“For twelve years they had been subservient to Kedorla’omer, and in the thirteenth year they had revolted” (Bereshit 14:4). For twelve years, the kings of Sitra Achra, the other side, were subservient to Chedorlaomer of Eilam. Who is he? Read not כְּדׇרְלָעֹמֶר but כְּדֹר־לַעֲמוֹר, as a generation of being tyrannical, king of עֵילָם, the heads of the exiled families. Who are the exiled families? They are the divine emanations found in סִטְרָא אַחְרָא, in Sitra Achra, which were exiled from the divine face. If all kings are subservient to him, why is his name found third? Because he is the womb of Sitra Achra. This is alluded in his name—a generation, because he is the source of all distinctions.

He rules over Amrafel of Shinar and Aryokh of Ellasar but comes after them in existence. Why is that? For the name of the crown is אֶמְרָה־הַפְּלֵה, the utterance of separation which arose over the domain of שֵן־עָר, the whet-one which roused-awake in preparation for judgment. Yet the separation in Sitra Achra could not give birth to tyranny until emerged the seed. What is the seed? The long-one-that-lengthens, for his name alludes to both אָרוֹךְ and הַאֲרִיךְ, who is from אֱלִיל־סָר, the insufficiency that turned aside, for it in our insufficiencies that can be found the root of the temptation to turn aside—and thence the face of wickedness lengthens. Once arose the seed, it was expanded and from the turning aside of insufficiency arose the circle of tyranny which rose as a rule over the exiled families—his parent, spouse, and children.

Who are these other kings who were subservient to him? To the two above were joined Tidal king of Goyim, Bera king of Sedom, Birsha king of Amora, Shinav king of Adma, Shemever king of Tzevoyim, and the king of Bela which is Tzo’ar.

Tidal king of Goyim—read rather תֵּדַע־עַל for she knows the ways the nations, which are but mere reflection of the crowning separation of Sitra Achra. She did not rebel, because she cannot be apart from Amrafel.

Bera king of Sedom—read rather בְּרָע for he is the divine spark that is trapped in evil and which rules over the realm of סַדָם, the shackles on the feet of them all who reside in Sitra Achra. Within Sitra Achra, he is as lovingkindness. Are we surprised, then, that he is heading the rebellion? Why is it spelled with a cholam male? Because this name hides great mystery.

Birsha king of Amora—read rather בִּירָה־שָׁעַע, the palace of being blinded, which rules over the domain of rancour, of tyranny. For blindness to that which is good may spread rancour, but to escape the sight of temptation can restrain it. Within Sitra Achra, he is as disciplined strength.

Shinav king of Adma—read rather שֵן־אָב, the whet-tooth of the father, whose domain is עַד־מָה, until-what. He is the source of sharpness of future judgment, the balance of lovingkindness and strength which is unto Sitra Achra as harmonious beauty.

Shemever king of Tzevoyim—read שֵׁם־אֵבֶר, the lauded name of the pinions which provide firm support to צַב־יוֹם, the unclean who cleave to the ground by day. Why then is it written וֹיִם and not יוֹם? Why then ketiv and qere? These allude that this is not the order of things, for their uncleanness belongs to the shame of night rather than the pride of day. Yet by firmly supporting ground-cleavers, without fail, do some rise to befit the cleanness of day. Within Sitra Achra, he is as the victory of persistence.

The unnamed king of Bela which is Tzo’ar—this is the domain of swallowing and insignificance. Within it rancour and self-destruction can stew, but so may humility and dedication to a cause. Why is the king unnamed? Because he knows that importance lies outside of himself. Within Sitra Achra, he is as the splendor of dedication.

These are the nine kings.

Why were eight kings subservient twelve years to Tyranny? Because twelve is the unity and potencies of Sitra Achra, when Tyranny ruled over its face. These are the evil days of old. But in the thirteenth year, the beard of Sitra Achra was not successfully arrayed for the five kings below could not bear the wickedness of those above. For the Spark-in-Evil elevated, in time, the morsels of goodness latent in himself and those below him. But the shells of those above were far too thick.

