Shemot [Exodus]

These Are the Names

1) “Now these are the names of the sons of Israel.” “And the wise will glow as the radiance of the firmament.” The wise are those who gaze at the wisdom, who have attained wisdom, since wisdom is called “the light of the eyes” and attaining it is called “looking.” Why does it not say, “Will shine”? It means that they shine and sparkle in the glow of the upper Hochma [wisdom]. They cannot attain the actual upper Hochma, but only from Bina that returned to being Hochma through her return to the Rosh of AA. This is considered only the glow of the upper Hochma, which is considered as mere glow and not as the actual light of Hochma.

This is why it is said, “Will glow,” and not “Will shine.” “As the radiance” means the illumination and sparkling of the river that stretches out of Eden, Bina, that emerged from Rosh de AA, which is Hochma, called “Eden,” who became Hochma when she returned to Rosh de AA. And the Hochma in her is considered as only the glow of the Hochma. This is why it is said about her, “As the radiance,” as in effulgence.

The firmament of the Masach of Tzimtzum Bet [second restriction] takes Bina out of the Rosh de [of] AA through its ascent to her place. It also brings her back to Rosh de AA through his return below to the place of Malchut de Rosh de AA. “Like the radiance of the firmament” are the Kelim [vessels] and the Mochin that appear through the firmament, since the stars are in it, meaning GAR de Mochin, as well as the signs, which is VAK de Mochin, the sun, which is ZA, and the moon, which is Nukva. And all these candles that shine are all the lights in BYA, since all the lights in the four worlds ABYA emerge on the Masach de Tzimtzum Bet, called “firmament.”

2) The glow of this firmament shines in its illumination on the garden, Malchut. The tree of life, Tifferet, stands in the middle of the garden, in the middle line, with its branches—Sefirot—covering all the forms. Those are the souls and the trees, which are the Ruachs and the perfumes, which are the souls in the garden in upright Kelim, corrected in the three lines. And all the animals of the field—the outer angels—gather in its shade, and all the fowl of the sky—the inner angels—sit under its branches.

3) The glow of the fruits on the tree is the souls that are born from it. It gives life to all and its existence is for all eternity. The other side, of impurity, is not present in it, since the Sitra Achra has no nourishment in the tree of life, which is ZA in Gadlut [greatness], but only the side of holiness. Happy are those who taste from it for they live forever and ever, as it is written, “And take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever.” They are called “wise” and they are rewarded with life in this world and in the next world.

4) The glow of that tree, ZA, rises to YESHSUT, and when it rises to YESHSUT, it rises above to AVI, which are Bina. His march is 500 parsas [a distance measurement] because he receives HGT NH from Bina, whose numerals are hundreds. However, she has no Yesod because Ima expands only through Hod. And when he rises to AVI, where illumination of Atik shines, his expansion is 600,000, for Yesod spreads in him and he receives HGT NHY from the illumination of Atik, whose digits are 100,000 each, hence he is 600,000.

There is one illumination in that tree: Malchut in his Guf [body]. All the colors, white, red, and green, which are lights of HGT, are in her. These colors rise in direct light and descend in reflected light, and do not settle in any place except for that tree, for it is the middle line.

5) When the lights come out of the tree to be seen inside the glow that does not shine—the general Malchut from Chazeh de ZA downward, who has ZON within herself, which are the small ZON, called Jacob and Rachel—the lights intermittently settle and do not settle within her. They are present and absent because they settle nowhere except in that tree, which is from Chazeh de ZA, upwards and is called “Israel.” Twelve tribes emerge from that tree, and their zones are in it. These are twelve lights, called “twelve boundaries of the diagonal.” They descended in this glow, which does not shine, into the exile in Egypt in several high camps, as it is written, “These are the names.”

It is obvious that the text begins with Israel in the verse, “Now these are the names of the sons of Israel,” since the root of the lights of the twelve tribes come from the tree, which is called Israel, from Chazeh de ZA upwards. Also, it concludes with Jacob, when it says, “Who come into Egypt with Jacob,” since they have shifted from being Israel into being Jacob, from Chazeh de ZA and below, where the twelve lights of the tribes cannot settle. In the words, “Who come into Egypt,” Mitzraim [Egypt] is from the word Metzer [oppressing/pressing]. This is why the Egyptians ruled over them.

The Word of the Lord Came

6) “The word of the Lord came expressly.” Why twice the word “was” [“was” appears only in Hebrew, twice]? If Ezekiel was a loyal prophet, why did he reveal all that he saw? Should one whom the King admitted into His palace reveal all that he saw? Ezekiel was certainly a loyal prophet and everything that he saw was in faith, and he revealed all that he revealed with the Creator’s permission, and all was necessary.

7) When temporary affliction comes upon one who is accustomed to suffering, he suffers his load and does not worry. But one who is unaccustomed to suffering and all his days were in delights and pleasures, when affliction comes upon him it is total affliction, and this is what one should cry for.

8) So were Israel. When they went down to Egypt they were accustomed to affliction, since all the days of that righteous, their father, were in affliction. Hence, they tolerated the exile properly and were not too worried. But the exile in Babylon was total affliction, affliction that upper and lower cry for.

9) The upper ones cried for it, as it is written, “Behold, their brave ones cry outside.” The lower ones cried for it, as it is written, “By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat and also wept.” Everyone cried for the exile in Babylon since they were previously filled with royal delights, as it is written, “The precious sons of Zion.”

10) It is written, “For the mountains I will take up a weeping and wailing.” These are the high mountains in the world. They are the precious sons of Zion that are more precious than gold. And now they come down into the exile with stones on their necks and their hands tied behind them. And when they came to the exile in Babylon, they thought that they would not persist in the world because the Creator had left them and will never watch over them again.

11) At that time, the Creator called upon His entire company—all his assemblies, camps, ministers, and all the hosts of heaven—and told them, “What are you doing here? My beloved sons are in exile in Babylon and you are here? Rise up and go down all of you to Babel, and I am with you. It is written about that, “Thus says the Lord ... ‘For your sake I have sent to Babylon.’” This is the Creator. “And I will bring down all of them as fugitives” are all the upper assemblies and camps.

12) When they went down to Babylon, the skies were opened and the holy spirit of prophecy was upon Ezekiel. He saw what he saw and he said unto Israel, “But your masters are here, and all the armies of the heavens and the assemblies that came to dwell with you.” They did not believe him until he was compelled to reveal all that he saw—“I saw this” and “I saw that”—and all that he revealed was entirely necessary.

When Israel saw it, they were glad. And when they heard the words from Ezekiel’s mouth, they were not at all afraid about their exile because they knew that the Creator would not leave them. Thus, all that he revealed was by permission.

13) Wherever Israel exiled, Divinity exiled with them. And here in the exile in Egypt, it is written, “Now these are the names of the sons of Israel.” Since it writes, “Sons of Israel,” why does it write, “With Jacob”? It should have said, “Who come with him.” However, “These are the names of the sons of Israel” are the upper assemblies and camps that descended with Jacob, along with Divinity in the exile in Egypt. This explains the words, “The word ... came expressly,” with the double “was” [only in Hebrew], since the first “was” is in the exile in Egypt and the second “was” is in the exile in Babylon.

Come with Me from Lebanon, My Bride

14) “Come with me from Lebanon, my bride, with me from Lebanon.” This verse is said about the assembly of Israel, which is Malchut. When Israel came out of Egypt and approached Mount Sinai to receive the Torah, the Creator told her, “Come with me from Lebanon,” meaning she came from upper Eden, Hochma, which is called “Lebanon.” “Bride” means complete, like the moon that is completed by the sun with all the light and glittering, which are direct light and reflected light. “[Come] with me from Lebanon,” so that your sons will receive the Torah. This so because prior to Malchut receiving the Hochma, called “Lebanon,” Israel cannot receive the Torah because they lack GAR.

15) “Look from the top of Amana.” “Look” means receive a gift for your children. “From the top of Amana” means from the beginning, when they came with high faith and said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do and we will hear.” But they were equal with the upper angels, for it is written about them, “Bless the Lord, you His angels, mighty in strength, who perform His word, obeying the voice of His word!” Then the assembly of Israel received a gift, on which it was said, “Look from the top of Amana,” which means additional Mochin.

16) “From the top of Snir and Hermon” is Mount Sinai, to which they drew near and gathered at its foot, as it is written, “And they stood at the foot of the mountain.” “From the lions' dens” are the sons of Seir, whom the Creator invited to receive the Torah but they did not wish to receive it. “From the mountains of the leopards” are the sons of Ishmael, as it is written, “The Lord came from Sinai, and rose from Seir unto them; He shined forth from mount Pharan, and He came from the ten thousand holy ones,” and Pharan are the sons of Ishmael.

17) What is, “And He came from the ten thousand holy ones”? When the Creator wished to give the Torah to Israel, the camps of upper angels came and said, “O Lord, our Lord, how glorious is Your name in all the earth, whose majesty is rehearsed above the heavens.” They asked for the Torah to be given to them and not to Israel.

18) The Creator told them, “Is there death in you? It is written in the Torah, ‘When a man dies in a tent,’ and ‘If a man has committed a sin worthy of death, and he be put to death.’ Is there sin in you that you need Dinim [judgments]? Is there theft or robbery in you, as it is written, ‘You shall not steal’? Are there women among you, as it is written, ‘You shall not commit adultery’? Is there falsehood in you, as it is written, ‘You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor’? Is there greed in you, as it is written, ‘You shall not covet’? Why do you wish for the Torah?”

They immediately started and said, “O Lord, our Lord, how glorious is Your name in all the earth!” However, it does not say, “Whose majesty is rehearsed above the heavens.” This is why it is said, “And He came from the ten thousand holy ones,” meaning that He came from negotiating with the angels. Then it is said, “At His right hand was a fiery law unto them,” which is the Torah. It is compared to fire because of the Din [judgment] in her, which is why Seir and Ishmael did not wish to assume it upon themselves. And the angels could not receive it because there was no Din in them.

19) When Divinity came down in the exile in Egypt means that when Divinity came down from the place called “Lebanon”—from Bina that returned to being Hochma—into the exile in Egypt, it is therefore written, “Come ... from Lebanon,” and not “Rise ... to Lebanon.”

Why does he not say about Lebanon, “Rise”? This text is based on the unification of faith, Malchut. It is said, “Come with me from Lebanon, my bride.” Voice, which is ZA, said unto speech, which is Malchut, “With me,” since the voice came to speech and leads it with it to be as one without any separation. This is so because the voice is the whole, since it is light of Hassadim, which exists in all the degrees. Speech, however, is part, the light of Hochma in the left line of Bina, which is only in Malchut. This is why the whole needs the part, since ZA has no GAR except for the light of Hochma in Malchut, and the part needs the whole because the light of Hochma in Malchut shines only when it clothes in light of Hassadim that it receives from ZA, which is the whole.

The voice is incomplete without the speech, and the speech is incomplete without the voice. Hence, “Come with me from Lebanon, my bride,” since the essence of both comes from Lebanon, from Bina. And the meaning of the words, “With me from Lebanon” is that she will come to him for bonding and unification. This is why it is written, “Come ... from Lebanon” and not “Rise ... to Lebanon.”

20) “Look from the top of Amana” is the throat, Bina, who receives from the palate, Hochma, from which the wind emerges, meaning ZA, to complement everything from the hidden and concealed Lebanon, meaning ZA opens her in the middle line. “From the top of Senir and Hermon” is the Rosh [head] and middle of the tongue, Tifferet. And its Rosh is Daat, which cuts the speech. “From the lions' dens” are the teeth, Netzah and Hod, and “From the mountains of the leopards” are the lips, which are Malchut. And all those Sefirot of ZA are the perfection in which the speech was completed, meaning Malchut, Nukva de ZA.

Do Not Eat the Bread of an Evil-Eyed Man

21) “Do not eat the bread of an evil-eyed man,” since it is not good to eat and enjoy the bread or the pleasure from that evil-eyed man. And if Israel had not tasted the bread of the Egyptians when they went down to Egypt, they would not have been left in the exile in Egypt and they would not be able to harm them.

22) Yet, Israel were sentenced to be in exile, so it had to occur even if they did not eat their bread. This is true, since the exile in Egypt was not sentenced explicitly, for it does not say, “Your seed shall be a stranger in the land of Egypt,” but “In a land that is not theirs.” Hence, it could have been another land.

23) One who has a soul, who eats more than other people, or one who follows one’s stomach, whose conduct is to fill his belly with delights, if that evil-eyed met him, he would slaughter himself and not eat from his bread, since there is no evil bread in the world but the bread of an evil-eyed man. What does it say? “Because the Egyptians might not eat bread with the Hebrews; for that is an abomination unto the Egyptians.” This means that they could not see when the Hebrews were eating. Thus, an evil-eyed bread.

Three Are They Who Repel Divinity

24) Three are they who repel Divinity from the world and cause the Creator’s abode to not be in the world. And people cry out in prayer and their voices are not heard. And here they are, 1. He who lays with menstruation. There is no greater impurity in the world than menstrual impurity. Menstrual impurity is harder than all the impurities in the world. One who lays is defiled and all those who come near him are defiled with him. Wherever they go, Divinity is repelled from them.

25) Moreover, he inflicts bad diseases on himself and on the seed that he will beget, since a man who comes near menstruation, it jumps on him and remains affixed to all his organs. The seed that he begets at that time draws the spirit of impurity, and all his days will be in impurity because the structure and foundation of the newborn is greater and stronger than all the impurities in the world. As soon as a man comes near menstruation, that impurity jumps on him, as it is written, “And her menstrual impurity be upon him.”

26) 2. He who lays with a daughter of a foreign god, a gentile, who places the holy covenant and the sign of the covenant into another authority, as it is written, “And has taken the daughter of a foreign god.” There is no such envy before the Creator as the envy of the covenant. It is a covenant of the Holy Name and of faith. What does it say? “And the people began to commit harlotry with the daughters of Moab.” Promptly, “And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel.”

27) The heads of the people, who know this and do not protest against them, are punished first, as it is written, “Take all the chiefs of the people, and hang them up unto the Lord in face of the sun.” “In face of the sun” means in face of the covenant, which is called “sun.” It is said about that, “For the Lord God is a sun and a shield.” “A sun and a shield” means the holy covenant. As the sun shines and illuminates the world, the holy covenant shines and illuminates man’s body. It is called “a shield” because as the shield is for protecting a man, the holy covenant protects a man. And he who keeps it, no harm in the world can reach him. This is the meaning of “In face of the sun.”

28) The heads of the people are caught for this sin in each generation, if they know and do not envy it. This is because it is their duty to be envious for the Creator in this covenant, against anyone who brings this holiness into another authority. It is written about him, “You shall have no other gods before Me ... you shall not bow down unto them, nor serve them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God.” It is all one envy, both against the one who takes a gentile woman and against one who commits idolatry, and this is why Divinity is repelled from him.

He who lies in the holy covenant that is sealed in man’s flesh, it is as though he lies in the Holy Name. This is because one who lies with the King’s seal, with the holy covenant, lies in the King Himself. Hence, he has no share in the God of Israel, unless by constant penitence.

29) “And forgot the Lord their God,” “And they forsook the Lord.” What is, “And forgot,” “And forsook”? It means that they repelled the sign of the holy covenant from themselves, that they were circumcising but not exposing until Deborah came and instilled the exposing in all of Israel, as it is written, “When exposures are exposed in Israel, when the people volunteer, bless you the Lord.”

30) 3. He who kills his own sons, meaning the fetus that his wife was impregnated with, because he came to her on the ninetieth day of the impregnation, for then he puts the fetus to death and causes its killing in her intestines, or that he does something that causes her to abort the fetus. Thus, he destroys what the Creator built and crafted. There is he who kills a man, and there is he who kills his sons.

31) He has done three evils that the world cannot tolerate, hence the world collapses bit-by-bit, and it is not known why. The Creator departs from the world, and destruction, famine, and death come upon the world. These are three evils that he did: killing his sons, destroying the Creator’s structure—revoking the conception, the Creator’s construction—and repelling Divinity, who walks and wanders in the world, unable to find rest. And for those, the spirit of holiness weeps and the world is sentenced by all those Dinim. Woe unto that man; it would have been better for him to not be born at all.

32) Happy are Israel: even though they were in the exile in Egypt, they were kept from all those three: menstrual impurity, the daughter of a foreign god, and killing the sons. And they exerted in evoking multiplication with deeds in public. And even though there was the decree that all the sons who are born should be cast unto the Nile, not one among them killed a fetus in a woman’s intestines, much less after it was born. By this merit, Israel were redeemed from exile.

33) In Egypt, they avoided menstruation. It is written, “And he made the laver of brass, and the base thereof of brass, of the mirrors of the serving women.” Why were the women rewarded with bringing the mirrors to the tabernacle? It was because they kept themselves in the exile in Egypt, where once they were purified from their impurity, they would come and adorn themselves and look in the mirror in their husbands, and evoke them with multiplication. Thus, they avoided menstruation in the exile in Egypt.

34) From a daughter of a foreign God. In Egypt, they avoided the daughter of a foreign god from foreign women, as it is written, “All the hosts of the Lord went out.” It is written, “The tribes of the Lord, as a testimony unto Israel.” They certainly have nothing of a mixture of a foreign nation. And it is written, “These are the names of the sons of Israel,” “The tribes of the sons of Israel,” and “Speak unto the sons of Israel.” All this indicates that there was no mixture of foreign women in them.

35) But it is written, “Whose father was an Egyptian”? He certainly was one, and the text makes him known. In Egypt, they were meticulous with keeping multiplication, as it is written, “And the children of Israel were fruitful and increased abundantly.” In Egypt, Israel kept away from all those: from menstruation, from a daughter of a foreign god, and from killing the sons. This is why the sons of Israel came to Egypt and the sons of Israel came out to freedom, as it is written, “These are the names of the sons of Israel who come into Egypt.” “Came” means that they did not come to stay, but that they came out, by keeping these three things.

