1. "And Hashem called to Moses"

Rabbi Elazar begins by telling us that through the higher letters drawn from Binah and the lower letters drawn from Malchut, the earlier generations gained wisdom in how to manage the activities of the world. They knew how to permutate the letters given to Moses at Mount Sinai. We are told about the two clouds of Moses, one over the Tabernacle and one over the mountain. Rabbi Elazar speaks at length about the movement, role and impact of the various letters and the ministers and angels associated with them. He says that when God called to Moses, the summons to enter the Tabernacle issued forth from the permutations of the letters.

1. Rabbi Elazar opened the discussion with the verse: "Ask a sign (or: 'letter') of Hashem your Elohim; ask it either in the depths, or in the height above" (Yeshayah 7:11). I looked at the earlier generations and the later generations. What is the difference between the earlier generations and the later generations? The earlier generations knew and perceived the supernal wisdom and knew to permutate the letters, which were given to Moses at Sinai. Even the wicked people among Yisrael, SUCH AS ACHAZ, were familiar with letters of supernal wisdom, FOR THE PROPHET SAID TO HIM, "ASK A SIGN (HEB. OT)." IF ACHAZ WAS UNVERSED IN SUPERNAL WISDOM, THE PROPHET WOULD NOT HAVE SPOKEN TO HIM THUS. And through higher letters DRAWN FROM BINAH, and lower letters DRAWN FROM MALCHUT, they gained wisdom that helped them manage their lives.
2. This is because each and every letter (Heb. ot) that was transmitted to Moses was crowned and rose over the heads of the holy supernal living creatures, THE SECRET OF THE SUPERNAL CHARIOT, WHICH ARE CHESED, GVURAH, TIFERET AND MALCHUT. All the living creatures were crowned WITH THE LETTERS, EVEN THE LIVING CREATURES OF THE LOWER CHARIOT, WHICH IS IN MALCHUT. They flew in the air OF YISRAEL-SABA AND TEVUNAH, which descends from the supernal air that is fine and unknown, WHICH IS IN SUPERNAL ABA AND IMA.
3. Both great letters and small letters would go up and down, great letters going down from the supernal chamber which is concealed from all, BINAH, and the small letters going down from another lower chamber, MALCHUT. All of these were transmitted to Moses at Sinai.
4. The joining of the letters, which secretly join in every letter, such as Aleph, which is a single letter secretly joined by two other letters, namely, Lamed Pe, IN PRONOUNCING THE LETTER. SO TOO, IN ARTICULATING THE NAME OF THE LETTER BET, IT IS JOINED BY YUD AND TAV. They were all transmitted to Moses at Sinai as well, and all are known in secret by the friends. They are fortunate.
5. "Ask a sign (Heb. ot)" MEANS literally a letter (Heb. ot). Everyone was conversant in the secrets of the letters. With Rachav, what is written? "and give me a true token (Heb. ot)" (Yehoshua 2:12). This refers to the letter Vav, which is called a true letter. If you infer from this that the other letters are not true, that is not so. Nonetheless, this letter Vav is called the true letter UNLIKE THE OTHER LETTERS WHICH ARE NOT SO CALLED, FOR VAV INDICATES ZEIR ANPIN, CALLED TRUTH, AS IN THE VERSE: "YOU SHALL SHOW TRUTH TO JACOB" (MICHAH 7:20).
6. "ask it either in the depths" refers to the last Hei of the Holy Name YUD HEI VAV HEI, while "or in the height above" refers to the letter Yud, the head of the Holy Name YUD HEI VAV HEI. This is the hidden meaning of the verse: "Ask a sign (lit. 'letter') of Hashem your Elohim" WHICH MEANS a letter from the Holy Name. It is implied by the verse: "A SIGN of Hashem," which is a name of the Holy One, blessed be He, one letter of it. The tabernacle, WHICH IS MALCHUT, WHICH IS CALLED YOUR ELOHIM, is based on this LETTER BECAUSE MALCHUT RECEIVES FROM ZEIR ANPIN, WHICH IS YUD HEI VAV HEI. THEREFORE, THE VERSE STATES "HASHEM YOUR ELOHIM."
