PESACH MAKKOS – A Most Amazing Letter and Segula – Rabbi Simshon M’Austropolia, the ARIZAL

A Most Amazing Letter and Segula

(Below was taken verbatim from the Arutz Sheva website)

For the first time in English, Arutz Sheva brings you the secret of the arcane acronym found in the Passover Haggada as revealed by the seventeenth century Kabbalist, Rabbi Simshon m'Austropolia, from the Siddur “Brocha u’Tehilla”. 

 One who is able to concentrate on the meaning until the end will be richly rewarded, and it was vouchsafed that "anyone who properly contemplates this awesome and phenomenal mystery even once a year, and on every Pesach eve, is assured that he will be protected that entire year from every obstacle, violent death, and any duress. His enemies will not prevail over him, he will witness the downfall of all who wish him harm, and he will succeed and acquire wisdom in everything he undertakes, Amen Selah."

(Original Hebrew version proofread and compared with many venerable and precise texts, intentionally arranged with the paragraphs and calculations divided for ease of use by the reader, according to the work of HaRav YA”Z Margolius, Ztz”l.)

Note by Publisher in Original Hebrew, 1945: 

 “I, the publisher, saw with my own eyes in 1944 in the concentration camps in Hungary during a time of distress for the Jewish people, that those who said this ma’amar all survived with the help of G-d.

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Letter by the Holy Genius, Man of G-d,
Rebbe Shimshon from Austropolia, ztvk”l

With absolute conciseness, what I wrote regarding the initials in the Pesach Haggada, Dtza”ch Ada”sh B’acha”v, when you asked me how the future Redemption is hinted at in this acronym. I shall now reveal it to your honor, according to what the Arizal wrote in his epistle entitled “Many Wonders”, Gateway #15 entitled “The Gateway of the Exodus from Egypt”, chapter 3, page 42:

“…And I have already informed you that Pharaoh was stricken by these Ten Plagues in Egypt by 3,280 angels of destruction who inhabit three dimensions of impurity;

one named “Shin Resh Ayin”,
one named “Tav Mem Vav Chaf”,
and one named “Beis Yud Shin Heh Alef”,
and over them was the higher ministering angel named “Daled Lamed Peh Kuf Tes” (another version holds the name to be “Daled Lamed Peh Kuf Tes Alef”),
and above all of them the minister called “Tav Kuf Alef”
- in the beginning.

And behold:

the third is missing ten,
the fourth is missing six,
and the ninth is missing six,
as written in the Torah.

Now we find,

the Egyptians were stricken in Egypt with Ten Plagues and on the sea fifty plagues by agency of the name “Shin Peh Vav” in which David ben Yishai is attached – and G-d said to strike and they struck them.

And by agency of the name “Tav Kuf Lamed” the Egyptians were stricken in Egypt with forty plagues, and on the sea two hundred plagues, and G-d said to strike and they struck them.
And by agency of the name “Shin Tzadi Heh” (another version holds the name to be “Alef Shin Tzadi Heh”), the Egyptians were stricken in Egypt with fifty plagues and on the sea two hundred fifty plagues, and G-d said to strike and they struck them.

And the same thing with which G-d struck, He healed the golus (exile); and what was their guilt and what was their sin and what was the crime of our forefathers for them to have deserved the iron pressure-cooker that was Egypt until they were redeemed by the agency of these names: “Daled Ayin Beis, Tzadi Daled Alef, Caf Shin Ches Beis”…”

Until here the words of the Arizal, see there, may his merit protect us.

Now our holy teacher and master wrote these words; they are closed and wondrous mysteries, with none to elucidate them. The great Sages of the Jewish people have already requested that I interpret these words of the Arizal and I did not tell them. But out of my great love for your Honor I shall reveal this secret of ours as the vision was revealed to me at night in a dream, and may the compassionate L-rd who forgives iniquity have mercy…

The explanation is as follows: 

What the Arizal wrote,

And I have already informed you that Pharaoh was stricken by these Ten Plagues in Egypt by 3,280 angels of destruction etc.

the meaning is this: the masters of Kabbalah Ma’asis have already stated that there are 3,280 angels of destruction appointed to the task of striking the wicked and punishing them in gehennom and purifying them of their sins, and they provided a sign to indicate this: “…to strike wickedness with a fist (egrof)…”; the word “egrof” is an acronym for the number spelled out in Hebrew Three Thousand Two Hundred Eighty (e g r o f, spelt “Alef, Gimel, Resh, Peh” – Gimel: Three; Alef: Thousand; Resh: Two Hundred; Peh: Eighty) angels of destruction who strike the wicked and by their agency the wicked Pharaoh and the Egyptians were also stricken.