They Came Each Man with His Household

36) “These are the names of the sons of Israel” means Ysrael Saba. “Who come into Egypt” means all those armies and camps of angels that were descending into exile with Jacob, as it is written, “With Jacob.” And why does it say, “They came each man with his household”? After all, there is no house in angels. But of course the angels came each with his household because all who receive from another is considered a house to the giver. It turns out that “Each man with his household” means giving and receiving, which applies to angels, as well.

37) “And it came to pass, when Solomon had finished the building of the house of the Lord and the king's house.” Since he said, “The house of the Lord,” what is “The king’s house”? And if you say that it was said, “The king’s house” for Solomon, it is not so. Rather, “The house of the Lord” is the Temple and “The king’s house” is the Holy of Holies.

38) The house of the Lord is the Temple—courts, chambers, the porch-house, and the Holy of Holies—the Temple, meaning Malchut, called “the house of God.” The king’s house is the Holy of Holies, the innermost, Bina, who is called just “king.” Although this king is the high king, he is a Nukva toward the uppermost, concealed point, Hochma. And even though she is Nukva, she is still a male with respect to the king below, ZA. This means that a higher degree is always considered a male with respect to the lower one, and the lower one is a female. And yet, with respect to the one below the lowest, even the lower one is considered a male. It is always like that, which is why everything is like that.

Hence, it is written about the lower ones, the angels that came to Egypt with Jacob, “They came each man with his household,” even though there is no household in them. This is because man and his household are considered male and female, where each higher degree in them is considered a male with respect to the lower one, and each lower degree is considered a female with respect to the upper, and a male with respect to her own lower one.

39) “A locked garden is my sister.” “A locked garden” is the assembly of Israel, the Nukva. As it is necessary to keep this garden—to hoe, to water, and to prune it—the assembly of Israel needs hoeing, keeping, watering, and pruning, meaning the righteous’ service of the Nukva. This is why she is called “a garden.”

She is also called “a vineyard” because as the vineyard requires hoeing, watering, and pruning, so do Israel, meaning the house of Israel, the Nukva, as it is written, “For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel.”

The Wheels of the Holy Merkava [Chariot/Assembly]

40) We open our eyes and see the wheels of the holy Merkava traveling in their journeys, and the sound of singing, sweet to the ears, to Bina, and beautiful for the heart, Malchut, rising and falling and walking, and not traveling. A thousand thousands are startled, meaning the order of extension of Hochma. And because it extends through the left line, where there are Dinim, it is considered that they startle.

The Sefirot of Hochma are in thousands. When they mingle with one another they become a thousand thousands. And ten thousand ten thousands are Hassadim, whose origin is Atik, whose numerals are ten thousand. And they begin with the song of Hochma from below upwards.

Bina is the Merkava. Her wheels are the three lines, HGT, and the fourth wheel is Malchut from the Chazeh up, which receives from them. When the wheels are included in one another, each of them contains three lines, which are twelve. Through these lines, the high king, Hochma, rides in his Merkava, Bina. Also, journeying means illumination of the lines one at a time, in the order of the elicitation of Holam, Shuruk, and Hirik.

And when they obtain illumination of Hochma, called “opening of the eyes,” through the four wheels of Bina, HGT, and Malchut, and Hochma is obtained only by journeying from line to line in the three points—Holam, Shuruk, Hirik—the sound of singing is heard. This is illumination of Hochma for the ears, which are Bina, primarily through the middle line, Tifferet, called “voice.” And it is imparted from him, from the heart, to Malchut.

And when the heart, Malchut, receives illumination of Hochma, imparted only from below upwards, she rises. And she descends when she receives the light of Hassadim that is imparted from above downwards. The journey is illumination of the three lines one at a time, and so on and so forth. However, there is no journeying in Malchut because she receives only from the journeying of the three lines, since she does not partake with the three lines in the act of illumination but only receives from them. And singing, Hochma, does not travel with them, and they begin with the song of Hochma from below upwards because the singing, Hochma, does not shine from above downwards.

41) To the sound of that tune from the journeying of the wheels, those who stand, stand and gather into one group on the right side, 450,000 with eyes, who see and who do not see. And they are in all their lines. The two other sides, left and middle, are whitened for them. This means that their Dinim [judgments], which are red, are removed because they receive Hassadim from the right line. Also, there are 250,000 to the left side.

Each line contains five Sefirot, HGT NH. And since they are from Bina, whose numerals are hundreds, they are five hundred. They divide at the place of the Chazeh: two and a half Sefirot are 250, Hesed and Gevura and half of Tifferet from the Chazeh upwards. And two and a half Sefirot—half of the bottom Tifferet and Netzah and Hod—are 250 from the Chazeh down. And since the illumination of the right line is primarily Hassadim, she shines from the Chazeh down, as well, through half of the bottom Sefira, Hod.

This is so because being Malchut, whose HGT NH are KHB TM, she shines only from below upwards, from the Chazeh upwards. Hence, the illumination of the right line takes up four and a half Sefirot, HGT, Netzah, and half of Hod, which are 450. However, the illumination of the left line does not shine from above downwards whatsoever, but only from below upwards, from the Chazeh and above. It turns out that she shines with only two and a half Sefirot, Hesed and Gevura and half of Tifferet, which are only 250.

450 shine to the right side. Because they are primarily light of Hassadim, they shine from above downwards through half of the Sefira of Hod, too, which are four Sefirot HGT and Netzah, and half of the Sefira Hod, through the Chazeh. And since they are from Bina, whose Sefirot are hundreds, they are 450. And since they extend the Hochma to the left line, and the Sefira of Hochma is thousands, they are 450,000. This is also why they are called “light of the eyes,” since Hochma is called “eyes.”

However, even though they impart Hochma to the left line, the right itself does not receive Hochma. This is why they see and they do not see, since both discernments are observed in them. Because they bestow Hochma upon the left, they are considered seeing, for seeing is Hochma. And because they do not receive Hochma for themselves, since they are in a state of delighting in mercy, they are regarded as not having Hochma in them, but Hassadim.

Also, it is known that the Hochma in the two lines, left and middle, dresses in the Hassadim of the right, and the two other sides are whitened because of them, since they receive the Hassadim from this right. Thus, the redness, meaning Dinim in them, is removed and they become white.

There are 250,000 to the left, since the left line, which is primarily where Hochma shines, illuminates only from below upwards, meaning two and a half Sefirot from the Chazeh up, which are Hesed and Gevura and half of the upper Tifferet. Since they extend from Bina’s left, whose Sefirot are hundreds, and since they are in the light of Hochma, whose Sefirot are thousands, they are 250,000.

42) 250,000 weepers sob and wail from the places where they dwell, from their origins. They begin with Din and end with Din. They sob a second time and the Din appears, and the books are open, to observe the Dinim in them. At that time, the litigant rises; he would rise against them and sit at the judgment throne, and the singing would be silenced before the sentence was completed.

Here The Zohar wishes to explain two different states that occur in each of the three lines:

• The first state is at the place where it originally exits, where each line acts according to its degree to extend Hochma.

• The second state is not at the place of its exit, where each line acts to increase the Hassadim and leaves the act of extension of Hochma. It begins with the left line because this is the prime operator in extending Hochma, meaning it acts at the point of Shuruk.

Extension of Hochma is called “singing.” This applies only in the joining of all three lines. However, extension of Hochma in the left line only is sometimes called “wailing,” since the Hochma is without Hassadim in it, and Hochma is intolerable when it is not clothed in Hassadim. Because of this Din, all those who receive from him, meaning 250,000, sob and wail. And there is another Din—the Din of the Masach de Hirik.

There are 250,000 who sob. They extend from the left line and their illumination of Hochma is called “sobbing.” From the places where they dwell, from their origin, they begin with Din and they conclude with Din, since in the first act in the place from which they exit, they begin with extension of Hochma in Din, for lack of clothing of Hassadim. And until they complete wanting to extend Hochma they are in that Din, as it was written that they sob a second time, in the second act, to extend Hochma. Then the Din appears and the books open since the other Din, of Masach de Hirik, appears. Also, it is the carrier of the quality of Din in Malchut, for which the Hochma departs.

At that time, when the litigant stands over them, ZA that carries the Masach de Hirik rises and sits on the throne, meaning Malchut of the quality of Din that removes the light of Hochma, and hence the singing ceases. This is because the light of Hochma, called “singing,” stops shining before the Din ends, since they could not conclude the act of extending Hochma, which extends in the first Din, called “sobbing,” since the Hochma had already departed because of the second Din, which appeared in the Masach de Hirik.

And because of the Masach de Hirik, which ZA, the middle line, reveals, it is called by three appellations:

1. Before the upper light mated on the Masach de Hirik, it was called “litigant,” for then it only increases Dinim.

2. After the upper light mated on the Masach de Hirik, at his Yesod, which is called “He that lives forever.” At that time, it extends the light of Hassadim from the right line and clothes the Hochma in the left line with them, and then illumination of Hochma extends once more. And since it was clothed in Hassadim, it shines in completeness without Dinim, and then ZA is called “Patron,” protecting the Hochma so it can shine without Dinim.

3. After it intensifies to extend the thirteen qualities of Rachamim from Dikna de AA, ZA is called Saba, the bride’s patron. Saba is named after AA. He is called “the patron of the bride” because he is all Rachamim without any Din. This is so because then he draws plentiful Hassadim from Holy Atik, who is all Rachamim, and since these Hassadim are preferable to Hochma, since Atik is above AA, from whom comes Hochma, the Hochma, too, extends to them by itself. It turns out that he is the patron of the bride because he protects both the proliferation of Hochma and the proliferation of Hassadim.

43) Here he explains the two operations on the right line. They surround those with eyes from the right side, with whom there are eighteen thousand other ones, meaning the Masach de Hirik at Yesod de ZA, called “lives,” which is eighteen in Gematria. And since it causes the extension of Hassadim, within which shines Hochma, it is called “thousands.” Extension of Hassadim is called “blowing,” a simple voice. Then those who receive Hochma from the right line neither sob nor wail.

They begin with singing, meaning drawing out of Hochma, and 250,000 startle, referring to those who sob. The 250,000 on the left line, too, are called “those who sob,” and now they, too, receive illumination of Hochma. Although the sobbing and wailing has already stopped, they are still startled by the dread of the Din that happened to them before they received the Hassadim from the right line.

44) He blew and extended Hassadim a second time, in the second act in the right line, where there is no sobbing. The patron, ZA, journeys from that throne of Din during the disclosure of Hassadim in the Masach and sits at the throne of Rachamim to extend abundant Hassadim. At that time, ZA mentions the great, sublime, Holy Name, which is HaVaYaH with the filling of MA, Yod-He-Vav-He, for life for all extends through that name.

45) Here he explains the two operations in the middle line. He started and said, “ZA is the middle line once—Yod-He-Vav-He—where Yod-He-Vav are the three lines—right, left, and middle—that are included in ZA. The last He is the Nukva, which receives from them, as it is written, “And called upon the name of the Lord.” As in the beginning, they start with those with the holy wheels in the Merkava [chariot/assembly]. Also, a thousand thousands, which is Hochma, and ten thousand ten thousands, being Hassadim, clothe them and sing, praising the angels and saying, “Blessed be the glory of the Lord from the place of His dwelling,” meaning that Divinity will be blessed by ZA and receive Hochma clothed in Hassadim from him.

46) Then comes that garden, Divinity, which is hidden in the 250 worlds above the Chazeh de ZA, where there are two Sefirot, Hesed and Gevura de ZA, and half of the Sefira of Tifferet de ZA, which are hundreds since they extend from Bina, and they are 250. Also, they are called “worlds” because the Hochma in them is clothed and concealed in Hassadim. This is the precious Divinity in the glow of her Hochma, which emerges from the glow of Hochma and clothes and conceals in the glow of Hassadim. And the glow extends from her to the four directions, HG TM, which are the four heads, to keep them with the Mochin, as it was written that from there he would separate and become four heads. And the glow extended from her to all the lower ones, and she is the one called “Garden of Eden.”

And when he says that she is hidden in 250 worlds, meaning above Chazeh de ZA, it is because this is not her real place, for she begins only from Chazeh de ZA downwards. However, to be able to receive Hochma, she rose above the Chazeh and should therefore be hidden there so that the outer ones will not slander her, since it was impossible for her to receive Hochma at that time. This explains the first operation in the middle line, which is to extend Hochma.

47) Saba starting again means that after ZA rose to AA, he is called Saba, like him. This is the second act of the middle line, ZA, both for extending Hochma, and for extending Hassadim. He mentions his name, Yod-He-Vav-He, and everyone start by extending Hochma from the thirteen qualities of Rachamim, which extend at that time from the thirteen corrections in Dikna de AA.

Who saw all those lights, the highest of high, the fiercest of fierce, from among the holy Merkavot [plural of Merkava]? The heavens and all their hosts are startled and shake in great dread, and they praise the Holy Name and say songs. Happy are the souls of the righteous, for they are in that subtleness and they know it, as it is written, “Who would not fear You, O king of the nations? For it befits You.”

48) When Divinity came down to Egypt, another animal from the four animals of the Merkava came down, and its name was Israel, in the shape of that Saba, ZA. And forty-two holy servants were with it, forty-two angels. Each of them had a holy sign with him, from the Holy Name Mem-Bet [forty-two]. These angels that serve the animal, whose name is “Israel,” are called, “the sons of Israel,” they extend from the name Mem-Bet, and they are the GAR in that animal.

And all of them came down to Egypt with Jacob, as it is written, “These are the names of the sons of Israel who come into Egypt with Jacob.” First it said, “The sons of Israel” and then it said, “With Jacob.” It does not say, “With him.” Rather, the name “Israel” is not the name of Jacob but of the upper animal in the Masach, whose name is “Israel,” and the sons of Israel are its forty-two servants.

49) The sons of Israel are the forty-two holy angels. Thus, why does he say, “They came each man with his household”? After all, there is no household in angels. However, the high angels are higher than the lower ones among them, as it is written, “They came each man with his household,” where the upper angel is called “man” and the one below it is called “his household.” And all those angels in the upper degree are called “male men,” and those in the degree below them are called “females” and “home,” since a woman, female, receives from the male and she is like a house to him.

With Jacob; Each Man Came with His Household

50) Did Divinity go down to Egypt with Jacob, as it is written, “I will go down with you”? Divinity went down with Jacob, and 600,000 holy Merkavot [plural of Merkava] with her, as it is written, “About six hundred thousand men on foot.” 600,000 holy Merkavot went down to Egypt with Jacob, and all rose from there when Israel came out of Egypt. It is written, “And the children of Israel journeyed from Ramses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot.” It did not say, “six hundred thousand,” but “About six hundred thousand.” This implies that as 600,000 below came out, 600,000 holy Merkavot that were with them came out above.

51) When those holy Merkavot and holy camps came out, Israel saw and knew that they were detained from coming out because of them, because they were not coming out, and all of Israel’s rush was for them, as it is written, “And could not delay.” It should have said, “Did not want to delay,” but it says that they could not because of the camps of angels for whom they were delayed.

It is known that the sons of Israel in the text are all the sons of Israel of the firmament, the angels. It is written, “Who come into Egypt with Jacob.” It did not say, “These are the names of the sons of Israel who come into Egypt with him,” but “These are the names of the sons of Israel who come into Egypt with Jacob,” meaning those who come to Egypt first, meaning the angels, and they came with Jacob.

52) When Jacob was saved from Laban and Jacob walked away, the angels of God met him. And when he went down to Egypt the Creator said, “I will go down with you into Egypt.” And if the Master went down, it is obvious that His servants will go down with Him, as it is written, “Who come into Egypt with Jacob,” and it does not say, “With him.” Here the sons of Israel are those who are actually called “the sons of Israel,” the tribes.

53) “Come, behold the works of the Lord, who has made desolations in the earth.” Do not pronounce it Shamot [desolations], with a Shin with Patach, but rather Shemot [names] with a Shin with Tzereh. As the Creator did in heaven, He did on earth. There are the holy names in the firmament, and there are the holy names on earth, meaning the names of the tribes. It is said about them, “These are the names of the sons of Israel.”

54) On the day when Jacob went down to Egypt, 600,000 high angels went down with him, as it is written, “Behold, it is the traveling couch of Solomon; sixty mighty men are around it.” These are locks that are carved to receive a key. The keys turn in the place of the lock. The locks are on the seventh Sefira, Malchut, and they are carved in the sixth Sefira, Yesod, as it is written, “Mighty men are around it.”

Malchut has only HGT NHY, she ends in Yesod, called Miftacha [key], and she lacks the Malchut de Malchut. The locks, Malchut, which are carved according to the key, turn in the place of the key—Yesod. The essence of the lock is Malchut, which consists of seven Sefirot HGT NHYM. Thus, it should have said that Solomon’s couch, which is Malchut, has seventy mighty men around it, which are seven Sefirot, each of which consists of ten. However, they end in Yesod, called Miftacha, and there is only HGT NHY in her, which are six Sefirot, each of which consists of ten, which are sixty, as it is written, “Sixty might men around it,” and not seventy.

55) “The traveling couch.” Divinity is called “a couch.” “Of Solomon” means of the king that Shalom [peace/wholeness] is his, meaning ZA, middle line, which makes peace between right and left. Sixty mighty men around it are 600,000 high angels that are from the army of Divinity that descended to Egypt with Jacob. And the reason why they are sixty is that Divinity is written with a Miftacha. “Of the mighty men of Israel” means the upper Israel, ZA, to whom Gevura extends from him, as it is written, “Now these are the names of the sons of Israel. “Each man came with his household” means they and their ways. This is so because “His house” means his costumes and his ways, since each angel has a specific act after which it is named.

