The Essence

The Chesed (Love) of Abraham

(from Parashat Lech Lecha in the writings of)

Rabbi Yitzchak Luria ("the Ari") of Safed

If a person does not care about another person or thing, he will have no emotions toward it, positive or negative. Abraham started it all

--translated from Shaar HaPesukim by Rabbi Moshe Wisnefsky

This is a continuation of the first installment. It is suggested that the reader review the first installment before proceeding.

[We will now explain] why the letter hei was added to Abraham's name and not to Isaac's or Jacob's name. This letter was added [to Abraham's name] for two reasons.

First: Zeir Anpin originally possessed no intellect, and it is known that [its intellect] is first clothed in the netzach-hod-yesod of Imma, identified with the first hei [of the name Havayah].

Before Imma can transfer intellect to Zeir Anpin, this intellect must be contracted and dimmed so that it can be vested in Zeir Anpin. It is thus funneled through the sub-sefirot of netzach-hod-yesod of Imma, whose function it is to contract the mentality of Imma in order to transfer it further.

Therefore, [the name Abraham--here referring to Zeir Anpin--] initially is missing the letter hei, and possesses only the letters alef-beit-reish and mem, signifying the two sub-sefirot of yesod [of Zeir Anpin and of Nukva], as we have explained, but unable to couple [in a face-to-face manner].

After its intellect matures [i.e., is received from Imma], the first hei [of the name Havayah, signifying Imma] is added, as we have explained.

Daat is the progenitor of the emotions

Secondly: The seminal drop of coupling derives from the states of chesed that issue from the brain of daat. Thus, when [Zeir Anpin's] intellect matured and it acquired the brain of daat, it was given these five states of chesed that produce the seminal drop[s]. This is the [second] mystical significance of the added hei.

Of the three "brains" of the intellect, daat is subjective intellect, or the ability of the mind to apply abstract comprehension to real life and make it relevant. It is thus the focal nexus between intellect and emotion, where intellect translates into emotional response.

Since daat is thus the progenitor of the emotions, it contains within it the potentials for these emotions. These potentials are the five states of chesed and the five states of gevura within daat, respectively the forces of attraction and repulsion to an idea as it is applied to reality. Chesed and gevura are the primary emotions, which give rise to all the others. There are five states of each because there are five emotions of content: chesed, gevura, tiferet, netzach, and hod. Yesod is a coalescence of the five emotions that precede it.

As was explained previously, the seminal drop of self-actualization is produced by Zeir Anpin's "love" of Nukva. The appreciation for the rectification of reality accomplished by "being fruitful and multiplying" one's Divine self throughout reality and the essential role played by the "female" in this process will bring the individual to appreciate, be attracted to, and love the "female".

We have thus given two reasons for the addition of the hei [to Abraham's name].

From this [explanation] it will be understood why no additional hei was added to Isaac's or Jacob's name. Since any process is determined by its initial manifestation, and the [maturation of intellect] necessary for coupling [alluded to by the addition of the] letter hei was already alluded to in [Abraham's name], it is no longer necessary to allude to it in Isaac's or Jacob's name.

As explained previously, Abraham refers to the maturation of chochma of Zeir Anpin, Isaac to the maturation of bina of Zeir Anpin, and Jacob to the maturation of daat of Zeir Anpin.

Love, or caring, is what engenders all other emotions

Furthermore, it is known that Abraham, who personified chesed, is known [in the Zohar[1]] as "the day that accompanies all other days".

The seven middot correspond to the Seven Days of Creation. In the phrase, "G-d will command His chesed by day,"[2] the word for "by day" is yomam, which can be translated "their day". Chesed is thus seen as the "day", or midda, that accompanies all the other "days". This means simply that chesed is the fundamental emotion, the basis of all the others. Love, or caring, is what engenders all other emotions, for if a person does not care about another person or thing, he will have no emotions toward it, positive or negative.

He is the one that transfers the five states of chesed to the mouth of Imma.

Although daat and bina are separate "brains", the abstract intellect of Imma also possesses latent, innate tendencies toward emotional response. Thus, daat is referred to in the Zohar as being present "in the mouth of Imma"[3], poised to be expressed as emotions through speech.[4]

Therefore, the five states of chesed [of daat] are alluded to in his [name] by the letter hei [whose numerical value is 5], and not in the names of Isaac and Jacob.

Since Isaac and Jacob allude to gevura and tiferet, which do not fulfill this role.

The name Elo-him is considered the female relative to the name Havayah, since it acts as the medium for Havayah's message

We will now explain the name of Sarah, [Abraham's] wife.

She personified the principle of the female, alluded to by the divine name Elo-him.

The name Elo-him is considered the female relative to the name Havayah, since it acts as the medium for Havayah's message.

It is known that the numerical value of this name when it is spelled out with the letter yud--signifying face-to-face coupling--is 300, corresponding to the shin of Sarah.

As we have explained previously, the letter hei can be spelled in various ways. When it is spelled out hei-yud, and this spelling out is used to spell the name Elo-him (alef-lamed-hei-yud-mem), we have:

alef	alef	1
	lamed	30
	pei	80
lamed	lamed	30
	mem	40
	dalet	4
hei	hei	5
hei	yud	10
yud	yud	10
	vav	6
	dalet	4
mem	mem	40
mem	mem	40
	total	300

Inasmuch as yud signifies chochma, using this letter to spell the hei used to spell the name Elo-him signifies full female consciousness, allowing full face-to-face coupling with the male.

