Likutei Moharan 5:6/ליקוטי מוהר"ן ה׳:ו׳

16. This is the explanation:

2Rabbah bar bar Chanah recounted: One time we were traveling on a sephinta (ship) . To sail between a fish ’s two shitza (fins) took the ship three days and three nights, [even though] it was swimming upwind and we were sailing downwind. And lest you think the ship was not sailing quickly, when Rav Dimi came, he said, “In the time it takes to heat a kettle of water, it went sixty parsay (parasangs) . And a parsha (rider) shot an arrow, yet [the ship] preceded it.” Rav Ashi said, “This [fish] was a sea gyldena, which has two fins” (Bava Batra 73b).

3sephinta — This connotes importance. It corresponds to gevurah /fear, as is written (Isaiah 33:6), “The fear of God is His treasure.” For [the fear of Heaven] is what is most important.

4ShiTZa — This connotes misfortune, as is written (Numbers 16:21), “[Separate yourselves from this congregation,] and I will destroy them in an instant.” The Aramaic translation [of “and I will destroy them”] is v’aShayTZay yas’hone.

5three days and three nights — This corresponds to the mitzvot, which are [divided into three categories]: the rational, the tradition-based, and the statutes. Concerning them it is written (Joshua 1:8), “You shall study [Torah] day and night.”

6it was swimming upwind and we were sailing downwind — This corresponds to “God rejoices in His works; Israel rejoices in its Maker.”

7In the time it takes to heat a kettle of water — This is the mind, as in, “and drops from Lebanon.”

8it went sixty parsay — This corresponds to gevurot: “sixty geborim (mighty men)” (Song of Songs 3:7), and “the thunder of His strength.”

9And a parsha shot an arrow — PaRSha is the aspect of chesed (lovingkindness). It refers to someone who brings to light that which is hidden, someone who mePhaReSh (explains) those matters which are obscure.

10an arrow — As in, “Shoot Your arrows and panic them” (Psalms 144:6). This corresponds to “Sit at My right hand while I make your enemies your footstool.”

11the ship preceded it — This is the aspect of fear, which “precedes.” For fear of Heaven precedes all else, as is written (Psalms 111:10), “The beginning of wisdom is the fear of God.”

12Rabbah bar bar Chanah recounted that he had delved so deeply into the attribute of the fear of Heaven, and had seen the great power of this fear, that he was now able to use it to discern between before the decree has been issued and after the decree has been issued—i.e., between two shitza .

13He then explains how he could discern: by means of the mitzvot, which are the aspect of three days …, it is possible to discern. And this is only when one performs [the mitzvot] with joy; for through the joy of the mitzvot it is possible to discern. This is because the Holy One rejoices in His works and this joy is clothed in the mitzvot, as explained. And we below also rejoice in the Holy One, as in, “Israel rejoices in its Maker.” We desire no reward, even the reward of the World to Come. This is, It was swimming upwind and we were sailing downwind —our joy <below> is in accordance with His joy <Above>. In this way we can discern [whether it is before or after the decree has been issued].

14[Rabbah bar bar Chanah] then explains how to achieve this joy: by means of the aspect of thunder. This is, when Rav Dimi came, he said: In the time it takes to heat a kettle of water it went sixty parsay —i.e., corresponding to “The sound of Your thunder was in the sphere,” <and to “The voice stimulates kavanah”>. Sixty is an allusion to gevurot, which strike the skull and are converted into thunder. And then “the voice is transmitted”—this corresponds to “The voice stimulates kavanah,” and to “Thunder was only created [to straighten the crookedness of the heart].”

15He then said that, in essence, the conquering-ability of the gevurot is only due to chasadim. Thus, it is necessary to encompass the left within the right, as explained. But even so, a person must put the fear of Heaven first, because “the owner of a lost object searches after what he has lost.”

16{As the Sages taught: It is the way of the man to search after the woman. This is analogous to a person who has lost something. Who searches after whom? Certainly, the owner of the object searches after what he has lost (Kiddushin 2b). The explanation of this is: Man is the aspect of love, whereas woman is the aspect of fear, as is known. It is therefore necessary to put the fear of Heaven first, as, then, love will automatically follow. For the love [of God] constantly goes out and searches after the fear of Heaven, just as the owner of the object searches after what he has lost.} This is, And a rider shot an arrow….

17Rav Ashi said, This [fish] was a sea gyldena. Gyldena alludes to the Holy Name AGLA, which is an aspect of gevurot in that it is an acronym for “Atah Gebor L’olam Adonoy (You are mighty forever, O Lord!)” (Amidah Prayer), as is brought (Zohar Chadash, Terumah). GYLDeNA is made up entirely of the letters AGL and the Holy Name ADoNoY —i.e., the Holy Name AGLA. <And this is what is alluded to by two fins .>