7. Come and behold: When the cloud rose over the tabernacle and rested on it, all of those Chariots and all of those vessels of the supernal tabernacle, MALCHUT, were within the cloud. THEREFORE, it is written, "And Moses was not able to enter the Tent of Meeting, for the cloud rested on it" (Shemot 40:35). HE QUESTIONS: It is written, "And Moses went up into the midst of the cloud...and Moses was in the mountain forty days and forty nights" (Shemot 24:18). If Moses could not enter the tabernacle BECAUSE OF THE CLOUD WHICH RESTED ON IT, how could he ENTER THE CLOUD AND remain on the mountain for forty days?
8. HE ANSWERS, There were two clouds, one CLOUD which Moses entered AND IN WHICH HE REMAINED ON THE MOUNTAIN FORTY DAYS AND FORTY NIGHTS - THIS CLOUD IS OF MALCHUT - and one CLOUD which rested on the tabernacle. THIS CLOUD IS DRAWN FROM THE LEFT COLUMN OF BINAH AND MOSES WAS UNABLE TO ENTER IT. Come and behold what is written, "And the glory of Hashem filled the tabernacle" (Shemot 40:34). Literally it is not written, "filled," but "was full," WHICH IMPLIES THAT a fullness was achieved on high IN BINAH and below IN MALCHUT with THE ENCLOTHING OF THE CLOUD IN the tabernacle below. A concealed means of perfection WHICH IS CALLED "CLOUD" descended FROM THE LEFT COLUMN OF BINAH down TO THE SHECHINAH, WHICH IS CALLED TABERNACLE AND TENT OF MEETING, and the Shechinah was perfected.
9. Four aspects of camps OF THE ANGELS, WHICH ARE IN MALCHUT, CALLED LOWER CHARIOT were concealed BY THE CLOUD, WHICH DESCENDED ON THE TABERNACLE, WHICH IS MALCHUT. The first mending OF THIS CLOUD WAS in the first watch of the four camps OF THE SHECHINAH before everything was mended. The head of the right side is Tzadkiel, chief minister, superior of the camps under the dominion of Michael, and with him all the camps under him were mended.
10. One minister was placed in command over four TIMES three, WHICH ARE the four ASPECTS below, EACH COMPRISED OF THREE. When all of these supernal camps descend below, their names are changed into other names. When they remain on high, THEIR NAMES remain unchanged. That minister Tzadkiel stands over them from within and one letter glitters on their heads, a small Aleph. When this letter glitters, they all travel to the place where the sparkle glitters.
11. Inside them, THAT IS, WITHIN THE ASPECT OF MALCHUT, NAMELY TIFERET, is Raziel, high minister and superior of the camps, who stands within under the dominion of Michael, WHO IS CHESED. With him are all of the camps under him. A minister named Rumiel is in charge over them at the portal, surrounded by twelve ministers, three times four, FOR HE HIMSELF BEING TIFERET OF THE SIDE OF TIFERET COMPRISES TWELVE. FOR THIS SIDE OF TIFERET HAS THREE ANGELS, MICHAEL WHO IS CHESED OF TIFERET, RAZIEL WHO IS GVURAH OF TIFERET, AND RUMIEL WHO IS TIFERET OF TIFERET. TIFERET OF TIFERET ALONE ALSO CONSISTS OF TWELVE, JUST AS THE FOUR SIDES OF MICHAEL DO. Raziel, high minister, is in charge over them all, for his name is not changed. One letter glitters on the heads of all these camps, the letter Resh. When it glitters, they all travel in the direction of that gleam. This letter is prepared to punish those who reveal the secrets, as indicated by "poverty (Heb. reish) and shame" (Mishlei 13:18) AS THE NAME 'REISH' INDICATES JUDGMENTS.
12. Inside them, THAT IS, WITHIN THE ASPECT OF TIFERET, NAMELY GVURAH, is Yofiel, high minister and superior over the camps under the dominion of Michael; with him were fitted out all of the camps under him. Not all the camps here are revealed in terms of numbers. THIS IS THE ILLUMINATION OF CHOCHMAH WHICH PREVAILS IN THE LEFT COLUMN WHICH IS GVURAH AS EXPLAINED EARLIER. This is because they are not complete here until they come to the Eternal House, THE SECRET OF THE TEMPLE BUILT BY KING SOLOMON, where they all achieve completeness and the camps grow in perfection. That which is stated here IN REFERENCE TO THE TABERNACLE BEFORE THEY ACHIEVE COMPLETENESS is that all of these camps under YOFIEL were given over at that time to enter with him. One minister is in charge over them, named Chachamiel and twelve ministers surround him, three on each side as stated earlier. THUS, THE SIDE OF GVURAH ALSO HAS THREE ANGELS - MICHAEL, YOFIEL AND CHACHAMIEL - BEING CHESED, GVURAH AND TIFERET OF THE ASPECT OF GVURAH. AND CHACHAMIEL, WHO IS TIFERET OF GVURAH CCCIN HIMSELF CONSISTS OF TWELVE, AS DOES THE WHOLE ASSEMBLY, FOR TIFERET ALWAYS INCLUDES EVERYTHING. And Yofiel, high minister, is in charge over all of them, for his name does not change.
