Chasidut su Esodo 34:6

In Parshat Pinhas (257b) the Zohar discusses the meaning and function of God’s names and attributes: In this way, The Master of the World (was called by various names and appellations) even before He created His creations, who would eventually call Him “the Merciful One,” or, “the Judge.” All of God’s names are intended for His creation, in order that creation should have a way to call Him and relate to Him. Therefore, when the people of the generation are worthy, they call Him, “YHVH,” which is the name of mercy. And when the people of the generation are unworthy, they call Him, “A-donai,” which is the name of strict judgment. Each generation and each individual relates to God according to his particular qualities, yet it is clear that God Himself has no attribute or known name.²³²That is, on the highest level, God transcends names and letters. This is similar to the Sefirot, where each Sefirah has a known name; an attribute, measurement, and border. God ventures into these names and rules in them. He is called through them, concealed by them, and dwells in them, as the soul dwells in the limbs of the body. And later in this passage (158a): When God was alone before He created the world, why was it necessary for Him to be called by these name and appellations like, “the Merciful and Compassionate One,” “the Long Suffering,” or, “the Powerful Judge”?²³³There was not yet anyone to call God by name, so why did He have a name? There are many more such names, and they are all called in reference to the supernal worlds which existed prior to the existence of the physical world.²³⁴Even though names and appellations are born out of the relationship between God and man, they also serve a function in the emanation of the world, and thus, like the supernal Sefirot, they existed prior to the physical world. In reference to the “ten rectifications (Sefirot),” it is said in the second introduction to the Tikkunei Zohar, page 17a (Patach Eliyahu):You are the one who brought forth ten rectifications , and called them ten Sefirot, for the purpose of conducting worlds that are hidden and not revealed, and for conducting worlds that are revealed. This was all in order for the creation to be able to receive God’s light. This is mentioned in the Idra Rabbah Kadisha section of the Zohar (135b): When it arose in the desire of the Reisha Chivara²³⁵Literally, the “White Head,” referring to one of highest levels of creation. Kabbalistically, the image of the “head” is used to refer to sublime spiritual forces in the very beginnings of creation. The “hair” represents channels that allow the flow of of transcendent light emanating from the Godhead . Light flows through the “eyes,” or other facial orifices, representing divine energy (described with the terms “shefa,” abundance) flowing from the source of absolute will and compassion. The “beard” conveys the thirteen attributes of compassion, etc. to make the glory of all glories, it established and prepared … This is why all of the rectifications²³⁶Processes by which God’s infinite light is limited into vessels, so that the creation may be able to perceive it without being nullified by its power. are mentioned in the central section of the Zohar called the Idra Rabbah. Simply put, God’s light was clothed in garments, which enabled the creation to perceive the light. This is as it is said in the Zohar (Balak, 204b): The primordial light which God created shined with such intensity that the worlds could not withstand its power until the Holy One, blessed be He, created a light for this light (to be enclothed in a kind of luminous vessel), so one could dress within the other, and similarly with all of the lights, so that the worlds could stand in their place and endure it. The second introduction to the Zohar, quoted above, continues: You established garments for them, and from these garments souls fly down to mankind. … None of them know You at all, and besides You, there is no Oneness in the upper and lower realms. … You have no known name, for You fill all names, and You are the completion of everything. And when You withdraw from them, they all remain as a body without a soul. You are wise but not with a known wisdom.²³⁷Though the source of all wisdom, and everything for that matter, comes from God, for “there is none besides Him,” still, God told us through Yeshayahu, “My thoughts are not like your thoughts.” In other words, there is a revealed wisdom and also a transcendent wisdom. You understand but not with a known understanding. You have no known place, but rather You make your strength and power know to mankind, namely, how the world is managed through judgment and mercy … Yet it is not a known form of righteousness, which is din (judgment), nor is it a known form of justice, which is rahamim (mercy), nor with any of these attributes.²³⁸Though we call God, “the Compassionate,” the essence of compassion or any such attribute is beyond human understanding. Here it is perfectly clear that all of these names and attributes (Sefirot) exist only for the purpose of the creation, and that they are also created forces essential to the creation.

And this is the aspect of the tunnel of the tefillin, which is where the straps pass through, which are the aspect of “crossing the YaBoQ,” as brought in the Kawanoth. For the straps are the aspect of drawing the brains of the tefillin, which is the aspect of the “Light of the Face,” which is the aspect of the Thirteen Tiqunei Diqna, the aspect of Erekh Apayim mentioned, and therefore ReTzU`AH is gematria 370, the aspect of

In A Student’s Obligation²⁷⁰Chapter 7. we spoke about the deceptive feeling of worthlessness that one could feel when he is the brunt of another man’s taunts or insults. The foundation of these feelings is the absence of bravery. Rav Ovadia of Bartenura zts’l, in his famous commentary on the Mishna, offers us a real key to the attribute of bravery. When the Mishna tells us, “who is mighty? A man who conquers his yetser,” we need to understand that it is war of attrition that we are fighting with the yetser.²⁷¹That is to say, the yetser wants us to give up or give in. It wants us to use our energy for pleasure or revenge. The Bartenura tells us, “The patience²⁷²The term the Bartenura uses is, “erech apayim.” See Shemos, 34:6, which describes God’s attribute of being, “Slow to anger,” (Kaplan, Margolin), and ”Long Suffering.” (Soncino) It is an ambiguous term that is gererally understood as patience. “Erech” means length or lengthening, and “apayim” carries the triple connotation of anger, the face, and the nostrils. “I will soften my anger,” or simply “taking a breather.” that you need when you hold back, using your strength to conquer the yetser is not to be confused with a weak spirit.” Bravery and might is also expressed in your own self-restraint, when you use your might to conquer the yetser by actually resisting its advice.²⁷³Mighty (“gibbur”) is the man or woman whose actions, words, and mind operate according to the activity of resistance as opposed to the passivity of resignation. This is not only, “a big man knows when to walk away from a fight,” but more often, “just do it,” and do away with it by just not doing it. Your might is good and well when it is put into the power of patience, as long as it is truly restraining your desire to enjoy something that will come to harm you, but not an kind of emotional paralysis brought on by cowardice.²⁷⁴The tell for cowardice is getting weak in the knees, sweaty palms, nervous laughter, or just about anything, as long as it a physical sign of your fear of confronting your true feelings with bravery. The tell for bravery might be clenching your fists, grinding your teeth, and so forth, as an expression of your will to refrain from transgression, including insincere behavior such as flattery.