Now I, writing these words, say this is an extraordinary secret, for when we calculate the gematria value of

These Ten Plagues, when written out letter for letter, equal exactly 3,280 – these letters totaling this sum, indicating the 3,280 camps of angels of destruction mentioned above appointed to punish and cleanse the wicked. This is an astonishing enigma that has never been disclosed. And the calculation is arrived at when in Hebrew we deliberately enumerate Kinim missing a Yud, Arov missing a Vav, and Choshech missing a Vav.

And this is what the Arizal wrote:

The third is missing ten.
meaning, the third plague which is Kinim (lice) is missing a Yud, gematria ten.

The fourth is missing six.
Meaning, the fourth plague which is Arov (wild beasts) is missing a Vav, gematria six.

And the ninth is missing six.
The ninth plague, which is Choshech (darkness), is missing a Vav, gematria six.

And what the Arizal wrote

…as written in the Torah.
means that precisely so these words are written in the Torah, missing those very letters we just mentioned – written in the Torah in Parshas VaEirah: Kinim missing a Yud, Arov missing a Vav, and Choshech missing a Vav – unlike the versions written in the prayer books as transcribed from the author of the Haggadah, with all those words correctly spelled with the missing letters. Rather, “as written in the Torah”. When we calculate it this way the sum equals no less and no more than 3,280 angels of destruction punishing the wicked, and they punished the Egyptians and struck Pharaoh and the Egyptians in Egypt with these three dimensions of impurity.

And regarding the Arizal’s words, that these

3,280 angels of destruction who inhabit three dimensions of impurity;

one is named “Shin Resh Ayin”,
one is named “Tav Mem Vav Chaf”,
and one is named “Beis Yud Shin Heh Alef”
- also here we find a great, wondrous, and awesome secret that the author of the Haggadah inserted here when he wrote

“these are the Ten Plagues that (G-d) brought” (in Hebrew: “aylu eser makos sh’hayvee”):

“eser” (spelled Ayin Shin Resh) are the very letters Shin Resh Ayin;
“makos” (spelled Mem Chaf Vav Tav) are the very letters Tav Mem Vav Chaf;
“sh’hayvee” (spelled Shin Heh Beis Yud Alef) are the very letters Beis Yud Shin Heh Alef -
within these letters are alluded the dimensions of impurity which the 3,280 angels of destruction inhabit who assaulted Pharaoh and struck Egypt with the number of blows that G-d brought, the numbers alluded to in these Ten Plagues, and this is a stunning phenomenon.

And what the Arizal wrote:

and over them was the higher ministering angel named “Daled Lamed Peh Kuf Tes”

By “over them” he meant that this acronym is the root from which the Hebrew word for “the Egyptians” – “HaMitzrim” – sprouted; with the letters that precede the letters Heh Mem Tzadi Resh Yud Mem:

Daled precedes Heh;
Lamed precedes Mem;
Peh precedes Tzadi;
Kuf precedes Resh;
Tes precedes Yud
and the final Mem of the word HaMitzrim only makes the word plural and is not part of the word’s root. The author of the Haggadah alluded to this in writing “Ten Plagues that G-d brought al HaMitzrim (on the Egyptians)”, connoting the letters that precede the letters HaMitzrim. Ponder this well. This is what I received, may the Good L-rd atone my sins.

And what the Arizal wrote

and above all of them the minister called in the beginning,

the meaning is that the acronym formed by the first letters of the Ten Plagues, Dtza”ch Ada”sh B’acha”v, equal the gematria Tav Kuf Alef (501) – the exact numeric value of the Ministering Angel’s name:

And by saying “in the beginning” the Arizal meant that these letters are the beginning letters of each plague. (This is also the numeric value of the word “asher” (“that”), revealing the secret meaning of the verse “…es asher hisalallti b’Mitzrayim…” – “…that I manipulated Egypt…”, and thousands of similar verses where the word “asher” appears, to signal the numeric value of the above mentioned acronym derived from the Ten Plagues. We have magnificent mysteries and many associations connected with this; G-d in His Glory has left much hidden).

The Arizal’s words

the Egyptians were stricken in Egypt with Ten Plagues and on the sea fifty plagues by agency of the name “Shin Peh Vav” etc.

allude to an astonishing mystery, the dispute between Rebbe Yossi HaGlilli, Rebbe Eliezer, and Rebbe Akiva that is cited in the Haggadah:

Rebbe Yossi HaGlilli says: 

Which source teaches that the Egyptians were struck by ten plagues in Egypt and fifty plagues at the Sea? Concerning the plagues in Egypt, it is written: “The sorcerers told Pharaoh: ‘This is the finger of G-d.’” With regard to the events that took place at the Sea, it is written: “When Israel saw the great hand that G-d wielded against the Egyptians, the people feared G-d. The believed in G-d and in Moshe, His servant.” How many plagues were they stricken with by the “finger”? Ten. Thus it follows that they were stricken by ten plagues in Egypt and fifty at the Sea. (Ten “fingers” multiplied by one “hand” (five fingers) equal fifty.)

