13. It is written, “A well that the ministers dug.” AVI, who are called “ministers,” engendered the well, Malchut, as it is written, “And the Lord God built the rib,” AVI that built Malchut. “That the nobles of the people mined,” the patriarchs. “Dug” means as it is written, “So I bought [dug] her for fifteen shekels of silver.” These are the patriarchs, HGT. And the descendants of Israel who connected in Malchut on the fifteenth of Nissan in the exodus from Egypt, a mighty hand awakened upon them, called “silver,” the king’s right hand, Hesed.
14. “The nobles of the people mind, with the scepter and with their staffs.” This means that through Moses, the legislator, Malchut connected to the twelve tribes who are her sons, and who are around her. When Israel engage in the Torah that was given by the legislator, twelve pillars above, the twelve upper tribes, support the Shechina. This is why it is written, “their staffs,” since Malchut leans on them.
15. That holy well has twelve gates, the holy city of Jerusalem, Malchut. Twelve high gifts come out to the world from these gates: goodness, blessing, peace, help, atonement, Torah, wisdom, life, desire, wealth, honor. Each of the twelve tribes suckled for itself a high gift.
16. It is written, “A well that the ministers dug, the nobles of the people mined, with the scepter and with their staffs. And from the desert, Mattanah [gift].” A desert is words of Torah. A high gift came to them from that desert when they do not stop supporting it through engagement in Torah.
17. When a man marries a woman, he adheres to the Shechina, since before he married a woman, the Shechina was not on him, as the Shechina is not present in a flawed place. When the Shechina is not on him, she denies him twelve upper gifts.
18. For this reason, anyone who is without a wife is without good,” as it is written, “It is not good for the man to be alone.” He is without joy, as it is written, “and rejoice, you and your household.
He is without blessing, as it is written, “a blessing may rest on your house,” and without peace, as it is written, “You shall know that your tent is at peace,” and without help, as it is written, “I will make him a helpmate against him,” and without atonement, as it is written, “and atoned for himself and for his household.”
And without Torah, as it is written, “Is my help not within me? And is counsel driven from me?” and without wisdom, as it is written, “Women’s wisdom built her home,” and without life, as it is written, “See life with the wife whom you love,” and without desire, as it is written, “and without desire, as it is written, “He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord,” and without wealth, as it is written, “The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of spoil,” and without honor, as it is written, “A graceful woman supports honor.”
19. A virtuous woman, Malchut, is called “fear of the Lord,” as it is written, “the fear of the Lord is pure.” When a man marries a woman, all twelve gates open in order to add blessings on his head, since he sits in the concealment of Malchut, and is completed such as above.
20. It is written about this, “from the desert, Mattanah [gift],” where by engaging in the Torah, we are rewarded with gifts. “And from Mattanah to Nahliel, to which streams of abundance are drawn. And from Nahliel to Bamot,” overcoming, when he overcomes and sits at the top of the world and engages in the sublime matters in the Torah.
21. “And from Bamot to the valley that is in Sdeh Moav, to the top of Pisgah which overlooks Yeshimon.” When a person adheres to the Torah and sits at the top of the world, he must lower himself so the evil inclination which slanders him, does not govern him, to veer him off the path. This is why it is written, “And from Bamot to the valley that is in Sdeh Moav.”
Due to the great ascent, he must make himself as low as a valley, so that the one who dwells in Sdeh Moav will indeed part from him, namely the evil inclination, who is called Lot, and who dwells in Moav since his first adhesion, to elicit fruits of bad deeds in the world, was in Moav, as it is written, “The firstborn bore a son and called his name Moab.”
22. If a person parts from him, he ascends to be the Rosh [head] and dwells in Pisgah, in Malchut. “Overlooks” means that the looking above is on him. “Yeshimon” is the next world, Bina, who is called Yeshimon, which looks at this Pisgah, the holy city of Jerusalem, Malchut, since Bina looks, meaning bestows in Malchut.
23. When Israel repented and raised the well, Malchut, it was given to them as a gift. It is written about this, “And from the desert,” from repentance, “to Mattanah [gift].” When they revert to the bad way, then “And from Bamot to the valley,” as it is written, “and we will dwell in the valley across from the house of Peor.” For this iniquity, they dwelled below in the valley that is in Sdeh Moav, since the side of Moav caused them this iniquity.
24. After they received their punishment, they ascended to the Rosh and raised their banners over all, as it is written, “And it came to pass after the plague that the Lord said to Moses and to Elazar son of Aaron the priest saying, ‘Take the head [Rosh],” raising their banners over all.