007 —ויעש משה נחש נחשת וישימהו על הנס והיה אם נשך הנחש את איש

Vaya'as Moshe Nachash Nechoshes Vayasimehu Al HaNes VeHayah Im Nashach HaNachash Es Ish VeHibit El Nachash HaNechoshes VeChai.

It is taught in the Mishnah (Rosh Hashanah 3:8) on this verse: 'When the Jewish people would look upward and subjugate their hearts to their Father in Heaven, they would be healed.'

It is difficult to understand: why was the serpent necessary at all? If a person was bitten by a serpent, why not simply look upward?

Furthermore, what does it mean to "look upward"? Is it not explained regarding prayer that one's eyes should be downward and one's heart upward?

To understand this, let us first investigate the matter of the soul's descent into this world.

The main purpose is to cleave to its Creator with love and awe, and the primary cleaving is through prayer, as the words are more accessible to human understanding.

Certainly, before the soul descends into this world, and even after it departs from the body, it cleaves more deeply with inner love and awe.

This is because the body does not allow it to serve Hashem.

On the contrary, due to the body's material nature, it compels the soul to also derive pleasure from physicality.

Even though the soul does not desire this, for its source is a portion of G‑d from above, and its will is to cleave ever more to its Creator.

It is explained in the Zohar: "One who does not transform bitterness into sweetness has no portion in this world at all."

(See Zohar Bereishis, page 4a, and the commentary of the Ramaz there.)

This is the entire purpose of man; he was created only for this.

For in the First Temple era, they did not pray at all, and even in the Second Temple, the Men of the Great Assembly instituted only a brief prayer.

Certainly, all their service was only along these lines: to transform bitterness into sweetness.

The idea is that judgments are sweetened at their source.

For all evil and judgments, G‑d forbid, that come into the world, their root and source that gives them life is good.

It is like the parable of the harlot with the king's son, as explained in the Zohar (Terumah 163a): her entire desire and will is that he not obey her.

And in this, she delights even more.

So that she will be beloved to the king.

But if she succeeds in seducing him, this is not the king's will.

This is the meaning of the Sages' statement: Satan and Peninah intended for the sake of Heaven.

Elsewhere (Sukkah 52a) it is said: "He set his eyes on the First Temple and destroyed it," implying that he was jealous of it^[1].

The idea is that the root of evil that gives it life is good.

As explained in the Zohar there: "Is there a servant who rebels against his master?!"

Even though there are many servants who rebel against their masters,

they are flesh and blood, and their vitality is separate from one another.

But the servants of Hashem, who receive their vitality from Him, and He gives life to all—how can there be vitality to something that opposes Him?!

The answer is, it is like the parable of the harlot with the king's son.

And this is what gives life to all evils.

Their root above is good, but as it descends below through the chain of worlds, it becomes truly evil and harsh judgments, both in matters of the world and in spiritual matters.

When a person experiences suffering, G‑d forbid, he should realize that he should not judge by what his eyes see, thinking it is truly bad; rather, its root is good.

For from Him, blessed be He, no evil descends—only absolute good^[2]. It is just that this good cannot be perceived because it cannot descend into the lowly world and remains above. (See Tanya, chapter 26, and Iggeres HaKodesh, "LeHaskilcha Binah.")

This^[3] is called: "Michla Dakik"^[4]—meaning that it^[5] is truly His vitality. (See Zohar Bereishis 8b: "like a fine thread…"^[6]).

This is the meaning of: "Bechol Me'odecha"^[7] (with all your might), as in the saying: "Tov Me'od"^[8] (very good). "Good"—this is the Angel of Life; "very"—this is the Angel of Death^[9], which is exceedingly good without limit or measure, except that it has not yet been revealed and cannot be perceived. (See Zohar, beginning of Yisro 68b, and the Ramaz there. Also see what is written on the verse: "Eileh Masei.")

This is the meaning of: "Yasar Yisrani Kah"—that it is at the beginning of the Divine Name, the beginning of its revelation, which has not yet been revealed and cannot be perceived, for not everything has been revealed.

This is the idea of Nachum Ish Gam Zu, who would say: "Gam zu leTovah" (this too is for the good), because he would truly contemplate that the root of evil is good, and he would elevate it to its source, to the place of nothingness, and there he could effect a transformation, as Rabbi Chanina ben Dosa said: "He who said to oil to burn…"^[10]

(See also the discourse on "Zos Chukas HaTorah," regarding: "Mi Yiten Tahor MiTamei.")

