קרח

In Sha’ar HaMitzvot (the mitzvah of the cities of refuge), the Rav, may his memory be a blessing, expanded upon what is written: “And if HaShem will expand your border, etc. … then you shall add three cities, etc.” (Deuteronomy 19:8–9). Seemingly this is difficult, for הרי it is written (Isaiah 2): “A nation shall not lift up sword against a nation,” etc., and it is written: “They shall not do harm and they shall not destroy,” etc., and it is written: “He will swallow up death forever,” etc.; and if so, how and why were we commanded to add three cities of refuge in the future—one would think that then murderers will increase, who are liable to death. But you must know: when Hevel sinned—as is mentioned in the Zohar on the verse “Where is Hevel your brother?” (Genesis 4:9), and on the verse “The voice of your brother’s bloods cry out to Me,” etc. (Genesis 4:10)—that Hevel and all his offspring were killed by the hand of Kayin his brother, and it was not by happenstance; and therefore: “HaElokim caused it to come to his hand” (Exodus 21:13)—for they roll liability upon one who is liable. But the matter is proven, and as the Sages said (Avot 2:6): “Because you drowned, they drowned you,” etc. The reason is that in thought Hevel sinned, and he was from the side of bloods, and this is the secret of the Name Ehyeh; and therefore it is mentioned in Sefer HaTikkunei Zohar that she is Alef-Yud from Adonai; and through this killing, Hevel and all his offspring were rectified, for through his being killed Hevel is elevated by them, in that he sinned. And so, when Moshe—who is Hevel—killed the Egyptian (Exodus 2:12), it was in them that he sinned. And he who was Kayin was inadvertent, for he killed him with the explicit Name; therefore, to Hevel, whom he killed, the judgment thought that he was killed on account of his people, in order to rectify; and by means of the Name Mem-Bet, which elevates the souls, mentioned אצלינו in the “Mizmor Shabbat,” in the Kabbalat “Havu,” etc.

In Sefer HaZohar, Parashat Mishpatim, it is mentioned in the Ra’aya Meheimna (there, page …): “He sinned in this,” etc.; therefore the exile of Moshe obligates him. Therefore, in the parashah it is mentioned that Moshe hurried to prepare cities of refuge across the Jordan. And thus it is written (Deuteronomy 4:41): “Then Moshe set aside three cities,” etc., as they wrote. And the reason is that by setting them aside there already, his exile would atone; and this is: “that the murderer may flee there” (Deuteronomy 4:42)—the letters of “Sham-h” are the letters of “Moshe,” who murdered his fellow—Kayin—without knowledge; this is the hint in the verse “And a man who strikes,” etc., as explained in Sha’ar HaPesukim in Parashat Mishpatim, and as it is written: “And I will set for you a place where he shall flee” (Exodus 21:13): “Sham-h” is to you ממש, namely to Moshe Rabbeinu, peace be upon him; as is written afterward, a hint in itself: “Asher yanus shamah” (Exodus 21:13)—the letters of Moshe; and therefore it is not written “And I will set for him a place,” but “And I will set for you a place,” as the verse began; and “HaElokim caused it to come to his hand,” so that it should not be for him.

And this is the secret: the first Kayin was not rectified except through killing, for there is no seed of Hevel. Let us return to our matter: this is the secret of what the Sages said (Esther Rabbah, Introduction 1): “Kayin is the head of murderers, and Hevel is the head of those murdered,” for they are compelled to be killed; and most of the killed are of the seed of Hevel. And it is already known that Bil’am is from the Klipah of Hevel, and one spark of holiness of Hevel is mixed in him; therefore he too was killed, as is written: “And Bil’am son of Be’or they killed with the sword” (Numbers 31:8). And Pinchas, who was from the root of Kayin, and through this was rectified; and Naval haKarmeli, as is explained in its place, was reincarnated and rectified by this; and to allude that through this killing he merited to ascend to the Binah in which Hevel sinned—therefore he is called Naval, with the letters of Hevel within the letters of Bel; in the secret of the five gates of Binah, which are the letter Heh of Binah, of Naval; except that the letter Heh of Hevel became, through the manner of being elevated in Binah, killed—for he too was of the seed of Hevel, and through his being killed by Avner son of Ner, Naval ascended in them; and this is “And Avner died” (II Samuel 3:38)—with the name Naval swallowed within it. And this is the way, in every case, that the offspring of Hevel are killed.

And know that there are two ends for the coming of Mashiach: “If they merit, I will hasten it; if they do not merit, in its time.” And if the end is “in its time,” certainly all the seed of Hevel will not yet be rectified; but if the end is “I will hasten it,” all the seed of Hevel will be rectified. And the tikkun for them is this: after the coming of Mashiach they will be killed—but not in intentional [murder]; for then: “A nation shall not lift up sword against a nation,” etc.; rather it will be inadvertent; and through this, inadvertent murderers will increase, and in particular there is a need to hasten the tikkun of their offspring with great speed; therefore it is necessary that in the future there will be an addition of cities of refuge. And this is what the verse said: “And if [HaShem] will expand, etc., for you will observe,” etc. (Deuteronomy 19:8–9)—meaning: if He expanded your border with the coming of Mashiach, it will be by the merit of “for you will observe all the mitzvah,” etc.; and through this, the end will be brought forward; then you will be compelled to add “three more cities,” etc., in order to hasten the tikkun of his offspring. For “blood shall not be spilled,” etc.—that is, it will not be intentional but inadvertent, like Hevel; but know that it is written (Zechariah 13:2): “And the spirit of impurity I will remove from the land.” עד כאן לשון Sha’ar HaMitzvot.

And the above was printed with several changes (not in its place).

That which emerges from his words is that Hevel sinned regarding a certain matter, and because of this he was killed—liability by the hand of one liable—namely that Kayin is the one liable; and through this Hevel was rectified.

And it remains to understand what the deed of Hevel was that brought him to a verdict of liability of death.