Rebbe Eliezer says: 

Which source teaches that every plague that G-d wrought against the Egyptians consisted of four plagues each? It is written:

“He unleashed upon them His burning anger:
1) wrath,
2) fury,
3) distress, and
4) a contingent of evil-bearing-messengers.”

Wrath, one plague; fury, a second; distress, a third; and a contingent of evil-bearing-messengers, a fourth. Thus, we may conclude that they were stricken by forty plagues in Egypt and by two hundred at the Sea. (Ten “fingers” consisting of four plagues each – forty – multiplied by one “hand” (five fingers) equal two hundred.)

Rebbe Akiva says: 

 Which source teaches that every plague that G-d wrought against the Egyptians consisted of five plagues each? It is written:

“He unleashed upon them:
1) His burning anger,
2) wrath,
3) fury,
4) distress, and
5) a contingent of evil-bearing-messengers.”

His burning anger, one plague; wrath, a second; fury, a third; distress, a fourth; and a contingent of evil-bearing-messengers, a fifth. Thus, we may conclude that they were stricken by fifty plagues in Egypt and by two hundred fifty at the Sea.

The words of the Arizal are the secret of “Rebbe Yossi HaGlilli” – the same numeric value as Shin Peh Vav (386) – worded with literal, precise intention – “Rebbe Yossi HaGlilli said…”, meaning, “the Name Shin Peh Vav said - and struck them…”

And where the Arizal wrote

the Egyptians were stricken in Egypt with Ten Plagues and on the sea fifty plagues by agency of the name “Shin Peh Vav” in which David ben Yishai is attached

means that “David ben Yishai” also has numeric value of Shin Peh Vav – 386 – and with that very name He struck them. This reveals a staggering mystery, as Rebbe Yossi HaGlilli was a reincarnated manifestation* of David ben Yishai, and Moshiach ben Yishai will appear to the world with this very name. This itself involves awesome and incredible enigmas, but the plain meaning remains as stated here, that Rebbe Yossi HaGlilli, gematria Shin Peh Vav, spoke - and He struck them.

And what the Arizal wrote

And by agency of the name “Tav Kuf Lamed” the Egyptians were stricken in Egypt with forty plagues, and on the sea two hundred plagues

alludes to the mystery that “Rebbe Eliezer” has the same numeric value as “Tav Kuf Lamed” – 530. That is, Rebbe Eliezer, specifically, whose name is the gematria Tav Kuf Lamed, spoke and He struck them. “Rebbe Eliezer says…” – Rebbe Eliezer, who holds that the Name Tav Kuf Lamed caused the Egyptians to be stricken.

And what the Arizal wrote

And by agency of the name “Shin Tzadi Heh” (another version holds the name to be “Alef Shin Tzadi Heh”), the Egyptians were stricken in Egypt with fifty plagues and on the sea two hundred fifty plagues

- alludes to the mystery that “Rebbe Akiva” has the same numeric value of “Shin Tzadi Heh” – 395, meaning that Rebbe Akiva - whose name is gematria Shin Tzadi Heh - said that the Name Shin Tzadi Heh spoke and G-d struck them, etc.

Each and every one of these Sages spoke according to the method of his soul root, alluded to in these three names, Shin Peh Vav, Tav Kuf Lamed, Alef Shin Tzadi Heh, corresponding in essence to these three Sages, Rebbe Yossi HaGlilli gematria Shin Peh Vav, Rebbe Eliezer gematria Tav Kuf Lamed, and Rebbe Akiva gematria Alef Shin Tzadi Heh. This mystery is simply supernatural and among the most hidden of all hidden secrets, as I wrote to your Honor, and may the compassionate L-rd who forgives sin have mercy.

And what the Arizal wrote

And the same thing with which G-d struck, He healed the golus (exile)

is as I already wrote to you, that in these Ten Plagues are alluded the reason for Israel’s going down into exile – that the letters Dtza”ch Ada”sh B’acha”v are the secret of Israel’s descent into Egypt.* With this G-d healed us while administering them a vigorous beating – and this is the “finger of the L-rd” – that from the blow itself dealt to the enemy comes the healing to Israel, that within those Plagues are alluded the cure with which G-d redeemed them.

And where the Arizal says

and what was their guilt and what was their sin and what was the crime of our forefathers for them to have deserved the iron pressure-cooker that was Egypt until they were redeemed by the agency of these names

it means that in these Plagues are alluded the sin of our forefathers that caused them to descend to Egypt, and in those very Plagues are alluded the remedy with which G-d redeemed them.

