149. “And the Egyptian had a spear in his hand, etc.” “And the Egyptian had a spear in his hand” [II Samuel 23:21], this is like when it states: “Like a weaver’s beam” [I Samuel 17:7], which is the staff of God that was in his hand [see Exodus 17:9]. It was carved with the engraved and explicit name, through the illumination of the letter combinations, as engraved by Bezalel and his yeshiva, which is called “weaver,” as is stated: “He has filled them etc. of the craftsman and of the skillful workman and of the weaver in colors [and in fine linen, and of the weaver,” Exodus 35:35]. And [regarding] that staff, the name that was engraved on it would illuminate in all directions, through the light of the wise ones who engraved the explicit Name in forty-two aspects. The verses from here onward are as the elderly man explained above; happy is his portion.

Explanation: The mystical meaning of the letter combinations for the holy names are called acts of “weaving.” Like a weaver who weaves threads into a garment, the letters join and combine into words of the holy names, which means [the achievement of] holy [spiritual] attainments. [Rabbi Shimon] says that with the staff of God that was in Moses’ hand, those letter combinations of the explicit Name were engraved, for Bezalel and his yeshiva engraved them in the work of the Tabernacle. This is why the staff of God is called “a weaver’s beam,” after Bezalel, who was called “a weaver.” A “beam [manor]” is like an illumination [ma’or], while the weaver is Bezalel, implying that the illumination of the letter combinations of the explicit name was of the aspect of the illumination of the explicit name that Bezalel engraved. This is why he states: “Through the illumination of the letter combinations, as was as engraved by Bezalel and his yeshiva, which is called ‘weaver’ etc.”

Now, before the completion of the rectification the staff did not illuminate from all sides, since there was a difference between it, between the staff of God and the staff of Moses. With regard to Moses’ staff, it is stated: “Stretch out your hand, and take it by the tail […] and it became a rod in his hand” [Exodus 4:4]. [This shows] that it did not illuminate from all sides. However, after the completion of the rectification it illuminates from all sides.

[Rabbi Shimon] continues: "And [regarding] that staff, the name that was engraved on it would illuminate in all directions, through the light of the wise ones who engraved the explicit Name in forty-two aspects. " The explicit name that was engraved in the staff illuminated on all sides, that is, in [an expression of] the aspect of “He will eliminate death forever” [Isaiah 25:8]. Accordingly, it illuminated equally on all sides, and the light of the name that was engraved on the staff was in the mystical meaning of the illumination of the Ḥokhma of the name of forty-two [letters].