246) The thirteenth commandment is to do redemption for his son, to tie him to life. There are two appointees, one over life and the other over death, standing over a person. When he redeems his son, he redeems him from the hand of the one appointed over death. He cannot govern him, as it is written, “And God saw all that He has done,” in general. The good is the angel of life. “Very” is the angel of death. Hence, in that redemption, the angel of life exists, and the angel of death weakens. With this redemption he acquires life for him, and that evil side leaves him and does not grip him.

We learn from the words “And God saw all that He has done, and behold, it was very good,” that “It was good” is the angel of life, and “Very” is the angel of death. This is so because then, on the sixth day of the deed of creation, in the letter Hey in the word HaShishi [“the sixth”], the worlds rose exceedingly. ZA rose to the place of AA, Nukva to the place of AVI, then Adam HaRishon obtained the complete Mochin of Haya, by which the power of the angel of death was revoked.

Moreover, it was mitigated in the “Very,” as it would be at the end of correction, when death is swallowed up forever. This is the meaning of the intimation “Behold, it was good” is the angel of life, and “Very” is the angel of death.

Indeed, now after the sin of the tree of knowledge, the worlds do not rise so much on the fifth hour of the eve of the Sabbath in the letter Hey in the word “the sixth.” Hence, we need a special commandment to extend for us preparation and strength to nonetheless receive the light of Haya on the Sabbath day. This is the commandment of redeeming the firstborn son of a man.

This is so because in this redemption, the angel of life exists and the angel of death greatly weakens, similar to what took place with Adam HaRishon at the time, through the Emanator Himself in the Hey in the word “the sixth,” when the angel of death became very good. So is the power of this commandment of redeeming the firstborn.

However, it is not completely as it was then, when the angel of death had no power. Now, however, through the commandment to redeem the firstborn, he can only be weakened, but not completely removed. In this redemption, he acquires life for him, and that evil side leaves him and no longer clings to him. That is, once he is completely purified through this commandment, there is no gripping on the evil forces in him whatsoever, as they have been swallowed in the body due to the sin of the tree of knowledge. Then he can acquire life for him, meaning Mochin of Haya of the Sabbath day because he is now completely purified from the evil side, which was swallowed in the body due to the sin of the tree of knowledge. Hence, he has the preparation to receive the Mochin of the Sabbath day.