109. Come and behold, "And they said one to another (lit. 'a man to his brother')" (Beresheet 37:19). These are Shimon and Levi, who were brothers in every respect, because they both came from the side of Harsh Judgment, and their anger was therefore murderous anger, as it is written, "Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel" (Beresheet 49:7).
110. Come and behold the secret of this matter. There are two kinds of anger. One kind of anger is blessed above and below, and is called 'blessed,' as we learned from the verse, "Blessed be Abram of the most high El, possessor of heaven and earth" (Beresheet 14:19). It has already been explained THAT ALTHOUGH ABRAHAM WAS ENGAGED IN WAR AND KILLED PEOPLE, IT WAS STILL SAID OF HIM, 'BLESSED BE ABRAM,' BECAUSE HE SANCTIFIED THE NAME OF HEAVEN IN DOING IT. Another kind of anger is cursed above and below, and we have learned that it is called 'cursed,' as it is written, "You are cursed above all cattle" (Beresheet 3:14), and "Cursed be their anger."
111. Two mountains rely on this mystery, as it is written, "That you shall put the blessing upon mount Gerizim, and the curse upon mount Eval" (Devarim 11:29). They correspond to the two grades, THE ONE CALLED 'BLESSED' AND THE OTHER 'CURSED.' OF THESE MOUNTAINS AS WELL, one is called 'cursed' and the other 'blessed.' Shimon and Levi are from the side of Harsh Judgment, and from this harsh and rigorous Judgment, the accursed anger, WHICH IS CALLED 'CURSED,' is issued.
112. Come and behold, from the side of Harsh Judgment, anger travels in two directions, one blessed and the other accursed. Similarly, two sons issued from Isaac, the one blessed and the other accursed, above and below. Each went to his own side. One dwelled in the Holy Land, while the other was in the mount of Seir, as "a cunning hunter, a man of the field" (Beresheet 25:27). One dwelled in a place of desolation and ruin, while the other was "dwelling in tents," as it should be.
113. Therefore, each of the two grades, blessed and cursed, goes to its own side. From the former come all the blessings in the world from above and below - all goodness, illumination, redemption, and salvation. From the latter comes all the curse, ruin, blood, waste, evil, and all that is defiled in the world.
114. Rabbi Shimon quoted the verse, "I wash my hands in innocence, so I compass Your altar, Hashem" (Tehilim 26:6). This has already been explained, yet come and behold, the mystery is that no man in the world avoids tasting death at night. As a result, the Spirit of Defilement hovers above his body. The reason is that the Holy Soul leaves him at that time and, once it leaves, the Spirit of Defilement hovers above his body, and he is defiled.
115. When the soul returns to the body, the filth passes away; yet it remains on the hands. Thus, a man should not pass his hands across his eyes since the Spirit of Defilement rests on them until they are washed. When a man properly washes them, he is then sanctified and called 'holy.'
116. HE ASKS, How should we sanctify ourselves WITH HAND WASHING? HE RESPONDED THAT we need a vessel beneath and a vessel above. To be sanctified from the vessel above, the vessel below must receive the filth of impurity and hold the contaminated WATER, while the vessel ABOVE is used for sanctification, AS ITS WATER IS POURED ON THE HANDS. The one ABOVE is blessed, and the one BENEATH is cursed. We must not empty the impure water within the house so that no one will come near it, for HARMFUL SPIRITS gather to it and a man might be harmed by the unclean water.
117. A man should not say a blessing before he removes the filth from his hands. It has been explained that a man is called 'unclean' before he washes his hands in the morning. Once he washes his hands, he is called 'pure.' Therefore, a man's hands should be washed only by the hands of a man who was cleansed before, as it is written, "And the clean person shall sprinkle upon the unclean" (Bemidbar 19:19). He WHO ALREADY WASHED HIS HANDS is called 'pure,' while he WHO HAS NOT is called 'impure.'
118. Therefore, the vessel above is pure, and the vessel below is impure. It is forbidden to put the impure water to any use; it needs be emptied where no one shall use it or pass over it. It must not be kept in the house at night, for once it is spilt on the ground, the Spirit of Defilement abides there and might cause harm. It is considered wise to dig a hole for it under the ground, where it can flow unseen.