13. One letter glitters over the heads of all these camps, the letter Kuf FOR THIS LETTER GLITTERS ON THE ASPECTS OF GVURAH. When it glitters, they all travel in the direction of that glittering. This letter Kuf is suspended in the air and the Judgments in it are subdued three times a day. THIS IS THROUGH THE RADIANCE OF THE THREE SUPERNAL COLUMNS OF ZEIR ANPIN, WHICH IS CALLED DAY. HOWEVER, BEFORE IT IS MITIGATED BY THE THREE COLUMNS, it goes up and down, MEANING THAT THE CHOCHMAH IN IT IS DRAWN TO DESCEND DOWNWARD AND THEN THE KUF IS IN JUDGMENTS. THEN, one of these two letters - Kuf and Resh, which are the letters in the middle OF THE WORD VAYIKRA (VAV YUD KUF RESH ALEPH) - covers the letter Aleph OF VAYIKRA and one covers the letter Yud OF VAYIKRA, which follows THE LETTER KUF WHEN STARTING FROM MALCHUT, WHICH IS ALEPH.
14. Inside them, THAT IS, WITHIN THE ASPECT OF GVURAH, NAMELY CHESED, is K'dumiel, high minister and superior over the camps under the dominion of Michael; and with him were fitted out all of the camps under him. One minister named Ariel is in charge over them at the portal and twelve ministers surround him, three on each side OF THE FOUR SIDES. THUS, THE ASPECT OF CHESED HAS THREE ANGELS: MICHAEL, BEING CHESED OF CHESED; K'DUMIEL, BEING GVURAH OF CHESED AND ARIEL, BEING TIFERET OF CHESED. ARIEL IN HIMSELF CONSISTS OF TWELVE, AS DOES THE WHOLE ASSEMBLY. This high minister K'dumiel is in charge over them, for his name never changes. There is a letter over their heads, the letter Yud. When it glitters, they all travel in the direction of that sparkling glittering. The letter Kuf, as stated, covers this letter Yud and the Resh covers the Aleph OF VAYIKRA.
15. In the innermost, in the place called Kodesh (lit. 'Holiness'), BINAH, a letter glitters hidden and in secrecy. This is the letter Vav, WHICH IS THE CENTRAL COLUMN, WHOSE SOURCE OF ORIGIN IS THAT IT ARISES AND RECONCILES BETWEEN THE TWO COLUMNS, RIGHT AND LEFT OF BINAH. This letter glitters with a radiance over all the letters, MEANING THAT IT RECONCILES BETWEEN RIGHT AND LEFT OF ALL THE LETTERS IN ZEIR ANPIN AND MALCHUT. A voice issues forth from between these letters, THE VAV WHICH IS CALLED 'VOICE', WHICH IS INAUDIBLE IN BINAH, BUT HERE, AS EXPLAINED EARLIER, AMONG THE LETTERS OF ZEIR ANPIN AND MALCHUT, AN AUDIBLE VOICE ISSUES FORTH. THEN, IT MITIGATES THE LETTERS KUF AND RESH AND THE LETTERS YUD-KUF-RESH-ALEPH (YIKRA) ARE UNBLOCKED. Then the glittering of the Vav strikes the glittering of the Yud. This glittering OF THE VAV, which originates from the place called Holy, BINAH, strikes the glittering, MEANING THAT IT RELEASES the letter Yud FROM ITS BLOCKAGE AND IT ILLUMINATES.