On the fourteenth year, Tyranny said דַּי, enough, and sought to repair the face of the land. He assembled his allies Separation, Temptation, and the Ways of the Nations in the Vale of Harrowers (עֵמֶק הַשִּׂדִּים), a barren place (יָם הַמֶּלַח) where goodness cannot survive long. They first began by striking down the ghostly healers (רְפָאִים) who lived in the Great Wasting-Away-of-Trembling (עַשְׁתְּרֹת קַרְנַיִם). Then, they struck down the agitated-ones (הַזּוּזִים) who live in warmth (הָם) and the dreadful ones (הָאֵימִים) who lived on the Level-Plane of Two-Towns (שָׁוֵה קִרְיָתָיִם). This is a place of foundation which is as though a mirror and gate between the Sitra Achra and the living tree.

Had the greater exiled families controlled it for long, the faces could not have been arrayed successfully, and the world would not have survived. But they passed onwards, under the flows of Temptation, and came to strike down the cave-dweller (הַחֹרִי). These are the children of Cain, who live all from their Mountains of Horripilation (שֵׂעִיר הַרְרָם) to the Pillar of their Beauty (אֵיל פָּארָן), which is near the wilderness, which is our world.

They did not cross into the wilderness but stopped and returned, passing by the Spring of Judgment (עֵין מִשְׁפָּט) which is the mirror to Cultic Prostitute (קָדֵשׁ) of our world. This is a place near to our world, for it carries sparks and hints of holiness—but they have been perverted into false gods. Why did they return? Because they hoped to complete its corruption, but there they met, fought, and struck down Amalek, the embodiment of baseless hatred, as well as the malicious-ones (הָאֱמֹרִי) who dwelled in the Divisions of Embittering (חַצְצֹן תָּמָר). These are those who hate even hatred, for nothing suffices them and they know no distinction between enemy and friend. By striking them down, the host of the exiled families greatly weakened the soil of Sitra Achra, cutting down the vilest of shells for the sake of unification.

Seeing the exiled families weakened, the five rebellious kings went out against them. They also arranged themselves in the Vale of Harrowers for they come from the same soil, but these are forces of future judgment whose destructiveness may be tamed. And indeed even Separation, Temptation, and the Ways of the Nations could join them by breaking the yoke of Tyranny.

The five rebellious kings were defeated, for they derive their flow from those above. Only Separation and Temptation may weaken Tyranny, and the exiled forces cannot lose so long as they remain on this side. Defeated, the Spark-in-Evil and the Palace-of-Blindness fell into the Pits of Covering-Asphalt (בֶּאֱרֹת חֵמָר) and became covered with darkness and redness at once, which filled them with harshness which is the same soil as the land of Edom. The Source of Sharpness, Firm Support, and Swallowing did not so fall, and instead fled to the mountains where they raised up and were thus able to call for help from the host of the living tree.

The victorious exiled families took the possessions and food held by the lesser kings they defeated, capturing Lot in so doing. Lot had been dwelling amidst the lesser kings for he is the envelope (לוֹט) which filters between the Sitra Achra and the living tree, that they may be connected. This is why he dwells amongst them—our world could not survive wholly detached from Sitra Achra for it is a physical world and physicality was nought without the lamp of harshness.

Now, one from those who escaped to the mountain came to Avram who is the body of lovingkindness and called Passer (הָעִבְרִי) for he has a kinsman past the living tree. He was found with the Oak-Pillars of Mamre (בְּאֵלֹנֵי מַמְרֵא) and his brothers Eshkol and ‘Aner. They are pillars, which is to say that they are like Lot, serving as a foundation for the other world. But whereas Lot is akin to a filter, they are likened to speakers (הָאֱמֹרִי) who can speak evil into goodness. Read מַה־מְרוֺאֵה, what is from seeing—for what is from seeing but truth? Not Eshkol but rather אֵשׁ־כֹּל, the fire of all, by which we fight evil. Not ‘Aner but rather עַן־נֵר, the answer of the candle which is the soul of man. These are masters of the covenant with Avram, for they guard lovingkindness from Sitra Achra and in this they are the foundation of the world, which is brit.

And so it was upon hearing that Lot was captured that Avram emptied out all the forces born and dedicated of his house—the forces of lovingkindness—and poured them into Sitra Achra in order to save the envelope that filters between the lesser kings and the living tree, keeping them from reuniting with the forces of exile lest destruction and chaos return as in the times of the Kings of Edom. Why were the sons of his house 318? Because they are the forces of dwelling (יוֹשֵׁב), which is lovingkindness, and rescue that which is living (שְׁחַי), which is the foundation of the Living God (אֵל חַי). And they are the divine life (חַי) that comes from the three above Avram and which overflow into our world through him.