This is the idea of prayer within the body of a person in this world: the soul within the body suffers pain and affliction, for its desire is to cleave to its Creator, and the body does not allow it. Just as the Shechinah in exile is forced to give life even to the wicked, so too the soul is compelled to give life to the body. Its entire intention is not for itself, but to elevate the body from the dust. The body must be refined like silver in the hands of a smith: the more admixture there is, the more it must be purified and refined with a greater flame. So too, the body must be refined from the yetzer hara and brought to its source, like the parable of the king's son and the harlot. The greater the admixture of evil, the more it must be separated through a stronger and more intense fire in prayer, to cleave to its Creator. (See also Parshas Emor on the verse: "VeNikdashti.")

Therefore, in the First Temple, when there was not much evil, they did not need prayer with great fervor; their actions sufficed to bring the evil and judgments to their source through the offerings. But in the Second Temple, they began to institute prayer, and it was brief, corresponding to the need for fire and the admixture of evil among them. In our times, we must pray with ever-increasing fervor. And so in every generation, the lower we go, the more we must pray with great enthusiasm—not because the generation is more meritorious, but on the contrary, because the evil has increased and become more mixed in every generation, and it must be separated through a strong fire in prayer, to refine the evil within and bring it to its source.

Like the parable of the king's son and the harlot mentioned above. One should contemplate the vitality of the evil that gives it life—how does it receive vitality from the Holy One, blessed be He? For without Him, it could not exist, and Hashem gives it life as explained above—so in truth, there is no evil at all. Similarly, all the sufferings in this world: when one thinks along these lines, "Yisparadu Kol Po'alei Aven"^[11] (all workers of iniquity will be scattered). And as with Nachum Ish Gam Zu—so too all the righteous were along these lines, but Nachum Ish Gam Zu was able to change the flow from above to below, so that it was truly perceived as good in the physical world. Therefore, he is called "Gam Zu"—for it is perceived. (See Eitz Chaim, Shaar Leah v'Rachel, chapter 5, regarding "Gam," and in the Mahadura Basra^[12] there: "And behold, the Gam shines…"—this is a flow from the hidden world to the revealed world, called "Zu." Also see more about "Gam" in Eitz Chaim, Shaar Arich Anpin, chapter 14. See also the discourse on "V'Zeh Ma'aseh HaMenorah," regarding: "V'Anokhi A'alcha Gam Alah"—that is, the aspect of "Gam" will also have an elevation. And from this comes the matter of Nachum Ish Gam Zu.) But all the righteous, even though their thoughts were along these lines, the good remained above as it was at first, without the good being perceived below.

This is the idea of the copper serpent^[13]—it had to be placed on a pole^[14], meaning the serpent had to be elevated upward and people would look upward. That is, one should not think that the serpent is separate and thus truly evil and remains evil, but when one thinks of the serpent as being elevated to its source above, that it is not separate from Him, blessed be He, and its vitality comes from there, it is like the parable of the king's son and the harlot mentioned above—so in truth, no evil descends from above. Therefore, it was made of copper, which changes into many colors through nothingness. May Hashem have mercy.^[15]

(See about the copper serpent in Zohar II, Terumah 148b, and it is brought in Eitz Chaim, Shaar 49, chapter 3, and in Mikdash Melech^[16] there: the sweetening of the harsh judgments of the burning serpents^[17] is through the copper serpent, which is the Tiferes of the Klipas Nogah of Atzilus. And this is through looking upward, to elevate the Klipas Nogah to its source in the World of Tohu, and thereby the good within it is strengthened, for no evil descends from above. Then, the good in the Tiferes of the Klipas Nogah of Atzilus connects with the Tiferes of Kedushah of Atzilus, etc.)

Through the Tiferes of Kedushah, the judgments of Kedushah are also sweetened with kindness. This is the meaning of peace in the upper realms^[18], as explained elsewhere in Iggeres HaKodesh on the verse: "And the work of righteousness shall be peace," etc. And from this, peace is also drawn below^[19] in the chambers of Beriah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah, until even in the chambers of Nogah, the good is strengthened and the evil is sweetened. This too is through the Tiferes of Nogah, the copper serpent, etc.

But this is specifically through looking upward and subjugating one's heart to their Father in Heaven.

See also Zohar II (229a, 260a, 233a, 147a). See also Zohar Parshas Miketz (104a), and see Bereishis Rabbah, Parshas Noach, chapter 31 (33a) regarding the copper serpent. And similarly in the Yerushalmi, Rosh Hashanah 3:8.

Summary

This maamar teaches that all apparent evil has a root in good, and by elevating our perspective and connecting to the Divine source through prayer, we can transform negativity into blessing. The episode of the copper serpent illustrates how looking upward reveals the hidden good within every challenge.