohar III 100b. This is the secret of the Day of Atonements-Yom HaKippurim-יום הכפורים.