16. Then the glittering of the letter Yud strikes the glittering of the letter Kuf. The glittering of the letter Kuf issues forth and strikes the glittering of the letter Resh and all of these glitterings issue forth and join into the glittering of the stationary letter Aleph, WHICH IS MALCHUT WHICH RECEIVES ALL THAT IS IN YUD-KUF-RESH, WHICH ARE CHESED, GVURAH AND TIFERET. A voice issues forth and strikes all the glitters of the letters together IN ORDER TO CONNECT THEM TO THE SECRET OF THIS CALLING, the glittering of the Vav to the Yud, the glittering of Yud to the Kuf, the glittering of the Kuf to the Resh and the glittering of Resh to the Aleph. The outlines of the glitters OF THE LETTERS join and then issue forth TO THEIR FUNCTION, FOR after the glitters are connected the voice issues forth from them and they are joined in the hidden meaning OF: "And Hashem called (Heb. vayikra) to Moses" (Vayikra 1:1). Moses used to observe all of these days that he didn't enter THE TENT OF MEETING, WHICH IS MALCHUT.
17. After this, the letters returned and were turned in their imprints by the permutation of letters which were given to Adam in the Garden of Eden, to induct the letter Aleph, WHICH IS MALCHUT, into concealment in the place called Holy, IMA. Then the Vav issued forth and yielded place AT THE BEGINNING OF THE WORD to the letter Aleph, and the Aleph connected with the letter Vav which is followed by THE LETTERS Kuf-Resh. The Yud, WHICH IS CHESED, entered between the letters Kuf-Resh to form Kuf-Yud-Resh. They were imprinted and glittered as before, and the voice, WHICH IS THE SECRET OF THE CENTRAL COLUMN, issued from among them. The glitters of the letters connected and emerged outside and were revealed to all the camps that traveled with these letters, WHICH ARE THE CAMPS OF THE FOUR CHARIOTS OF MICHAEL, AS MENTIONED ABOVE. When the glitterings of the letters join, BECOMING COMBINED, a voice strikes among them and their imprint is visible to all the Chariots IN THE COMBINATION Aleph-Vav-Kuf-Yud-Resh (okir). The voice returns from them and calls among the Chariots, "I will make men more rare (Heb. okir) than fine gold, and mankind more than the pure gold of Ophir" (Yeshayah 13:12).
18. Fortunate is Moses' lot, for he saw all this except the combination OKIR (Aleph-Vav-Kuf-Yud-Resh), which was not seen by Moses' eyes. Only the first combination Vayikra (Vav-Yud-Kuf-Resh-Aleph) did Moses see. This latter combination was not revealed to him, for we do not state one's praise in his presence. A sign of this is: "Come out you three" (Bemidbar 12:4). It is written, "And called to Aaron and Miriam" (Ibid. 5). It is also written, "With him I speak mouth to mouth" (Ibid. 8) and it is written, "My servant Moses is not so" (Ibid. 7). ALL OF THIS IS BEING SAID TO AARON AND MIRIAM NOT TO MOSES, because we do not state one's praise in his presence.
19. The letters arose in this fashion and returned to all of these camps in the combination Okir (Aleph-Vav-Kuf-Yud-Resh). The voice issued forth and declared, "I will make men more rare (Heb. okir) than fine gold..." Then the letters were drawn down and glittered on the heads of all these Chariots, and they subsided until they were set in their places.
20. The head to the left side, MALCHUT is Chizkiel, high minister and superior over the camps of all these who stand at the portal of the tabernacle, WHICH IS MALCHUT, under the dominion of Gabriel. FOR MICHAEL RULES OVER THE RIGHT OF MALCHUT AND GABRIEL OVER HER LEFT. With him are fitted at that portal all these camps under him. One minister named Gazriel is placed in charge over the portal from the outside. With him are twelve ministers who surround him, three on each side at all four sides.
21. These are the ones whose hands hold the blade of the revolving sword. This minister, Chizkiel, is in charge over them much higher on the inside. One letter glitters over their heads, the letter Aleph, WHICH IS THE SIDE OF MALCHUT IN GABRIEL, for these camps stand and travel only according to the secret of Aleph, which is the right - WHICH IS MALCHUT THAT ISSUES FORTH WITH CHASSADIM, WHICH IS THE RIGHT SIDE. For the left OF GABRIEL travels only with the right, MEANING BY BEING ENCLOTHED IN CHASSADIM, and the right travels always to the left, MEANING WITH THE INCLUSION OF THE LEFT. The Aleph is a letter, which glitters and issues forth from the right, MEANING MALCHUT FROM THE ASPECT OF CHASSADIM IN HER. Then, ALL THE CAMPS travel to that place where that glitter radiates.
