"Pinchas, the son of Elazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned My anger away from the children of Israel, in that he was zealous for My sake among them, so that I did not destroy them in My jealousy. Therefore, tell him that I have given him My covenant of peace."(Num. 25:12-13)
The Midrash (Midrash Yalkut Shimoni, Pinchas #771. See Pirkei d'Rabbi Eliezer, chapter 46) states:
Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said: Pinchas is Elijah [the prophet]. The Holy One said to him, "Just as you made peace between Me and the Children of Israel in This World, so you will make peace between Me and the Children of Israel in the World-to-Come, as it says: 'Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet, before the coming of the great and awesome day of the L-rd. And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers….'(Malachi 3:23-24). Rabbi Eliezer said: the Holy One called the name of Pinchas after the name of Elijah, a resident [in Hebrew, 'toshav'] of Gilad, who brought Israel to repentance [in Hebrew, 'teshuva', related to 'toshav'] on Mount Gilad, as it says "Behold, I give him My covenant of peace"(Num. 13:12), "My covenant was with him, of life and of peace" (Malachi 2:5). The Holy One gave him life in This World, and life in the World-to-Come, and He gave him a good reward: "It will be a covenant of eternal priesthood, to him and his descendants after him"(Num. 13:13).
The Baal Shem Tov explained the statement of the Talmud, to "cling in His attributes" (see Sotah 14a). It does not state, "to cling to His attributes," for the main principle in serving G‑d is to attach oneself to the inner essence and vitality of the attributes, not their outer expression. For if you attach yourself to the outer manifestation of chesed, you cannot attach yourself to the trait of gevura; for in their outer aspect, they are separate - a loving person does not show severity. In their inner aspect, however, the attributes are all united, as it is written, "I am G‑d, I do not change."(Malachi 3:6) Thus, if you want to serve G‑d, you must cling to the inner nature and vitality of the attributes, where they are one, for this is the Infinite One Himself. Then, kindness embraces severity and severity contains kindness.
The Talmud states: "Rabbi Chama bar Chanina said: What does it mean, 'You shall follow after the L-rd your G‑d' (Deut. 13:5)? Is it possible for a human being to follow after the Shechina? Hasn't it been said, 'For the L-rd your G‑d is a consuming fire'? Rather, go after the attributes of the Holy One. Just as He clothes the bare, so you should cloth the bare. Just as the Holy One visits the sick, so you should visit the sick. Just as the Holy One buries the dead, so you should bury the dead." (slightly abridged.)
The Talmud does not actually use the phrase cited by the Baal Shem Tov, "cling in His attributes". However, the Baal Shem Tov may have had in mind several earlier authors who used the phrase when discussing this Talmud reading, such as Shnei Luchot HaBrit (Shelah), Toldot Adam: Beit Dovid, 7, and Sefer HaBrit, ma'amar 14, chapter 1. Furthermore, Rashi on Deut. 11:22, says, "Cling in His students and scholars."
The Baal Shem Tov gave an example of the principle of integration. The trait of chesed is expansive, and gives to everyone. It is the essence of love, as it is written: "I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have drawn you with chesed"(Jeremiah 31:2). However, a person attached to the externality of chesed may not be able to distinguish between one type of love and another, and may love everyone - the good and the evil, G‑d forbid. For instance, love is a type of outflow. It can be expressed in physical relationships, or in terms of money. If a person fails to make a distinction, all types of outflow will be equal to him, whether good or bad. He can be completely wicked, G‑d forbid, and yet still have some good traits. Thus, there are very generous people who also are overcome by their desires. This is because they connect to only the external part of chesed. The main thing, however, is to be attached to chesed's inner nature. For then, strictness is part of chesed. Because the right column of gevura restrains the left column of chesed, which is the evil chesed, and prevents it from spreading out. It therefore stands in the place of the good chesed. This is the inclusion of the gevura in chesed.
When there is inclusiveness among the sefirot, then each one contains all the others. Chesed, on the right side of the sefirotic tree has an element of gevura on its left, and gevura, on the left side of the tree, has an element of chesed on its right. Each side tempers the sefira opposite it. Gevura restrains overabundant chesed, and chesed uses gevura for compassionate purposes.
This likewise applies to chesed's inclusion in gevura. For instance, if you want to do some act of severity; for instance, when the court judged a capital offence, they sought to sweeten the judgments that were caused by the sinner, who strengthened the gevurot to empower the external forces. The court sweetens those gevurot with their own act of gevura when they convicted him. Then, by themself, the sinner's gevurot are subdued and ameliorated, so that he receives the World-to-Come. This is the aspect of chesed within gevura. You must always draw to yourself the right side, and reject the left, whether in chesed or in gevura. Thus it says, "The evil inclination… your left hand should push away and your right hand draw near."(Sotah 47a) It does not say, "You should push it away with your left hand" - rather, it implies that you should push away the left in all situations, and draw near the right.
The main thing is to uplift malchut after it has become damaged by sin. Therefore, you must sweeten and uplift the Judgments by uniting the lower hei with the upper hei.
The first letter hei of the name Havayah represents bina, and the last letter hei corresponding to malchut. This rectifies the Judgments that exist when malchut is not united with tiferet
For when malchut is not complete, it is called "dalet" - "that it has nothing [in Aramaic, 'd'leit lei'] of its own", and the trait of tiferet is called gimel. And this is "gimel dalet" ["giving to the poor"] - "gomel dalim". For when malchut is called dalet, without the middle point, tiferet is called gimel, because the drop [of seed] that is still tied to the vav. But when it bestows that drop, it is called vav, and malchut is called hei, due to the outflow that has entered her. And thus, following gimel-dalet is hei-vav.
The meaning of this paragraph is as follows: The sefira of malchut corresponds to the second letter hei in the name Havayah. However, when malchut is disconnected with tiferet, the hei lacks the lower point, and becomes the letter dalet, which signifies lack and poverty ("dal" also means an indigent). Then tiferet, corresponding to the letter vav takes the form of a gimel which looks like a vav with a point - the very point missing from the hei. When malchut is reconnected with tiferet, that is gimel dalet, when you give to the poor, then the point in the gimel is transferred, to make hei-vav.
Now, when the yud enters malchut, the latter is also called alef. This is the "Lower Wisdom" ["chochma tata'a"], just as the Supernal Wisdom is called alef, as the Talmud states: "alef bina" [literally, "teach understanding" - Talmud Shabbat, ibid.]. That is, before the alef (i.e. chochma) reaches bina, it is called "peleh", which means "mysterious" and "hidden", for we know nothing about it. But when it unites with bina, it is called "alef", from the word "to teach" ("ilef"). Then we can understand one thing from another. Therefore, when the yud reaches the final attribute (malchut), it is also called "alef". Thus it is said about the verse: "G‑d founded the earth with wisdom" (Proverbs 3:19), that "the father founded the daughter" (Zohar III:258a). For the supernal outflow is vitality, chochma, as it says: "Wisdom enlivens one who has it" (Ecclesiastes 7:12). Then, once it is called alef, it becomes attached to the Forefathers, who are themselves the "Divine Chariot" (Bereishit Rabbah 47:10).Then it is called "E-l", because the alef unites with the three lines of the lamed, which represent the [Three] Patriarchs. Then there is an outpouring of compassion to malchut.
To be continued…
[Excerpted from Sefer Baal Shem Tov, parashat Pinchas, Devarim Nechmadim, in Ginzei Yosef)
Reprinted with permission from www.baalshemtov.org]
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