Moses, Aaron and Miriam

35. "Then came the children of Yisrael, the whole congregation into the desert of Zin..." (Bemidbar 20:1). Rabbi Yehuda said: Why is the passage about the laws of the red cow near to the death of Miriam? The explanation was already established. HE RESPONDS: However, since the Judgment was executed upon this cow in order to purify the unclean, Judgment was executed upon Miriam for the purpose of cleansing the world, SINCE THE DEATH OF THE JUST ATONES FOR THE WORLD, and she departed from this world. When Miriam departed, the well that accompanied the children of Yisrael in the desert was gone. And the well of everyone was gone; THAT IS THE SECRET OF MALCHUT.

36. Rabbi Aba said that it is written: Now, you "son of man, take up a lamentation" (Yechezkel 28:12), about the virgin of Yisrael, THAT IS MALCHUT. HE ASKS: Is it about her alone? HE RESPONDS: No. It is only that everyone was broken because of her, since it was for her that the breaking of the right OF ZEIR ANPIN followed, THAT IS THE SECRET OF THE DEPARTURE OF CHESED DUE TO THE SEPARATION OF MALCHUT. FOR CHESED was bringing her near to the body, WHICH IS ZEIR ANPIN. And the body, which is the sun, MEANING ZEIR ANPIN THAT INFLUENCES MALCHUT, was dimmed for her, SINCE IT HAD NOBODY TO INSPIRE. This is the secret of: "save with Your right hand, and answer me" (Tehilim 60:7), MEANING SAVE THE RIGHT HAND THAT WAS SEVERED BY THE SEPARATION OF MALCHUT. ALSO, this affected the body, as it is written: "I clothe the heavens with blackness" (Yeshayah 50:3), since the sun, THAT IS ZEIR ANPIN, was darkened because of her. Similar to this is the verse: "And Miriam died there" (Bemidbar 20:1), BECAUSE THAT INDICATES THE DEPARTURE OF MALCHUT. AS MENTIONED ABOVE, THE WEAKENING OF THE RIGHT ALSO OCCURRED AND ZEIR ANPIN WAS DARKENED.

37. "And there was no water for the congregation" (Ibid. 2), since the well of above departed, WHICH IS MALCHUT, as well as the lower, WHICH IS MIRIAM. Then the right was broken, as it is written: "Aaron shall be gathered to his people" (Ibid. 24). HE IS THE SECRET OF CHESED, WHICH IS THE RIGHT. Following that, the sun dimmed, as it is written: "and die in the mount...and be gathered to your people" (Devarim 32:50), AND MOSES WAS THE CHARIOT TO ZEIR ANPIN, REFERRED TO AS 'SUN.' We see here that the right arm was broken and the body, which is the sun, became darkened.

38. Come and behold: there was no generation in the world similar to the generation when Moses as well as Aaron and Miriam lived in the world. If you say that the times of Solomon were similar, it is not so. In the times of Solomon, the moon was dominant, SINCE THAT GENERATION WAS RECEIVING FROM THE MOON, WHICH IS MALCHUT, and the sun was gathered, BECAUSE THEY DID NOT RECEIVE FROM ZEIR ANPIN, REFERRED TO AS 'SUN.' During the time of Moses, the moon was gathered, so THAT THEY DID NOT RECEIVE FROM MALCHUT, and the sun was dominant, AS THEY WERE RECEIVING FROM ZEIR ANPIN, REFERRED TO AS 'SUN.'

39. There were three siblings, Moses, Aaron and Miriam, as it says: "and I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam" (Michah 6:4). Miriam is the moon, MALCHUT, Moses is the sun, ZEIR ANPIN, Aaron is the right arm, CHESED, and Hur is the left arm, GVURAH. Some say that Nahshon, the son of Amminadab WAS THE LEFT ARM. At first Miriam died, and the moon departed and the well disappeared. Afterward, the right arm that always brings near the moon, WHICH IS MALCHUT, joyfully and with friendship, broke. Therefore, it is written: "and Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took..." (Shemot 15:20). Surely she is Aaron's sister, for he is the arm that brings her near in unity and brotherhood with the body, WHICH IS ZEIR ANPIN.

