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As we begin the third week of the Month of Elul, the last month of the year, which serves as a preparation for the coming year (may it be a good and sweet year for us all) and particularly for the Ten Days of Teshuvah that begin with Rosh HaShanah and end with Yom Kippur, we are taking a deeper look at the Thirteen Attributes of Godly Compassion, which we repeat again and again during Elul and during the Ten Days of Teshuvah. The Attributes of Godly Compassion were revealed to Moses after the Sin of the Golden Calf and are:
Havayah passed before him [Moses] and proclaimed: “Havayah, Havayah [1] [is a benevolent] God; [2] compassionate and [3] gracious; [4-5] slow to [demonstrate His] anger; [6] abounding in kindness; [7] and truth [faithfully rewarding those who obey Him]. [8] He preserves [the merit of the acts of] kindness [9] for thousands [of generations]; [10] He forgives premeditated sins, [11] as well as rebellious sins, and [12] unintentional sins; [13] And He acquits [those who repent]….[1]
These are the attributes as revealed in the Pentateuch and we have surveyed them and their meaning in past issues.[2]
It is explained in the writings of the Arizal that within the inner dimension of these 13 Attributes written in the Torah of Moses, there shine the 13 Attributes found at the end of the Book of Micah:
Who is a God like You, (2) pardoning premeditated sins, (3) and remitting transgression, (4) for the remnant of His heritage, (5) He does not maintain His wrath forever, (6) because He loves loving-kindness! (7) He will return to have compassion upon us, (8) He will suppress our iniquities, (9) and You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea. (10) You will grant truth to Jacob, (11) loving-kindness to Abraham, (12) as You swore to our forefathers, (13) in days gone by.[3]
We recite these 13 Inner Attributes of Divine Compassion every day during the morning prayers. We also recite them as part of the Tashlich service on the afternoon of the first day of Rosh HaShanah. In our previous article on this topic, we explained the correspondence between the 13 Attributes of Divine Compassion in Exodus and the sefirot. Now, we will do the same for these, their inner dimension.
Who is a God like You and Faith
Just as in the exterior attributes of compassion, the first interior attribute mentions God’s Name, Kel, providing a clear connection between them. Faith is revealed in the aspect of “Who is a God like You,” matching the Sages' explanation that the word “one” in the Shema (“God is one”) alludes to the fact that God is singular and “there is none comparable to Him.” Specifically, this is known as the level at which God is the Paradox of all Paradoxes (נִמְנָע הַנִּמְנָעוֹת), as explained in Chassidic teachings.
Pardoning Premeditated Sins and Self-Nullification
The second interior attribute is equivalent to the tenth exterior equivalent, and so we will not repeat it here. As was explained there, iniquity or premeditated sin (עָוֹן) has the same letters as “humble” (עָנָו). About Moses the Torah states that, “and the man Moses was very humble, more than any person on the face of the earth.”[4] This parallels Moses’ own statement that “And we are like naught,” where the Hebrew word for “naught” (מָה) is the second syllable of wisdom (חָכְמָה), also known as the “power of naught” (כֹּחַ מָה), the power to self-nullify.
Let us add that the Hebrew word for “pardoning” (נֹשֵׂא) alludes to the Kabbalistic principle that the interior of the Father Principle (self-nullification) is the interior of Atik, the seat of faith in the supernal crown.
Remitting Rebellious Sin (Transgression) and Joy
As explained regarding the eleventh exterior attribute, here too a rebellious sin or transgression parallels the sefirah of understanding and its inner experience, joy. Let us add that the union of the Father and Mother principles (wisdom and understanding) is achieved through the power of faith. Indeed, the numerical value of the two—self-nullification (בִּטּוּל) and joy (שִׂמְחָה) is 400, the square of 20, illustrating the power of their unification. Just as with self-nullification, the Zohar states that the secret of the inner essence of the Mother Principle is the inner essence of Atik, the highest part of the crown and the seat of faith.
For the Remnant of His Heritage and Lowliness
The aspect of "the remnant of His heritage" and "the remnant of Israel," wherein one considers oneself like mere leftovers and superfluous matter for which there is no need thus fostering a state of lowliness. The Hebrew word for “heritage” (נַחֲלָה) is the secret of “grace unto her” (חֵן לָהּ), and “grace” is the eighth synonym for beauty in Hebrew, which corresponds to the sefirah of kingdom and its inner experience, lowliness.
The secret of the order of the first four attributes is that faith is drawn down into lowliness through the union of the Father and Mother principles, i.e., the union of self-nullification and joy. More specifically, the root of kingdom (lowliness) is in faith, but this root is in a state of concealment that lack being (הֶעְלֵם שֶׁאֵינוֹ בִּמְצִיאוּת) unlike the root of the other sefirot within the crown, which is in a state of “concealment that is” (הֶעְלֵם שֶׁיֶּשְׁנוֹ בִּמְּצִיאוּת), as explained in Chassidic teachings. Through self-nullification, which ascends to the highest aspect of the crown, Radla, and Joy, which extends down to the place of kingdom, the root of kingdom, utterly concealed, comes into being and is revealed.
He does not maintain His wrath forever and Awe
As explained regarding the fourth and fifth exterior attribute of compassion, the Hebrew word for anger is אף, and thus this attribute corresponds to awe or fear of God. Here, the sweetening of judgment occurs through the revelation of the root of loving-kindness within it, which is the interior attribute of compassion that comes next.
