Disease and the Divine

In the section of this portion of the Torah known as "the admonition" (in Hebrew, "tochacha"), it is written: "G‑d will cause the pestilence to cling to you until it finishes you off of the land you are entering in order to possess." (Deut. 28:21)

The mystical concept of pestilence is as follows:

Know that everything [that occurs] is a function of the elevation process [of the sparks that fell from the world of Tohu]. For do not all souls derive [their spiritual sustenance] from the [fallen] kings [of Tohu] and their refinement, as we have explained regarding the statement of our sages that "all Israel are princes" (Shabbat 14:4)?

Now, when there remains an element of waste in the refined sparks which was not separated out, it acts as a poison, killing the person during an outbreak of plague.

Refining reality entails removing the element of ego or self-orientation from whatever aspect of reality we are working with. When this is done incompletely, i.e. the individual's motives are not pure and he therefore allows an element of self-interest to remain in his use of the physical world, this admixture of impurity acts to misdirect the divine flow that results from releasing the sparks of holiness inherent in the physical world. If not arrested or checked in some way, this misdirection of divine energy results in disease.

Pestilence also occurs when the four names Havayah do not [fully] shine, that is, the names themselves are withdrawn, and all that remains is the four spellings-out. The numerical values of these four spellings-out are 46, 37, 19, and 26. Their total is 128; when to this are added the four kolels [for the four names] and the kolel [for the sum itself] the sum total is [133] the numerical value of the word for "plague" [in Hebrew, "negef"]. This is the source of the plague.

To review the four spellings-out of the name Havayah (72, 63, 45, 52):

It will be seen that subtracting 26, the value of the name Havayah itself, from the four spelled-out values (72, 63, 45, 52) gives the four remainders above.

"Negef" is spelled: nun-gimel-pei = 50 + 3 + 80 = 133.

Clearly, the withdrawal of the name itself from its full spelling-out (leaving only the letters used to spell out the main letters) indicates a highly abnormal, defective revelation of divinity. This defective life-force comes into the world as disease: life, but a harmful form of life.

It is therefore good to always meditate in times of plague on this name, i.e. the word "negef", this being [in this context] a holy name [of G‑d]. Vocalize it as follows: a shuruk [under the nun], a chirik [under the gimel], and a tzeirei [under the fei], as if it were pronounced "nugifei".

Since this word "negef was derived from an iteration of the name Havayah, it may be considered a derivative name itself". The Arizal does not here explain why to meditate on this word as if it were vocalized with these letters.

It is also advisable to meditate on the formula for the incense, both in the morning [before the morning prayers] and before the afternoon prayers, when you recite the verses "And G‑d said to Moses, 'take for yourself spices: stacte, onycha…." (Ex. 30:34)

The incense possessed the power to ward off pestilence, as can be seen from the aftermath of Korach's rebellion, when Aaron used the incense to stop the spread of the plague. (Num. 17:9-14)

Specifically, meditate on the first instance of the word "spices" [in Hebrew, "samim"] in this verse, permuting it according to the system of ayik-becher. This will produce a specific name of G‑d, i.e. mem-tav-kuf-vav. I [Rabbi Chaim Vital] do not remember how [the Arizal said] it is to be vocalized.

"Ayik Becher" is the "triple linear transformation" system of permutation. In it, the alef-beit - including the final forms of the letters - is split into three groups of nine letters, which are then aligned in order. Any letter of any triplet (in the chart: of any column) may then be interchanged with either of the other two.

The system takes its name from the first two letter triplets formed this way.

Now, whenever we produce a divine name through permutation using the ayik-becher system, we always take the letter in question and transform it into the closest letter following in the sequence. For example, an alef becomes a yud, a yud becomes a kuf, and a kuf becomes an alef. The same applies to the other letters of the alphabet.

Each of the nine triplets should thus be seen as a wheel.

Thus, the word for "spices" ["samim", spelled samech-mem-yud-final mem] transforms using the [6^th, 4^th, and 1^st of the] three triplets: vav-samech-final mem, dalet-mem-tav, and alef-yud-kuf.

How so?

The samech of "samim" permutes to the final mem of [the 6^th triplet] vav-samech-final mem; the mem of "samim" permutes to the tav of [the 4^th triplet] dalet-mem-tav; the yud of "samim" permutes to the kuf of [the 1^st triplet] alef-yud-kuf

the final mem of "samim" permutes to the vav of [the 6^th triplet] vav-samech-final mem, for as we have said, if the letter in question is the third of the triplet, we substitute for it the first letter of the triplet.

Thus, the word "samim" permutes to the letter-combination mem-tav-kuf-vav.

Also, meditate on the fact that the numerical value of this divine name mem-tav-kuf-vav [= 546] is equivalent to the numerical value of the letters used to spell out the name Havayah such that its total is 72 [i.e. 46] plus the numerical value of the posterior of the name Eh-yeh when it is spelled out, i.e. 544.

Mem-tav-kuf-vav = 40 + 400 + 100 + 6 = 546.

We saw above that the numerical value of the letters used to spell out the 1^st spelling-out of the name Havayah is 46 (72 - 26 = 46).

The posterior (achorayim) of the name Eh-yeh (spelled alef-hei-yud-hei), as we have explained previously, is given by spelling the word progressively, beginning with the first letter, then the first two letters, etc., i.e. alef, alef-hei, alef-hei-yud, alef-hei-yud-hei.

The spelling-out of the posterior of the name Eh-yeh, then, is as follows:

When these values are added together, we have:

46 + 544 = 590. This is obviously more than the numerical value of the name mem-tav-kuf-vav, which is 546. The Arizal now explains this difference of 590 – 546 = 44.

The [extra] 44 is the numerical value of the squaring of the four letters of the original name Eh-yeh, which is 44, as follows: alef, alef-hei, alef-hei-yud, alef-hei-yud-hei.

It will be seen that the terms "squaring" and "posterior" refer to the same process, i.e. that of spelling out a word progressively.

It will also be noticed that the value of the letters used to spell out the posterior of the name Eh-yeh considered separately from the letters used to iterate the posterior itself is given by subtracting 44 from 544, i.e. 500.

Thus, the numerical value of the letters used to spell out the name Ab [Havayah spelled out with yuds, equaling 72] is 46, and the numerical value of the letters used to spell out the squaring of the name Eh-yeh is 500.

Their combined numerical value is thus 546, the numerical value of the name mem-tav-kuf-vav.

Thus, we see again that the name associated with pestilence and plague is derived by divorcing the main letters of divine names from the letters used to spell them out, which, again, indicates a highly defective form of divine revelation.

Translated and adapted by Moshe-Yaakov Wisnefsky from Sefer HaLikutim, parashat Ki Tavo; 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.