56) If the people of the world knew Jacob’s great honor when the Creator told him, “I will go down with you into Egypt,” they would lick the ground around his grave and for three parsas [approximately 8 miles] away. It is written, “And Moses went out to meet his father-in-law.” They interpret that Aaron saw that Moses went out, and he went out with him, and Elazar and the elderly presidents went out with him, and the heads of the fathers and the leaders of the people, and all of Israel went out with them. It turns out that all of Israel went out to meet Jethro, since who would see Moses going out and would not go out with him? And who would see Aaron and the presidents go out and would not go out? It turns out that everyone went out because of Moses.

And if this was so because of Moses, it was even more so for the Creator, when He said, “I will go down with you into Egypt,” that the whole of the upper household would go down with Him. In other words, He alone, and then, “These are the names of the sons of Israel,” meaning the whole of the upper household, because it is written about Moses, “And Moses went out,” and all of Israel went out with him.

The Word of the Lord Came Expressly

57) It is written, “I will go down with you into Egypt.” When Jacob went down to Egypt, as it is written, “These are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt,” they all went down to Egypt with Jacob. This means that all the Merkavot [assemblies/chariots] and armies went down to Egypt with Jacob, and not only the Creator, as is implied in the words, “I will go down into Egypt with you.”

58) This was alone. It is written, “The word of the Lord came expressly to Ezekiel.” There are three issues here. 1. There is no Divinity abroad, yet Ezekiel’s prophecy was in the land of the Chaldeans. 2. There was none so loyal as Moses, as it is written, “He is trusted in all My house,” and Ezekiel revealed all the treasures of the King, more than Moses. 3. It seems as though he was not sure of himself, for if he were sure of himself, he would not reveal so much.

59) But of course he did not reveal more than he should have. Ezekiel was a complete prophet, he was complete in his reason and revealed all that he revealed with the Creator’s permission, and it was necessary that he would reveal everything that he revealed. The Creator never left Israel in exile, before He came to place His Divinity with them.

It is even more so with Jacob, that when he went down to exile, the Creator and His Divinity and the upper holy ones and the Merkavot, all came down with Jacob, as it is written, “Who came to Egypt with Jacob.” This settles the question that even though He said, “I will go down into Egypt with you,” it does not mean He alone, but rather with His Divinity and armies and Merkavot. This is the conduct of the Creator in all the exiles, as Ezekiel revealed in the exile in Babylon.

Come with Me from Lebanon, My Bride

60) “Come with me from Lebanon, my bride, with me from Lebanon.” Woe unto people who do not know and are not careful with the work of their Creator. This is so because each day, a voice comes out of Mount Horeb and says, “Woe unto people, for they slight the works of their Creator. Woe unto people from desecrating the glory of the Torah.”

Anyone who engages in Torah in this world and acquires good deeds inherits a whole world. And anyone who does not engage in Torah in this world and does not do good deeds, inherits neither this world nor the next world. He asks, “Either one inherits a whole world or loses both worlds? But there is he who inherits his world according to his place and according to what he deserves. Thus, there is a middle way.” Only one who does not have any good deeds is devoid of both worlds. But if he has good deeds, even if they are incomplete, he inherits his world according to what he deserves, both in this world and in the next world.

61) If people knew the Creator’s love for Israel they would roar as lions and chase Him in order to adhere to Him. When Jacob went down to Egypt, the Creator called upon His company of angels and told them, “Go down to Egypt all of you, and I will go down with you.” Divinity said, “O Lord almighty, is there an army without the King?” Divinity is considered the king of all the angels, since they are all drawn out of her. He told her, “Come with Me from Lebanon, My bride,” you, too, will come with Me. “From Lebanon” means from the place of Eden, Hochma, which is whitened in all its actions.

“Bride” is Divinity, which is a bride in the Huppah [wedding canopy], as it is written, “And it came to pass on the day that Moses had made an end.” It writes “End” without a Vav [in Hebrew], which means on the day when the bride enters the Huppah. And this bride is Divinity, which is in the Temple, a bride in the Huppah.

62) “[Come] with me from Lebanon,” from the place of the Temple above. “Look from the top of Amana,” from the top of those who have Emuna [faith], who are Jacob and his sons. “From the top of Senir and Hermon,” which are destined to receive My law. “From mount Hermon” means Mount Sinai, which is called “Hermon,” to protect them in their exile, which is called “Hermon,” from the word Herem [excommunication]. “From the lions’ dens” refers to the idol worshipping nations, which are similar to lions and leopards that torture Israel with every hard labor.

63) “Come with me from Lebanon, my bride.” But does she come from Lebanon? She rises to Lebanon. Divinity is below Chazeh de ZA and she rises to Lebanon to receive Hochma. It should have said, “Will rise with me to Lebanon.” However, when Divinity went down to Egypt, the 600,000 serving angels went down with her with the Creator in the lead, as it is written, “And their king is passed on before them, and the Lord at the head of them.”

64) “Come with me from Lebanon, my bride” is Divinity. “With me from Lebanon” means from the place of the Temple above, from Bina. “Look from the top of Amana,” from the place of the Temple above and from the place of the Temple below. Never had Divinity moved from the Western wall of the Temple, as it is written, “Behold, he stands behind our wall.” He is the head of Amana to the whole world. “From the top of Senir and Hermon,” the place from which the Torah came out to the world, Mount Sinai, called “Hermon.” To protect Israel from the lions’ dens—the idol worshipping nations. “From the lions’ dens” are the disciples of the wise who engage in the Torah in the abodes of the seminaries and in synagogues, who are lions and leopards in the Torah.

Seventy Souls

65) The Torah counted Jacob’s sons, first as twelve and then as seventy, as it is written, “All the souls of the house of Jacob, that came into Egypt, were seventy.” What is the reason that they were seventy and not more? It corresponds to the seventy nations that are in the world, for they were one nation opposite all of them.

66) The illuminating keys are the mitigated Malchut that ends in Yesod, which is called Miftacha. Their branches sit in their journeys when they shine during the journey of the three lines. Also, they are appointed over seventy nations that emerge from the twelve engravings and ties that surround in their journeys in the order of the three lines, which are equal to the four directions of the world, HG TM.

Even though their journeys are only on three lines, HGT, they shine in four directions, which are HGT and Malchut. And there are only three in each, which are the three lines, and four times three are twelve. And since they shine in Malchut, too, they can rule over seventy nations.

“He set the borders of the peoples according to the number of the children of Israel.” The number twelve in the children of Israel shines to the seventy nations. “For I have spread you abroad as the four winds of the heaven” means that the three lines will shine in all four directions, HG TM, indicating that they exist for Israel, which are the twelve tribes. It does not say, “In the four” but “As the four,” since as the world cannot be without four directions, the world cannot be without Israel.

Who Send Out Freely the Ox and the Donkey

67) “Happy are you who sow beside all waters, who send out freely the ox and the donkey.” Happy are Israel, whom the Creator desires more than all the nations and brought them close to Him, as it is written, “The Lord your God has chosen you.” It is also written, “For the portion of the Lord is His people, Jacob the lot of His inheritance.” And Israel adhere to the Creator, as it is written, “But you who cling unto the Lord your God.”

68) They are righteous before Him because they sow beside all waters; they sow for righteousness, meaning they raise MAN to extend Mochin to Malchut so she will be called Tzedakah [righteousness], since without the Mochin she is called Tzedek [justice], without the Hey [in Hebrew]. And it is written of one who sows for righteousness, “For Your mercy is great above the heavens.” “Above the heavens” is also called “Beside all waters.” “Above the heavens” is the next world, Bina, which is above ZA, called “heavens.” And Israel sow a seed and raise MAN beside all waters, Bina, to extend Mochin unto Malchut so she will be called Tzedakah [righteousness/almsgiving].

69) All the Dinim in this world, all the sentences, and all the questions are all in one palace, where the seventy-two Sanhedrin are scrutinizing the Dinim of the world. And that palace is called “the palace of merit,” since when they sit in judgment, they first discuss the man’s merit.

70) This is not so in the degree of the Sitra Achra, where there is a place called “demerit,” since all of his actions in this place—which is the serpent’s, a woman of harlotry—are only to discuss man’s demerits and slander him before his Master.

71) Those in the palace of merit are called “sweet water,” “clear water.” Those in the palace of demerit are called “bitter water.” Bitter water means water that causes curse. These three are absent in that palace of merit: sons, life, and nourishment. They are also not in the place of demerit or in the place of sweet and clear water or in the bitter water that cause curse.

72) This is why Israel sow a holy seed beside all waters, meaning raise MAN up to the uppermost Bina, called “water,” and beget beside all waters, since their seed is established only above, in Bina. This is why sons, life, and nourishment are not dependent on the palace of merit, but rather depend on the holy fortune, the holy Dikna de AA, his Bina that came out. And this place is “Beside all waters.”

73) “Who send out freely the ox and the donkey.” There is nothing in the Klipot of ox and donkey, since all their evil parts have been sent away from them and they cling to that good side of all the upper holy ones. When an ox and a donkey unite, they are two harm-doers to the world. An ox is the side of harsh Din and comes from adhesion of the side of holiness. When a donkey joins him, from the other side of the Klipot, they are two harm-doers to the world.

There are two kinds of Dinim: 1) A holy Din, the point of Shuruk, the left line before it has mated with the right line. At that time, harsh Din extends from it, but not due to the flaw in it, but rather for lack of Hassadim for clothing of Hochma. 2) Din that is not holy, which extends from the Masach de Hirik before the upper light has mated with it. This is a real flaw, which diminishes the GAR of the left.

The first Din is called “an ox” of holiness, and the second Din is called “a donkey” of the Sitra Achra.

74) The world cannot tolerate the force of the harsh Din of the ox kind when they join together. Therefore, “You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together.” This is why Jacob sent this thing to Esau, as it is written, “I have oxen and donkeys,” meaning that holiness has conquered them. If Jacob had not lowered himself, great dread would have come over Esau, since he was powerful enough to conquer those two Dinim.

And a New King Arose

75) “And a new king arose over Egypt.” All the nations in the world and all the kings in the world were strengthened in their government only because of Israel. Egypt did not rule the whole world until Israel came and entered there in the exile. Then they overcame all the peoples in the world. Babel was stronger than all the peoples in the world only because of Israel, when they were in exile among them. Edom were stronger than all the people in the world only because of Israel, when they were in exile among them. Those peoples were in lowliness among the rest of the nations, and were lower than all of them but grew strong because of Israel.

76) Egyptians were lower than all the peoples; they were actually called, “slaves” because the Egyptians were the lowest of all peoples. Babylonians were low, as it is written, “Behold, the land of the Chaldeans—this is the people that was not.” Edomites were lowly, as it is written, “Behold, I make you small among the nations, and greatly despised.”

77) They all receive strength only because of Israel, since when Israel are in exile with them, they immediately become stronger than all other nations in the world, since Israel alone are equal to all the nations in the world.

When Israel went into the exile in Egypt, Egypt immediately rose and their government strengthened above all the nations, as it is written, “And a new king arose over Egypt.” “Arose” means that they had rising, meaning that the angel appointed over the government of Egypt was strengthened and rose and was given strength and rule over all the appointees of all the other nations.

In the beginning, that appointee above was given governance, and subsequently, his people below. And because of that the writing says, “And a new king arose over Egypt.” This was their appointee, who was new because until this day he had no governance over all the other nations, and now he was raised to rule over all the peoples in the world. And then the words, “Under three things the earth quakes ... Under a slave when he becomes king” come true, since the Egyptians were slaves.

78) Thirty days before strength comes to the people on the earth or before a crisis comes to the people on the earth, this thing is declared in the world. At times, it is given to a child, and at times, to those people who are mindless. And sometimes it is given to the fowl, and they declare in the world and there is no one to heed them. When people are righteous, that thing is given to the heads of the righteous of the world, so they will alert the people and they will return to their Master. But if the people are not righteous, it is as we said.

79) In the morning, in the light of day, I saw a bird, a flying angel. He lifted himself up three times and lowered himself down once, and he was saying high and low. On this day, the firmaments fly. That is, the degrees obtain their GAR through the flying of the firmament, as in a tower that is flying in the air. Three upright appointees govern the earth. One sits and does not sit, for he, too, wishes to stand and to not sit. He was taken through burning fire, revoked his existence and revoked his rule, and three high, ruling pillars stand over the world.

The bird is an angel that serves for the Zivug of ZON, as it is written, “For a bird of the air shall carry the voice.” And the level of the Zivug that extends from ZON is in three lines, called HGT de ZA, “right.” The Nukva, too, receives these HGT from ZA in a Zivug, but her own essence is left, whose conduct is to shine from above downwards, and it is dark and does not shine at all. This is the meaning of the Nukva having nothing of her own except what her husband, ZA, gives her.

The reception of light from ZA is called “morning” and “light of day.” The angel that serves for the Zivug of ZA and Nukva implies that only three lines of ZA, HGT, shine in illumination of Hochma, since ZA is right. But the left line in Nukva, whose way is to shine from above downwards, is low and does not shine. And he said, “upper ones, upper ones on this day,” meaning in the light of ZA, who is called “day.” The firmaments fly means that the firmaments reveal illumination of Hochma, as in flying in the air, and not in the Nukva, left. Hence, only the three appointees that extend from HGT rule over the earth.

And one appointee, who extends from the essence of Nukva, from the left, needs to sit, to diminish his level. It is like a person who sits and thus lowers his height by a third, meaning the GAR, so he will not extend them from above downwards. And because he does not wish to sit, but to raise his own level of GAR, which extends from above downwards, he was taken through burning fire, his existence was revoked, and his government was revoked. Thus, only three high, ruling pillars stand over the world—those that extend only from HGT.

80) I tossed a lump of dust unto that bird and told it, “Bird, bird, do tell me, there are three appointees and one who was removed from his reign. Who are they?” It threw three arrows at me from the right wing, from ZA, and one from the left, from Nukva, and I do not know what it meant. In other words, I do not know the innovation it was trying to teach me.

81) He took those arrows and lowered them to his nostrils. Blood came out of his nostrils, implying Dinim in red color. He said, “There must be three rulers of peoples who are standing in the city of Rome in the land, since they extend from HGT de ZA, and they are destined to declare bad decrees over Israel by the Romans. In other words, the flaw that Israel blemished in HGT gave the Romans strength to destroy the Temple and declare bad decrees.

He took that arrow that the bird had thrown from the left wing and smelled it. Then black fire came out of it, which is the color of the left, designated to Nukva, and is not included in the three colors of the rainbow—white, red, and green—which come from the three lines HGT, and there is no black in them. He said that they revoked the government of the Egyptians, who extend the light of left from above downwards, and that a Roman king would traverse the whole of the land of Egypt and appoint ministers and warmongers in Egypt. Also, he will destroy buildings that were built and extended from the left side and build the ruins that were ruined because they were from the right, for which the Egyptians have no desire.

He threw those arrows to the ground, meaning extended their illumination from above downwards. The three arrows fell on the one that was on the left side. The one that was on the left side was burned and the three arrows on the right side persisted. This is so because the illumination of the right can be extended from above downwards, and he did that so they would realize the truthfulness of the intimations of the bird.

82) While they were seated, a child passed through and was calling the vision of Egypt, “Behold, the Lord is riding on a swift cloud and is about to come to Egypt.” His second friend passed by and said, “But the land of Egypt shall be desolate.” His third friend passed by and said, “The wisdom of Egypt shall perish.” They saw that the arrow from the left wing was burnt and the three other arrows that were on it were not burnt.

83) That arrow of the bird and that of the children are all one thing. In their verses, the children, too, were saying that Egypt, the left line that shines from above downwards, is destined to be desolate and lost. It is all high prophecy that was given to birds and to children, and the Creator wished to show us those high secrets that He does; hence, He sent them to us, as it is written, “For the Lord God will do nothing, but He reveals His counsel unto His servants the prophets.”

84) Sages are more important than prophets at any time, since prophets are sometimes imbued with the spirit of holiness and sometimes not. But the spirit of holiness is not removed from sages for even a moment; they know what is above and below, and do not need to reveal. Everything is wisdom, and the wisdom of Rabbi Elazar is higher than everyone else’s. Were it not for sages, people would not know what is Torah and what are the Mitzvot [commandments] of the Creator, and there would be no difference between man’s spirit and the spirit of a beast.

85) When the Creator executes Din [judgment] on a people, He first executes it with the appointee that is appointed over them above, as it is written, “The Lord will punish the host of the high heaven on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth.” “The host of the high heaven” first, meaning the appointed angel, and then “The kings of the earth.”

86) By which Din was the appointee above sentenced? He is taken through the river of fire, which extends and comes out from before the Lord, and then his rule is revoked. And it is immediately declared in the firmament, “The rule of appointee so and so has been removed from him,” until that voice reaches all the firmaments and until it reaches those who rule in this world, who are dependent upon that appointee. Then that voice comes out and declares throughout the world until it reaches birds and children, and the most foolish of people, who do not know what they are saying.

87) “And a new king arose.” A new king means really new. He innovated decrees that no other king had innovated previously. It is written, “Who did not know Joseph,” meaning he did not know all that good that Joseph had done in the land of Egypt, as it is written, “And Joseph brought [all] the money into Pharaoh's house,” and he revived them in the years of the famine. He did not remember all that and pretended not to know all that.

88) “And a new king arose over Egypt.” He rose by himself. Those who were low rose to rule, even though he was not worthy of kingship, but rose by the power of wealth. Everything is so, like Ahasuerus, who was not worthy of kingship but rose to rule by himself and rose by the power of wealth, and wished to destroy Israel. It is the same with Pharaoh here. He was not worthy of being a king but he rose to reign by himself and wished to destroy Israel from the world, as it is written, “And he said unto his people.” And when a king rises below, meaning the appointed angel, a king rises below.

The Vision of Egypt

89) The vision of Egypt, “Behold, the Lord is riding on a swift cloud and is about to come to Egypt.”