22. Inside them, THAT IS, WITHIN THE ASPECT OF MALCHUT, MEANING THE ASPECT OF TIFERET, IS THE MINISTER Rahatiel, superior of the camps who stand within under the dominion of Gabriel. With him are all the camps under him. One minister named Kadshiel is in charge over them at the portal and twelve ministers surround him, four times three. That minister Rahatiel is in charge over all of them, for his name does not change. HERE TOO, IN THE ASPECT OF TIFERET THERE ARE THREE ANGELS, CHESED, GVURAH AND TIFERET, NAMELY GABRIEL, RAHATIEL AND KADSHIEL. One letter glitters over the heads of all the camps; it is the letter Zayin, WHICH IS THE SIDE OF TIFERET IN GABRIEL. It is exchanged with the setting of the tabernacle for the letter Lamed, MEANING THAT IT IS MITIGATED WITH BINAH, WHICH IS REPRESENTED BY THE LAMED WHICH IS A TOWER FLYING IN THE AIR. This exchange is alluded to in the verse: "He shall pour (Heb. yizal) the water out of his bucket" (Bemidbar 24:7), FOR BINAH IS THE BUCKET OF TIFERET. The Zayin is exchanged in the engraving of the letters and is called the substitute of Lamed. When this letter glitters on the head of all these camps, they all travel to the side of that glittering.
23. Inside, THAT IS, WITHIN THE ASPECT OF TIFERET, MEANING THE ASPECT OF GVURAH, is Kaftziel, high minister and superior of the camps under the dominion of Gabriel. With him are fitted all these camps under him, those which are entrusted to him at that time. One minister named Azael is in charge over them and twelve ministers surround him, three on each side, as we have established. HERE TOO, IN THE SIDE OF GVURAH OF GABRIEL, THERE ARE THREE ANGELS, CHESED, GVURAH AND TIFERET, NAMELY GABRIEL, KAPTZIEL AND AZAEL. AZAEL BY HIMSELF, WHO IS TIFERET, CONTAINS TWELVE, AS EXPLAINED ABOVE. And Kaptziel, high minister, is in charge over all of them. One letter glitters over the heads of all these camps. It is the letter Dalet, WHICH IS THE SIDE OF GVURAH OF GABRIEL, and they all travel towards the glittering of that letter. This letter is suspended in the air over two other letters, ALEPH AND LAMED.
24. Inside them, THAT IS, WITHIN THE ASPECT OF GVURAH OF GABRIEL, MEANING HIS ASPECT OF CHESED, IS Sham'iel, high minister. This one changes to four names, because he does not remain in his position. At times he is on the right side and at times he is on the left side, AT TIMES TO THE EAST AND AT TIMES TO THE WEST. HE IS NAMED ACCORDING TO HIS FUNCTION. With him are twelve ministers who surround him, three on each side, as we have established. Ragshiel, high minister, is over these twelve MINISTERS, under the other minister SHAMIEL. HERE TOO, IN THE SIDE OF CHESED OF GABRIEL, THERE ARE THREE ANGELS OF CHESED, GVURAH AND TIFERET, NAMELY GABRIEL, SHAMIEL AND RAGSHIEL. RAGSHIEL BY HIMSELF CONTAINS TWELVE. One letter glitters on the heads of all these camps, the letter Hei. This letter is suspended in the air over all the other letters, ALEPH AND LAMED, as we stated regarding the letter Dalet. These two LETTERS, DALET HEI, rise above all the others, FOR THEY ARE CHESED AND GVURAH WHICH ARE THE FIRST THREE SFIROT. They all travel to that glittering which is suspended from that letter Hei.
25. In the innermost in the place called Holy (Heb. kodesh), BINAH, one letter glitters in the concealment of Holy, the letter closed Mem, FOR THE CLOSED FINAL MEM ALWAYS ILLUMINATES AT THE LEFT SIDE OF BINAH. It glitters with a spark over all the letters - ALEPH, LAMED, DALET AND HEI - and a voice issues from among the letters. The glittering of this letter, THE CLOSED MEM, strikes and takes the last two letters, which are glitterings suspended in the air - namely, Dalet and Hei - leaving Aleph-Lamed, that connects with the others to the right, VAYIKRA. They strike each other and they all travel, and the first LETTERS, VAYIKRA, return TO GLEAM as before. They issue forth FROM MALCHUT outside TO MOSES, whereon "Hashem called to (Heb. vayikra el) Moses." THE CALL AND SUMMONS TO MOSES TO ENTER THE TENT OF MEETING ISSUED FORTH FROM THESE PERMUTATIONS OF LETTERS.