This passage from the Arizal's writings is a continuation of the previous installment on this parasha - see The Magician and the Sorcerer.
And Moab became terrified of the people, for they were numerous, and Moab became disgusted [because of the Israelites]. (Num. 22:3)
...the Jews themselves who lived in that generation...whose souls were sparks of Moses'….The [mystical] explanation of this is as follows:
There were two types of [people that made up] Israel [in that generation]. The first was the Jews themselves who lived in that generation, the source of whose souls were sparks of Moses' [soul] who in turn derived from Abel. (This is explained in our exposition on the generation of the desert on the verse, "And a new king arose over Egypt.")
The second type [of people] was the Mixed Multitude, who are referred to in Scripture simply as "the people", without any qualifier. (Ex. 32:7, Rashi; Likutei Sichot, vol. 16, pp. 408 ff) They derived from the evil aspect of Cain, as explained above.
It is with reference to them that it is written, "And Moab became terrified of the people, for they were numerous." This refers to the Mixed Multitude, who are described as "numerous".
The literal meaning of the words translated as "Mixed Multitude" [in Hebrew, "erev rav"] is "a numerous mixture". The phrase "the people, for they were numerous", therefore quite clearly refers to the Mixed Multitude.
The narrative then goes on to say that "Moab became disgusted because of the Israelites," referring to the Jews themselves, who were derived from Abel.
The literal meaning of the words translated as "the Israelites" (benei Yisrael) is "the children [or 'descendants'] of Israel", i.e. of Jacob; this refers only to the direct descendants of Jacob as opposed to Moses' converts.
"[And Moab said to the elders of Midian, 'Now this assembly will eat up everything around us] as the ox eats up the greens of the field.'" (Num. 22:4)
An ox that has been established legally as a goring ox derives from the evil of Esau, who is the "black ox" mentioned in the Sages' teachings. (Berachot 33a)
The union of Zeir Anpin and Nukva…produces the grass of the earth, the souls that issue from this union….Once an ox gores other animals three times unprovoked, it is legally classified as a "goring ox" and its owner becomes liable for full damages it causes instead of just half. (Ex. 21:35-36)
In discussing under what dangerous circumstances a person may interrupt his prayers in order to flee for safety, the Sages said that "If an ox's head is in a [fodder] basket, go up to a roof and kick the ladder away from underneath you," i.e. get as far away as possible, for the ox will not take kindly to anyone it perceives as interrupting it from its meal. "Samuel said: 'This applies only to a black ox in the month of Nisan, because then the Satan is dancing between his horns.'" Rashi says on this: "Because the days of autumn have passed, when the land is dry, and the ox now sees it full of greenery, it gets high-spirited and the evil inclination enters it." No longer having to worry about food, the ox becomes mischievous, so it is better to stay away from it.
In any case, we see here that the image of a "black ox" is a particularly threatening type of evil, associated with the evil inclination, which in turn is often personified as Esau.
Translated and adapted by Moshe-Yaakov Wisnefsky from Shaar HaPesukim, Likutei Torah, and Sefer HaLikutim; subsequently published in "Apples From the Orchard."
Reprinted with permission from Chabad of California. Copyright 2004 by Chabad of California, Inc. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this work or portions thereof, in any form, without permission, in writing, from Chabad of California, Inc.
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