The Tikun for the 24 Adornments of a Bride the 24 Letters Excluding the Letters אמ"ת
I would now like to present a novel idea to our royal audience, which HKB”H favored me with, concerning the concept that the trademark (signet) of HKB”H is “emet” and the significance of HKB”H throwing emes down to earth. To begin with, the Torah contains 24 “Kishutei kallah”—bridal adornments—namely, the 24 books of Torah, Neviim, and Ketuvim. These adornments are magnificent, spiritual lights that HKB”H adorned Chava with when she married Adam HaRishon. His intent was to have these lights bequeathed to all Jews descending from Adam and Chava. However, the “nachash hakadmoni”—the primeval serpent—the embodiment of the yetzer hara, caused Chava to sin by partaking of the Eitz HaDa’as. In the process, it infected Chava with 24 types of contamination, tumah. They corrupted and ruined the 24 bridal adornments of kedushah. This prompted HKB”H to give us the Torah, which is comprised of 24 “Kishutei kallah,” as a wonderful tikun for the 24 “Kishutei kallah” contaminated by the nachash.
Let us go back to the source. When Chava was created, it says (Bereishis 2, 22): "ויבן ה' אלקים את הצלע אשר לקח מן האדם לאשה ויבאה אל האדם"—Hashem Elokim built the rib that He had taken from the man into a woman, and He brought her to the man. They expounded in the Midrash (B.R. 18, 1): Once she (Chava) was adorned with 24 kinds of finery, then He (HKB”H) brought her to the man (Adam). According to the Matnos Kehunah, whose source is the Zohar hakadosh (Bereishis 48b), this is alluded to by the word ויבא"ה in this passuk, whose gematria equals 24.
In fact, the Zohar hakadosh (A.M. 79a) teaches that during the “cheit Eitz HaDa’as,” the “nachash hakadmoni” infected Chava with 24 types of contamination—tumah. They were aimed at corrupting and ruining the 24 “Kishutei kallah” of kedushah. This is the underlying meaning of the remark HKB”H made to the nachash after he lured Adam and Chava to sin (ibid. 3, 15): "ואיבה אשית בינך ובין האשה ובין זרעך ובין זרעה הוא ישופך ראש ואתה תשופנו עקב"—I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will pound you on the head, and you will hiss at his heel. In other words, as a result of the 24 varieties of tumah Chava was infected with by the nachash, the 24 “Kishutei kallah” of kedushah alluded to by the gematria of the word ויבא"ה were transformed into the anagram ואיב"ה, with the same gematria of 24.
Our master, the Arizal, provides us with an incredible insight in Likutei HaShas (Bava Kama). He teaches that the 24 “Kishutei kallah” emanate from the 24 illuminations of the 24 permutations of the name אדנ"י. In contrast, there are 24 corresponding primary sources of damage emanating from the klipah, the root of evil. They oppose the 24 adornments of a bride emanating from the domain of kedushah. In the words of the Gemara (B.K. 4a): "תני רבי חייא, עשרים וארבעה אבות נזיקין"—Rabbi Chiya taught in a Baraisa: There are 24 primary damagers.
Accordingly, the Arizal writes: Know that “G-d made one corresponding to the other . . .” Thus, the 24 “Kishutei kallah,” which are the secret of the 24 permutations of the name אדנ"י, corresponding to them in the klipah are 24 primary causes (of damage). Clearly, the source of the 24 primary damagers is the “nachash hakadmoni,” who contaminated Chava after the “cheit Eitz HaDa’as.” As a result, the term ויבא"ה—alluding to the 24 bridal adornments that HKB”H adorned Chava with—was transformed into its anagram ואיב"ה—alluding to the 24 varieties of tumah instilled in Chava by the nachash.
At Matan Torah HKB”H Restored the 24 “Kishutei Kallah”
We will now delight in the sacred words of the Megaleh Amukos on Vaeschanan (208). He explains what happened to the 24 “Kishutei kallah” after they were spoiled by the primeval serpent. They next appeared with the three Avos and the four Imahot, who were reincarnations of Adam and Chava. Due to their extreme level of kedushah, they were able to rectify the damage caused to the 24 adornments by the 24 contaminations of the “nachash hakadmoni.”