Because He Loves Loving-kindness and Love
This attribute reflects the awakening within the Divine Essence to bestow goodness upon others, as it were, through the Creation of the world. This desire, which is the reason that Creator revealed His infinite self before the first contraction (tzimtzum), is what overcomes His “anger,” which represents the contraction or limiting of His revelation. This is because the inner intent of the tzimtzum is not to conceal, but specifically reveal Godliness to the limited lower realms. The attribute of Awe thus is found to exist solely for the true preservation of Love; therefore, Love always overpowers Awe. This Love ascends (following the principle that “their end is wedged into their beginning”) back to the first interior attribute, “Who is a God like You,” whose kindness “is all day.”
He Will Return to Have Compassion Upon Us and Compassion
As explained regarding the second exterior attribute, Rachum, compassion is the secret of God returning to the person who returns to Him in complete repentance (teshuvah). As the Sages state, “In the place where penitents stand…” and “all sevenths are endeared”; this is the seventh interior attribute.
He Will Suppress Our Iniquities and Unification
The concept of suppression/subjugation (kibbush) refers to the subjugation of the five aspects of harsh judgment, the feminine aspect of the sefirah of knowledge (da'at) before its five aspects of loving-kindness, its masculine aspect. This is the secret of God commanding Adam to, “fill the earth and subdue it,” for “it is the nature of a man to conquer.” It is also the secret of the verse, “and Adam knew Eve, his wife.” Here the higher Mazal is in the secret of supernal knowledge, as explained in the writings of the Arizal.
And You Will Cast All Our Sins Into the Depths of the Sea and Earnestness
This parallels the final and thirteenth exterior attribute “He acquits.” Just as acquittal cleanses a person from all sin, so does casting his sins into the depths of the sea. Here we find the attribute that is related to the custom of Tashlich, whereby we rectify the state of “my splendor [hod, whose inner experience is earnestness] was turned into a destroyer.” The depth, or metzulot also refer to the sefirah of hod, which corresponds to the extreme known as “lower” (עֹמֶק תָּחַת) in Sefer Yetzirah.
You Will Grant Truth to Jacob and Truth
As explained above regarding the exterior attribute of “truth,” this interior attribute also corresponds to truth, the inner experience of the sefirah of beauty. More specifically explained here, “truth to Jacob” refers to Joseph, since truth is also translated as “fulfillment,” the inner experience of Joseph’s sefirah of foundation. “Truth to Jacob” (אֱמֶת לְיַעֲקֹב) shares letters with the phrase, “Jacob did not die” (יַעֲקֹב לֹא מֵת), the secret of the procreative organ, which is also called “a live organ” as a symbol of continuous service of God.
Loving-kindness to Abraham and Trust
Just as "Truth to Jacob" is the connection of the branch (foundation and truth) to the root (beauty and compassion), so “loving-kindness to Abraham” is the connection of the branch (victory and confidence or trust) to its root in loving-kindness. Trust is the firm resolve to execute the attribute of loving-kindness in actual deed. This is the simple meaning of the request "Grant… loving-kindness to Abraham": Abraham by nature always desired to act with kindness, but our plea is that "loving-kindness to Abraham" be executed—that he succeed in bringing the desire for kindness from potential into actual deed. This is achieved specifically through confidence or trust—"He who trusts in God, loving-kindness shall surround him"—meaning that God will continuously arrange circumstances so he can perform actual kindness.
As You Swore to our Forefathers and Will
The oath (shevuah) represents drawing down the force of the Will that transcends reason and knowledge into revelation. Its initial manifestation is in the intellect (mochin)—"our forefathers" (avoteinu). The root Av (father) also relates to Avah (willingness/desire). From earnestness of service comes true vitality and strong trust; through this, the power of Will is revealed, and "nothing stands in the way of the Will."
In Days Gone By and Pleasure
"From days of old" is the aspect of Atik Yomin (the Ancient of Days), the level of Delight. The aforementioned oath, originating from Arich Anpin (Will), is rooted in "days of old"—Atik Yomin—which is enclothed within the interior of Arich Anpin. The primary revelation of delight is in Binah. This is why the "lower Mazal" nurses the light of Imma.
Summary of the Flow
Simple faith is drawn down to kingdom—lowliness—through the union of Abba and Imma. The three attributes of loving-kindness, might, and beauty ascend and are integrated into unification, their source, according to the order of the Chambers (awe, love, and compassion, which are the Chamber of Merit, Chamber of Love, and the Chamber of Will, as explained elsewhere). Afterward, the three habitual attributes ascend to the root of knowledge in the Supernal Will, in which the pleasure is enclothed.
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faith |
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pleasure exterior: for thousands interior: In days gone by |
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will exterior: Slow to Anger interior: as you swore to our forefathers |
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understanding joy exterior: rebellious sins interior: remitting rebellious sin |
wisdom self-nullification int: pardoning premeditated sins |
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knowledge unification exterior: unintentional sin interior: suppress our iniquities |
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might awe exterior: Anger |
loving-kindness love ext: Abounding in kindness |
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beauty compassion exterior: Compassionate interior: will return to have compassion |
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acknowledgment (splendor) |
victory confidence (trust) ext: He preserves int: loving-kindness to Abraham |
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foundation truth (fulfillment) |
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kingdom lowliness exterior: Gracious interior: the remnant of His heritage |
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Click here for Part 1 of this article
[1]. Exodus 34:6-7.
[2]. Most notably, last week’s issue 208 of Wonders for parashat Ki Teitzei 5786.
[3]. Micah 7:18-20.
[4]. Numbers 12:3.
