Psalmów 118:5 Kabała: Sha'arei Orah, Ohr Ne'erav, Pardes Rimmonim & Idra Zuta

Gate Nine: (The Sefirah of Chochmah)
“From the straits I called Ya”h-י״ה; Ya”h-י״ה answered me with expansiveness.” -Psalms 118:5

For from the quarrelsome words of the immature grain, a thorn has spread among the brethren and rebellion like the sin of witchcraft (I Sam. 15:23). When the time comes she raises her wings on high (Job 39:18). God know the days of the perfect (Ps. 37:18) and the way of the righteous (Ps. 1:6), and raises up from the dust (Ps. 113:7) and the far distant sea (Ps. 65:6) all the souls of the house of Jacob (Gen. 46:27). They all eagerly desire to hear the word of God and the ancient records (I Chron. 4:22). However, [until] now they have not seen the clear light of [Him who dwells] in the skies. For from the top of the Rocks I see Him (Num. 23:9), and among those who turn the many to righteousness (Dan. 12:3) I behold Him. Grace is poured upon their lips (Ps. 45:3) like roses (Song 5:13). Their waters are more sure than the garden spring, a well of living waters (Song 4:15). Like doves [going] to their cotes (Isa. 60:8) they have drunk spices. They call to God, and He answers them (Ps. 99:6). This one says, I am the Lord’s (Isa. 44:5), answer me with broad spaces (Ps. 118:5), for my heart does not rest at night (Eccles. 2;23), nor does my spirit within me (Isa. 26:9). This one writes with his hand to the Lord (Isa. 44:5) from that which had preceded him [at] Sinai, and on the skins of kid goats (Gen. 27:16) they set up their signs (Ps. 74:4) which they wrote to instruct them for their generations, an eternal covenant (Exod. 31:16).

After we have been occupied with the subject of the Sefirot and the necessity of their existence, and the subject of the devotion to them among the wise ones, it is necessary for us to know their what-ness and their general names, which is agreed upon among the commentators, and especially in the words of Rashbi of blessed memory. And this is it: The first one [is] Keter/Crown, the second one Chochmah/Wisdom [which one receives], the third one Binah/Distinction, the fourth one Gedolah/Greatness or Chesed/Generosity, the fifth one Pachad/Fear or Gevurah/Force, the sixth one Tif’eret/Adornment, the seventh one Netsach/Victory, the eighth one Hod/Splendor, the ninth one Yesod/Foundation, and the tenth one [is] Malkut/Kingdom. And these Sefirot are [the] ten names which are not to be erased, and the[se] names and the Sefirot are all one matter, as the spirituality of the names are themselves the Sefirot. Keter is [the name] אהי"ה, and it is found in Scripture only three times in one verse (Exodus 3:14) “And God said to Moses: ‘I am who I am’ (אהי"ה אשר אהי"ה)’, and He said: ‘Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: “אהי"ה has sent me to you.”’” But the reason why it did not come [to be written more often] in the Torah, and other dilemma’s that are in this explanation, it will be explained in the Gate of the [Divine] Names [Gate XX], with help of HaShem. And the name of Chochmah is י"ה/Yah, and there is much written of them in the Torah, doubled in the Prophets and tripled in the Writings. In the Torah it is written: “My refuge and strength [is] Yah/י"ה ” [Exodus 15:2], and similarly “because a hand is on the throne of Yah/ י"ה” [Exodus 17:16]. Doubled in the Prophets: “I will see Yah, Yah in the land of the living.” [Isaiah 38:11], which is in “the poem of [king] Hezekiah” [Isaiah 38:9]. Tripled in the Writings: “Out of the distress I called Yah, and he answered me in the wide Yah.” [Psalms 118:5], and [there are] many [places] similar to them. And the name of Binah is the four-letter name [Tetragram] vocalized as Elohim/God, written in the Torah, doubled in the Prophets, tripled in the Writings. Written in the Torah: “My Lord יהו"ה by what will I know that I will take into possession…” [Genesis 15:8], and as this one [there are] many [places]. Doubled in the Prophets: “יהו"ה my Lord is my strength, and He will place my feet etc.” [Habakkuk 3:19], and as this one [there are] many [places]. Tripled in the Writings: “I will come with the strength of my Lord יהו"ה, I will mention your righteousness alone” [Psalms 71:16], and as this one [there are] many [places].And the name of Chesed is the name El/א"ל, and there many [places] of them in the Torah, the Prophets and the Writings. In the Torah: “And he called him El, the God of Israel.” [Genesis 33:20], and as this one [there are] many [places]. And in the Prophets: “El God HaShem knows” [Joshua 22:22], and as this one [there are] many [places]. And in the Writings: “The El, His way is complete” [Psalms 18:31], and as this one [there are] many [places].And the name of Gevurah is Elohim/God, written in the Torah, doubled in the Prophets, tripled in the Writings. Written in the Torah: “And Elohim/God tested Abraham…” [Genesis 22:1], and as this one [there are] many [places]. Doubled in the Prophets: “And there was a fear of Elohim/God…” [I Samuel 14:15], and as this one [there are] many [places]. Tripled in the Writings: “Do arise, Elohim/God, and do judge the earth…” [Psalms 82:8] and as this one [there are] many [places].And the name of Tif’eret is YHWH, written in the Torah, doubled in the Prophets, tripled in the Writings. Written in the Torah: “And YHWH said”, “And YHWH spoke” and besides them [there are] many [places]. Doubled in the Prophets: “Thus spoke YHWH” and besides them [there are] many [places]. Tripled in the Writings: “YHWH spoke to me: you are my son.” [Psalms 2:7], and as this one [there are] many [places].And the name of Netsach you will not find on its own, only coupled with the name of Hod, by reason that the two of them have one name, and that is Tsebaot/Of Hosts. And this [name] is not found in the Torah at all. But in the Prophets many [times]: “Thus spoke HaShem Tsebaot”, and besides them [there are] many [places]. And on the name of Yesod, all later commentators have explained [that] its name [is] special: El Chai/Living God. And it is difficult that El Chai is not among the names that are not to be erased, as the word Chai is not holy, as what is seen in tractate [Babylonian Talmud] Shevuot (35a), that it is not a name [not to be erased], only El [is listed there]. And the name El, which is holy, is borrowed from Chesed [of which it is the name] by way of the special names and their part. And Rabbi Abba included this opinion in the book of the Zohar, parasha Vayikra (page 11a), and this is what it says: ‘The sixth and seventh [name], they called them Tsebaot. The eighth [name] El Chai, as you say: “Because there HaShem commanded the blessing: Life etc.” [Psalms 133:3], and this is the Righteous One [Yesod], as all living beings go out from him.’ Until here the citation.