All the kings in the world and all the peoples in the world are completely insignificant before the Creator. In Egypt, despite all the Gevurot and the high hand that the Creator revealed in Egypt, it is written, “Behold, the Lord is riding on a swift cloud and is about to come to Egypt.” What is the difference that in all the peoples in the world it was not so, but the Creator decided on a sentence and it was done, and in Egypt He Himself came to execute judgments?

90) It is because the King came to bring out the queen who was there. He came in honor of the queen, Divinity, who was down in exile with them. And because the Creator wished to honor her, He came to her to raise her, to give her a hand, and to straighten her up, as the Creator is destined to do at the end of the exile in Edom.

91) Thus, it was for the queen that the Creator came to Egypt. But the queen was in the exile in Babylon; why was it not so? It was because of the sin, for they had taken foreign women and admitted the holy covenant into another authority. This is why they lost the miracles and signs that were meant to be done for them. But this was not so in Egypt, for they were all the tribes of the Creator. The children of Israel came into the exile, and the children of Israel went out of the exile without a sin.

92) In the exile in Edom the Creator wished to be honored in the world, and to come by Himself to raise the queen and shake off her dust. Woe unto one who will be there before Him when He says, “Shake yourself from the dust, arise and sit, O Jerusalem; loosen yourself from the chains around your neck.” Who is the king and nation that will stand up against him?

93) “And the idols of Egypt shall be moved at His presence.” “The idols of Egypt” is not said about the rocks and trees from which they made the idols, but about all those degrees of high appointees and about the worship of the lower ones of them. They were the ones who moved and were punished. And wherever Israel exiled, the Creator sought them and they were received from those peoples.

94) It is written, “For thus says the Lord God, ‘My people went down aforetime into Egypt to sojourn there; and the Assyrian oppressed them without cause.’” This is God’s complaint that angered Him against Assyria, and He said, “See what Assyria has done to Me. Egypt, in whom I executed all those Dinim, and My people went down to dwell among them, the Egyptians received them among them and gave them the best land, the land of Goshen. And although they were afflicted in exile, they did not remove the land from them, for it is written only in the land of Goshen. And this was the best land in Egypt, as it is written, ‘In the best of the land,’ the land of Ramses, which was in Goshen. And not only did they not deny them anything, as it is written, ‘The cattle of the children of Israel,’ which means that they did not rob them of their cattle. And yet, they were sentenced by several Dinim [judgments].”

95) But “The Assyrian oppressed them without cause.” They threw them to the land at the end of the world and robbed them of their land. And if the Egyptians, who did all those favors for Israel, were sentenced by all these Dinim, the Creator’s wish to glorify His Name over Assyria and Edom and the rest of the nations that oppress them and kill them and take their money will be several times stronger. It is written about that, “Thus will I magnify Myself, and sanctify Myself, and I will make Myself known.” There, in Egypt, it was with one king. But here, in the future, complete redemption, it will be in all the kings in the world.

The Coming of the Messiah

96) Rabbi Shimon raised his hands and wept. He said, “Woe unto he who will be at that time, and happy is he who will be and can be present at that time.” “Woe unto he who will be at that time” because when the Creator comes to visit the deer, meaning Divinity, He will look to see who are the ones that are standing with her, He will observe all the deeds of each and every one of those who are with her, and no righteous shall be found. It is written about that, “And I looked, and there was none to help.” At that time, many troubles will come over Israel.

97) “Happy is he who will be and will be present at that time.” This is because one who is in faith at that time will be rewarded with that light of the King’s joy. It is written about that time, “And [I] will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried.”

98) After these troubles awaken upon Israel, all the nations and their kings will seek counsel together against them. They will awaken several evil sentences, unite against them, and trouble after trouble will come, and the last makes the first forgotten. Then the pillar of fire that stands from above downwards will be seen for forty days and all the nations in the world will see it.

99) At that time, the Messiah King will awaken to come out of the Garden of Eden, from the place called “the bird’s nest,” and will appear in the land of the Galilee. And on the day when the Messiah goes out there, the whole world will be angered and all the people in the world will hide in caves and in crevices in stones and they will not know how to be saved. It is written about that time, “And men shall go into the caves of the rocks, and into the holes of the earth, from before the terror of the Lord, and from the glory of His majesty, when He arises to shake mightily the earth.”

100) “Before the terror of the Lord” is the angering of the whole world. “And from the glory of His majesty” is the Messiah. “When He arises to shake mightily the earth” is when the Messiah rises and will appear in the land of the Galilee, since this is the first place that was ruined in the Holy Land by Assyria. For this reason, he will appear there before all other places, and from there he will evoke wars upon the entire world.

101) After forty days, when the pillar rises from earth to heaven in the eyes of the whole world and the Messiah has appeared, a star will rise up on the east, blazing in all colors, and seven other stars will surround that star. And they will wage war on it from all sides, three times a day for seventy days, and all the people in the world will see.

102) And that star will make war with them with torches of blazing fire, sparkling in every direction, and it will strike them until it swallows them every single night. And at daytime, it lets them out again. They will make the war before the whole world repeatedly for seventy days. After seventy days, that star will be hidden and the Messiah will be hidden for twelve months, the pillar of fire will return as before, the Messiah will be hidden in it, and that pillar will not be seen.

103) After twelve months, the Messiah will be raised inside that pillar into the firmament, where he will receive strength and the crown of kingship. And when he descends to the earth, that pillar of fire will be seen again as before, in the eyes of the whole world. Afterwards, the Messiah will appear and many nations will gather unto him, and he will make wars throughout the world. At that time, the Creator will awaken all the peoples of the world with His might, the Messiah King will be known throughout the world, and all the kings in the world will awaken and unite to wage war against him.

104) Several rulers in Israel will revert and return to the gentiles and will come with them to wage war against the Messiah King. Then, the whole world will darken for fifteen days and many from the people of Israel will die in that darkness. This is why it is written, “For, behold, darkness shall cover the earth.”

105) “If you happen to come upon a bird's nest along the way.” This verse is one of the hidden Mitzvot [commandments] of the Torah, and contains hidden secrets of the Torah in the thirty-two paths of the Torah.

106) When the Messiah King awakens, several signs and other miracles will awaken in the world. There is a hidden and unknown place in the lower Garden of Eden, which is embroidered with several colors. And a thousand lovely palaces are concealed within it, with no one to enter them but the Messiah, who always stands in the Garden of Eden.

107) The whole garden is surrounded by many Merkavot [chariots/structures] of the righteous and the Messiah stands over them and over several armies and camps of souls of the righteous that are there. In the beginnings of months, on good days, and Sabbaths the Messiah enters that place where a thousand palaces are hidden, to entertain in all those palaces.

108) And at the very inside of those thousand hidden palaces is one concealed and hidden place, which is not known at all. It is called, “Eden.” No one can attain it, and the Messiah is concealed outside, around that place, until a place called, “a bird’s nest” appears to him. This is a place where the bird that awakens in the Garden of Eden each day declares.

There are three Hochmot [plural of Hochma]:

1. Upper Hochma de Ohr Yashar. This Hochma has been concealed since the six days of creation, and is therefore completely unknown and unattainable, even for the Messiah. It says about it here that there is one, concealed and hidden place that is completely unknown, and it is called “Eden.” And there is no one who can attain it and the Messiah is concealed outside, around that place.

2. Bina that returned and became Hochma. All the Mochin extend from this Hochma, but there is no attainment in her for herself, except for the Messiah. It says about it here that there is one place, hidden and concealed, that is not known. It is embroidered with several colors and a thousand lovely palaces are hidden in it, and there is no one to enter them except the Messiah.

3. Hochma in Malchut. Only this Hochma is attained by the greatest righteous in the world, and only by the inclusion of the three lines in it. The left line in it, which is the root of all the Hochma in it, is called “A bird’s nest.” A bird is the name of the Hochma in Malchut. A nest is the place from which the Hochma appears. It says about it here, “Until a place called ‘a bird’s nest’ appears to him. This is a place where the bird that awakens in the Garden of Eden each day declares.” Bestowal of Hochma particularly is called a “herald,” and not “speech” due to the Dinim that extend from her. This is so because Hochma appears only by a sentence, and when it clothes in Hassadim, the Hochma appears to the righteous in the Garden of Eden each day.

109) In that place, called “a bird’s nest,” embroidered in a garment, called “the queen’s precious garment,” are all the forms of all the peoples that have gathered against Israel to harm them. The Messiah enters that place and raises his eyes. He sees the patriarchs who entered God’s destroyed house until he sees Rachel with a tear on her cheek and the Creator comforting her, but she does not wish to be comforted, as it is written, “She refuses to be comforted for her children.” Then the Messiah raises his voice and cries, the whole of the Garden of Eden shakes, and all the righteous that are there wail and cry with him.

110) He wailed and cried once more, and the firmament over the garden shook up along with fifteen million camps of high angels until the Messiah reached the high throne. Then the Creator hints to that bird and it enters its nest, sits with the Messiah, declares what it declares, and what awakens, awakens.

There are two kinds of voices. 1) From the Masach de Malchut that is unmitigated in Bina. It was written that the Messiah raised his voice and wept. And since he is from the quality of Din, he says that the whole of the Garden of Eden will shake, even the right line of the Garden of Eden. 2) When the Masach of Malchut is already mitigated in Bina, the new Sium [ending] of Tzimtzum Bet [second restriction], called “firmament,” comes out. This is the second weeping, when not the whole garden was shaken, but only the left line and the left half of the middle line, called “fifteen million.” They are called “one thousand” because they are Hochma, and “ten thousand” because they are clothed in Hassadim.

And at that time, the Messiah rises to the high throne, to Bina, and the Creator hints to that bird, meaning extends illumination of Hochma to it. Then the bird, meaning the Mochin de Hochma, returns to its nest and sits with the Messiah, to bestow Hochma upon him. And then it declares what it declares, to extend the Hochma in the voice of Bina, and what awakens, awakens, meaning the Mochin de Hochma awakens.

111) Finally, from within that holy throne, Bina, called “three times,” meaning the three lines one at a time, that bird’s nest and the Messiah all rise up to Bina. The Creator swears them to remove the evil kingship from the world through the Messiah, avenge the revenge of Israel, and extend all the good that the Creator will do to His people. And that bird’s nest and the Messiah return to the places and the Messiah is hidden in the bird’s nest as before.

Thus far, The Book of Zohar explained the meaning of Messiah at the time of exile. It says that his root is from around Eden, where it was initially concealed. When the worlds and the bird’s nest—Malchut in the form of Hochma and sentence—were erected, the Messiah was concealed in it. On Sabbaths and on good days, the Messiah rises with the bird’s nest to Bina and they receive three lines of Bina.

Henceforth, it begins to clarify the order of appearance of the Messiah when he comes to redeem Israel. This is so because he is unfit to redeem Israel before he extends the GAR de GAR—called Neshama, Haya, Yechida—that are missing in the bird’s nest and are missing in himself. And because Israel are unfit for redemption, every time he extends the left line, harsh and bitter Dinim are drawn into the world, since there is no such light that does not extend in three lines.

Now it begins to explain the order of the disclosure of light of Neshama from GAR de GAR. From item 115 onwards it explains the order of the disclosure of the light of Haya, and from item 121 onwards, the order of disclosure of light of Yechida. Subsequently, it explains the order of the revelation of the Messiah to the lower ones.

112) When the Creator awakens to correct the worlds, the letters of the name will shine in completeness. Yod, meaning Hochma, will shine in the Hey, which is Bina. Vav, meaning Tifferet, will shine in the bottom Hey, which is Malchut. Then the Yod-Hey will be in one wholeness with the Vav-Hey. In other words, one terrible star will awaken. This is Tifferet, which is called “terrible,” in its Masach de Hirik. “In the middle of the firmament,” since it is the middle line, “in crimson,” as it contains all the colors, it also contains all three lines. “Blazing and glittering in the day,” in light of Hassadim, called “day.” “In the eyes of the whole world” means in the light of Hochma, too, which is called “eyes.”

113) “And one blaze will rise from the north side, from the left line.” This means that when he extends the Hochma from above downwards, his light becomes a blaze of fire. “In the firmament, and they stand opposite from each other forty days,” since the flame, which is from the left line, separates itself from each of the HB TM in the middle line. And each of them consists of ten Sefirot, thus they are forty. “And all the people in the world will startle at the end of the forty days” in the final count, in Malchut de Malchut.

“The star and the blaze will make war before the eyes of everyone, and the blaze will spread in the burning of fire within the firmament from the north side.” This means that it will spread to extend Hochma from the left line in Malchut de Malchut, too, which has not yet been mitigated with the quality of Rachamim, from which the middle line, which is the star, receives the Masach for its point of Hirik. It follows that it contemplates swallowing the star altogether, meaning to revoke its screen and to cancel the middle line. And several rulers, kings, nations, and peoples will be startled by the strengthening of the flame.

114) Then a star will rise on the south side, which is the right line and the light of Hesed, and Hassadim will shine once more in the world. By that, it will rule over the flame and the flame will gradually be swallowed in the firmament in the face of the star until it is not seen at all. Then the star will create paths in the firmament in twelve boundaries, meaning it will mitigate the Masach with the quality of Rachamim, called “path.”

And when the three lines in it are included in each of the HB TM, three times four is twelve paths. And these lights will stand in the firmament for twelve days because even the Malchut herself shines only in the three lines, HGT. But the Malchut in her does not shine; hence, they are only twelve lights. And this completes the Messiah with Neshama de GAR.

115) After twelve days, when it wishes to extend their illumination into Malchut, all the people in the world will startle from the quality of Din in Malchut and the sun will darken at midday, as it darkened on the day when the Temple was ruined, until heaven and earth were invisible. And a voice will awaken in a thunder and sparks from the quality of Din in the Malchut, the earth will shake from that voice, and several armies and camps will die because of it.

116) And that day, meaning Malchut, will cause the awakening in the great city of Rome, which is Bina de Klipot—a flame of fire from the Din of the left in that voice that will awaken throughout the world from the Din in Malchut. These two kinds of Dinim will join together and burn many towers and many palaces. Then several towers and several rulers and ministers will fall on that day. And all of them, all the Dinim, will gather unto her to do harm, and all the people in the world will not be able to be saved. And all that is a preparation for the completion of the Messiah in the light of Haya de GAR, as it is known that Achoraim [posterior] precede the Panim [anterior].

117) “From that day and for twelve months” means until the illumination of the twelve boundaries is corrected in Malchut, too, since in ZA they are called “twelve days,” and in Malchut they are called “twelve months.” All the kings will seek counsel and declare several decrees and several destructions against Israel, and they will succeed in them. Happy is he who is there in the days of the Messiah; happy is he who will not be there, for he will be saved from those Dinim and the entire world will be in great bewilderment.

118) At the end of the twelve months, after the twelve lights in Malchut are corrected, a tribe will rise out of Israel. This is the Messiah King, who will awaken within the Garden of Eden and all the righteous will crown him there and gird him with arms in letters written on the Kli [vessel] of the Holy Name.

119) And a voice will explode in the branches of the trees in the garden and will call aloud and say, “Awaken, you High Holy Ones, arise from before the Messiah, it is the time for a woman to bond with her husband,” meaning Tifferet and Malchut. Her husband, Tifferet, wishes to avenge the world for her and to raise her and shake her from the dust.

120) Then they will all rise and gird him with his arms as before—Abraham on his right, Isaac on his left, Jacob before him, and Moses, the loyal shepherd, above all those righteous, walking and dancing in the Garden of Eden. This completes the Messiah in the light of Haya de GAR.

121) When the Messiah is erected through the righteous in the Garden of Eden, he will enter the place of the bird’s nest as before, and see there the form of the ruin of the Temple and all the righteous that were killed in it. Then he will take ten garments from there, which are called “ten garments of envy,” and will be hidden there for forty days, unrevealed at all.

122) After forty days, a voice will awaken and will call from the high throne, Bina, unto the bird’s nest with the Messiah King who was hidden in it. Then he will be lifted up and the Creator will see the Messiah King clothed in attire of vengeance and girding his arms. And He will take him and kiss him on his head.

123) Then 390 firmaments will tremble and the Creator will hint to one of those firmaments, which has been concealed since the six days of creation, and He will take out a single Keter from one palace in that firmament, carved and engraved with the Holy Names. This was the crown in which the Creator was crowned when Israel crossed the sea to receive vengeance from all the horsemen and carriages of Pharaoh, and he crowned the Messiah King with that crown.

The Masach that is mitigated in Bina is called “firmament.” Since it extends from Bina, it contains four discernments HB TM, in each of which are 100 Sefirot. However, since Malchut lacks them, there are only 390 firmaments in them, and ten firmaments in Malchut were hidden since the six days of creation, meaning since the time when the correction of Tzimtzum Bet [second restriction] was established.

“At that time, 390 firmaments shake,” since the correction has reached Malchut of the quality of Din and they fear the Dinim of Malchut.

The Creator hints to one of those firmaments that has been concealed since the six days of creation, the firmament of Malchut of the quality of Din, which has been concealed since the six days of creation. And He takes out one Keter from a palace in that firmament, since the absence of Malchut in the Kelim induces a lack of light of Keter in the lights. And now that Malchut has been corrected, the light of Keter has returned to the firmament.

At the time of the crossing of the Red Sea, when the Creator wished to sink the Klipa of Egypt so that Israel would never see them again, the Creator crowned Himself with that Malchut of the quality of Din. And now that this Malchut has been corrected and the light of Keter within her has appeared, the Creator took her and crowned the Messiah King with that crown. This completes the Messiah King with the light of Yechida de GAR, but only in VAK de Yechida.

124) When the Messiah was crowned and corrected with all those corrections, the Creator took him and kissed him as before. “Who saw” means the holy Merkavot [structures] and camps of upper angels surrounding him and giving him presents and many delights, and he will be crowned with all of them.

