"God said to Abram, 'Go away from your land, from your birthplace, and from your father's house to the land that I will show you....'"Why is this idea repeated three times? We have discussed here, here, and here that the forefathers, especially Abraham, embody the five spiritual entities of our world, which are influenced by Abraham's deeds. These entities are hidden and imperceptible, and they hide within each other, but they are the ways of God's interaction with the physical world.
Kindness (Chesed), which Abraham represents, has three foundations. The lowest is Victory (Netzach), which can also be translated as Eternity. It corresponds to "your land" because it is the closest to Rulership, representing the land and the female.
The next, higher level of Kindness is called "your birthplace" because it is hidden in the so-called mouth, opening, of the 'ever,' member, denoted by the letters A-V-R of Abraham's name," and is connected to birth. "Your father's house" is a hint to Wisdom and to the Supernal Father.
At the beginning of Abraham's life, the spiritual image of Cosmic Man, or Zeir Anpin, was young, and his brain was not fully developed. Therefore, Abraham was causing supernal unions solely through his Kindness. However, as Abraham's life progressed, he caused the Cosmic Man to mature and acquire Wisdom. Abraham is the forefather who is connected with Kindness, and Kindness has the quality of never deteriorating as it descends through the spiritual world. This caused him to receive an additional "hei" letter in his name, whereas Isaac and Jacob did not receive other letters.
Art: Willem Bartsius - Abraham Pleading With Sarah On Behalf Of Hagar
Here is the translation and elucidation by Rabbi Menachem Kranz:
ReplyDeleteHashem uses 3 terms in telling Avrohom to go, the Arizal is explaining that they represent the growth in spiritual levels that he needs to make to fulfill his purpose. Avrohom represents in the spiritual work the sifira of Chesed from the Partzuf of Zer Anpin, he has to totally embody that Midah of Chesed. At first Z"A only has the growth of his 6 main Sifiros and the 2 that are on the right side are Chesed &Netzach. What had to be added on is the Sifira of Chochma.
So Hashem starts off with telling him to leave "your land" that corresponds to the Sifira of Netzach, because it's the closest to Malchus which is called the land. Then he tells him to leave his birthplace that corresponds to the Sifira of Chesed, which I'd manly what he represents, but also this is what makes birth take place like the Zohar says "it is Chesed that comes out of the opening of the Yesod (called Ama in hebrew/aramaic).
Finally the last level which is needed is Chochma, because that is the Mochin (without Mochin there can be no Zivug like the Gemorah says a person cannot be aroused without Dass/his knowledge) this if represented by Hashem saying to leave "your fathers house" father being Aba the sifira of Chochma. (since that is the place were Leah comes out from that is why he mentioned her here.)
He also explains why only Avrohom got a Hey added to his name & not Yitzchok & Yaakov.
Avrom represents the 2 Yisodos of Z"A &Nukva. Avr is "the limb" meaning his Yisod, & end of Mem represents her Yesod/womb. But in order to be a Zivug we need the substance that is the Zerah of Z"A which is called the 5 Chasodim, so when Hashem added that Hey/5 to his name out represents that now they can have a Zivug take place. More then that he explains that for all levels & types of Zivugim to take place ask that comes down to the Yisod has to be wrapped in Chesed, because only Chesed has that quality that it won't get weakened on it's way down to the lower levels. It is Avrohom who represents that Chesed so only his name needs to have letter Hey added to it.
I hope I brought some clarity to the words of the Arizal.
Menachem Sholom Kranz