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English Translation
Here’s the mareh in yeshivish normal English:
In Parshas Vayomer, there are 69 words, corresponding to the three rows of the Great Sanhedrin, which had 23 per row. These represent the Nehi (Netzach, Hod, Yesod) of Ze’eir Anpin. The first paragraph hints at the Rosh, the second to Chagas (Chessed, Gevurah, Tiferes), and the third to Nehi of Ze’eir. There’s a Nasi, an Av Beis Din, and the Shechinah above them, totaling 72. That’s why the chazzan repeats “Hashem Elokeichem Emes”—first “Hashem” for the peace of 72, then “Hashem” for the measure of the Nasi, “Elokeichem” for the measure of the Av Beis Din, and “Emes” for the Shechinah above, which is 21 times the name “Eheyeh,” which equals “Emes,” as in “Eheyeh Asher Eheyeh” (Shemos 3). The gematria of “Tzitzis” is 600, with the letters of “Elokim” being 120 permutations. The name “Elokim” also contains the name “Ben,” as in “Vayavo’u Bnei HaElokim” (Iyov 1). How? The five letters of “Elokim” have a milui (spelled-out form) of 13, then a secondary milui of 34, totaling 52, which is “Ben.” The secret of “Bnei Elokim” is 82, which is Beis-Daled, which equals “Ben.”
The Zohar says the four tzitzis correspond to “Tam” (complete) and techeiles corresponds to the sea since there’s a paroches (curtain) that separates Atzilus from Beriah. When one wants to gaze at holiness, specifically the techeiles color, they must shield their face, as gazing too much is prevented. The gematria of “Tzitzis” is 600. Gavriel announced to the waters behind them that they should be careful for Klal Yisrael, who throw their tzitzis behind them. That’s the meaning of “HaNitzanim Niru Ba’aretz” (Shir HaShirim 2), referring to the merit of tzitzis, and “Kol HaTor Nishma B’Artzeinu”—the sound of 600, the merit of tzitzis. This is what it says: “U’Vnei Yisrael Yotzim B’Yad Ramah” (Shemos 14), and “Vayishlach Tavnis Yad Vayikacheini B’Tzitzis Roshi” (Yechezkel 8)—the letters of “Tzitzis” are the same as “Ramach” (248). And “Miknaf Ha’aretz Zemiros Shamanu” (Yeshayah 24)—they merited singing at the Yam because of the “knaf” (corner of the garment). Four times “knaf” equals 600.
That’s why Pharaoh took 600 elite chariots, corresponding to the encampments of the Shechinah. “Vehaya Lachem L’Tzitzis” equals “four kelipos,” since the four tzitzis protect against the four kelipos, the four ru’chos hatumah (impure forces), as it says, “Choneh Malach Hashem Saviv L’Yireiav Vayechalitzem” (Tehillim 34). “U’Bechnafei Yonah” refers to tzitzis with its eight strings, whose gematria is Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov. In their zechus, we got this mitzvah.
Similarly, the words in all 18 brachos of Shemoneh Esrei total 938, excluding “Yehiu L’Ratzon.” If you count “Yehiu L’Ratzon” as per the halacha—meaning one says it immediately after finishing Shemoneh Esrei—then the total is 1008, the same as the 248 tefachim in a mikveh. “Tirachem Tzion.”
The milui (spelling-out) of “Shechinah”—Shin, Kaf, Yud, Nun, Hei—totals 1, which rides on 600, hinting at the secret of Metatron and Sandalfon, both of which equal 600. Rebbe Meir says (Menachos 41) that the punishment for missing the white strings is worse than missing the techeiles. It’s like a king who gave two servants a seal—one of clay and one of gold. Tosafos explains that tzitzis is a seal, a sign that we are Hashem’s servants. That’s the intention of the two times “Ani Hashem Elokeichem” in the Torah.
The Yalkut explains: A servant whom his master sold on condition that he will return—could he possibly become free? Hashem responds (Yechezkel 20), “If not… I will rule over you with wrath,” because tzitzis is the king’s seal on his servant. The secret of the four strings is that two white and two techeiles correspond to the four olamos (worlds)—Atzilus and Beriah are the two white, Yetzirah and Asiyah are the two techeiles. In Yetzirah and Asiyah, there’s din (judgment). That’s why the Gemara in Menachos (38) says that techeiles doesn’t prevent white, and white doesn’t prevent techeiles, but all four together are one mitzvah.
The Sheim Hashem of four letters has two levels—”Yud-Heh” in Shamayim and “Vav-Heh” on Earth. The four techeiles strings correspond to “Adnus,” and the four white correspond to the four-letter Sheim Havayah. White is the ikar since the name starts and ends with it, which is why the tzitzis start and end with white.
Tzitzis hints to two servants—Metatr-on and Sandalf-on. They are wings, receiving all sparks. One is a clay seal, which includes ten camels—”Tat” from “Metatr-on,” and one is a gold seal, representing the side of din, which is 280 dinim, corresponding to Sandalf-on.
