Rabbi Aba opened [his discourse with the verse]: "Fortunate is the people that know the joyful note; they shall walk, O G‑d, in the light of Your countenance." (Psalms 89:16) This verse has been explained. However, come and see [the inner meaning]. How meritorious are Israel to whom G‑d gave the holy Torah [the Written Torah] and taught His ways [the Oral Torah] to adhere to Him [through their learning] and keep the commandments of the Torah in order to achieve merit through them in the World to Come.

And He drew them near when they came out from Egypt, since He withdrew them from another dominion [that of the Other Side] and raised them to unite with His name [during the 50 days of the Omer until the giving of the Torah]. Only then were Israel called 'free men' in every respect, in that they no longer sojourned under someone else's [the Other Side's] authority. He raised them to unite with His Name, which is loftier than all [when they were raised up by receiving Torah and connected to the Name Havayah] and has dominion over the highest and the lowest [worlds].

In His love for them, He called them: "Israel - My son, My firstborn," (Ex. 4:22) similar to the above [as Zeir Anpin is called Israel and He is the firstborn to Abba and Imma]. Because of this, He killed all the firstborn Above [the ministering angels of Egypt, the first born of “Pharaoh”, the head of all the kelipot] and below [the firstborn Egyptians themselves] and He loosened and untied the knots and shackles [of the Other Side which grasped their supernal souls] in order to take them out. He made them free of everything [that enslaves body and soul]. Thus, [in order to show His love for Israel] G‑d did not wish it [their exodus from Egypt] through an angel or through a seraph, but only through He Himself. Moreover, only He could distinguish and know everything [who is a firstborn and who is not] and release the bonds [of exile]. All this was not within the authority of any other emissary, but only in His hand [which explains why He Himself came down to release Israel from Egypt].

Come and see [how precious Israel is in the eyes of G‑d]: on that night that G‑d decided to slaughter all these firstborn, as we have learned, the singers [angels] came to sing for Him [as usual] when night fell. He told them that this was not the time since my sons on earth are singing a different song [the Hallel recited at the Seder after eating the paschal lamb]. At midnight 1, then the north wind [of holy gevura] arouse and then G‑d wrought His vengeance [on Egypt, killing their firstborn].

Then Israel were singing their song [of Hallel after eating the paschal lamb] with loud voices and at that moment, He made them free from everything [from all types of bondage]. The supernal angels and all the Heavenly Camps together were listening to the voices of Israel. This was after they were circumcised and marked their houses with that blood and the blood of the sacrificed paschal lamb with three marks, "upon the lintel, and on the two side posts" (Ex. 12:23) [corresponding to the three sefirot: chesed, gevura, and tiferet].

What is the reason [why G‑d commanded the blood to be marked in these 3 places on the doorway]? It has already been explained [above - that these represented the Holy Name]. It is because it is a holy mark, and the Angel of Destruction [which came to sow destruction in Egypt] had mercy on Israel when he saw this blood that was marked on the opening. This is what is written: “And the L-rd will pass over the door and will not let the destroyer come into your houses to strike you.”(ibid)

BeRahamim LeHayyim: What does the above Zohar mean to you, and why is it being revealed to you now?

What is the door to spirituality? How do we enter the psychic realm? Through the Name of G‑d, Havayah. So we begin the Amida prayer: " G‑d! Open up my lips," and then we begin to praise Him.

Bracketed annotations from Metok Midevash and Sulam commentaries
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