הלכה אויף תהילים 149:6

And the reason for mentioning brit before the Torah is because the Torah was given through three covenants, while brit milah – circumcision was given through thirteen covenants, and they are mentioned in the account of Abraham’s circumcision, and for the sake of all sixteen of these covenants, we are rescued from midat ha-din, the sword [herev]of the Holy One Blessed be He, which has sixteen mouths that say “smite the enemies!” Moses referred to this in his promise for the future, “When I whet My flashing sword [harbi] and My hand lays hold of justice.”²²⁹Dt 32:41. In other words, here God’s sword is associated with His hand that exercises justice – His left hand, midat ha-din. He connected the yod ending harbi(“my sword”) with the initial vav of ve-tohez (“lays hold of”) in order to hint at “the sword of sixteen.” Understand this verse: “Be in fear of the sword [herev], for fury is iniquity worthy of the sword [herev]; know there is a judgment [she–din].²³⁰Job 19:29. This means “be in fear of the sword from above,” for iniquity cause the “fury” and “sword” below, and so to this end you should know that there is justice and the world is not random, and with this sword the wicked are judged, and that righteous not only need not be afraid of it, but indeed it is put into their hands. That is what is written “with paeans to God in their throat and two-edged swords [herev pipiyot] in their hand”²³¹Ps 149:6. – read in it “sixteen mouths – piyot.” So understand this! For this is a deep matter linked to some of the letters on the Lord’s great Name itself, but it’s my intention to limit what I say about it.