40. Afterward, the sun was gathered in and it was darkened, as we explained that it is written: "and be gathered to your people..." Happy is the generation in which Moses, Aaron, and Miriam existed in the world. During the era of Solomon, the moon was dominant, WHICH IS MALCHUT, in her correction, IN HER FULLNESS, and was visible in the world. Solomon was established in the wisdom of her light, SINCE THE REVELATION OF THE LIGHT OF CHOCHMAH IS ONLY POSSIBLE IN MALCHUT. And he ruled the world. As soon as the moon set, due to his sins, she became flawed day after day until she was located in the western sector, WHICH IS THE LOCATION OF MALCHUT ITSELF, and nothing more. Then, just one tribe was given to his son, SOLOMON, AND THE REST TO JEROBOAM. Happy is the lot of Moses, the faithful prophet.

41. It is written: "the sun also rises, and the sun goes down" (Kohelet 1:5), and we have explained this verse. However, "the sun also rises," refers to the time when Yisrael left Egypt, when the sun, WHO IS MOSES, was shining, and not the moon, WHICH IS MALCHUT. "...And hastens to its place..." since it is written: "and the sun goes down," BECAUSE MOSES WAS GATHERED in the desert with the rest of those who died in the desert. When the sun set, to which location was it gathered? "To its place;'' that is, so it would illuminate the moon. This is what it says: "hastens...where it rises again;'' and even though it was gathered, it assuredly "rises again," since the moon has no illuminating brightness except that which it receives from the sun. This is the secret of that which is written: "You shall sleep with your fathers...will rise up..." (Devarim 31:16). Even though you will be gathered, you will rise up to illuminate to the moon, which refers to Joshua, SINCE JOSHUA WAS A CARRIAGE TO MALCHUT.

42. And about him, OF JOSHUA, this verse is written: "what profit has a man of all his labor..." (Kohelet 1:3). That is Joshua, who strove to inherit the land of Yisrael, WHICH IS MALCHUT, and did not attain the full completion of the moon, WHICH IS MALCHUT, AS would have been proper. He toiled for Yisrael under the sun, MEANING under Moses, WHO IS THE SECRET OF ZEIR ANPIN, REFERRED TO AS 'SUN.' Come and behold: woe for that embarrassment, woe for that shame, that he worked UNDER MOSES and did not actually take his place, WHICH IS THE SUN, but rather he only had a place under the sun, for he had no light of his own, except the brightness OF THE SUN that was illuminating on him. What praise is then upon him if he could not fulfill completely either way, TO THE SUN OR THE MOON, FOR SINCE HE COULD NOT PERFECT HIMSELF IN THE LEVEL OF THE SUN, HE THEREFORE COULD NOT PERFECT THE MOON.

43. In every place where Solomon mentions, "under the sun," he speaks about his own level, THAT IS MALCHUT. For example: "I have seen under the sun" (Kohelet 5:12), and, "moreover I saw under the sun" (Kohelet 3:16), and finally, "I returned, and saw under the sun" (Kohelet 9:11). It is the same in everything that he spoke of his own level, and that definitely is the secret of the matter.

44. Rabbi Shimon says that HE DISAGREES WITH THE ABOVE MENTIONED: Certainly, the scripture writes about one who takes deadly poison alone, MEANING MALCHUT EXCLUSIVELY, WITHOUT ZEIR ANPIN: "of all his labor wherein he labors under the sun" (Kohelet 1:3). Who is under the sun? One says that is the moon, WHICH IS MALCHUT, and whoever is attached to the moon without the sun, DEFINITELY FINDS his labor to be "under the sun." That was the first sin in the world, MEANING THE SIN OF THE TREE OF KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL THAT CARRIED DOWN THE LIGHT OF CHOCHMAH IN MALCHUT FROM ABOVE TO BELOW. BY THIS, IT SEPARATED HER FROM ZEIR ANPIN, HER HUSBAND, AND TOOK MALCHUT ALONE. Therefore, THE SCRIPTURE SAYS: "what profit has a man (Heb. Adam) of all his labor wherein he labors under the sun." THAT IS SAID about Adam, and the same applies to all those who come after him who sin in that location.