The number 666 is infamous, made so by the phrase in the final chapters of the Christian Bible: Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666.
In our next couple posts, we’ll explain what this has to do with the geula (final redemption) and Rav Yehuda Halevi Ashlag’s last words, and separately, what is has to do with the Tree-of-life.
Meanwhile, today we’ll supply some of that yearned for wisdom: what the number 666 has to do with both the beast and the man, as given to us by the Tanakh (Old Testament), several hundred years “Revelations” was written.
The answer lies in the Hebrew and its gematria, even the English translation of Ecclesiastes 3:21, “Who knows the spirit of man whether it goes upward, and the spirit of the beast whether it goes downward to the earth?” is evocative of the much later written verse in the Christian Revelations.
TIKKUN 46 of the Tikkune Zohar brings up Ecclesiastes 3:21 in its discussion of בְּרֵאשִׁית , “In the beginning”, the first word of the 
Torah. It forms two words , בָּרָא שִׁית, meaning “created six(6)”.
The Zohar tells us that this refers to the six (6) bundled sefirot (dimensions) of Zeir Anpin (chesed gevurah, tiferet, netzach, hod and yesod), which form the central column. It is represented by the letter Vav of the Tetragrammaton YHVH name. It is the connector between Binah (the upper world), which is the provider of the light, to Malchut (our dimension).
“From Binah came out the six days that are the element of time that create the process. Working and following the process during the six days lead us to the seventh day when we have rest and ability to connect to the Light of Binah.”
Then the Zohar, brings up the following verse from Ecclesiastes, where we also find the famous 28 Times (A time to live, a times to die, etc)
Ecclesiastes 3:21
“מִי יוֹדֵעַ, רוּחַ בְּנֵי הָאָדָם–הָעֹלָה הִיא, לְמָעְלָה; וְרוּחַ, הַבְּהֵמָה–הַיֹּרֶדֶת הִיא, לְמַטָּה לָאָרֶץ”
“Who knows the spirit of man whether it goes upward, and the spirit of the beast whether it goes downward to the earth?”
So let’s understand what this verse has to do with 6 and more 
importantly for this conversation, 666. The prefix Hey (H) in Hebrew is the article meaning “the” and in this case it was inserted somewhat superfluously 6 times in the verse. When we discount it, we find that the words in the verse that pertain to the beast part of the spirit that goes down (הַבְּהֵמָה–הַיֹּרֶדֶת) has the gematria (numerical value) of 666, and moreover, for those familiar with the apocalyptic predictions of Revelations and the 42 month period, it’s important to note that the 666 value 2 word (10-letter) phrase for beast begins on the 32nd and ends on the 42nd letter of this verse.
It’s significant that the tree-of-life is structured with 32 Paths of 
Wisdom, that link together the 10 sefirot, for as Rabbi Chaim Vital of blessed memory points out, these total 42 and are associated with the 42–Letter Name of G-d.
At this point we can easily say that the number and its association with the 666 had it’s origins with the writings in Ecclesiastes, but that would simply be doing a disservice to those very profound writings.
The verse clearly and symmetrically juxtaposes the spirit of a mad with that of a beast, moving in opposite directions, one up, one down. But that’s on the surface. Underneath, we find that once again without the superfluous prefix (H), the words for Man (בְּנֵי הָאָדָם) also have the gematria value (less the kolel of 1) of 666. Literally the words state “son of the Man (Adam).
Is the verse saying we have the beast within us and that negativity will sink to the earth, while the pure spirit will rise up?
Who knows? The gematria with the kolel of the verse’s first 3 words (מִי יוֹדֵעַ, רוּחַ) is 358, that of Moshiach, the Messiah. And even more surprisingly, the gematria of the last 3 words (הִיא, לְמַטָּה לָאָרֶץ) with the kolel (3) for the 3 words is 424, the same as that of Moshiach Ben David.
Once again, the concept if time slips into the writings of Ecclesiastes, as we begin Man’s journey with Moshiach, a primordial figure and energy (consciousness) that existed before the counting of time, which began with Adam. Then our journey through physicality ends with Moshiach Ben David, after the negativity (represented by the beast) is separated out and drawn into the earth.
But When?
This verse provides several hints to the answers. It can be found in 
its’ 5th word, the name/word Adam (EDM), which the sages tell us is an acronym for Adam-David-Moshiach and if we make the midpoint in David’s life (2889 HC) the halfway point to Moshiach Ben David, then the date would be 5778, just Rav Ashlag suggested based on the kabbalistic calculation using the principle of 2/3 (.666). See The Divine Calendar for a fuller explanation. The halfway point coincides with the middle 6 words of this special verse whose final letters equal exactly 424, once again the numerical value of Moshaich Ben David.
The next hint is found in the total gematria of the verse, 2084 when we subtract 53 for the number of letters and 14 for the number of words in the verse as the Arizal was apt to do, and get 2017, as in the year 2017 ce, or 5777-5778 HC.
And finally, we spoke of how the first 3 words of the 14 words and the last 3 words and also the middle 6 words all add up to either Moshiach or Moshaich Ben David, but that leaves two words unaccounted for Bnei H’Adam (בְּנֵי הָאָדָם) and together they add up to in simple gematria, 107, which is curious as we know that the sum of all the integers through 107 is 5778.
And then there is the gematria sofit of the final letters in the 14 words of the verse, which the sages tell us point to the future and in this case they add up to 2028 or 10 years more than 2018 ce. Does this indicate a 10 year process for the 10 sefirot beginning in 2018. Who knows?
As for the beast…
The words used for the beast (הַבְּהֵמָה–הַיֹּרֶדֶת) can be permuted to form H’BrYT DM, meaning the covenant of blood or H’BrYT DMH, meaning the covenant of her blood, which is also the angel of the death level.
Ecclesiastes 3:21
“מִי יוֹדֵעַ, רוּחַ בְּנֵי הָאָדָם–הָעֹלָה הִיא, לְמָעְלָה; וְרוּחַ, הַבְּהֵמָה–הַיֹּרֶדֶת הִיא, לְמַטָּה לָאָרֶץ”
“Who knows the spirit of man whether it goes upward, and the spirit of the beast whether it goes downward to the earth?”
Indeed, who knows? With the promise of Moshiach and the Tree-of-life reality upon us, we should make sure we are doing everything we can to separate ourselves from the beast within us, the klippot (negative husks) and selfish desires that weigh us down and anchor us to this earth.
As stated earlier, we’ll soon explain what this has to do with the geula (final redemption) and Rav Yehuda Halevi Ashlag’s last words, and separately, what is has to do with the Tree-of-life.
Armed with wisdom, may G-d bless us all with the strength to overcome our own nature.
