A Prayer for Today: The Holy and Awesome Yahrtzeit of the Holy and Awesome Arizal, Who is the Inner Essence of Kesser d'Atik
Come and see how many miracles were performed for our ancestors on that day! The Jewish people crossed the Jordan River and traveled to Mount Gerizim and Mount Eival, a distance of more than sixty mil. No creature could stand before them, and anyone who tried to stand in their way was immediately crushed with fear. As it is stated: "I will send My terror before you, and I will confound all the people among whom you shall come" (Exodus 23:27). And the verse says: "Terror and dread shall fall upon them... until Your people cross over, Hashem" — this refers to the first entry into the Land of Israel — "until the people You have acquired cross over" — this refers to the second entry in the days of Ezra (Exodus 15:16). From this, we learn that the Jewish people were worthy of experiencing a miracle during their second entry just as they did during their first entry {being carried on eagles' wings, and the splitting of the Sea and the Jordan}, but sin caused this to be withheld.
They wrote the Torah on the stones in seventy languages. Two hornets accompanied them: the hornet of Moshe and the hornet of Yehoshua. The hornet of Moshe stood on the bank of the Jordan and cast venom and poison upon the Canaanites, covering the entire Land of Israel. The hornet of Yehoshua crossed the Jordan with them, and everywhere it went, it blinded and killed them. As it is stated: "Yet I destroyed the Emorite before them, whose height was like the height of the cedars, and he was as strong as the oaks; I destroyed his fruit from above and his roots from beneath" (Amos 2:9).
This connects to the Holy Arizal, who was comprised of all the Sefiros (Divine emanations), and whose soul was hewn from the Ohr HaGanuz (the Hidden Light). This is the secret of the month of Av, when the letter Aleph — representing the Hidden Light of the Seven Days of Creation — is integrated into the letter Beis — representing the building block from which the world was founded. Therefore, immediately after the night of Pesach — which corresponds to Tisha B'Av — we are obligated to bring the Omer offering of barley to the Holy Temple. This serves as the tikkun (rectification) of Malchus (Kingship) in the spiritual world of Yetzirah (Formation). For the word "Omer" has the numerical value of 310, which is ten times the Divine Name "Kel" (31). The Bikkurim (First Fruits) represent the secret of the firstborns, the secret of the rectification of the Primordial Kings, which are forty-two in number. This is why the Jewish people journeyed through forty-two encampments in the desert: to rectify these forty-two Primordial Kings. The Bikkurim, which contain the hidden forty-two names of the primordial Tabernacle, are brought to the Holy Temple to integrate them into Yesod (Foundation) of Yetzirah.
Along with them, the Shtei HaLechem (Two Loaves) are brought to rectify Netzach (Eternity/Victory) and Hod (Splendor/Submission) of Yetzirah. For Jerusalem corresponds to Malchus of Yetzirah. The Temple courtyards correspond to the Sefiros from Yesod up to Chesed (Loving-kindness). The Courtyard of the Israelites is Daas (Knowledge) of Yetzirah. The Courtyard of the Kohanim, along with the east, is Binah (Understanding) of Yetzirah. The Ulam (Entrance Hall) and the Heichal (Sanctuary) are Chochmah (Wisdom) of Yetzirah. And the Kodesh Kodashim (Holy of Holies) is Kesser (Crown) of Yetzirah. This is where the Kohen Gadol (High Priest) — who embodies the soul of the holy and awesome Arizal — enters on Yom Kippur. For the 5th of Av (the yahrtzeit of the Arizal) is literally the spiritual aspect of the Holy of Holies of the Temple, which is Kesser of Yetzirah. Furthermore, the city of Tzfat corresponds to Netzach of Yetzirah, and Tverya (Tiberias) corresponds to Hod of Yetzirah {as taught in the Kabbalistic work Chesed L'Avraham}.
Therefore, we bring the Two Loaves corresponding to Netzach and Hod of Yetzirah, in order to separate all the kelipos (impure spiritual husks) from Netzach and Hod of Yetzirah, for that is where the kelipos take hold. This is why Nadav and Avihu were consumed by fire: they wanted to completely nullify the kelipos from Netzach and Hod of Yetzirah. However, they were in the Tabernacle in the desert, and not in the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. In Jerusalem, a continuous fire burned, which descended from heaven in the shape of a lion (Arieh), to rectify all 216 Gevuros (Severities) — which is three times 72 — corresponding to the worlds of Asiyah (Action), Beriah (Creation), and Yetzirah (Formation). And all of this is rectified by the Holy Arizal on the awesome day of his yahrtzeit (anniversary of passing).
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