125) He entered there in one palace and saw all the upper angels, called “Them that mourn in Zion.” They weep for the ruin of the Temple; they always weep and give it a red garment of kingship, to take vengeance. Then the Creator hides him in that bird’s nest and he is hidden there for thirty days, which is a preparation for reception of GAR de Yechida.

126) After thirty days, when that bird’s nest vanishes, he descends crowned in all the corrections from above and from below, and several holy camps surrounding him. And the whole world will see a single light hanging from the firmament unto the earth. And it will stand for seven days, which is HGT NHYM in Malchut, which shines even in Malchut within Malchut. And all the people in the world will wonder and be alarmed, and will not know at all except for those sages who know these secrets, happy are they.

127) And for all those seven days, he will be crowned in the land, in Malchut, in that bird’s nest, as it is written, “If you happen to come upon a bird's nest along the way,” which concerns the Messiah King, who is crowned with a bird’s nest in the place of Rachel’s burial, at the crossroads. And since the Messiah is crowned with the light of Malchut de Malchut, which is worthy of gathering the exiles, he will therefore tell her that and comfort her. And then she will receive comfort, where before it was said “She refuses to be comforted for her children, because they are not.” And she will rise and kiss the Messiah.

128) Subsequently, a light will rise from Rachel’s grave and will be in the city of trees, which is Jericho. This is why “In each tree” is Jericho, which is the city of palms, which Joshua could not entirely correct. This is why he said, “Cursed be the man before the Lord, who rises up and builds this city,” since it extends from the quality of Din in Malchut de Malchut. And now the Messiah will correct it in the light of the seven days or on the earth, which is Jerusalem, the externality of Malchut, and he will be hidden in the light, in the bird’s nest, for twelve months.

129) After twelve months, that light will be upright between heaven and earth, and will be in the land of the Galilee, where Israel’s exile, the exile of Assyria began. There the Messiah will appear from that light of the bird’s nest and will return to his place. And on that day, the whole earth will shake as before, from the end of the heaven to its end, and everyone will see that the Messiah King had appeared in the land of the Galilee.

130) And all those who engaged in Torah, who are called “sons,” will gather unto him. They are few in the world, but through them that are children in the study, the Messiah’s strength will grow. This is the meaning of the word “young” in the verse. And if we do not find them that nurse, who sit in their mothers’ bosom and nurse, as it is written, “Them that are weaned from the milk, them that are drawn from the breast,” meaning or eggs, as in the verse, since for these, Divinity is in exile with Israel.

131) This is so because few are the sages who are called “sons” at that time. And the mother sits on the young or the eggs, “And the mother sitting on the young or on the eggs, you shall not take the mother with the young,” since then there are no sons. This is why “You shall not take the mother,” Divinity. And the Messiah will detain up to another twelve months, and then her husband, ZA, will come and raise her from the dust, as it is written, “I will raise up the fallen tabernacle of David.”

132) On that day the Messiah King will begin to gather the exile from the end of the world to the end of the world, as it is written, “If any of you are dispersed in the outermost parts of heaven.” From that day, the Creator will do for Israel all the signs, miracles, and mighty deeds that He had done in Egypt, as it is written, “As in the days when you came out from the land of Egypt, I will show him wonders.”

133) You will find all those things in the thirty-two paths of wisdom of the Holy Name. And as long as these miracles do not awaken in the world, the Holy Name will not be completed and the love will not awaken, as it is written, “I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, by the gazelles.” “By the gazelles” is the Messiah King, who is called Tzevaot [gazelles/armies/hosts]. “Or by the hinds of the field” are the rest of the armies and camps below. “That you do not awaken or stir up love” is the right hand of the Creator, the Sefira of Hesed, called “love.” “Until she pleases,” meaning she who lies in the dust, Divinity that is in exile, for the king to desire her. Righteous will be the one who is rewarded with that generation. He will be righteous in this world and righteous in the next world.

136) I have commented regarding the letters of the Holy Name in His—the Creator’s—awakening toward His sons. But now I can disclose what no other man has been permitted to disclose, but the merit of this generation will sustain the world until the arrival of the Messiah King. Woe unto one who will rise then. Who can endure what I see in the prolonging of the exile?

137) “O Lord our God, other lords beside You have had dominion over us; but by You only do we mention Your name.” This verse holds a sublime secret in faith. “O Lord our God” is the beginning of the high secrets, Hochma and Bina, from which all the light emerges to illuminate all the candles. This means that all the Mochin de ZON and BYA emerge from these HB, which are called “The Lord our God.” And upon that depends all the faith, Nukva, as it is written, “The Lord God fashioned,” which are HB, “The rib,” meaning the Nukva, called “faith.”

138) “Other lords beside You have had dominion over us,” since there is no one to rule over the people of Israel but that upper name, “the Lord our God,” and now in exile the other side rules over it.

139) “By You only do we mention Your name.” The Holy Name, Nukva, is the sum of all twenty-two letters. This is why she is called Et [Aleph-Tav], implying the twenty-two letters from Aleph to Tav. And the assembly of Israel, Nukva, is blessed only by that name, You, ZA, which contains within him twenty-two letters, too, such as the number Bet-Chaf [numeric value—22, and forming the word “You” in Hebrew]. It is written about that, “To whom You swore by Yourself,” and, “By You shall Israel bless.” “For by You I can run upon a troop.”

All these imply to ZA, and when there was wholeness, ZA and Nukva were not separated from each other. It is forbidden to separate them from each other—a woman from her husband—neither in thought nor in mention, so as to not display separation. But now, in exile, there is separation because out of the troubles that come upon us each time, we create separation, mentioning the name of the Nukva apart from her husband, ZA, since she lies in the dust.

The world is always led by the Nukva. When she is connected with her husband, ZA, she has all the pleasure and all the bounty to bestow upon the world. At that time, it is considered that the lower ones that are worthy of that abundance cause the Zivug of Nukva with ZA, her husband. But in the exile, when the lower ones are not worthy of the great abundance, but receive trouble and harsh torments from Nukva’s leadership, it is considered that we lower ones cause separation between ZA and Nukva, the Nukva is alone, outside of ZA, and she is lying in the dust. This is so because without Zivug with him, all the harsh Dinim are drawn out to the world, and for this reason she is lowly and degraded to dust. It is written, “By You only do we mention Your name.” Your name, the Nukva, will be connected to You, ZA, and then all the wholeness and bounty will be in the world.

140) When the Nukva is without her husband, it is considered that we mention this name separately because we are far from You and have caused others to rule over us. And Your name, the Nukva, is separated from the name in You, ZA. This is during the exile.

141) The first exile was from the First Temple, and the First Temple was the first Hey of HaVaYaH, Bina. Corresponding to her seventy years, which are ZAT, HGT, NHYM, the exile of the First Temple was seventy years, where each Sefira contains ten, making them seventy.

And the mother, GAR de Bina, does not sit on those seventy years. They were separated from the upper name, the first Hey de HaVaYaH. And then the Yod de HaVaYaH, the upper one of Bina, departed upwards to Ein Sof [infinity]. And the First, High Temple, the Holy One, Bina, is not a fountain of living water because her source, Yod de HaVaYaH, meaning Hochma, departed.

142) The first Hey de HaVaYaH is seventy years in exile because she is called “seven years,” as it is written, “So he was seven years in building it.” Do you say about the First Temple—the first Hey—that the kingdom of Babylon was ruling above in the seventy years, which are Bina? Certainly not. Rather, when the Temple was standing, the light and the springing of the upper Ima was shining and descending. When Israel sinned, the Temple was ruined and the kingdom of Babylon ruled, that light was covered and darkened and the holy lower ones did not shine.

143) And since the lower ones were not shining because of the reign of the kingdom of Babylon, that light of Bina departed and that high fountain that sprung to the Bina, which is Yod de HaVaYaH, Hochma, departed upwards in Ein Sof. Then those seventy years of Bina did not shine because of that illumination of the Yod that avoided shining to the Hey. This was certainly Bina’s seventy-year exile, the First Temple.

144) When Babylon’s government was removed and the bottom Hey de HaVaYaH began to shine, not all of Israel returned to be purified, to be completely virtuous as before. Rather, only a few returned from the exile in Babylon to the land of Israel. And since it was incomplete, the upper Yod de HaVaYaH did not descend to shine as much as it shone previously, but only bit by bit and without order, since Israel were not properly pure as before. Hence, the upper spring, the Yod de HaVaYaH, did not spring and did not shine, but rather returned to slightly shine out of the stressing of the name.

145) This is why many wars provoked Israel until the darkness covers the earth and the bottom Hey, Nukva, was darkened and fell to the earth. And the upper spring, the Yod de HaVaYaH, departed as before because Malchut, which is red, grew stronger and Israel reverted to their evil ways.

146) This is why the bottom Hey, the Second Temple, was ruined. All twelve tribes of the bottom Hey are as the number of the camps of Israel, which are the twelve tribes of the Lord. They are in the exile of the kingdom of Edom. And the high spring, Vav de HaVaYaH, ZA, departed the spring that bestows upon it from Yesod de ZA, as it is written, “The righteous perishes.” This is the foundation that that springing of the upper source had lost, for it was leaking and pulling from above.

147) Then there was separation in the Creator, the Second Temple, when she separated from the Vav de HaVaYaH, ZA, and came to the exile in Edom, in all those twelve tribes and camps of Israel. The twelve tribes amount to a great number. And because the Hey was in all this number, the exile stretched over a long time.

148) The secret of secrets is given to those who are wise at heart. The ten tribes are a thousand years; two tribes are two hundred years, since the twelve lights of the Nukva, called tribes, extend from Bina, whose Sefirot are hundreds, hence they are twelve hundreds.

“She weeps bitterly in the night and her tears are on her cheeks.” At the end of the twelve tribes of the exile, the end of the twelve hundred, the night will darken on Israel until the Vav awakens at the time of sixty-six years. This is so because the full Vav, as it is pronounced, is Vav [written with two Vavs]. The first Vav is Tifferet, whose Sefirot are tens, and they are sixty. The second Vav is Yesod, whose Sefirot are units, and they are six. This is why the Vav de HaVaYaH is sixty-six.

149) At the end of the twelve tribes, which are the twelve hundred years of exile, and at the end of the sixty-six years in the darkness of night, which is the exile, “Then will I remember My covenant with Jacob,” who is Tifferet. This is the awakening of the letter Vav, Tifferet, the Vav de HaVaYaH, the Nefesh, the interior of the house of Jacob, the Nukva, called “the house of Jacob.”

This is, “All the souls belonging to Jacob that came into Egypt ... sixty-six.” Meaning the Vav, the Nefesh of the Second Temple, the bottom Hey, and this Vav is the sixty-six. Sixty is for the awakening of Jacob, Tifferet, and six is for the awakening Joseph, Yesod. Hence, in full, it is Vav [with two Vavs], implying Tifferet and Yesod, which are two that are united as one, since Yesod and Tifferet are considered one. And this is why they are implied in the two Vavs in the filling of Vav, which are one letter.

150) From then on the Creator will awaken the miracles and signs, and the troubles will awaken upon Israel. Then it was said, “And also My covenant with Isaac,” since Isaac is Gevura and Din. Afterwards, the Messiah King wages wars throughout the world on the right-hand-side of the Creator, which is Hesed, as it is written, “Your right hand, O Lord, glorious in power.” At that time, it will be said, “And also My covenant with Abraham will I remember,” since Abraham is Hesed. Then, “And I will remember the land” is the bottom Hey de HaVaYaH, the Nukva, called “land.” At that time, it is written, “And the Lord shall be King over all the earth.”

151) At the end of sixty-six other years, which are 132 years, together with the sixty-six, the letters in the Holy Name will be seen, engraved in the completeness of the sixty-six, above in Tifferet and below in Nukva, as it should be. This is the upper and lower Hey that is found in the fullness of the bottom Hey. It is like the Vav in the full Vav: the upper Vav gives sixty to the upper Hey, and the bottom Vav gives six to the bottom Hey.

All those paths, which are thirty-two years of the 132, are included in the letter Vav-Hey, Vav-Hey. The first Vav-Hey is two times sixty, and the second Vav-Hey is two times six. Together they are 132. Thus, the number thirty-two in them implies the perfection of the 132, during which there was the preparation to receive thirty-two paths of Hochma from the Yod de HaVaYaH.

152) Those 132 that were completed in Tifferet and Nukva, which are Vav-Hey de HaVaYaH, need to shine in Hochma and Bina, too, which are Yod-Hey de HaVaYaH. Hence, at the end of the other thirty-two years that were completed in Tifferet and Nukva, the words, “That it might take hold of the ends of the earth, and the wicked be shaken out of it” will come true and the holy land will be purified. Then the Creator will revive the dead in the holy land and they will rise camps upon camps in the land of the Galilee.

153) Then the blockade in the upper spring of HaVaYaH will be corrected, meaning the letter Yod, Hochma, and the thirty-two paths in Hochma will be whole, bestowing below, and all the letters of the Holy Name, Yod-Hey-Vav-Hey will be in wholeness.

154) Until the time when it pours and draws out the upper spring, the Yod in the connection of the letters Hey-Vav, which are Bina and Tifferet, is inside the bottom Hey of HaVaYaH, the Nukva. This completes 144 other years, which are a third 132 with twelve tribes in the Nukva, which add up to 144 years. And the rest of the dead in the rest of the lands shall rise, meaning the dead abroad.

155) All this will be in the number Het-Tav [408], which are twice 132, and 144, which together make up 408. Then the world will be settled and perfumed and the other side will pass away from the world. And the bottom Hey, the Nukva, will be filled from the upper spring, the Yod de HaVaYaH, Hochma, and will be crowned and shine in full, as it is written, “And the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun.”

156) Until it is a Sabbath for the Lord, to gather souls in the pleasure of holiness, to extend sublime souls in the upper Zivug in the whole of the seventh millennium, which is entirely Sabbath. This is the awakening of the holy spirits of the people of Israel to clothe after the Sabbath, after the seventh millennium, in other holy bodies, to be called “holy,” as it is written, “And it shall come to pass, that he that is left in Zion, and he that remains in Jerusalem, shall be called ‘holy.’”

And a New King Arose

157) Everyday, the Creator makes angels messengers to the world, as it is written, “He makes the winds His messengers.” It does not say “Made” but “Makes,” in present tense, since He makes every single day. At that time, an angel was appointed over Egypt, as it is written, “And a new king arose over Egypt.” Of course the appointee is new, since the Creator has now made him.

158) “Who did not know Joseph,” since the appointee was from a place of separation, as it is written, “And from there it departed” and became four heads. The first out of that separation was the river of Egypt, as it is written, “The name of the first is Pishon,” which is the river of Egypt. And this is why he did not know Joseph, for he was the place where all the unity resides, which is called “righteous.” Joseph is Yesod, called “righteous,” and all the unifications of ZA and Nukva are done with him, and the separation did not wish to know the unification.

The Morning Star

160) “For the leader upon the morning star.” When the face of the east illuminates and the darkness of night has spread, there is an appointee to the east, middle line, which pulls a single thread of light from the south side, right line, until the sun comes out and splits these windows of the firmament and illuminates the world. And that thread, which pulls from the south, removes the darkness of night.

When the Nukva is only in the form of left, the Hochma in her cannot shine due to lack of Hassadim, and the darkness of night is drawn out of her. At that time, the middle line grows stronger by the force of the Masach de Hirik in it, and pulls a thread of light of Hassadim from the south side, which is right, until the Hochma in Nukva clothes in Hassadim, when the light of the sun, the middle line, bestows upon her during his dominion, in the daytime. Then the Nukva is completed in the daytime Zivug. The appointee who pulls the string is the MAN and Masach de Hirik, which rise to the middle line, ZA.

161) Then comes the morning star, meaning a black light comes in the darkness, which is the Nukva, the morning star, to bond with the day, ZA, and the day shines. Then the light of day pulls the deer, the Nukva, into it. It is about this deer, when she separates from the day after he had incorporated her, that David said the psalm, “For the leader upon the morning star.”

162) And what did David tell her? “My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?” This is because the morning star, Nukva, had parted from the light of day, ZA; hence, she has nothing to bestow at that time, and she departs him.

Righteous to Whom It Happens according to the Deeds of the Wicked

163) There is Hevel [vanity/breath vapor] that is done on earth. It is written that there is Hevel because King Solomon made this book and established it on seven Havalim [plural of Hevel], which are the seven Sefirot of ZA, the light of Ruach, called Havalim, which the world, Nukva, stands on. Her seven Sefirot exist from the seven Sefirot HGT NHYM de ZA, since the Nukva is speech and there is no speech without Hevel, which strikes on the five outlets of the mouth.

164) These seven Havalim are called “seven pillars that support the world,” Nukva. They correspond to the seven firmaments. A firmament is the Parsa de ZA and contains within it seven firmaments, corresponding to the seven Sefirot HGT NHYM in Parsa. Those are curtain, firmaments, sky, habitation, abode, place, and deserts.

Opposite them is “Vanity of vanities [Hevel Havalim] says Kohelet, vanity of vanities, all is vanity.” There are seven Havalim here. Hevel Havalim are three; Hevel Havalim once more are six; and the Hevel at the end of the verse is seven.

165) Those are seven firmaments. However, there are other firmaments that cling to them and expand and emerge from them. These are the seven firmaments in the Nukva. Similarly, there are other Havalim of the Nukva, which expand and emerge from these seven Havalim de ZA, and in Kohelet, Solomon said all of them.

166) The words, “There is Hevel” mean the Yesod in Havalim, which has Hochma that comes out of these high Havalim, on which the world—Nukva—stands. It is written, “Which is done upon the earth,” on the Nukva. “Done” means that the Yesod exists by its existence and grows stronger by its strength in those who work the land, meaning the righteous. And by the rising of their MAN, which rises from the earth, this Yesod is appointed on bestowing upon the earth. All its strength and sustenance are in the souls of the righteous, which were gathered from the earth, meaning died before they sinned, while they were still sweet-smelling, such as Enoch, as it is written, “He was not; for God took him.” He took him before his time and entertained with him. And so it was with the rest of the righteous of the world.

