"It was, when Pharaoh let the people go, that G d did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, for it was near; for G d said: ‘Perhaps the people will lose heart when they see war, and return to Egypt.’ But G d led the people indirectly, by the way of the wilderness by the Red Sea…" (Exodus 13:17-18)

When the masculine [letters] of the Tetragrammaton come first, the forces of Loving-kindness prevail; if not, forgetfulness rules, which is called "Pharaoh." For a human being is a microcosm, and has within him Pharaoh and Egypt.

The verse, then, is teaching us the path of repentance; that it should be level after level - "indirectly" - and not all at once. For were that so, a person would be completely annihilated. Thus it is written: "And it was, when Pharaoh let the people go" - these are the limbs of the body that were enslaved to Pharaoh till now. But now, he lets the people - the limbs - go out to freedom. "But G d did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines" - for there is a [spiritual] concept called "way." This is the [holy] Names S'ag and E-kiyeh Ka'sa, which have the numerical value of "derech/way".

...a person who commits adultery arouses in the [upper] world the aspect of love.

Even the wicked draw sustenance from there, for it is unblemished by human sin, as it says: "If you sinned, what did you do against Him?" (Job 35:6) For this reason, repentance helps, for the damage of sin does not reach there. [For instance] a person who commits adultery arouses in the [upper] world the aspect of love. Only in the world below do his sins have a bad effect. But when he repents, his deeds have a positive effect, and he repairs everything, for he uplifts the [lower] levels to bina, which is E-kiyeh.

Thus, the verse says: "G d did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines." For from this "way," the Land of the Philistine, the impure shells, also derive nourishment. G‑d did not lead them that way, "for it was near" - that is, it was near to forgetfulness, which is called Pharaoh, lest they see this aspect, which is called "way," as we explained above… For as soon as they realize this, they come close to returning to Pharaoh, who is forgetfulness. Therefore, "God led the people indirectly…"

[Kesser Shem Tov 110]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Reprinted with permission from //besht.com. Translation and commentary by Rabbi Eliezer Shore.