קבלה אויף חבקוק 3:19

Gate Eight: (The Sefirah of Binah)
“HaShem/Elohi”m, the Lord, is my strength. He sets my legs [to be as swift] as deer; and He leads me upon my high places. To the Victor [I offer praise] with my songs.” -Habakkuk 3:19

“In the beginning God-Elohi”m-אלהי״ם created.”⁵Genesis 1:1 “These are the products of the heavens and the earth when they were created, on the day that HaShem God-HaShem Elohi”m-יהו״ה אלהי״ם made the earth and the heavens.”⁶Genesis 2:4 “HaShem the Lord-HaShem Adona”y-יהו״ה אדנ״י [pronounced Elohi”m Adona”y-אלהי"ם אדנ"י] is my strength.”⁷Habakkuk 3:19 “HaShem-יהו״ה founded the earth-Aretz-ארץ with wisdom-Chochmah-חכמה, He established the heavens-Shamayim-שמים with understanding-Tevunah-תבונה.”⁸Proverbs 3:19 The signs that includes the whole matter is what our sages, of blessed memory said:⁹See Gate Two for further clarification. “Fifty Gates of Understanding were created in the world.”¹⁰Talmud Bavli, Rosh HaShanah 21b “With thirty-two pathways of wondrous wisdom-Chochmah, Ya”h HaShem-י״ה יהו״ה engraved.”¹¹Sefer Yetzirah 1:1. The 32-ל״ב pathways refer to the 32-ל״ב times that the title God-Elohim-אלהי"ם is mentioned in the account of creation, all of which adhere to the same principle mentioned above about the verse, “in the beginning God-Elohi"m-אלהי"ם created.” That is, all 32-ל״ב times represent the Sefirah of Understanding-Binah, which generally is written HaShem-יהו"ה but pronounced Elohi”m-אלהי"ם.

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.