Degel Machaneh Ephraim

"Shall I really bear a child, now that I am old?" One may say, by way of hint, that the yetzer hara (the evil inclination) is called "an old and foolish king," and this is in the manner of "he cooled the male so that he would not beget, so that they would not confound the world." For this reason the sitra achra (the "other side") is called old, because it does not beget. And this is what one may say about the word ha'af: its numerical value is that of Elokim, 86. Amnam has the numerical value of Samael, who is other gods and the sitra achra. This is why Sarah wondered, "Shall I bear a child, now that I am old?" That is, these aspects do not beget. The discerning will understand.

"Is anything too wondrous for Hashem?" One may say, in the manner that pele (wonder) is alef, and alef is the aspect of binah (understanding), as our Sages, of blessed memory, said: "alef is binah." This is the aspect of Ima, the mother, which is birth, for there is no mother without birth. Therefore this was the answer to Sarah's words, "How shall I bear a child when I am old?" So HaKadosh Baruch Hu (the Holy One, blessed be He) said, "Is anything too wondrous?", that is, alef, binah. When the name eled is included in its source, which is Ehyeh, all the dinim (judgments) are sweetened, and from there birth comes. Understand this. There is a wondrous hint in this: hayipale, that is, the first heh, which is always bound with the yod. Understand this well.