Salmi 34:17 Cabala: Reshit Chokhmah & Idra Zuta

With this we can understand the verse “Pnei Hashem Be’osei Ra” (The face of Hashem is against those who do evil; Psalms 34), because the ‘evil doers’ are the ones that emit semen in vain and they are cut off from the ‘land of life’ since they damaged there, but if they scream in prayer and do Teshuva “god will listen and will protect them from any trouble”, as the Zohar in Shemot explains: “356. Rabbi Yehuda said: Wailing has great value, for it tears the decreed judgment of a person from all his days. 357. Rabbi Yitzchak said: Wailing is of great value for it has power over the attribute of Judgment above. Rabbi Yosi said: Wailing is of great value for it has power in this world and in the World to Come. Because of wailing, a person acquires this world and the World to Come, as is written: “They wailed to Hashem in their distress. He delivered them from their afflictions” (Tehilim 107:6).” It turns out that since wailing is above the Teshuva from below according to all, and therefore “God listens”, the meaning is that his Teshuva is difficult until he will reach supernal Teshuva.

When the face of Zeir Anpin shines with the whiteness, that is, Chesed, of Atika, its whiteness, which is Chesed, covers over its redness, which is Chochmah of the left and everything is illuminated. Then it is written, “Hashem make his face shine upon you” (Bemidbar 6:25). When wicked people abound and judgments are hanging over the world, everything is closed, that is, all lights are sealed and do not shine. Redness, which is judgment, spreads over the face and covers the white, which is mercy. Everything then is in a state of judgment, and it is written, “The face of Hashem is against those who do evil” (Tehillim 34:17). Everything depends on it, which is the reason the face is always used for testimony.