Sarah is spelled shin-reish-hei. The numerical values of these three letters are 300, 200, and 5, respectively.

The numerical value of the simple progressive spelling of the name Elo-him is 200, corresponding to the reish of Sarah.

Elo-him is spelled alef-lamed-hei-yud-mem. The progressive spelling-out of this name is thus:

Alef, alef-lamed, alef-lamed-hei, alef-lamed-hei-yud, alef-lamed-hei-yud-mem:

1 + (1 + 30) + (1 + 30 + 5) + (1 + 30 + 5 + 10) + (1 + 30 + 5 + 10 + 40) = 200.

The five letters that make up the name Elo-him are signified by the hei of Sarah.

Therefore, when [Nukva] was fully rectified and made fit for coupling, it was called Sarah, and [when it coupled with Zeir Anpin] it produced Isaac.

We will now once again explain the names Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph, for they are all connected.

Know that Abraham personifies the attribute of chesed, which is signified by the divine name E-l, this being the mystical meaning of the verse, "The chesed of G-d [E-l] is all day long"[5], as is known.

The fact that the name of G-d used in this verse is E-l indicates the association of this name with chesed.

Now, there are 8 names E-l in the supernal faces of Arich Anpin. All of these are contained within the name Abraham, whose numerical value is 248, the numerical value of these 8 names.

E-l: alef-lamed = 31. 31 x 8 = 248.

Abraham: alef-beit-reish-hei-mem = 1 + 2 +200 + 5 + 40 = 248.

A further explanation:

It is known that the first rectification of the thirteen rectifications of the beard [of Arich Anpin] is called E-l, this being the mystical significance of the verse: "G-d [E-l], merciful, gracious…"[6] and of the verse: "Who is a G-d [E-l] like You…,"[7] as we have explained in our exposition on the thirteen attributes of mercy recited in the weekday morning prayers.[8]

As we have explained previously, G-d's thirteen attributes of mercy listed in Exodus 34:6 are identified in Kabbala with the thirteen rectifications of the beard of Arich Anpin.

This [attribute] corresponds to the two upper corners of the beard [i.e., the sidelocks], one to the right and one to the left. Thus, we have [so far] two names E-l.

It is also known that each sidelock contains three names E-l, i.e., [the manifestation of this attribute in] the three [lower] worlds, that issue from this rectification [of the beard], as we have explained in [our commentary on] the Idra.[9] These are: E-l Sha-dai, in the world of Beria; E-l Havayah, in the world of Yetzirah; and E-l Ado-nai, in the world of Asiya.

Two of these names are found combined this way in the Bible. E-l Sha-dai is found six times; an example of E-l Havayah is in Psalms 118:26; E-l Ado-nai does not appear in the Bible but is construed based on the other two.

There are thus six such names E-l in the two sidelocks.

There are two more names E-l in the seventh rectification, which is the [lack of hair on the] two cheeks, known as "the two holy faces", as we have explained elsewhere. These are the 370 lights that shine from the face of Arich Anpin, corresponding to the two spelled-out names E-l situated there.

E-l: alef-lamed. When these two letters are spelled out, we have:

Alef → alef-lamed-pei = 1 + 30 + 80 = 111.

Lamed → lamed-mem-dalet = 30 + 40 + 4 = 74.

111 + 74 = 185. For the two names E-l on the two cheeks, we have 2 x 185 = 370.

This yields 8 names E-l, which together equal the numerical value of Abraham.

Six on the two sideburns and two on the two cheeks.

In our discussion of the 175 years of Abraham's lifetime in parashat Chaya Sarah, we will explain this at greater length.

The numerical value of the name Isaac [Yitzchak] is 8 times the name Havayah [26].

Yitzchak: yud-tzadik-chet-kuf = 10 + 90 + 8 + 100 = 208 = 8 x 26.

These eight [names Havayah] are the eight states of gevura of Isaac, each one corresponding to one name Havayah. The explanation of this is as follows:

Just as there are five states of chesed signified by Abraham, there are five states of gevura signified by Isaac

It is known that there are five states of gevura, which are signified by five names Havayah, whose combined numerical value is 130. For just as there are five states of chesed signified by Abraham, there are five states of gevura signified by Isaac.

We mentioned the five states of gevura within daat above. 26 x 5 = 130.

There are another three states of gevura in yesod, these being the three states of gevura that are sweetened by the three exposed states of chesed [in yesod], as we will explain when we discuss the name Joseph. It is known further that Isaac [Yitzchak] may be read "the end of the living [one]", which refers to yesod.

Yitzchak (yud-tzadik-chet-kuf) permutes to spell keitz chai (kuf-tzadik chet-yud), "the end of the living [one]". Yesod is called "the living one", since in the body part to which it corresponds, the male reproductive organ, appears the properties of "life" (i.e., growth and change) relative to the more static (inert or "dead") limbs of the rest of the body.

We thus have 8 states of gevura, which are 8 names Havayah, which together equal [the numerical value of] Isaac [Yitzchak]. These 8 states are also explained in our exposition of the verse "on the day Isaac was weaned" (Gen. 21:8).

[to be continued]

Biography of Rabbi Yitzchak Luria