איתא בזוהר הקדוש (דרל"ז ע"א) כי ראה פינחס המ' פרח באוירא וכו' ושיתף אליה ר' ח' וגם ו' ונעשה רומח ע"כ, ונבאר זה לפי קט שכלי, כי שמעתי בה ממארי אא"ז כי ראה והבין שמלכות הוא בלא יחוד, והבין זה מעצמו כי האדם עולם קטן, ועשה יחוד וכו', ולהסביר זה בקיצור נמרץ, כי הבין זה מן מחשבות החסד אשר נפלו, והתגבר כארי ע"ד שאמרו (באבות פרק ד') איזה גבור הכובש את יצרו, וזהו מדת הגבורה מדת יצחק שמספרו ר"ח ואז עלו ניצוצי החסד משבירתן ונפילתן ונתגלה בחינת החסד על ידי הו', ונעשה בחינת רומח מספר אברהם שהוא חסד, וכן הוא בכל דין ר"ל הוא מפני שהמלכות הוא בלא יחוד, וכשתמצא בחינת חסד בדין אזי נמתק הדין בשרשו, ונעשה בחינת אברהם ועולה הטוב והרע נופל, וכן היה המעשה בנחום איש גם זו (תענית דכ"א ע"א) שאמר גם זו לטובה ומצא בחינת החסד שיש בו, ונמתק ונעשה חסד, והוא שאמר אליהו במעשה שהיה שם מעפרא דאברהם הוא, והיינו בחינת אברהם שהוא חסד, ואז הוא עלה והם נפלו ונשברו ודי למבין, כי יש בכאן להאריך, והמשכיל יבין על פי דברי אדוני אבי זקיני זללה"ה שהריש הוא חכמה וחכמה שורשה גבורה והבן: (דגל מחנה אפרים סו"פ בלק).
And when Pinchas, the son of Elazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose up from the midst of the congregation, and took a spear (romach)in his hand. (ibid. 25:7) Pinchas saw the letter mem floating in the air… and he attached to it reish-ches and also vav, so that it made romach.(Zohar 3:237a). I heard from my grandfather that Pinchas saw and understood from within himself that Malchus lacked unification – for a human being is a microcosm.7The Degel Machane Ephraim, parashas Pinchas, also writes: “I heard from my grandfather that [Pinchas] understood this from his own pure thoughts. Therefore, ‘he took the spear.’” Meaning, he perceived that the aspect of Malchus in his own mind had fallen, and so he raised it up by taking the “spear.” Thus, he made the unification [in himself].8The Degel Machane Ephraim also writes on this (parasha Vayikra, s.v. “Bamidbar Rabbah,” that the floating mem relates to the level of prophecy known as “aspaklaria d’eino me’ira” – “a vision through an unclear lens.” This was the level of prophecy experienced by all prophets other than Moses. The floating mem lets the prophet know the level of his clarity. To explain this a little further. Pinchas realized this from his own thoughts of fallen love (Chesed).9Every human emotion and characteristic, in its purest form, is directed toward G‑d. However, these emotions can fall to lower manifestations. Thus, the love of G‑d can become love of the flesh. According to the Baal Shem Tov, it was not the illicit act of Kosbi and Zimri that Pinchas saw, but his own inner fall – an extraneous thought of carnal love that entered his mind. This signified that the Sefirah of Malchus (where all thoughts are manifest) had fallen from its attachment to G‑d. This is the meaning of the floating mem; i.e. Malchus disconnected from its higher source. By overcoming the thought, through the trait of Isaac, he reconnected it to its source. This is the meaning of the romach. However, he strengthened himself, as it says: “Who is strong? He who conquers his nature.”10Pirkei Avos 4:1. This reflects the aspect of Gevurah, the trait of Isaac, whose name has the numerical value of the letters reish-ches (208). Then the sparks of chesed rose from their fall and brokenness and were revealed through the letter vav, making the aspect of romach, whose numerical value is that of Abraham (248).11Actually, the gematria of the word romach, when spelled with the letter vav is 254. When it is spelled with the vav, as it is in the verse, it equals 248; the same as Abraham – אברהם. This is true of every harsh Judgment, which occurs because Malchus lacks unification. But when you find the aspect of love in the Judgment, the Judgment is rectified in its root and transformed into the aspect of Abraham. The good ascends and the evil falls away. This also happened in the story of Nachum Ish Gamzu, who said “This is also for the good” (gam zu l’tovah).12Ta’anis 21a. He found the aspect of Chesed that was there, and so the Judgment was sweetened to become love. And this is what Elijah said in the story, that it was the dirt was that of Abraham; meaning, from the aspect of Abraham, which is love. Then it rose up, and they fell and were broken. There is much more that could be said here, but this should be sufficient to the wise. A wise person will understand from my grandfather’s words that the reish is Chochmah, and that Chochmah is the source of Gevurah. Degel Machane Ephraim, Balak
