“This combination results in the letters in mo’ed … so that all the days that had been with anguish will become festivals”!
Complete Kabbalistic sermon handwritten by the leading Kabbalist of Iraq, the living lion, Rabbeinu Yosef Chaim. This derashah deals with Kabbalistic topics of letter combinations and gematrias that can turn judgement into mercy. The Ben Ish Chai’s standard blessing appears at the end of the derashah : “May E-l Sha-dai come to our assistance and protect us and help us always, amen, may it be His will.” [Baghdad, 19th century.]
All manuscripts by the Ben Ish Chai are used by Oriental Jews in general and Jews of Iraqi origin in particular, as expert amulets, tried-and-true amulets for healing, livelihood and protection. This Kabbalistic manuscript especially, as it deals with turning judgement into mercy.
As is known, Chassidic tzaddikim and Kabbalists would change evil decrees by using combinations of letters and gematrias (such as changing the word כר”ת into כת”ר and the changing the word חר”ב into רח”ב). In this derashah , the Ben Ish Chai implements this method. Following are the main points:
Adam HaRishon blemished the letter א’ in the word אדם, and the letter א’ in the word אמת. A complex gematria calculation results in the blemish (הפגם) coming out to מ”ו. The Sitra Achra has 400 (ת’) forces of impurity (like Esav, who had 400 people with him), and adding מ”ו from the blemish results in מו”ת. After the Jewish people fix the blemish, Hashem will remove the מ”ו as in (תביאמו ותטעמו) into the ה”ר as in (בהר נחלתך), which results in “המור” as in (אלך לי אל הר המור). When this מ”ו is combined with ע”ד as in (עד תאות גבעות עולם), what results is מועד, so that in the world to come, all the days that had been with anguish will be come מועד – festivals.
Refer to the Hebrew catalog text for a brief biography of Rabbi Yosef Chaim of Baghdad .
[2] pp. 15×10 cm. Characteristic autograph script.
Very fine condition. Magnificent new binding, as befits this sacred manuscript.