Unfortunately, the contamination and tumah of the nachash returned at the time of mechiras Yosef. This is alluded to by the first letters of the words (ibid. 42, 18): "ו'יאמר א'ליהם י'וסף ב'יום ה'שלישי", which form the word ואיב"ה, alluding to the 24 contaminations of the nachash. This prompted Yosef to accuse his brothers when they came to Mitzrayim to purchase grain (ibid. 9): "מרגלים אתם לראות את ערות הארץ באתם"—you are “meraglim” (spies); you have come to see the nakedness of the land! He hinted to them that by selling him, they caused the 24 contaminations of the nachash to return; the same was destined to occur as a consequence of the “lashon hara”—the negative report—the “meraglim” delivered regarding the promised land. This is alluded to by the punishment HKB”H imposed on them (Bamidbar 14, 32): "ו'פגריכם א'תם י'פלו ב'מדבר ה'זה"—but your carcasses shall drop in this midbar. Note that the first letters of this divine death sentence spell ואיב"ה. To remove the stench of this tumah and cleanse them of the contamination of the nachash, Yisrael descended into galus in Mitzrayim. Then, when they left Mitzrayim and stood at Har Sinai to receive the Torah, the perversion wrought by the nachash ceased. In the words of the Gemara (Shabbas 146a): "ישראל שעמדו על הר סיני פסקה זוהמתן"—Yisrael, who stood at Har Sinai, their contamination ceased. Furthermore, when they received the luchos, HKB”H reinstated the 24 bridal adornments in the form of the two luchos.
The dimensions of the luchos allude to this fact. For we have learned in the Gemara (Nedarim 38a), each of the luchos measured six by six tefachim—a sum of twelve tefachim. Thus, the sum of the dimensions of the two luchos was 24 tefachim, alluding to the 24 bridal adornments; thus, the 24 contaminations of the nachash were nullified. This is alluded to in the passuk (Shemos 32, 15): "ויפן וירד משה מן ההר ושני לוחות העדות בידו לוחות כתובים משני עבריהם מז"ה ומז"ה הם כתובים"—Moshe turned and descended from the mountain, with the two luchos of the Testimony in his hand, luchos inscribed on both of their sides; they were inscribed on this side and on that. Note the repetition of the word ז"ה in the passuk; its gematria is 12. Thus, two times 12 alludes to the 24 “Kishutei kallah.”
The 24 Chapters in Maseches Shabbas Correspond to the 24 “Kishutei Kallah”
The Megaleh Amukos continues the chronicle of the 24 bridal adornments. After Matan Torah, as a result of the shattering of the luchos and the “cheit ha’eigel,” the 24 contaminations of the nachash returned. Chazal allude to this in the Gemara (Sanhedrin 102a): "אין לך כל פורענות ופורענות שבאה לעולם, שאין בה אחד מעשרים וארבעה בהכרע ליטרא של עגל הראשון... אמר רבי חנינא לאחר עשרים וארבעה דורות נגבה פסוק זה". There is not a single punishment that comes to the world (that is inflicted upon Yisrael) that does not contain 1/24 of the overbalance of a litra of the first eigel . . . Rabbi Chanina said: After 24 generations, the account referred to in this passuk was paid up. Rashi explains that there were 24 generations from the “cheit ha’eigel” until the generation of Tzidkiah, in which the Bayis was destroyed. Thus, according to Rabbi Chanina, the punishment for the “cheit ha’eigel” was finally settled. This was “midah k’neged midah”—24 generations to get rid of the 24 contaminations of the nachash.
Based on this, he points out a remez related to the mitzvah of the “parah adumah,” which atoned for the “cheit ha’eigel.” In his commentary (Bamidbar 19, 22), Rashi cites Rabbi Moshe HaDarshan: It is comparable to the son of a maidservant, who soiled a king’s palace. They said, “Let his mother come and wipe away the excrement.” Similarly, let the “parah” (mother cow) come and atone for the “eigel” (its calf ). Hence, regarding the preparation of the “parah adumah,” it says (ibid.): "ו'כל א'שר י'גע ב'ו ה'טמא" –anyone who is touched by the impure person. Once again, we find that the first letters of these words spell ואיב"ה, alluding to the fact that in the process of atoning for the “cheit ha’eigel,” the Parah Adumah abolishes the 24 contaminations of the nachash that returned as a result of that sin.
In this manner, the Megaleh Amukos explains the rationale for referring to the kedushah of Shabbas as (B.K. 32b): "שבת כלה מלכתא"—the Sabbath, the bride, the queen. Hence, we adorn the kallah (bride) with the 24 “Kishutei kallah” by studying the 24 chapters of Mishnayos in Maseches Shabbas— eight chapters at each of the three Shabbas meals. This is alluded to by the first letters of the words (Shemos 31, 16): "ו'שמרו ב'ני י'שראל א'ת ה'שבת"—and Bnei Yisrael shall observe the Shabbas—which are an anagram of ויבא"ה. As we have learned, since the gematria of this word equals 24, the passuk "ויבא"ה אל האדם" alludes to the 24 adornments HKB”H bestowed upon Chava. This is the gist of his sacred insight.
Now, I would like to focus on a question that has bothered me for many years. Why are there specifically “24 Kishutei kallah”—no more and no less? Indeed, we have already presented the explanation of the Arizal that they relate to the 24 permutations of the name אדנ"י. Nevertheless, this, too, deserves further explanation.
