All this is before we complete our partzuf of all the holy cities of the Land of Israel.
The Complete Partzuf
Now let us return to Be’er Sheva, with which we began. We saw that according to Rabbi Chiya’s interpretation, Be’er Sheva corresponds to the sefirah of understanding. Next, we also mentioned Shechem, whose root is in the sefirah of knowledge (da’at). These are two of the three intellectual sefirot. Only wisdom is missing. We can conclude that the overall sanctity of the Land of Israel is rooted in Chochmah (wisdom), as it is written: “Hashem founded the earth with wisdom.” The intellectual quality of wisdom, also known as the Father Principle shines throughout the Land of Israel.
Now we have the three intellectual sefirot in place, representing the general secret of the Land. Concerning it, it is said: “The eyes of Hashem your God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year to the end of the year.” The “eyes” signify wisdom, and Hashem’s eyes are upon the entire Land of Israel. This is why “the air of the Land of Israel makes one wise.” All of this relates to the idea that “Abba founded the daughter,” as in, “Hashem founded the earth with wisdom.”
Following this, we have the concealed aspects of Be’er Sheva (in kingdom) and Shechem (in foundation), as well as the three emotive sefirot (loving-kindness, might, and beauty) and the sefirah of foundation, which all correspond to Hebron. Then, there are the advising kidneys represented by Tzfat and Tiberias. When I imagine myself in Tzfat, I receive advice from the right kidney, which corresponds to active trust. In Tiberias, I receive the advice of the left kidney, corresponding to passive trust, a quality captured in the well-known phrase, “think good, and it will be good.” And so forth, each place and city offering its unique psychological and spiritual power.
- wisdom-chochmah חָכְמָה holiness of Land of Israel
- understanding-binah בִּינָה Be’er Sheva
- knowledge-da’at דַּעַת Shechem
- loving-kindness-chessed חֶסֶד Hebron
- might-gevurah גְּבוּרָה Hebron
- beauty-tiferet תִּפְאֶרֶת Hebron
- victory-netzach נֶצַח Tzfat
- acknowledgment-hod דֹהו Tiberias
- foundation-yesod דֹיְסו Hebron
- Kingdom-malchut מַלְכוּת Jerusalem
