52. "And Hashem went before them by day." "AND HASHEM" MEANS the Holy One, blessed be He, and His court of law, WHICH IS MALCHUT, BECAUSE THE VAV (= 'AND') OF VAV YUD HEI VAV HEI ('AND HASHEM') INCLUDES MALCHUT. Rabbi Yitzchak said, We learned that the Shechinah travels with the Patriarchs, BECAUSE "went before them by day," is Abraham, "in a pillar of a cloud," is Isaac, and "to lead them the way," is Jacob, of whom it is written, "And Jacob went on his way" (Beresheet 32:2). "By night in a pillar of fire, to give them light" is King David.
53. They are all the holy Chariot of above. ABRAHAM, ISAAC AND JACOB ARE CHESED, GVURAH AND TIFERET, THE THREE LEGS OF THE THRONE, AND KING OF DAVID IS THE FOURTH LEG. In order that Yisrael should be perfect in everything and that the Patriarchs should see their redemption, as it is written, "And I will also surely bring you up" (Beresheet 46:4) with the Chariot, and, "And Hashem went...that they might go by day and by night." HE ASKS, Why did they travel day and night? Let them walk by day, and not by night like people who are fleeing. If the Holy One, blessed be He, guarded them, AND THEY DID NOT FEAR, why did they march day and night. HE ANSWERS, So they should be complete with everything, because there is no completeness unless day is with night, AS DAY IS THE ASPECT OF ZEIR ANPIN AND NIGHT IS THE ASPECT OF THE NUKVA. AND ALL PERFECTION PREVAILS WHEN THEY ARE JOINED TOGETHER IN THE SECRET OF, "AND THERE WAS EVENING AND THERE WAS MORNING, ONE DAY" (BERESHEET 1:5).
54. Rabbi Aba said, We have determined, "And Hashem went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud," refers to Abraham, WHO IS CHESED, and "by night in a pillar of fire," refers to Isaac, WHO IS GVURAH. If so, we can ask: where is Jacob, WHO IS TIFERET? HE ANSWERS, In the first word he is mentioned, and there he dwells, as it is written, "And Hashem," WHICH IS TIFERET AND MALCHUT, AND JACOB IS TIFERET.
55. "And by night in a pillar of fire," in order to illuminate on this side BY DAY, WITH CHESED, and on that side BY NIGHT, WITH GVURAH. This was in order that when the Egyptians chased after them with their chariots and horsemen, THEY WOULD DROWN AND NOT EVEN ONE OF THEM WOULD SURVIVE, in order to glorify the Name of the Holy One, blessed be He. FOR THIS, HE NEEDED THE ASPECT OF GVURAH. In order to go day and night MEANS the illuminating mirror, WHICH IS ZEIR ANPIN THAT IS CALLED 'DAY,' and the mirror that does not illuminate, WHICH IS MALCHUT THAT IS CALLED 'NIGHT.' It was also done in order to fool the Egyptians so they would say that it was a coincidence, AND IT WAS NOT HASHEM WHO DELIVERED THEM. THEREFORE, THEY WERE TRAVELING DAY AND NIGHT AS IF THEY WERE FLEEING, as written, "The Princes of Tzoan are become fools" (Yeshayah 19:13). "He turns wise men backwards" (Yeshayah 44:25). Therefore, they traveled day and night.
56. Rabbi Aba said, Happy is the portion of Yisrael, for the Holy One, blessed be He, delivered them from Egypt in order that they should be His portion and inheritance. Come and behold, from the side of Jubilee, WHICH IS BINAH, there is freedom for Yisrael. And so in the future to come, it is written, "And it shall come to pass on that day, that a great horn shall be blown" (Yeshayah 27:13).
57. Because of that Jubilee, they were delayed for fifty days AFTER THEIR REDEMPTION FROM EGYPT to receive the Torah and to approach Mount Sinai. THIS WAS BECAUSE THERE ARE FIFTY GATES IN JUBILEE, AND IN ORDER TO BETTER THEMSELVES BY THEM THEY NEEDED FIFTY DAYS. Since they traveled during the day, they ALSO traveled during the night so that it would all be one day, and there would be no separation between day and night, WHICH ARE MALE AND FEMALE.
58. And even more, they all went at their leisure, according to their own desire, IN ORDER TO COMBINE DAY AND NIGHT, WHICH ARE MALE AND FEMALE. On the day that they received the Torah, there were fifty complete days and nights, as it should be. There is no day without night, and there is no night without day, FOR THERE IS NO COMPLETENESS TO ZEIR ANPIN WITHOUT MALCHUT, AND THERE IS NO COMPLETENESS TO MALCHUT WITHOUT ZEIR ANPIN. Night and day are called 'one day,' AS IT IS WRITTEN, "AND THERE WAS EVENING AND THERE WAS MORNING, ONE DAY" (BERESHEET 1:5). When they traveled fifty whole days, these fifty days of Jubilee dwelt upon them, WHICH ARE THE FIFTY GATES OF BINAH, and then the Torah was given to them through the side of Jubilee. Therefore, they traveled day and night.
59. Rabbi Aba said, It is written, "And it came to pass, that when Isaac was old, and his eyes were dim" (Beresheet 27:1). Why? We have explained that one who loves the wicked, HIS EYES BECOME DIM. Come and behold, in Isaac, WHO IS GVURAH, night is included, WHICH IS MALCHUT, and the night is not bright. Therefore, "his eyes were dim." It is all one, BECAUSE THE INCLUSION OF NIGHT IN ISAAC IS IN THE SAME CONTEXT AS THE LOVE OF ISAAC FOR ESAU.
60. Rabbi Yitzchak opened the discussion, saying: "And it was told the king of Egypt that the people had fled" (Shemot 14:5). HE ASKS, "And it was told." Who told him? HE ANSWERS, We have explained that his wise men and sorcerers gathered about him and informed him that the people had fled. Why did they say this? Because they saw, in their wisdom, that the people of YISRAEL were traveling day and night. They said they were fleeing and they saw that they were not traveling on the straight road, as it is written, "And they turn and encamp before Pi Hachirot" (Ibid. 2). AND THEY INFORMED HIM OF THIS ALSO. THEREFORE, HE CHASED AFTER THEM.
61. "And he took six hundred chosen chariots" (Ibid. 7). HE ASKS, Why 600 chariots? Rabbi Yosi said, This corresponds to the number of the children of Yisrael, as it is written, "About six hundred thousand men on foot" (Shemot 12:37). The word "chosen" corresponds to the men THAT WERE IN YISRAEL, who were the principal part of all the nation of Yisrael. "And all the chariots of Egypt," were all the other chariots that were secondary and behind THE SIX HUNDRED THAT WERE MENTIONED EARLIER. They correspond to the children IN YISRAEL WHO WERE NOT INCLUDED IN THE SIX HUNDRED THOUSAND MEN ON FOOT, BUT WERE SECONDARY TO THEM, as is said, "Besides children." He did everything according to the advice of his sorcerers and wise men. "And captains over every one of them." He did everything with wisdom, for they corresponded to the celestial levels - WHICH ARE PLACED two and one OVER THEM. Rabbi Yitzchak said, This accords with the Aramaic translation, 'stimulating officers,' for they were swift in everything.