איתא בזוהר הקדוש (דרל"ז ע"א) כי ראה פינחס המ' פרח באוירא וכו' ושיתף אליה ר' ח' וגם ו' ונעשה רומח ע"כ, ונבאר זה לפי קט שכלי, כי שמעתי בה ממארי אא"ז כי ראה והבין שמלכות הוא בלא יחוד, והבין זה מעצמו כי האדם עולם קטן, ועשה יחוד וכו', ולהסביר זה בקיצור נמרץ, כי הבין זה מן מחשבות החסד אשר נפלו, והתגבר כארי ע"ד שאמרו (באבות פרק ד') איזה גבור הכובש את יצרו, וזהו מדת הגבורה מדת יצחק שמספרו ר"ח ואז עלו ניצוצי החסד משבירתן ונפילתן ונתגלה בחינת החסד על ידי הו', ונעשה בחינת רומח מספר אברהם שהוא חסד, וכן הוא בכל דין ר"ל הוא מפני שהמלכות הוא בלא יחוד, וכשתמצא בחינת חסד בדין אזי נמתק הדין בשרשו, ונעשה בחינת אברהם ועולה הטוב והרע נופל, וכן היה המעשה בנחום איש גם זו (תענית דכ"א ע"א) שאמר גם זו לטובה ומצא בחינת החסד שיש בו, ונמתק ונעשה חסד, והוא שאמר אליהו במעשה שהיה שם מעפרא דאברהם הוא, והיינו בחינת אברהם שהוא חסד, ואז הוא עלה והם נפלו ונשברו ודי למבין, כי יש בכאן להאריך, והמשכיל יבין על פי דברי אדוני אבי זקיני זללה"ה שהריש הוא חכמה וחכמה שורשה גבורה והבן:
(דגל מחנה אפרים סו"פ בלק).
And when Pinchas, the son of Elazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose up from the midst of the congregation, and took a spear (romach) in his hand. (ibid. 25:7) Pinchas saw the letter mem floating in the air… and he attached to it reish-ches and also vav, so that it made romach.(Zohar 3:237a). I heard from my grandfather that Pinchas saw and understood from within himself that Malchus lacked unification – for a human being is a microcosm.7The Degel Machane Ephraim, parashas Pinchas, also writes: “I heard from my grandfather that [Pinchas] understood this from his own pure thoughts. Therefore, ‘he took the spear.’” Meaning, he perceived that the aspect of Malchus in his own mind had fallen, and so he raised it up by taking the “spear.” Thus, he made the unification [in himself].8The Degel Machane Ephraim also writes on this (parasha Vayikra, s.v. “Bamidbar Rabbah,” that the floating mem relates to the level of prophecy known as “aspaklaria d’eino me’ira” – “a vision through an unclear lens.” This was the level of prophecy experienced by all prophets other than Moses. The floating mem lets the prophet know the level of his clarity. To explain this a little further. Pinchas realized this from his own thoughts of fallen love (Chesed).9Every human emotion and characteristic, in its purest form, is directed toward G‑d. However, these emotions can fall to lower manifestations. Thus, the love of G‑d can become love of the flesh. According to the Baal Shem Tov, it was not the illicit act of Kosbi and Zimri that Pinchas saw, but his own inner fall – an extraneous thought of carnal love that entered his mind. This signified that the Sefirah of Malchus (where all thoughts are manifest) had fallen from its attachment to G‑d. This is the meaning of the floating mem; i.e. Malchus disconnected from its higher source. By overcoming the thought, through the trait of Isaac, he reconnected it to its source. This is the meaning of the romach. However, he strengthened himself, as it says: “Who is strong? He who conquers his nature.”10Pirkei Avos 4:1. This reflects the aspect of Gevurah, the trait of Isaac, whose name has the numerical value of the letters reish-ches (208). Then the sparks of chesed rose from their fall and brokenness and were revealed through the letter vav, making the aspect of romach, whose numerical value is that of Abraham (248).11Actually, the gematria of the word romach, when spelled with the letter vav is 254. When it is spelled with the vav, as it is in the verse, it equals 248; the same as Abraham – אברהם. This is true of every harsh Judgment, which occurs because Malchus lacks unification. But when you find the aspect of love in the Judgment, the Judgment is rectified in its root and transformed into the aspect of Abraham. The good ascends and the evil falls away. This also happened in the story of Nachum Ish Gamzu, who said “This is also for the good” (gam zu l’tovah).12Ta’anis 21a. He found the aspect of Chesed that was there, and so the Judgment was sweetened to become love. And this is what Elijah said in the story, that it was the dirt was that of Abraham; meaning, from the aspect of Abraham, which is love. Then it rose up, and they fell and were broken. There is much more that could be said here, but this should be sufficient to the wise. A wise person will understand from my grandfather’s words that the reish is Chochmah, and that Chochmah is the source of Gevurah.
Degel Machane Ephraim, Balak