And the Arizal’s words

until they were redeemed by the agency of these names: “Daled Ayin Beis, Tzadi Daled Alef, Caf Shin Ches Beis”

mean that “Daled Ayin Beis” are the first letters of Dtza”ch Ada”sh B’acha”v, and then comes the Name Tzadi Daled Alef, which are the second letters of Dtza”ch Ada”sh B’acha”v, and then comes the Name Caf Shin Ches Beis which are the third letters of Dtza”ch Ada”sh B’acha”v with which G-d redeemed us.

Thus the same Plagues that afflicted Egypt contain and allude to the cure and redemption of Israel. The secret of the initials Dtza”ch Ada”sh B’acha”v refer to the ministering angel appointed over all the angels of destruction who struck the Egyptians in Egypt, and these letters allude to the reason of the descent to Egypt, and in these letters are intimated also the redemption and healing of Israel. These letters contain the secret of the transubstantiation of affliction and cure.

May it be the Will of the Blessed Holy One that we may see the coming of our Moshiach with the angels associated with the final redemption speedily, in our days, and in us may there be the fulfillment of the verse, “And as in the days of your exodus from Egypt I will show you wonders,” Amen, Netzach, Selah Va’ed.

Afterwards, the secret was revealed to me that everyone who properly contemplates this awesome and phenomenal mystery even once a year, and on every Pesach eve, is assured that he will be protected that entire year from every obstacle, violent death, and any duress. His enemies will not prevail over him, he will witness the downfall of all who wish him harm, and he will succeed and acquire wisdom in everything he undertakes, Amen Selah.

Rebbe Shimshon from Austropolia, ZTZ”L

Words of the publisher: 

“I heard from our teacher, HaRav m’Baranov Ztvk”l that the Holy and Awesome Rebbe Shimshon from Austropolia Zy”a was murdered in the year 1648 in great cruelty as he stood in shul davenning, wrapped in his tallis and crowned with his tefillin. The cruel murderers sharpened a long branch and impaled him from behind; the Holy Rebbe was so absorbed in his prayers that he felt nothing that they did to him the entire time until the point of the spear reached his brain and penetrated out of his skull, at which time he fell in the House of G-d and was gathered unto his people while being in the midst of holy unifications, may his blood be avenged.”

This is what the Chid”a writes in his sefer Shem HaG’dolim:

“HaRav R’ Shimshon m’Austropolia was holy and authored many works on Kaballah as he himself mentions in his introduction to his sefer Dan YaDin. He had a Maggid – a teacher from the World of Truth; he lived in the days of the Gaon Moreinu Yehoshua m’Krakow HaRav HaPnei Yehoshua Sha’alos u’Tshuvos as one can see in the likkutim in that sefer. In our many sins he was murdered as he stood in the Beis HaKnesses wrapped in his tallis and tefillin.”

I heard from my father-in-law that once he was in Sadigora by the Holy Rabbi Rav A”Y Z”L, and one of the Holy Rav’s sons asked him to try to find the book “Machane Dan” by the Kabbalist Rebbe Shimshon, because they knew that Austropolia was not far from my father-in-law’s town of Old Constantine. So it was that when he arrived home he exerted great efforts and wrote many Rabbonim in the area to search for this book. He posted a reward of three thousand reinush for whoever found it, as the sons of the Holy Rav of Sadigora promised to pay him this amount if he would find the book or a manuscript.

And every single one of the Rabonnim answered him that the book was not in existence. Afterwards, when he came another time to Sadigora and reported that he received an answer from all the Rabonnim of the area that this book was absolutely nowhere to be found – then Rav Nachum Ber Z”l answered my father-in-law that they have received word that came down from their elders all the way back from the Maggid of Mezritch Z”l, who heard from his Rav the Ba’al Shem Tov Z”l, that if only the Jewish people would merit to learn Sefer HaZohar with the commentary Machane Dan by Rebbe Shimshon Z”l from Austropolia, through this they would hasten the Final Redemption and the coming of the Moshiach, however, because of our many sins, Israel has not merited this, and for this reason the book has been lost to the world. It is amazing to note that in sefer Dan YaDin by that Kabbalist, Rebbe Shimshon, he writes many times: “And see in my sefer Machane Dan HaGadol, this is a commentary on the Zohar”.

(Sharsheres Zahav, pp. 21; and see sefer Sur M’Ra V’Asseh Tov with addition 12: “See the words of Rebbe Shimshon from Austropolia, whose work “Machane Dan” we did not merit to see, as it seems the world was not fit to make use of it…”)






Source: ArutzSheva