167) There are two things for which the righteous depart the world prematurely: 1) For sins of the generation. When wicked multiply in the world, the righteous are among them and they are caught for their iniquities. 2) When it is clear to the Creator that they will sin later, He removes them from the world before their time. This is why it is written, “There are righteous men to whom it happens according to the deeds of the wicked,” meaning that the Din from above reaches them as though they had committed transgressions and did as the wicked.

168) Rabbi Akiva and his friends departed the world, since they were killed by the kingship. Does it say anywhere in the Torah that the righteous will suffer such torments? It does not write it. But Solomon said, “There are righteous men to whom it happens according to the deeds of the wicked,” that such Din comes to them from above as though they had committed the transgressions and deeds of the wicked. It is also written, “And there are wicked to whom it happens according to the deeds of the righteous,” who sit quietly and peacefully in this world and the Din does not reach them, as though they had done deeds of righteous.

169) Why are they as deserving as the righteous? It is either because it is clear to the Creator that they will repent or because the seed that will come out of them will be righteous in the world. Such were Terah, from whom a seed of truth came out, meaning Abraham, and Ahaz, from whom Hezekiah came out, and likewise with the rest of the wicked in the world. For this reason, on this side and on that side, in the righteous and in the wicked, the Hevel is done as we said and strengthens over the earth as we said.

170) “There are righteous men to whom it happens according to the deeds of the wicked,” as those who commit transgressions, meaning the daughter of an idolater or some other act of the deeds of the wicked. They watch over their persistence and do not sin for fear of their Master and they do not wish to be defiled. It is as some true righteous who came upon such deeds but were strong and did according to their Master’s will and did not sin, as it was written that Hevel was done on the earth and it was strengthened in its force.

171) “And there are wicked to whom it happens according to the deeds of the righteous.” When one Mitzva [commandment] comes to them, which is the deed of the righteous, they are rewarded with it and they do it. It is like that murderous Jewish robber who was in the mountains with idol worshipping robbers. When a Jew would go by there, he would save him and keep him from them. Rabbi Akiva would say about him, “There are wicked to whom it happens according to the deeds of the righteous.”

172) It is like that wicked man who met a woman one night walking to her daughter’s house, and he wanted to rape her. She told him, “Please, honor your Master and do not sin with me.” He left her and did not sin in her. This, too, is Hevel. Like that Hevel, it strengthens in the righteous that the act of the wicked reaches them and they do not sin. Similarly, it strengthens among the wicked when the deeds of the righteous reach them and they do them.

173) The Creator made righteous and wicked in the world. As He is glorified in the world by the deeds of the righteous, He is also glorified by the deeds of the wicked when they do a good deed in the world, as it is written, “He has made every thing beautiful in its time.” Woe unto the wicked when he harms himself and strengthens in his sins.

174) “All things have I seen in the days of my vanity; there is a righteous man that perishes in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man that prolongs his life in his evil-doing.” When Solomon was given Hochma [wisdom], he saw everything when the moon ruled, meaning when the Nukva was in full. This is so because Solomon was receiving from her.

“There is a righteous man” is the pillar of the world, Yesod, on which the world stands. “Perishes,” as in “The righteous perishes.” This is so at the time of the exile, when he has nothing upon whom to bestow and he is regarded as being perished. “In his righteousness” is the Nukva, called “righteousness” because she lies in the dust. At that time, the righteous has no one upon whom to bestow and hence, he perishes in his righteousness. As long as Israel are in exile, this righteousness is with them in exile. For this reason, “There is a righteous man that perishes in his righteousness,” since the upper blessings do not reach him.

175) “And there is a wicked man that prolongs his life in his evil-doing.” This is SAM, who prolongs the peace and quiet for Edom. He does that through his wife, since he is bad and his wife is called bad, and she is a strong serpent. However, they receive peace and quiet only because Sam’el was attached to that Nukva, and his Nukva gives them that. Similarly, he gives to the rest of the kings where Israel is in exile. Until the Creator raises the fallen tabernacle of David from the dust, the Nukva is fallen during the exile, as it is written, “I will raise up the fallen tabernacle of David.”

And There Went a Man of the House of Levi

176) “My beloved is gone down into his garden, to the beds of spices.” “His garden” is the assembly of Israel, Nukva, because she is the bed of spices, for she consists of various spices and scents of the next world, Bina. When the Creator descends to that garden, the Nukva, meaning all the souls of the righteous are crowned there and receive Mochin and illuminations. They all emit scent, as it is written, “[How fair is] the smell of your ointments than all manner of spices,” which are the souls of the righteous, called “spices.” It is after them that the Nukva is called “the bed of spices.” All those souls of the righteous who were in this world, and all those souls that are destined to come down to this world are standing here in this garden, in the Nukva.

177) In the Garden of Eden on the earth, everyone stands in the shape and form in which they were in this world. And this concealment and secret is given to sages. The spirit that descends to people, which is from the side of the female, is always carved in an engraving such as this seal, whose letters are sunken. This is so because the image of the body in this world is protruding outwards and the spirit is carved into its internals. When the spirit spreads from the Guf [body] and rises to the Garden of Eden on the earth, that spirit protrudes in the Garden of Eden on the earth in the shape and image of the actual Guf in this world, since it is always as a seal.

This is so because the light of Hassadim is considered protruding outwards because protrusion indicates two things: 1) That the abundance is so ample that it protrudes outwards. 2) That it is external because it extends from the level of the middle line, which emerges on the Masach de Hirik, the VAK, and the externality.

Protrusion means Tifferet, middle line. And since Malchut extends primarily from the left line of Bina, Hochma without Hassadim, at that time Hochma cannot shine, as well. Instead, it is considered sunken and carved within.

That, too, comes for two reasons: 1) She lacks light because she is sunken and the light cannot shine there. 2) She is considered internality because the illumination of Hochma is GAR and internality, but she cannot shine because of the lack of Hassadim.

When Tifferet and Malchut join, they are complemented from one another because the outwards of the protrusion of Tifferet corrects the inwards of Malchut. Thus, the depression in Malchut is corrected by the Hassadim in the protrusion of Tifferet, and both include Hochma and Hassadim.

The root of the left line is in Bina, and it becomes revealed in Malchut. Hence, both are considered sunken inwards. Tifferet is regarded as protruding because it is middle line and externality. Hence, the three worlds BYA that extend from Bina, Tifferet, and Malchut are imprinted from one another as with a seal, one immersed and one protruding. The world of Beria is depressed, Yetzira is protruding, and Assiya is depressed. So are the NRN of the righteous, which extend from BYA: the Nefesh in Assiya is sunken, the Ruach in Yetzira is protruding, and the Neshama in Beria is sunken.

However, in this world, in the Nefesh and Ruach which clothe a man’s body, the illumination of Nefesh is faint and included in the Ruach. This is because the Ruach is man’s interior and the Guf [body] is his exterior. Therefore, the Ruach is sunken like an imprint, since it is the interior, and the Guf is protruding because it is the exterior. When a man passes away, the body is buried and the Nefesh cannot rise to the Garden of Eden, but remains hovering over the grave near the body, while the Ruach rises to the Garden of Eden on the earth, where there are three degrees, as well, Bina, Tifferet, and Malchut. There, the Ruach clothes in its degree, which is the degree of Tifferet that is there, called “the air of the Garden of Eden,” and for this reason, the Ruach becomes protruding again like the air in the Garden of Eden, Tifferet.

The Ruach clothes a man’s Guf in this world, sunken inwards like the sunken letters in a seal, since it is the interior of the Guf, which protrudes outwardly, as it is considered externality. This is why there is only light of VAK in it. The Ruach, the interior of the body, is sunken. It contains Hochma but it does not shine. When the Ruach spreads from the Guf and rises to the Garden of Eden on the earth, that Ruach is protruding in the Garden of Eden on the earth because it rises there to the Ruach in the Garden of Eden on the earth, meaning the Tifferet that is there. This is the externality of the Garden of Eden, and hence it becomes as protruding.

The Ruachs that rise there have the same form as the Guf in this world, which protrudes. For this reason, a body that is protruding becomes sunken, since it is its internality, and in the Garden of Eden it becomes externality, meaning returns to being protruding.

178) Afterwards she said, “Set me as a seal.” As a seal is carved inwards and what is imprinted from it appears protruding, so is the Ruach. From her side, it is in the exact same manner in this world, which is carved by carving from within. When it expands from the Guf and enters the Garden of Eden on the earth, in the air that is there, when it clings there to the degree of Ruach in the Garden of Eden, it protrudes from that carving in its interior to be portrayed outwards. Then it is portrayed outwards as was the shape of the Guf in this world.

179) Man’s Neshama, which was born from the tree of life, from ZA, is depicted there, above in that bundle of life, Malchut, to delight in the pleasantness of the Lord, as it is written, “To behold the beauty of the Lord and to visit in His Temple.”

180) “And there went a man of the house of Levi.” This is Gabriel, as it is written, “The man Gabriel.” “Of the house of Levi” means the assembly of Israel, Malchut, which comes from the left line, since Gabriel is from the left. “And took to wife a daughter of Levi” means the Neshama.

181) When the Guf of a righteous is born in this world, the Creator calls upon Gabriel, who takes that Neshama that is in the garden, Malchut, and brings it down to the Guf of the righteous who was born in this world. And Gabriel is appointed over it and guards it.

182) But the name of the angel appointed over the spirits of the righteous is “night,” and you are saying it is Gabriel! Of course his name is “night,” since he comes from the left side, and anyone who comes from the left side is called “night.” But in fact, his name is “Gabriel.”

183) “And there went a man” is Amram. “And took to wife a daughter of Levi” is Jochebed. A voice came down and told Amram to mate with her because the time of Israel’s redemption through the son that would be born to them was nearing.

184) And the Creator helped him; Divinity was by their bed, and their intention in adhering together was in Divinity. Hence, Divinity did not move from that son that they bore, to keep what is written, “Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be holy.” When a man sanctifies himself below, the Creator sanctifies him above. As their aim was to adhere to Divinity, Divinity was attached to the very deed that they did.

185) Happy are the righteous whose will is to always adhere to the Creator. As they always adhere to Him, He is always adhered to them and never leaves them. Woe unto the wicked whose will and adhesion are remote from the Creator. It is not enough that they draw far from Him; they even cling to the side of impurity. Amram, who adhered to the Creator, Moses came out of him, for the Creator never moved away from him and Divinity always adhered to him. Happy is he.

186) “And the woman conceived and bore a son, and saw that he was good,” meaning born circumcised. The covenant is called “good,” as it is written, “Say that a righteous is good,” and a righteous is the covenant.

187) She saw the light of Divinity that shone in him. When he was born, the whole house was filled with light, as it is written, “And saw that he was good.” It is also written, “And God saw the light, that it was good.” As that good relates to light, the good here relates to light. It is written about that, “That he was good.” He had everything in him, the light of Divinity and that he was born circumcised.

She Hid Him Three Months

188) “She hid him three months” implies that Moses’ merit was not recognized in the upper radiance for three months, since then the Torah was given through him and Divinity became revealed and present before everyone’s eyes. It is written, “And Moses went up unto God, and the Lord called unto him.” Also, “And ... she could no longer hide him,” since until that moment, his speaking to the Creator was not known. Then it is written, “Moses spoke, and God answered him by a voice.”

189) “She took for him an ark of bulrushes” implies to the ark where the tables of the covenant were placed. The ark of bulrushes is the ark of the covenant. “And covered it over with clay and tar,” since the ark was covered from within and from without. This is the Torah, which the Creator covered with positive Mitzvot [commandments that must be done] and with negative Mitzvot [commandments to avoid doing things].

190) “And she put the child therein” is Israel, as it is written, “When Israel was a child, then I loved him.” “And put it in the reeds.” There was no obligation to carry out the Mitzvot [commandments] of the Torah until the end [spelled the same as “reed” in Hebrew], when Israel came to the land at the end of the forty years. “By the bank [also language in Hebrew] of the Nile” means by the words of those who teach law and statutes to Israel, since the bank is like language and speech, and the Nile [Ye’or] comes from the word “teaching” [Hora’a].

191) “And there went a man” is the Creator, of whom it is written, “A man of war.” “Of the house of Levi” is the Creator, who went from the place where upper Hochma, meaning upper Aba, and that river, which is upper Ima, unite and never part. He went from the place of Yesod of upper AVI, from the house of Levi, from the word Leviathan, Yesod. He placed the Leviathan for joy in the world, which is Divinity, as it is written, “There is leviathan, which You have formed to sport in.” “And took a daughter of Levi” is the Creator, the place where the light of the moon, which is Divinity, shines.

192) “And the woman conceived,” meaning Divinity, as it is written, “This shall be called Woman,” and “This” is the name of Divinity. In the beginning, she was the daughter of the house of Levi, which is Yesod de AVI, called “Leviathan.” This is certainly so because AVI built the Nukva. Accordingly, he asks, “Was she first a daughter of Levi and now a woman?” Certainly. Before a woman is married, she is called “The daughter of so and so,” after her father and mother. After she is married, a woman is named after herself. Daughter, woman, and bride are all one degree, Divinity.

193) “She hid him three months.” These are three months with harsh Din in the world, Tamuz, Av, and Tevet [names of Hebrew months], when there is no disclosure of Divinity in them because of the Dinim in the world. Before Moses came down to the world, he was above with Divinity. This is why Divinity bonded with him since the day he was born. Hence, the spirits of the righteous are above in the Garden of Eden before they come down to the world.

194) What is, “Took for him an ark of bulrushes”? It means that she covered it in signs, to keep it from the fish of the sea that swim in the great sea, meaning the Klipot and harm-doers, as it is written, “Therein are creeping things innumerable.” She covered him so he would be kept from them by a valued coating of two colors—white and black. White is clay, right, and the tar is black, left, mingled with Malchut of the quality of Din, at which time the red in it becomes black. And she placed Moses, the middle line, between them, so he will be known with them as the Daat, middle line, since he was destined to rise between them at another time to receive the Torah.

195) “And the daughter of Pharaoh came down.” The daughter of Pharaoh comes from the left side of the harsh Din. It was written, “To bathe in the Nile,” and so it is precisely, the Nile, and not the sea, since sea implies Malchut of holiness, but the Nile is the harsh Din from the left side, which the Egyptians had made into their idolatry. And since the daughter of Pharaoh was bathing there, she, too, is from that harsh Din.

196) It is written, “Your staff with which you struck the Nile.” But did Moses not strike only the sea, and the text calls it, “Nile,” too? Indeed, the Nile is what Aaron struck through Moses, and compare the writing as he himself did.

197) “Seven days passed after the Lord struck the Nile,” although Aaron was the one who struck it. However, because it came from the Creator, the writings call it, “After the Lord had struck.” Afterwards, it names it after Moses because Aaron acted by his word. “With her maidens walking alongside the Nile” are the rest of the camps that come from that side of the Nile.

198) “She opened it and saw the child.” It writes “Saw” with Hey and Vav [unusual in Hebrew], when it should have been only “Saw” [without both]. However, there is nothing in the Torah that does not contain sublime and precious secrets. The Reshimo [imprint/recollection] of the king and queen, Tifferet and Malchut, meaning Vav and Hey was in him. This is why it said, “Saw” with the added Hey and Vav. And as soon as she saw it, “She had pity on him.” Thus far the writing speaks of high in the upper worlds; henceforth it speaks of below, except in these words.

And His Sister Stood from Afar

199) “And his sister stood from afar.” This is the sister of the one who called the assembly of Israel, “My sister,” meaning ZA, as it is written, “Open for me, my sister, my wife.” In other words, Divinity stood over Moses to guard him. The reason why it says “From afar” is as it is written, “From afar the Lord appeared unto me,” meaning that the guarding is not overt, but covert, from a distance.

200) This means that before the righteous come down to the world, they are known above. This is so with all the righteous, much less with Moses. This is why it said “Saw” about him, with Hey-Vav, which is the Reshimo of the king and queen. It also means that the souls of the righteous extended from a high place, as it is written, “And there went a man of the house of Levi,” which is Yesod de HB, the high place. This means that there is a father and a mother to the soul, which are ZA and Nukva, since the man is ZA and the daughter of Levi is the Nukva, as there is a father and a mother to a body on the earth. It follows that all the discernments, whether above or below, are present and come from a male and a female.

“Let the earth bring forth the living creature.” The land is the assembly of Israel; the Nukva is the living creature, the soul of Adam ha Rishon. This is so because ZA and Nukva are the father and mother of Adam ha Rishon. Happy is the lot of Moses, the loyal prophet, more than all the prophets in the world.

201) “And his sister stood” is Hochma, Nukva, called “bottom Hochma,” as it is written, “Say unto wisdom [Hochma], ‘You are my sister.’” The sentence of the Din has never been lifted from the world, since whenever Israel sinned, the Din would slander them. At that time, “And his sister stood from afar,” meaning Divinity moves away from them, as it is written, “From afar the Lord appeared unto me.”

And the Daughter of Pharaoh Came Down

202) “And the daughter of Pharaoh came down.” When Israel parted from the Torah, promptly, “And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe in the Nile.” The quality of Din, called “the daughter of Pharaoh,” went down to bathe from the blood of Israel, from their flaw, the affront of Torah. Nile means Torah, and “Her maidens walked along by the Nile” are the nations that are walking and chasing Israel by the Nile because of the affront of Torah, that those who study it have abandoned it.

203) All things in the world depend on repentance and on the prayer that a man prays to the Creator. It is all the more so with one who sheds tears during his prayer, for there is no gate through which these tears do not come. It is written, “She opened it and saw the child.” “Opened” is Divinity, who stands over Israel like a mother over her children, opening, always in favor of Israel.

