חלק ב — תורה 8

13. This is the explanation of the teaching of our Sages, of blessed memory, about King Og of the Bashan: [Og] said : How big is the Israelite camp? It is three parsei (parasangs). I will go and uproot a three-parasang mountain and cast it upon them. He went and uprooted a three-parasang mountain and set it on his head. [But the Holy One, blessed be He,] brought kumtza (ants) onto [the mountain] and they bore a hole through it, so that [the mountain] dropped on his neck. He tried to remove it, but shinei (his teeth) extended downward on this side and the other [and he could not]. … How tall was Moshe? Ten cubits. He took an ax that was ten cubits long, jumped ten cubits, and struck [Og] on his ankle and killed him (Berakhot 54b) .

Og’s hold was on the right side, as is brought (Zohar 184a). He fed on the daat of holiness, because from the right side comes a mind as white as silver (Tikkuney Zohar #70, p.129a). He therefore sought to overpower the Jewish people, and so said: “How big is the Israelite camp? It is three parasangs.”

the Israelite camp— This alludes to the holiness of the Israelite camp, the concept of “Your camp must therefore be holy” (Deuteronomy 23:15). The essential sanctity of the Israelite camp stems from guarding against immoral desire, i.e., against a nocturnal emission, God forbid, as discussed in that section. And the primary means for guarding against this desire is the “three parasangs”—i.e., the three mentalities, each of which is a separate barrier deployed against this desire, as mentioned above. And this is:

How big is the Israelite camp? It is three parasangs— In other words, the essence of the Israelite camp’s sanctity—their keeping separate from this desire, from a nocturnal emission, God forbid—is produced by the “three PaRSei”—i.e., the three mentalities, which are a barrier PRuSah (deployed) against that desire, as mentioned above.

I will go and uproot a three-parasang mountain and cast it upon them. “A mountain” alludes to prayer, as in “I will bring them to My sacred mountain and make them joyful in the house of My prayer.” This is the meaning of “a three-parasang,” because prayer, too, is drawn from the three mentalities, the deployed barriers from which three types of compassion—namely, the three daily prayers—are drawn, as mentioned above.

In other words, Og is the concept of the Other Side that feeds on daat, God forbid. It wants to uproot the prayers of the Jewish people, to draw them to itself and swallow them, God forbid, as mentioned above. This is what [Og] said, “and cast it upon them.” [The Other Side’s] greatest desire is to draw the Jewish people’s prayers to itself and grab hold of them. But afterwards, once it has them, God forbid, it is pleased to return [them] and cast them upon the Jews. For once it has already sustained itself on them, then even if it returns them and throws them to the Jews of its own accord, the flaw induced by its sapping the sustenance remains. This is because “the compassion of the wicked is cruelty,” as mentioned above. Therefore, when [the Other Side] feeds on the Jewish people’s compassion and prayers, even though it returns them to the Jews of its own accord, they nevertheless are flawed as a result of its hold on them. This is what [Og] said: “and cast it upon them,” because when [the Other Side] afterwards uproots and swallows them, God forbid, it wants to return them and throw them to the Jews, for it has already damaged them. {Since the Other Side has not been subdued, but returns [the prayers] to Israel of its own accord, they remain flawed. But when they are removed from it against its will, by means of the staff of strength, as mentioned above, then the Other Side is entirely defeated and returns absolutely everything to the realm of holiness. Understand this; [so] it appears to me.}

He went and uprooted a three-parasang mountain and set it on his head— In other words, it overpowered and uprooted the prayers of Israel, which are “a three-parasang mountain.” “And set it on his head”—it drew the prayers, which are daat and compassion, into its head and mind. This is the concept of “Now the Serpent was cunning,” as mentioned above.

brought KuMTZa (ants)— This alludes to the master of strength’s prayer, which is KiMuTZ (constricted) and judgment, the concept of the aforementioned staff of strength.

and they bore a hole through it— This is the concept of “With his own staff You bore through the head of his arrayed troops” (Habakkuk 3:14). Through the aforementioned master of strength’s constricted judgment-prayer, which is a staff of strength, he subdues and defeats [the Other Side], because it sticks in its throat, as in “Strength resides in its neck.” And this is:

[the mountain] dropped on his neck— It stuck in its neck, as in “Strength resides in its neck.” And this is:

He tried to remove it— It is compelled to vomit out all the holy elements of the prayers and daat which it swallowed, as in “He swallowed wealth and vomits it out,” as mentioned above. And this is:

shinei extended downward— Not only does it vomit out the holy elements of the Jewish people’s prayers, etc., but also “God flushes it out of his innards”—i.e., it is compelled to expel its life-essence, this being the concept of converts. This is the meaning of “ShINei (his teeth) extended downward,” the concept of “its innards are sparkling SheIN (ivory)” (Song of Songs 5:14). In other words, it is compelled to expel its life-essence from within its innards, as in “God flushes it out of his innards,” the concept of “r’dei (rule) within your enemies,” as mentioned above.

How tall was Moshe? Ten cubits— “Moshe” signifies prophecy, because he was the master of all the prophets. “Ten cubits” alludes to the ten levels of prophecy. By means of the aforementioned staff of strength, through which the glory is revealed, one attains prophecy, as mentioned above.

He took an ax that was ten cubits long— “Ax” signifies the tools of the Act of Creation. This is the meaning of “that was ten cubits long”—it alludes to the Ten Utterances with which the world was created, which are the tools of the Act of Creation. Through prophecy one merits faith, which corresponds to the Ten Utterances/tools of the Act of Creation. Faith brings to believing in the creation of the world; that God created everything with Ten Utterances, as mentioned above. And through faith one merits the renewal of the world in the Future, when the aforementioned new song will burst forth. And this is:

jumped ten cubits— This alludes to the Song of the Future, the simple-[twofold-threefold-fourfold] song of ten letters, the concept of “ten cubits.” “Jumped” is the concept of “skipping over mountains, jumping over hills” (Song of Songs 2:8). “Mountains” and “hills” allude to scents, as in “I will take me to the mountain of myrrh, to the hill of frankincense” (ibid. 4:6)—i.e., the scents that grow in the garden by means of the voice of the melody, which waters the garden, as mentioned above.

This is the meaning of “skipping over mountains, jumping….” It alludes to the aforementioned melody which enhances the scents—i.e., the concept of mountains and hills. This is “skipping…”—it refers to the notes of the melody, the masin, which are played by skipping and jumping across the strings of the instrument. This is the meaning of “jumped ten cubits.” It alludes to the aforementioned melody, which is “skipping over mountains….” For it is through the aforementioned concepts that one attains the melody, and this melody is the aforementioned voice—i.e., the voice of yaAKoV, who subdues the AKeiV of the Other Side. And this is:

and struck [Og] on his ankle and killed him— He struck and subdued the heel of the Other Side by means of the aforementioned voice of the melody. This is the voice of Yaakov, who subdues the heel of the Other Side, as in “his hand grasping Esav’s heel,” as mentioned above.