Musar su Salmi 50:2

The Arizal explains the reason that the Torah (Deut. 20,16) has demanded that the Jewish people kill every member of these seven Canaanite nations: לא תחיה כל נשמה. When the Torah instructs us how to relate to other nations (such as שעיר, i.e. אדום, עמון, and מואב however), it only commanded (Deut. 2,9 et al) the Jewish people under Moses not to make war against those nations. The seven Canaanite nations represent seven קליפות, i.e. שבעה כלים שנשברו, negative aspects of the seven emanations which comprise what we called בנין, the constructive forces enabling the creation of a perfect physical universe. Although, as we explained in connection with the name "Samael," even Satan had his root in something holy, i.e. א-ל, the spiritual decline of these descendants of the original Canaan, the cursed, was such that no vestige of sanctity was left in them. This meant automatically that no נשמה, spiritually elevated soul of theirs, would survive. The other three nations whose land G–d had promised as part of ארץ ישראל still retained vestiges of holiness. These were the קיני, קניזי and קדמוני, whose lands G–d had also promised Abraham (Genesis 15,19) when He promised us the Holy Land. These nations had their origin in the "upper" three emanations. The promise that we will inherit their lands in the future can be fulfilled when the last vestiges of sanctity will have vanished from these three nations. At such a time the commandment not to let a soul survive will also be applicable to those three nations. The Arizal wants to equate the three nations Edom, Ammon and Moab with the Keynee, Kenizi and Kadmoni respectively. The very names of these three nations allude to their having had a superior origin, שעיר alludes to Deut. 33,2, where G–d is portrayed as coming from Se-ir to give Israel the Torah. The name Moab means "from the אב, "the father," another allusion to the higher emanation חכמה, seat of undiluted holiness. The name Ammon is close to the word נועם, an allusion to the emanation בינה. שעיר is none other than אדום. The seven kings whom the Torah describes in the Torah (Genesis 36,31-39) as having ruled in the land of Edom before Israel had a king were not part of that nation. Apparently they had subjugated the country. This is why the Torah, when telling us that a particular king ruled over Edom, informs us of his country of origin. We are told in 2,20: והעמונים קראו להם זמזומים, that the Ammonites called the Refa-im Zamzumim. The word זמזום is derived from זמם, planned, thought out. In other words these רפאים had the "superior" emanation חכמה somewhere in their background. Their descendants were the mixed multitude who joined the Jewish people at the Exodus and converted to Judaism. This explains why they still had enough of a spark of sanctity in them to recognize the spiritual rejuvenation that was taking place at the time of the Exodus. On the other hand, anyone who plans something evil and uses his superior intelligence negatively, is similarly descended from them. The name סיחון, one of the kings of the Canaanite nations, suggests the word סייח, a young ass. The Hebrew word for donkey is חמור, the same letters as חומר, matter. The Canaanites were concerned with matter to the exclusion of the spirit. The name Og, king of Bashan, evokes similar considerations. The Arizal concludes that because the lands of these kingdoms were situated East of the river Jordan which symbolized the foundation of the feminine aspect in the emanations, these kingdoms could not have been subdued by anyone but Moses. Spiritually speaking, Moses represented the "middle" line between the left (feminine) side of the diagram of the emanations and the right (masculine) side. Moses was the carrier of the symbol of the Holy Covenant. He broke the tablets and salvaged the sanctity contained in them. When the Torah describes the defeat of the שני מלכי האמורי, "the two kings of the Emorite" (3,8), the first letters of these three words form the name משה. G–d said to Moses (2,31): ראה החילותי תת לפניך את סיחון, "See, I have begun to hand over to you Sichon, etc." This means that the patron of this kingdom, the שר, had been subjugated by Moses. The land of Israel is perceived as the "feminine" part of the union between the people of Israel and its land. Taking possession of the land of Israel, ביאת הארץ, is a euphemism for the union between Israel and its land as husband and wife. [I have rephrased some of this. Ed.]

This is what Solomon referred to in his prayer in Kings 18,12: "Then Solomon declared: 'The Lord has chosen to abide in a thick cloud. I have now built for You a stately House, a place where You may dwell forever'" It is further written as part of Solomon's prayer in Kings I 8,26: "Now, therefore, O G–d of Israel, let the promise that You made to Your servant my father David be fulfilled. But will G–d really dwell on earth? Even the heavens to their uttermost reaches cannot contain You, how much less this House that I have built!" At this point David's prayer in Psalms 132,8-11 is invoked by Solomon in Chronicles II 6,40-41. When Solomon completed his prayer, fire descended from heaven and consumed the total offering and the meal offerings; the glory of G–d filled the House (Chronicles II 7,1). It was then that the relationship between G–d and earth (Man) was restored to the level prior to Adam's sin. The conduits from heaven poured their blessing on mankind via the Holy Temple. This is the true meaning of Psalms 133,3: "Like the dew of Hermon that falls upon the mountains of Zion. There the Lord ordained blessing, everlasting life." It is also written in Psalms 50,2: "From Zion, perfect in beauty, G–d appeared."

The Temple was the focus where all G–d's blessings were first received; thence they were distributed to the seventy nations of the world corresponding to the seventy "princes" in the Celestial Regions. All these nations received a "reward" from Jerusalem, i.e. all mankind benefited from the Temple of the Jewish people. This was a promise G–d had already made to Abraham in Genesis 12,3: "And all the families of the earth shall bless themselves through you." Solomon knew how G–d directed these blessings via various conduits, and this is why he made gardens, planted orchards and trees etc. as described in Kohelet 2,5. It was patently impossible for Solomon to have planted all these various plants in a single location, [many require different climates in order to grow properly. Ed.] Solomon knew which of the various conduits led to which part of the earth. He therefore strategically placed the various plants near these different conduits so that their seeds would be carried to those areas of the earth where they could flourish best. This is the deeper meaning of Psalms 50,2 quoted earlier. Zion is perceived as the foundation of the earth. The שכינה dispatches blessings to various parts of the earth, to each in accordance with the deserts of its inhabitants.