Vanquishing the "Lower 7"

In the days of Moses, the Children of Israel were only promised the seven lands of the seven nations. Those seven correspond to the lower seven sefirot. Yet, "The lands of the Kini and Kenizi and Kadmoni" (Gen. 15:19) which correspond to the three upper sefirot, they were not promised. This was so being that, in our times, only the lower seven are functioning in a perceivable manner. After the final redemption, those upper three will also be functioning, and therefore we will be given those three corresponding lands.

It is known that the lands of the seven nations are hinted to in the Zeir and Nukva of the Kelipat Noga, for Zeir is comprised of six extremities, and its Nukva is their seventh aspect. For this reason, in my impoverished opinion, the first letters that spell the seven nations, Canaanites, Hitites, Emorites, Prizians, Hivites, Jebusites, and Girgashites, have the numerical value of 131, which is the same value as 'Satan', who is the Zeir of Kelipat Noga. While "Eretz Canaan" has the same value as "Lil--" ['Satan's mate], for she receives from all of his six extremities, likewise the entire numerical value of all seven nations [i.e. Canaanites, Hittites, Emorites, Prizians, Hivites, Jebusites, and Girgashites] together with the value of 'Satan' equals the value of Eretz Canaan using the large value for the final letters MaNZePaCh. That signifies that she [Eretz Canaan] is the malchut of the kelipot, and that she includes within herself from the ten sefirot of Kelipa Noga.

[Editor's note: The regular 22 letters of the aleph-beit range in value from 1 to 400, yet five letters take different shapes when placed at the end of a word. These letters normally signify the aspect of gevura, hence the numerical value for them is in a different scale, namely, chaf sofit =500, mem sofit = 600, nun sofit = 700, pei sofit = 800, and tzadi sofit = 900. Most authorities take the system a step further to the "large" aleph = 1000, the word in Hebrew for one thousand is aleph.]

Yet the malchut of holiness is called "Eretz HaCanaanY", as is seen in the verse, "And it shall come to pass when G‑d brings you in to the Eretz HaCanaanY…" (Ex. 13:5). [The word Canaan is surrounded by a hei and a yud; they are letters of G‑d's name, hence by surrounding Canaan they transform it.]

I have heard from that venerable wise sage, Rav Moses Zacuto, that the numerical value of "Eretz HaCanaanY" equals that of 'malchut' of holiness. That is so because of the name Yud Hei that join it, as in the verse, "I had said, 'I will not see G‑d (Yud Hei), G‑d (Yud Hei) is in the land of the living (Eretz Yisrael)." (Isaiah 38:11) Also Yud Hei, spelled out fully, Yud Vav Dalet, Vav Yud Vav, Dalet Lamed Tav, Hei Hei, Hei Hei, equals 'malchut', as well as 'Eretz HaCanaanY'. All its powers stem from the Yud Hei that is attached to it. As in the verse, "G‑d in chochma founded the Land" (Proverbs 3:19). That is why the very "air of Eretz Yisrael wizens" (Baba Batra 158b), for in that land is the revelation of the "light" of the Yud. Namely, Yud is spelled out fully as Yud Vav Dalet and that, further spelled out as Yud Vav Dalet, Vav Vav, Dalet Lamed Tav, all together equals malchut. The mystery of this is found in the passage in the Zohar talking about how "Abba is the Foundation of his daughter" (Pinchas 158a), which says that she is Eretz Yisrael, "Yisrael Sabba". She includes ten levels to correspond to the ten nations, those levels are keter, chochma, bina, gedula (chesed), gevura, tiferet, netzach, hod, yesod and malchut. The first letters of those ten levels equals "Yisrael" (541). There in the midst of Eretz Yisrael, ten levels of holiness sanctify it.

It is known that the level of Ham the son of Noah is hod; referring to this is the verse, "All day long is 'dava'-moaning" (Lamentations 1:13). [Hod has the same letters of dava]. From this we should be gladdened and understand that dava was transformed into hod and hadar [splendor and beauty]. In other words, when the "horns" [they are the letters yud and hei] of hod are revealed to the land of Canaan, who was dava--wallowing in her menstruation, then the she becomes sanctified. This is the essence of the verse, "Open for me the gates of righteousness, I shall enter therein and give thanks to Y-h [yud and hei]" (Psalms 118:19). Therefore, King David, who was from the aspect of hod, composed 150 psalms of thanksgiving. They total 10 times 15 [yud and hei 10 + 5 = 15]. With the letters yud and hei he finished the book of Psalms.