204) When she opened and saw the child, a delightful child, Israel, who always sin before their King and promptly plea before the Creator, repent and cry before Him as a son who cries before his father. It is written, “And behold a boy that wept.” Since he wept, all the harsh decrees in the world were removed from him. It is written, “She had pity on him,” meaning she was awakened toward him with compassion and she pitied him.

205) “And said, ‘This is one of the Hebrews' children,’” who were soft at heart, and not from among the children of idolaters, who were stiff-necked and stiff-hearted. “The Hebrews’ children” are soft-hearted by the merit of the fathers and mothers to repent before their Master. “And called the child's mother,” meaning Rachel Our Mother, who was weeping, as it is written, “A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping. Rachel is weeping for her children.” He cries, meaning Israel, and the child’s mother that cries is Rachel.

206) In the future, “With weeping they will come, and by supplication.” By merit of the child’s mother weeping, the mother of Israel, Rachel, they will come and gather from the exile. The redemption of Israel depends only on weeping. When they are completed, and when the tears that Esau cried before his father are through, then they will be redeemed. It is written, “Esau lifted his voice and wept.” These are the tears that brought Israel down to exile. Therefore, when these tears are through, by the weeping of Israel they will come out of exile, as it is written, “With weeping they will come, and by supplication I will lead them.”

He Looked This Way and That

207) “He looked this way and that,” because he saw in the fifty letters that Israel unite each day, the Shema Ysrael, that there were two times twenty-five in them, and twenty-five letters in two times. He did not see an Egyptian who would say them. “He looked this way and that.” The “This way” is him seeing whether there were good deeds in him, and the “And that” is that he looked whether a righteous son would come out of him. Promptly, “He saw there was no one,” meaning he saw in the spirit of holiness that a righteous son would not emerge from him.

208) Several wicked in the world beget good sons, more than the righteous. And that good son who comes out of the wicked is better because he is pure out of impure, light out of darkness, wisdom out of folly, and this is better than anything.

He Sat Down By a Well

209) “He saw” and “He saw”; what does the twofold “He saw” imply? When it says, “And he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his brethren. So he looked this way and that, and when he saw there was no one,” he saw and looked at everything with the spirit of holiness. And this is the reason why he looked at him and killed him, meaning killed him by looking at him. This is why it says, “He saw,” a second time.” And the Creator caused everything—that Moses would go to that well, as Jacob went to that well, as it is written, “He sat down by a well.”

It is written about Jacob, “He looked, and saw a well.” It is written about Moses, “And settled in the land of Midian, and he sat down by a well.” With Jacob, it did not say “And sat,” but “And looked.” This is so because even though Moses and Jacob were of the same degree in the middle line, Moses rose higher than him, since Jacob is considered Tifferet and Moses is considered the Daat inside the Tifferet, meaning Malchut, the mate of Tifferet. And since Moses is the interior of Tifferet, it is said of him, “And sat” and “And saw,” only in regards to Jacob.

210) Is the well that Jacob and Moses saw the same well that was dug by Abraham and Isaac, who are the two lines—right and left—of ZA?

Malchut is called a “well.” Initially, before the creation of the world, she was in the quality of Din, unfit to receive light there, until Abraham and Isaac dug it, meaning raised her to Bina—the quality of Rachamim—where she was corrected. This correction was done in the creation of the world; it is the digging for making her a receptacle, as it is written, “The well, which the leaders dug.” And if this is the state of the well that Jacob and Moses saw, why was it not said about them that they dug it, or some other correction, but only, “Sat by the well,” without any prior correction?

Indeed, the well of Jacob and Moses is not as the state of the well that Abraham and Isaac dug. Rather, this well was created at the time when the world was created, meaning that it was already in a state of after the correction. The mouth of the well, her Yesod, was created on the eve of the Sabbath, in the twilight, through her ascent to Bina at that time. In that state, she no longer needed correction. This was the well that Jacob and Moses saw, and this is why it is said about him, “And he sat by the well,” without any prior correction.

211) “You who pursue righteousness,” who pursue the correction of Malchut, called “righteousness,” through the three lines in ZA. They are the litigants—in the arm—meaning faith, which is extension of the left line to Malchut, which is called “faith.” They are the ones who clung to the connection of faith, which is the connection in the right line. They are the ones who know the ways of the upper King, ZA, the middle line. Come near and listen refers to all those who chase the correction of Malchut, to illuminate her in three lines, to hear the order of this unification, and how it is done.

“He looked, and saw a well in the field, and behold, three flocks of sheep were lying there beside it.” “Well” is the name of Malchut when she receives from GAR. However, she does not receive those GAR from GAR de GAR, but from NHY de GAR because HB de GAR are concealed by the decision of the middle line between them. They come down and become two arms, Hesed and Gevura, and the middle line is Tifferet, and they are called VAK de GAR. However, Malchut cannot receive Hochma from HGT, as well, since only Hassadim govern them.

Yet, once the two lines descend to Netzah and Hod, which are the place of disclosure of Hochma, Malchut will be able to receive the GAR from them, since she is only NHY de GAR. And because of the reception of GAR from those NHY, Malchut is called “well,” as it is written, “A well in the field, and behold, three flocks of sheep,” which are NHY, “Lying there beside it.” She is also called “a field of holy apples,” since NHY is called “a field of apples,” and the Mochin de HB in them are called “holy.”

212) When the two lines, HB, emerge toward the one line, the middle one, they receive it between the two arms, which are Hesed and Gevura. Because of their acceptance of the middle line, HB descended and became Hesed and Gevura, since the GAR de GAR descended from them. However, Malchut still cannot receive Hochma from them because there is dominion of the light of Hassadim, and Hochma is covered there until the two, HG, descend below, meaning become Netzah and Hod. The essence of the Mochin are two—right and left—which become Netzah and Hod. And there is one between them because they necessarily need the middle line, Yesod, to decide between them, since what determines between HG is called Tifferet and what determines between NH is called Yesod.

Those two that went down are the seat from which the prophets, Netzah and Hod, nourish. The one between them, Yesod, which connects to everything, the right line and the left line, takes Hochma and Hassadim from everyone. This is so because being the middle line, it sustains their illumination and hence receives their illumination for itself, as well. This is the rule: When he is complete, the lower one is rewarded with all the lights, whose existence he caused in the upper ones.

213) That holy well, Malchut, stands below them in Mochin de GAR, under Netzah, Hod, and Yesod. She is the field of holy apples. The herds will drink from that well, meaning all those Merkavot [assemblies] of angels and all those winged angels. There are three who lie by this well, and they are the three Sefirot NHY. Also, this well is filled by the light of GAR, and it is called ADNI.

It is written about that, “Lord God, You have begun.” It is also written, “And cause Your face to shine upon Your sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord's sake,” the Lord of the whole earth. This is so because when she has GAR, she is referred to in male form, as it is written, “Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth.” There is one, hidden, holy source in her—Yesod. It always springs in her and fills her, and it is called “The Lord of hosts.”

214) If this well is Jacob’s well, then it is written about Jacob, “When all the flocks were gathered there, they would then roll the stone from the mouth of the well.” But here, the daughters of Jethro did not need that. Rather, “They came to draw water,” without any trouble of removing the stone from over the well’s mouth.

215) Jacob removed the stone from the well, as it is written that when the herds gathered there, they put the stone back on the well’s mouth. However, with Jacob, it does not say that he returned the stone since afterwards, they no longer needed the stone. This is so because initially, the waters were not rising. When Jacob came, the waters rose toward him because the waters increased. This is why that stone was not on the well’s mouth, since they did not need guarding, and this is why it was said of the daughters of Jethro, “They came to draw water,” without the trouble of rolling off the stone.

Come from the Four Winds, O Wind

217) “Then He said to me, ‘Prophesy to the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind.’” From this verse, we know the place from which the wind [Ruach] comes out. How could Ezekiel prophesy about the wind? It is written that man does not control the wind or contains the wind. But while man does not govern the wind, the Creator controls everything, and Ezekiel was prophesying by Him.

The spirit [in Hebrew Ruach is both “wind” and “spirit”] was already in a body in this world, since there were dead there in the cave, which he revived. This is why he prophesied on him, “Come from the four winds, o wind,” from that place that was limited in its pillars in the four directions of the world, the bottom throne, Malchut, a throne for ZA. She has four pillars, being the four directions of the world, HG TM, where the spirit stands before it returns to a body in this world.

218) If the spirit of people clothes in the form of a body in this world while in the Garden of Eden, and it is there, it should have written, “Thus says the Lord God, ‘Come from the Garden of Eden, o wind,’” why “The four winds”?

219) The spirit does not come down to this world before it rises from the Garden of Eden on the earth to the throne, Malchut, which stands on four pillars, HG TM. When the spirit rises there, it sucks into it from that throne of the King and comes down to this world. The Guf [body] takes from the four directions of the world, which are the four foundations—fire, wind, water, and dust—and the wind also takes from the four directions of the throne—HG TM—on which it is established.

220) One day, I was walking in the wilderness and saw a lovely looking tree with a cave beneath it. I approached it and saw that this cave was emitting all the fragrances in the world. I braced myself, entered that cave, and climbed down some degrees in a certain place where there were many trees and scents and perfumes that I could not bear.

221) And there I saw a man with a scepter in his hand, who stood by a door. When he saw me he was surprised and came and stood by me. He said, “What are you doing here? Who are you?” I was terrified. I told him, “My teacher, I am from among the friends. I saw this and that in the wilderness and I walked into this cave and came down here.”

222) He told me, “Since you are from among the friends, take this bundle of writings and give it to the friends, to those who know the secrets of the spirits of the righteous.” He struck me with the scepter in his hand and I fell asleep. In my sleep, I saw many armies and camps coming as they were going to that place, and that man struck with the scepter and told them, “Go by the way of the trees.” As they were walking, they flew up in the air and rose, and I did not know where. I heard voices of many camps and I did not know who they were. I awoke and saw nothing, and I was afraid in that place.

223) In the meantime, I saw that man, who told me, “Did you see something?” I said, “In my sleep, I saw this and that.” He said, “On that road, the spirit of the righteous go to the Garden of Eden, to enter there. And the reason you heard the voices of many camps from them is because they stand in the garden in their forms from this world, and they are happy about the spirits of the righteous that come there.

224) “As the body is built in this world by tying four elements—fire, wind, water, and earth—and takes form from them in this world, the spirit is depicted in the Garden of Eden from the four spirits that stand in the garden, which are HG TM. And the spirit clothes there, and from them it forms the shape of the body that was depicted in this world. Had it not been for those spirits, which are the airs in the garden, meaning HG TM from the light of Hassadim, called “air,” they would not have been depicted at all and the spirit would not have clothed there.

225) “Those four spirits are tied together to each other, and the spirit was depicted and clothed in them as the body is depicted in the connection of the four foundations of the world—fire, wind, water, and dust. This is the reason why Ezekiel said, “Come from the four winds, o wind,” from those four winds in the Garden of Eden that it clothed and depicted in them. And now take this bundle of writings and go along and give it to the friends.”

226) This must be the clarification of the thing, and the Creator must have provided me with this text from the four directions so you would reveal its meaning. The man gave them the bundle of writings, and when Rabbi Elazar took it and opened it, a house of fire came out and surrounded him. He saw what he saw in the bundle of writings, and the bundle flew out of his hands.

227) Who can stand up to the secrets of the King, as it is written, “Who shall dwell in Your tabernacle? Who shall abide in Your holy mountain?” Happy is this way and the time we had encountered you. From that day forth, Rabbi Elazar was happy, but he said nothing to the friends of what he saw in the bundle of writings. While they were walking, they came across a well of water. They stood by it and drank from the water.

The Well of Moses and Jacob

228) Happy are the righteous. Jacob fled from his brother and came across a well, Nukva. When the well saw him, the water recognized their owner and rose to him as MAN. They rejoiced with him, and Rachel, his spouse, conjoined with him there. Moses fled from Pharaoh and came across a well. The water saw him, recognized their owner, and rose to him as MAN, and his spouse, Zipporah, conjoined with him there.

229) What is the difference between Moses and Jacob? It is written about Jacob, “And it came to pass, when Jacob saw Rachel ... Jacob went near and rolled the stone from the well's mouth.” And what does it say about Moses? “And the shepherds came and drove them away; but Moses stood up and helped them.”

Moses certainly knew that he would find his mate there once he saw the waters rising toward him. Moreover, the spirit of holiness never parted with him, and he knew in it that Zipporah would be his mate. Moses said, “When Jacob came here and the waters rose toward him, a man came toward him who gathered him into his home and gave him all that was needed. Certainly, the same will happen to me.

230) Jethro was a priest of idolatry. When he saw that there was no truth in idolatry, he parted with this worship. Hence, the people rose and ostracized him. When they saw that his daughters came to water his flock, they drove them away. Initially, they were pasturing his flock themselves, since he was their priest. But when Moses saw—by the spirit of holiness—that this was done to him because of idolatry, he promptly stood up and helped them, and watered their flock. It was all done for envy for the Creator.

I Am Black, and Comely

232) “And they said, ‘An Egyptian delivered us.’” When they said, “An Egyptian delivered us,” they did not know what they were saying. It is like a person who is sitting in the wilderness without having eaten meat for days. One day, a bear comes to snatch a sheep. The sheep runs and the bear chases it until they reach that man in the wilderness. He saw the sheep, grabbed it, slaughtered it, and had meat. It turns out that the bear caused that man to eat meat. Here, too, the Egyptian that was killed by Moses caused Moses to escape and come to Midian, to the well. This is why they said, “An Egyptian delivered us,” by the spirit of holiness, meaning the Egyptian that Moses had killed.

233) Israel is the name of Gadlut [greatness/adulthood]. Hence, why is this name mentioned when they came to the exile in Egypt, and why does the name Jacob, which is Katnut [smallness/infancy], return later?

It is written, “I am black and comely.” This is the assembly of Israel, Divinity, which is black, from the exile, and comely because she is comely in Torah and Mitzvot [commandments] and the good deeds that Israel do. The daughters of Jerusalem are the souls that engage in Torah and Mitzvot. For doing so, they are rewarded with inheriting the Jerusalem above, which is Divinity. “As the tents of Kedar” means that although she is Koderet [gloomy] in exile, in deeds she is as “The curtains of Solomon,” the lights of the king that peace is his, meaning ZA.

There are two discernments in exile. There are Dinim and Katnut from the exile itself, but the good deeds that the righteous do in exile are comely and elevate Divinity to the curtains of Solomon. Hence, from the perspective of the good deeds, it is said, “The children of Israel, who come into Egypt,” the name of the Gadlut, and with respect to the exile itself, it is said, “With Jacob; every man came with his household,” the name of Katnut.

Hurry, My Beloved

235) “Hurry, my beloved, and be like a gazelle or a young hart.” Every yearning that Israel yearned for the Creator is the yearning of Israel that the Creator will not go and will not walk away, but run like a gazelle or a young hart.

236) No other animal in the world does what the gazelle or the hart does. When it runs, it turns its head slightly to the place from which it came. It always turns its head back. This is what Israel said, “God Almighty, if we cause You to depart from among us, may it be that You will run like the gazelle or the young hart.” This is because it runs and turns its head to the place it had left, the place where it was before and left it and fled from there.

This is the meaning of the words, “Yet in spite of this, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject them, nor will I so abhor them as to destroy them, breaking My covenant with them.” Another thing: The gazelle sleeps with one eye and is awake with the other eye. This is what Israel said to the Creator, “Do as the gazelle does, for “He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.”

237) Rabbi Hiya heard it and said, “They are the upper ones that engage in Torah inside the house, and I am sitting without.” He wept. Rabbi Shimon heard it and said, “Divinity must be outside, with Rabbi Hiya. Who will go out and let him in?” Rabbi Elazar, his son, said, “If I burn, when I leave through the Masach [curtain/screen] of fire I will not burn because Divinity is outside with Rabbi Hiya. Let Divinity enter and be the fire of the complete Masach.” Rabbi Elazar heard a voice that said, “The pillars,” three lines, “have not been supported yet, and the gates have not been set up,” meaning the fifty gates of Bina, “and he is now from among the small perfumes,” meaning the small souls, which are called “perfumes.” This means that Rabbi Hiya was not yet rewarded with degrees in the world of correction, the correction of the three lines and the fifty gates of Bina. Hence, he was not worthy of entering within the Masach. This is why Rabbi Elazar did not go out to let him in.

238) Rabbi Hiya sat and wept and sighed. He started and said, “Turn, my beloved, and be like a gazelle or a young hart,” according the interpretation he had heard from Rabbi Shimon, that even though it runs, it turns its head back and does not flee away. Then the gate of the Masach opened, but Rabbi Hiya did not enter.

When Rabbi Shimon raised his eyes and saw that the gate of the Masach had opened, he said, “This means that someone from outside has been given permission, and we who are within, will not let him in? Rabbi Shimon rose and the fire went from his place to the place of Rabbi Hiya. Rabbi Shimon said, “The spark of the light of absorption has already spread outwards, to Rabbi Hiya. And I am here within, will I not let him in?” Rabbi Hiya’s mouth was dumbed by the fire that had spread to him.

239) When Rabbi Hiya came inside, he lowered his eyes and did not raise his head. Rabbi Shimon said to Rabbi Elazar, his son, “Move your hand across Rabbi Hiya’s mouth, for he does not know it because he is not accustomed to it and does not know how to find counsel in his soul. Rabbi Elazar rose and moved his hand across Rabbi Hiya’s mouth. Rabbi Hiya opened his mouth and said, “My eye saw what I have never seen before, and I became upright for I had never thought so before. It is good to die in the burning fire of the good gold.

