Who Is She Who Looks Forth Like the Dawn

1) “For Jacob has chosen Koh [the Lord] for himself, Israel for his merit.” How beloved are the children of Israel before the Creator, who desires them, and who wishes to cling unto them and to bond with them, and who has made them a single nation in the world, as it is written, “And what one nation on the earth is like Your people Israel,” and they desired Him and bonded with Him. It is written, “For Jacob has chosen Koh for himself,” and it is written, “For the Lord's portion is His people.” And to the rest of the nations, He has given ministers to rule over them, while He took Israel into His portion.

2) “Who is she who looks forth like the dawn, as beautiful as the moon?” “Who is she” are two worlds that join together, as it is written, “From the world and unto the world,” which are Bina and Malchut. MI is the upper degree above, the beginning that is poised for a question, Bina, as it is written, “Raise your eyes above and see who has created these?” “This” is the lower degree, below, the bottom world, Malchut. Both are worlds in a single bonding, in one tie together, through Malchut’s ascent to Bina, because of which she obtained the Mochin of Bina.

3) When both conjoin as one, Malchut looks forth like the dawn, meaning when the dawn wishes to shine. Afterwards, “As beautiful as the moon,” meaning that Malchut shines as the moon in which the light of the sun, ZA, shines. Afterwards, “As pure as the sun,” as the light of the sun, when the moon is full, when Malchut is face-to-face with ZA, who is called “the sun.” “As awesome as an army with banners,” strong enough to protect everything, for then she has wholeness and power to do mighty deeds.

4) Malchut receives strength, Mochin, from the upper world, Bina, through Jacob, a whole man, who connected them together, for by raising MAN, he raised Malchut to Bina and they conjoined. He united them above, meaning that Bina received the form of Malchut, Leah. He also conjoined them below, meaning that Malchut acquired the form of Bina, Rachel.

Also, twelve holy tribes came out from there, such as above, like the twelve phases that there are in Malchut of above. Jacob, who was whole, brought love in both worlds, meaning he married the two sisters, Leah and Rachel, the two worlds, Bina and Malchut. The rest of the people who do it perform incest above and below and cause hatred in both worlds, inflicting separation between ZA and Leah and between ZA and Rachel, since from the Chazeh and above, he makes a coupling with Leah, and from the Chazeh and below—with Rachel. It is written about it, “You shall not marry a woman in addition to her sister as a rival,” since they become adversaries and hateful of each other.

5) What is the meaning of the verse, “Rachel envied her sister”? If the text speaks of two worlds, Leah and Rachel, which are Bina and Malchut, which were incorporated together, what envy is there here? The lower world, Rachel, desires only to be like the upper world, Leah, who is Bina, and inherit her place.

In another place, it is said, “Authors’ envy increases wisdom.” Here, too, there is authors’ envy, since there is a book and there is a book, AVI, from whom Hochma is extended. Hence, by envying these authors, they increase the extension of Hochma toward them.

6) And yet, Jacob did not properly complement them. The rest of the people in the world cause hatred and separation and perform incest above and below. It is so because there is the incest of a mother and her daughter in it, Bina and Malchut, two sisters and a woman and her daughter as one matter, since they are in sisterhood, in love, and in bonding of desires. They are called “mother and daughter” also because Bina is called “mother” and the Malchut is her, “daughter.” One who reveals their nakedness, the judgements in them, has no part in the next world, Bina, and has no part in faith, Malchut.

7) “For Jacob has chosen Koh [the Lord] for himself,” meaning he clung above in AVI in the light of Hassadim in them, which are called Koh.” Since he completed everything and is called Israel, then it is written, “Israel for his merit,” for Malchut, which is called Segula [merit/virtue/remedy]. It is so because then he takes everything with right and left, above in AVI, who shine Hassadim, and takes below in YESHSUT, who shines Hochma, and he is completed in everything, in Hochma and in Hassadim.