The forces of Avram took pursuit until they arrived at Judging (דָּן), pursuing until they could distinguish between the lesser kings and the exiled families. Why is it said until Judging? Because judgment lies outside of lovingkindness, and so Avram could not pass judgment. That is why, arriving at Judging, he split from his servants in the night, for this is the time when the force of judgment is strongest and this power is unknown to Avram. Separated from him, admixing with the judgment flowing through foundation, they were able to strike down the exiled families as far as Guilt-Debt (חוֹבָה) which is north of the Whispering-Sackcloth (דַמָּשֶׂק) where the grief of the exiled families could begin being heard to an attentive ear.

Having struck down the forces of the exiled families, Avram and his allies returned every possession seized by them. The Spark-in-Evil came out to meet Avram after his victory on the Level-Plane of Two-Towns which is also the plain of Sedom for it shackles the Sitra Achra to the living tree so that they are as one, one in a mirror. Why did he come to meet Avram? Because he was curious to meet lovingkindness; it is his counterpart in the living tree.

At the same time, King of Justice (מַלְכִּי־צֶדֶק) who rules over Wholeness (שָׁלֵם), which is the Shekhinah, brought bread and wine to Avram—but he did not bring oil. This King of Justice is high priest to the Most-High in the physicality of Sitra Achra. As if speaking not a mirror, he first called Avram blessed to the Most-High and afterwards he called blessed the Most-High as a delivering-shield that placed Avram’s oppressors in his hand. He then gave Avram a tithe of tenth. This teaches us that neither oppression nor good in Sitra Achra are nought to our world, for the two vessels of the Shekhinah are not two to those who understand. And indeed, Sitra Achra is a tithe to the kingdom of the living tree. From this tithe and more of the like come the darknesses, terrors, and servitudes that befall Passers in the days of the world until the faces are aligned and arrayed.

After this, “[t]he king of Sedom said to Avram: Give me the persons, and the property take for yourself.” Why so? Do not read “the persons” but rather “the soul” (הַנֶּפֶשׁ) for this is the soul that he and Sarai made before leaving the house of his father. By this soul, which Avram and Sarai shaped by thirty-two paths, did the Most-High know the exalted powers of lovingkindness and for them did he choose his spouse in covenant.
The Spark-in-Evil envied this creation and wished to avail himself of these powers. Why did Avram refuse? Because he knew that knowledge of formation could not remain in Sitra Achra lest it grow to overpower the living tree. Nor did he Avram want any of recovered possessions, which were made out of the tainted soil of Sitra Achra.

Why is it written that he raised his hand in the presence of the Most-High? To teach us that there is only one Most-High between Sitra Achra and the living tree, and that Sitra Achra is not beyond his eyes or hand.

And why did Avram refuse to take anything “from a thread to a sandal-strap”? Do not say that these are mere garments. Rather, understand that the thread is the Source of Sharpness that harmoniously ties together what is as lovingkindness and what is as restraint. Or instead, it is the thread that anchors the foundation of the two trees. By this, he teaches us that the order of and with Sitra Achra must be preserved. And of the sandal-strap, understand that this is the shackle upon the foot. By this he wished to remind Spark-in-Evil of his role within Sitra Achra, for he had fallen into a pit of great darkness and redness. Why, then, did he add these words: “So that you should not say: I made Avram rich.” A reminder that the honour of lovingkindness should never sink to merely seeing the divine spark in evil, and that seeing so does not make worthy of the living tree. For indeed the glory of lesser kings is but that of the faithful kings, to which the scraped shells can but be faint mirrors.

“Nothing for me! Only what the lads have consumed, and the share of the men who went with me—Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their share.” Understand well that the brothers of covenant grew out of Sitra Achra and survive by their share in the overflow of lesser kings. But why the lads? These are the lads which separated from Avram and admixed with judgment so that they may strengthen the foundations. And the trees have but one foundation that is two and one kingdom that is two, and so they may have sustenance in impure flow wherever the dew of compassion from on high drips not.

Thus ends the story that began with the Kings of Edom, after the exiled families of Cain merged with the lesser kings of Abel and sank into the depths, and so was and so will be more of the same until all redness of soil is sweetened. For the lesser kings do not die when they fall into a pit of darkness and redness, and nor do they die in the brightness of sulfur and fire—at most they are concealed, like the eight kings to return.