פתוחה לטוב ולרעThe Open North

petuchah le-tov ve-la-raIn Gamatria ↗

Through the gate where evil leaves, good leaves too.

Students ask about the shape of chet and the vowel called patach, 'opening'. The answer: every wind or direction is closed except the north, which stands open to good and to evil. They object with Ezekiel's storm wind from the north, full of fire, a sign of anger. The reply: when Israel does God's will, the attribute of mercy rolls round and surrounds them; when they do not, the fire comes near. Evil goes out through the same gate that good goes out through. Much later, in §162–163, the book names a power at God's north called Evil, the source of the evil inclination.

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