Levítico 23:15 Cabalá: Sha'arei Orah

After having hinted at these deep matters, we will return to the intention of this Gate. Know that in every place in Torah that you find a count of sevens, such as,⁴⁹Leviticus 23:15-16 “You shall count for yourselves… seven weeks, they shall be complete… you shall count fifty days,” and similarly,⁵⁰Leviticus 25:8 “You shall count for yourself seven cycles of sabbatical years, seven years seven times,” they all refer to the seven Sefirot from Understanding-Binah to Foundation-Yesod. We begin in ascension from the Sefirah of Foundation-Yesod until the Sefirah of Understanding-Binah. Therefore, there are fifty days from the counting of the Omer (Sefirat HaOmer) until the giving of the Torah, and in the count of years, the fiftieth is the year of the Jubilee-Yovel-יובל. “Fifty Gates of Understanding-Chameesheem Shaarei Binah-חמשים שערי בינה were created in the world,”⁵¹Talmud Bavli, Rosh HaShanah 21b and,⁵²Exodus 13:18 “The children of Israel were armed-Chamusheem-חמשים when they ascended from the land of Egypt,” and the redemption from Egypt is mentioned fifty-Chameesheem-חמשים times in the Torah,⁵³Also see Pardes Rimonim, Shaar 13, Ch. 1, where they are further cited and enumerated. “So that you will remember the day of your departure from the land of Egypt all the days of your life.” That is, “the days of our life-Yemei Chayeinu-ימי חיינו” refer to the count-sefirah of the seven Sabbaticals and the fifty days, about which it states,⁵⁴Leviticus 25:13 “In this Jubilee-Yovel-יובל you shall return-Tashuvu-תשובו each man to his heritage,” and,⁵⁵Leviticus 25:31 “He shall have redemption-Ge’ulah-גאולה, and in the Jubilee-Yovel-יובל he shall go out.”

Contemplate these deep hints and you will discover how good the inheritance of the Jewish people is in each of the ten Sefirot, and that the cause of the inheritance of all this goodness is the Sefirah of Understanding-Binah. The verse therefore instructs us,⁹⁶Leviticus 23:15-16 “You shall count fifty-Chameesheem-חמשים days,” which includes the totality of Shabbat, which is the adhesion of the Sefirah of Kingship-Malchut to the Sefirah of Understanding-Binah. About this the verse states,⁹⁷Psalms 6:1 “For the Victor, with music, on the Eighth-Shmeeneet-שמינית,”⁹⁸That is, the eighth Sefirah from Understanding-Binah is Kingship-Malchut. which is the secret of the verse,⁹⁹Numbers 29:35 “The eighth day-BaYom HaShemini-ביום השמיני shall be a [day] of cessation-Atzeret-עצרת for you,” and,¹⁰⁰Deuteronomy 16:8 “On the seventh day-BaYom HaShevi’ee-ביום השביעי shall be a cessation-Atzeret-עצרת for HaShem-יהו״ה your God.”