Based upon all that is written here, search and you shall not find another time that Eretz Yisrael is called in the Torah "Eretz HaCanaanY" save the time of the redemption from Egypt, for regarding the redemption the Torah writes, "The might and vengeance of Y-h (G‑d)" (Ex. 15:2). Thus far his words, the words of the mouth of the wise and gracious.

Therefore, all the other six nations [despite their own names] are referred to by her name, the land of Canaan. Similarly as the Arizal wrote regarding the mystery of the "Table on the River" (Likutei Torah Balak), that the table represents the malchut, the feminine, that is above the "river", the masculine. That is like the diaphragm on top of the liver, as mentioned in the Zohar (Parashat Pinchas 231b and 224b.)

[The diaphragm represents the feminine and the liver itself the masculine]. This situation [of the feminine above the masculine], is specifically referring to the land of the children of Ammon, for they are the kelipot. Yet in the realm of holiness, it is written, "And the land is My foot stool" (Isaiah 66:1) as well as the verse, "And G‑d shall be King upon the entire land" (Zachariah 14:9). Therefore, regarding holiness, the land is called Eretz Yisrael, for that connotes that she is underneath the masculine. Then the land is called "desire". For the word Canaan spells the first letters in the verse, "Ki nirtza avo na [her iniquity has been forgiven]" (Isaiah 40:2). [The word "nirtza" implies not only forgiveness but also desire. In other words, her sins have been forgiven hence she -the Jews- are once again desired.] That land that was once Canaan [i.e. defiled by the seven nations] is now the "land of desire".

This is the mystery of the iniquities becoming merits, as can be seen from the following verse. "Raise up a song and sound the tof [drum]" (Psalms 81:3). Through the songs, that are the "songs of the mighty" (Isaiah 25:5), then "sound the tof [drums]". This will break Lil--, whose numerical value is that of tof - 480. And then "Kinor na'im im nevel [Sound the sweet harp with the lyre]" (ibid.)[the first letters spell Canaan]. In other words, that which the land of Canaan was under the control of — namely the "tof [drum] and machol [tambourine]" (Psalms 150:4), who are the two harlots, Lil— and Machlat [this is hinted to by Lil— having the value of tof, and Machlat being spell like machol], has now been turned over into "Nevel V'Kinor [the lyre and sweet harp]". Those instruments are in the hand of the side of holiness, under the providence of G‑d. G‑d, as Yud Hei, is hinted at in the word "na'vel", the nun hinting to the Fifty Gates of Understanding, and the remaining two letters beit and lamed spell lev, which hints at the [Book of Sefer Yetzira] 32 Paths of Wisdom [lamed=30 and beit=2]. The letters vav hei of G‑d's name are hinted to by the word "kinor", the kaf and the vav of that word valuing 26, which is the numerical value of the Ineffable Name YHVH, while the remaining two letters nun and reish hint at the aspects of Zeir and Nukva. That is why the first letters of "Kinor na'im im nevel [Sound the sweet harp with the lyre]" (Psalms 81:3) spells "Canaan". This indicates that the land of Canaan has been subjugated under the "lyre and sweet harp", which represent chochma and bina, and tiferet and malchut.

All of this was only possible because of the merits of our forefathers, as is written, "Moreover, I have established My covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan". (Ex. 6:4) That is also hinted to in the fact that the words "Kinor (276) na'im (170) im (110) nevel (82)" have the same numerical value as Abraham (248) Isaac (208) and Jacob (182) = 638. In their merit, the land of Canaan left the rule of the chitzonim [external forces] and entered the domain of Holiness, the name YHVH.

This is what is meant by the verse, "Great is G‑d and much praised…" (Psalms 48:2). When is G‑d exceedingly great? When He is, "…in the city of our G‑d, the mount of His Holiness" (ibid.). That is also "And G‑d is in His Holy Sanctuary" (Habakkuk 2:20). There G‑d's name is not complete except for in the place of His Holy Sanctuary which is the "Holy Land". As in the verse, "Yismechu Hashamayim Vetagel Ha'aretz -The Heavens will be glad and the land [Eretz Yisrael] shall rejoice" (Psalms 96:11) [note that the initials spell the Ineffable Name], for there in Eretz Yisrael is the gate of heaven, the place where the Yud Hei joins Vav Hei.