Lamentações 3:44 Cabalá: Sha'arei Orah

The foundation of wisdom and the essence of the received knowledge-Kabbalah¹The opening words to this section begin “YesodHaChochmahV’IkarHaKabbalah-יסוד החכמה ועיקר הקבלה,” the first letters of which are the Name HaShem-יהו״ה. is to trust in the faithfulness of HaShem-יהו"ה, blessed is He.²The first letters of each of these words, “EmunatHaShemYitbarachHaAmen-אמונת ה׳ יתברך האמן” are the name Eheyeh-אהי״ה. If your thoughts go in His Presence,³The first letters of each of these words, “ImDerechNechochahYidrechu-אם דרך נכוחה ידרכו” are the name Adona”y-אדנ״י. “Then you will walk on your way securely and your foot will not stumble.”⁴Proverbs 3:23

In response to this, King David, peace be upon him, composed his songs-zemirot-זמירות, in order to clear the path for the prayers to pass. This is because all those camps are like a cloud that obstructs the prayers from ascending. About this it states,¹¹Lamentations 3:44 “You have covered Yourself in a cloud that prayer cannot penetrate.” However, now that David came and composed songs-zemirot-זמירות, when a person recites these songs-zemirot-זמירות, then these destroyers, spoilers and obstructers withdraw and go away. They are called songs-zemirot-זמירות from the term “machete-mazmer-מזמר,” as in the verse,¹²Isaiah 18:5 “He will cut down the young branches with machetes-mazmerot-מזמרות.” About this scripture states,¹³Psalms 119:54. This verse is usually translated, “Your statutes were music to me in my house of residence.” “Your statutes were like machetes-zemirot-זמירות for me in the house of my fears-megurai-מגורי.” This is to say that in those places on the way that I was in fear and terror-magor-מגור, I scattered and cut through them with those machetes-zemirot-זמירות (songs).

Moreover, the angelic ministers of the nations do not at all assist the Jewish people, as stated,³⁵⁷Daniel 10:21 “No one strengthens me against these except your ministering angel Michael.” This is certainly so when Samael, the ministering angel of Edom, stands in constant prosecution of the Jewish people, accusing them and attempting to blot out their merits. When the Jewish people are in the land of the nations, all the angelic ministers of the nations stand against them, and are positioned between the earth and the heavens, like a wall and partition, to separate the Jewish people from their Father in heaven. They therefore are called “a separating cloud-Anan HaMafseek-ענן המפסיק,” about which it states,³⁵⁸Lamentations 3:44 “You wrapped Yourself in a cloud-Anan-ענן that prayer cannot pierce.”