It is known that there is Mochin de Achoraim and externality that extend from the left line without right, the exit of the point of Shuruk, meaning Bina that returned to Rosh de AA. And the Rosh de AA has within it light of Hochma without Hassadim. Also, without Hassadim, Hochma shines only in GAR and not in ZON and in BYA. Hence, Hochma, too, does not shine in them when they are left, without right. For this reason, they are considered Mochin de Achoraim and externality.

Also, the left does not connect to the right unless at the exit of the middle line in the Masach de Hirik, which subdues the left line by the force of the Masach and the level of Hassadim, and connects it to the right. Then the Hochma in the left clothes in the Hassadim in the right, and at that time the Hochma can shine in completeness.

Here you should remember the three points—Holam, Shuruk, and Hirik. These Mochin, which come by the subduing of the middle line—by the force of the Masach de Hirik—are called Mochin de Panim [anterior] and internality. And there is merit to the left line that is not found in the middle line. The left line draws Hochma from Rosh de AA, GAR de GAR, even though they do not shine in it. And there is also merit in the middle line that is absent in the left line: The middle line shines in full because of the clothing of Hochma in Hassadim, although there is only VAK de GAR in it. This is so because the force of the Masach de Hirik diminishes it from GAR de GAR.

Rabbi Hiya was in the degree of Mochin de Achoraim, which come from the left line prior to the sentencing of the middle line. His way was always to learn how to walk in the degrees from strength to strength. He sensed the Masach de Hirik in the middle line in Rabbi Shimon, from which Rabbi Shimon receives his Mochin de Panim. This Masach stops the Mochin de Hochma, called “house,” since it removes the GAR de GAR from it and shines only in VAK de GAR. It seemed to Rabbi Hiya that it was smaller than it, since even though Rabbi Hiya was in Mochin de Achoraim, he had GAR de GAR, as it is with the left line, while Rabbi Shimon had only VAK de GAR because he was using the middle line. This is why Rabbi Hiya thought his own Mochin were more internal than Rabbi Shimon’s Mochin, the VAK de GAR.

Israel’s desire is for the Creator to not go and to not walk away, but run like the gazelle or the young hart, which turns its head back. When Israel grip to the left line, the Creator runs from them and does not shine for them. However, this is not an escape or departure. On the contrary, He wishes to illuminate for them in the form of Rosh, meaning Hochma, but because they lack Hassadim, and the Rosh cannot shine for them without clothing in Hassadim, He runs from them until they receive the Masach de Hirik, on which the middle line emerges. At that time, His Rosh shines in his Achoraim, in the left line, since now Hochma clothes in Hassadim through the middle line and shines in full, although in VAK de GAR. This is considered that He runs like a gazelle, turning His head back.

This is what Israel prayed, “Did we cause You to depart from among us? Because we were gripping the left line, and Hochma does not shine because of the lack of Hassadim, we caused the Creator to depart from among us. May it be that You will run like the gazelle or the young hart, who runs and turns its head to the place it left behind. Similarly, the Creator’s run will bring back His Rosh, the GAR, to the place He left behind, the left line, from which He parted.”

This is why it is written that when the gazelle sleeps, it sleeps with one eye open and is awake in the other eye. This is what Israel said. Eynaim [eyes] are Hochma. They contain ten Sefirot, GAR in one and ZAT in the other. Also, sleep is the departure of the Mochin. Israel prayed that this departure would govern only one eye, GAR de Hochma, and not the other one, VAK de Hochma, which they needed so as to exist later in the middle line. It is written, “Behold, He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.” Instead, His eye is always open and shines Hochma for Israel.

This was to alert Rabbi Hiya of Rabbi Shimon’s merit, that although he was using the middle line and his Masach de Hirik, he was still receiving light of Hochma from the left line in its fullest illumination, but in the form of VAK de Hochma. But even though Rabbi Hiya gripped the left line without a Masach, which means he could extend GAR de Hochma, how was this to help him when it did not shine at all for him? Because of that, the Creator has departed Divinity and is seemingly asleep.

Now Rabbi Hiya recognized that the upper ones, Rabbi Shimon and his friends, were at home, which is Hochma, and that he was sitting at the externality of the Hochma, for it was not shining for him. This is why he wept. Rabbi Shimon heard it and said that Rabbi Hiya already feels that Divinity is in externality because of him; this is why he was allowed to extend Mochin de Panim.

Rabbi Elazar, his son, said, meaning told Rabbi Hiya that the GAR de GAR departed me by the Masach de Hirik in the middle line. I do not regard it as burning, since Divinity was outside of him, in externality, but rather as Panim be Panim [face-to-face] with ZA, by having received the Masach de Hirik in the middle line. And the fire of the Masach will be complete because it causes the Zivug of the Creator and Divinity Panim be Panim. With these words, Rabbi Elazar wished to make Rabbi Hiya depart from the left line and adopt the middle line.

The right and left lines were not yet supported by the Masach de Hirik in Rabbi Hiya, and the gates were not yet established with the Masach de Tzimtzum Aleph [first restriction]. For this reason, Rabbi Hiya could not receive from him because he realized that Rabbi Hiya would not be able to accept his words. Exit means clinging to Rabbi Hiya’s degree, which is externality. This is so because it is impossible to elevate the degree of one’s friend unless one descends and equalizes with his degree. This is why Rabbi Elazar had to go out from internality to externality.

Rabbi Hiya prayed extensively to be rewarded with Mochin of internality. He started and said, “Turn, my beloved, and be like a gazelle.” This implies that he was rewarded with obtaining the Masach de Hirik that diminishes the GAR of the left line and remains with VAK without a Rosh. This is why he asked of the Creator to turn His head back like a gazelle, since he was not yet awarded the Masach itself, on which the middle line comes out, but was rewarded only with its gate.

First, the Masach de Hirik comes out with a Masach de Tzimtzum Aleph, by which it subdues the left line under the right line. With this, it is still unfit for an upper Zivug to extend the light of Panim, since the Masach de Tzimtzum Aleph does not receive light into it. Hence, this Masach needs to be mitigated with Tzimtzum Bet [the second restriction]. At that time he is worthy of extending and receiving the light of Panim, hence the Masach of Tzimtzum Aleph [first restriction] is not regarded as an actual Masach, but as the gate of the Masach. In other words, this is the reason for the mitigated Masach of Tzimtzum Bet. Had it not been for that, the left line would not have surrendered because the Masach de Tzimtzum Aleph is unfit to extend the light of internality and therefore still cannot enter the internality.

Rabbi Shimon sensed about him that he had already been rewarded with a Masach de Hirik from Tzimtzum Aleph, which is only the gate of the Masach and considered giving permission to enter. We will not help him enter. Rabbi Shimon rose and the fire of the Masach went from Rabbi Shimon’s place, which is the Masach that is mitigated with Tzimtzum Bet, and by that, Rabbi Hiya received the mitigation of the Masach of Tzimtzum Bet from Rabbi Shimon.

Then Rabbi Shimon said that the spark of the light of absorption was outside with Rabbi Hiya. This means that he had already received Katnut de Mochin through a Zivug on the Masach de Tzimtzum Bet, where even though it was still in Katnut, like the spark, it is nonetheless the light of absorption, for the internality already absorbs it and can enter there. After that, he is fit for absorbing the Mochin de Gadlut, since Katnut is when she is from Ima, from his qualification to receive the Gadlut de Ima.

This is because the Katnut that he received is called ELEM [Aleph-Lamed-Mem, as well as “mute”] de Elokim, implying that it lacks Yod-Hey de Elokim, GAR. It is written, “Who has made man's mouth,” meaning that Bina, which is called “Who” [MI, Mem-Yod], makes a mouth for man, which is disclosure of GAR. “Or who makes him mute” means that “Who,” Bina, gives Mochin de Katnut so the mouth is muted, as in ELEM de Elokim, which lacks the GAR, the Yod-Hey de Elokim. This is because he had only Mochin de Katnut from there, lacking the Rosh.

Also, hand means power and might. Rabbi Shimon said to Rabbi Elazar to move his hand across Rabbi Hiya’s mouth and help him raise MAN to extend GAR, and the Mochin de GAR would appear to him, since revealing is called “mouth.”

Rabbi Elazar rose, moved his hand, and opened Rabbi Hiya’s mouth. In other words, he obtained the Mochin de GAR of the internality, whose disclosure is called “opening of the mouth.” Seeing means abundance of Hochma, since Eynaim are Hochma. Now that he obtained the Mochin de GAR of the internality, he saw that now he obtained the light of Hochma, which he did not see before because previously he was in externality. And although he was nursing from the GAR de GAR on the left line, this Hochma did not shine at all for him, due to the absence of clothing of Hassadim.

However, Hochma shines in completeness in these GAR of the internality that he had now obtained, since she has Hassadim for clothing, but she shines in VAK de GAR. “I became upright” means he obtained GAR, which are called Rosh. And I never thought I would attain them.

The departure of GAR de GAR due to the Masach de Hirik he had received is called “death.” Bina is called “good gold” and he said that it is worth dying—meaning lose the GAR de GAR—to obtain the GAR of the good gold, which burns because of the Masach de Hirik.

240) In Rabbi Shimon’s place, he throws sparks to all sides, meaning Mochin de Katnut, which is a spark of the light of absorption. Each and every spark rises to 370 Merkavot [assemblies], and each spark receives the Gadlut from Bina, whose Sefirot are hundreds. Thus, the four Sefirot HB TM are four hundred. And because they lack the GAR de GAR, the Hochma lacks thirty Sefirot, hence they are only 370 Merkavot, with thirty missing to complete the four hundred.

Afterwards, when they are rewarded with more, they rise to upper AVI and to AA, whose Sefirot are considered 100,000, and whose ten Sefirot are a thousand thousands. And then each Merkava spreads into a thousand thousands because each of them obtains Mochin de AA.

The Sefirot of Atik Yomin are tens of thousands, and they are ten thousand ten thousands. He sits on a throne, meaning ZAT de Atik, on which the GAR sits, and the throne is shaken by him into 260 worlds. The throne is shaken from receiving ten HaVaYot [plural of HaVaYaH] from the GAR, which are 260 in Gematria. This is the meaning of “Came [Sar] to see” [SAR in Gematria is 260], and all those degrees exist in Rabbi Shimon.

241) Until Rabbi Shimon comes to the place of the Garden of Eden of the righteous, until the virtue of Rabbi Shimon is heard through all the firmaments, all the upper and lower unanimously wonder and say, “Is this Rabbi Shimon Bar-Yochai, who was alarming all? Who can stand before him?” This is Rabbi Shimon. When he opens his mouth to begin to engage in Torah, all the thrones, all the firmaments, all the Merkavot, and all those who praise their Master listen to his voice.

242) There is none to begin and say songs, and there is none to complete his singing. In other words, those who stand in the middle of the singing do not complete their song because they all become attentive to the voice of Rabbi Shimon, until an utterance of a mouth is heard through all the firmaments above and below.

When Rabbi Shimon concludes engaging in the Torah, who saw songs? Who saw joy of those who praise their Master? Who saw the voices that walk in all the firmaments? It is for Rabbi Shimon that all the souls and angels come and kneel and bow before their Master, and raise the fragrances of the perfumes in Eden—illumination of Hochma—all the way to Atik Yomin. All this is for Rabbi Shimon.

243) Rabbi Shimon opened his mouth and said, “Six degrees descended with Jacob to Egypt,” HGT NHY, and each spreads to ten when they are only in illumination of ZA. Then they are sixty. And they are a thousand when they receive illumination of Hochma, which is thousands, and they are sixty thousand, and up to ten thousand when they receive illumination of Hassadim from Atik. Also, they are 600,000, and corresponding to them, six degrees for Israel, since they come down to Jacob from Israel.

And corresponding them are six degrees to the upper throne, meaning HGT de ZA that consists of NHY. And corresponding them are six degrees to the bottom throne, Malchut, HGT NHY, meaning six degrees of the throne.

“I made you numerous [Hebrew: Revava, 10,000] like plants of the field.” This is the first degree. “Then you multiply” is the second, “And grow” is the third, “And came to fine ornaments” is the fourth. “Breasts were formed” is the fifth, and “Your hair had grown” is the sixth. Opposite that, it is written, “And the children of Israel were fruitful” is one, “And increased abundantly” is two, “And multiplied” is three, “And became mighty” is four, “Exceedingly” is five, “And extraordinarily” is six.

244) Each of the VAK rises to ten from the illumination of ZA himself, whose Sefirot are in tens, and the VAK become sixty. Then they are sixty mighty men around Divinity, as it is written, “Behold, it is the traveling couch of Solomon,” meaning Divinity, called “couch” [or bed]. Sixty mighty men around it from the mighty men of Israel are 600,000, when she receives illumination of Hassadim from Atik, when the people of Israel are redeemed from the exile and when they came to the exile with Jacob.

245) However, they are seven, HGT NHYM. And when each becomes ten, they amount to seventy, not sixty. Seventy do not belong here because here it speaks of the illuminating degrees, and the degree of Malchut does not shine by itself. It is written, “Six branches shall go out from its sides; three branches of the lamp,” opposite HGT NHY. And the middle one, the Malchut, is not counted, as it is written, “Will give light in the front of the lamp,” since Malchut does not shine by herself, but receives from the six candles.

Why Exile and Why to Egypt?

246) Why did the Creator wish to bring Israel down to exile in Egypt? Why the exile, and why specifically in Egypt?

247) Sixty is Malchut, the mighty ones above, from the side of Gevura that cling to carvings, meaning to the externality of the holy Haya of Israel, which is Malchut. This is why they are named after her, sixty queens [Malchuts]. Those are angels appointed over the nations. Eighty maidservants are the angels appointed by the carvings of Malchut, beneath the sixty queens. This is why they are called maidservants and not queens, as it is written, “And maidens without number,” and “Is there any number of His armies?”

And yet, it is written, “My dove, my undefiled, is but one; she is the only one to her mother.” This is the Holy Divinity that comes out of twelve lights, and she is the radiance that shines for all. This is why she is called “mother” [Ima], as it is written, “She is the only one to her mother.”

248) The Creator acted similarly in the land. He threw all the nations to all sides and established appointees over them, as it is written, “Which the Lord your God has allotted unto all the peoples.” And the Creator took the assembly of Israel into His lot, as it is written, “For the portion of the Lord is His people, Jacob the lot of His inheritance.” He called it, “My dove, my undefiled, is but one; she is the only one to her mother.” This is the Divinity of His honor, which He established between them. And she is one and dedicated to Him. “The daughters saw her, and called her happy,” as it is written, “Many daughters have done nobly, but you excel them all.” Malchut, “maidservants,” and “Will praise her” are the ministers of the people over whom they were appointed.

249) The world was created in ten utterances. But when you look, they are only three that the world was created in: Hochma, Tevuna, and Daat. And the world was created only for Israel. When the Creator wished to sustain the world, He acted for Abraham in Hochma, for Isaac in Tevuna, and for Jacob in Daat. This is considered, “And by knowledge are the chambers filled. This means that HGT, which are Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, have risen and became HBD. And at that time, the whole world was improved. And when twelve tribes were born to Jacob, twelve boundaries of the diagonal, everything improved in this world, similar to Atzilut above.

250) And when the Creator saw the great joy of this world when it improved to being as above, He said, “Let not the twelve tribes mingle with the rest of the nations, leaving a blemish in all the worlds.” What did the Creator do? He shook all of them to and fro until they went down to Egypt to dwell in their abodes inside the obstinate nation, which despises their conducts and degrades them by not marrying with them or mingling with them, and by considering them slaves. The males were loathsome of them and the females were loathsome of them until everything was bettered by the holy seed without mingling with strangers. In the meantime, the iniquity of the nations was completed, as it was said, “For the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet full,” so when they come out, they will come out holy, as it is written, “The tribes of the Lord, as a testimony unto Israel.”

This settles the two questions that he asked, “Why were Israel exiled?” and “Why specifically to Egypt?” For fear that they would mingle the tribes with the rest of the nations, who appreciated Israel, He exiled them to Egypt, who were proud and despised and loathed Israel. And they were there until the iniquity of the Amorites was full and they came to their own land, for there was no longer fear of mingling with the rest of the nations.

He neither Ate Bread nor Drank Water

251) Rabbi Shimon sat and Rabbi Elazar, his son, stood and interpreted the words of the secrets of the wisdom. His face was shining like the sun and the words were spreading and flying in the firmament. They sat for two days; they neither ate nor drank, and they did not know if it was day or night. When they came out, they knew that two days had passed without them eating a thing. Rabbi Shimon called out about it, “And he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights; he neither ate bread.” And what if we, who were rewarded with adhesion with the Creator, were so for one hour, having been in the light of the Creator for two days, not knowing where we are? Moses, the text testifies that he was there with the Creator forty days.

252) When Rabbi Hiya told the story to his father, Rabbi Shimon Ben Gamliel, he was bewildered and said, “Rabbi Shimon Bar-Yochai is a lion, and Rabbi Elazar, his son, is a lion. And Rabbi Shimon is not like all other lions. It is written about him, ‘When a lion roars, who will not fear?’ And if the worlds above shiver from him, we do even more. He is a man who never declared a fast for what he asked and prayed. Rather, he decides and the Creator keeps. The Creator decides and he revokes, as it is written, ‘Ruler over men shall be the righteous, even he that rules in the fear of God,’ meaning the Creator rules over man, and the righteous rules over the Creator; He sentences a decree, and the righteous revokes it.”

Twelve Mountains of Persimmon

253) There is nothing that the Creator loves more than the prayer of the righteous. Even though He desires it, at times He does what they ask and at times He does not.

254) Our sages said, once the world needed rain. Rabbi Elazar came and declared forty fasts, but rain did not come. He prayed a prayer but rain did not come. Rabbi Akiva came and prayed and said, “The blower of wind,” and a strong and harsh wind blew. He said, “He who brings down rain,” and a torrent came down. Rabbi Elazar’s mind was weak. Rabbi Akiva looked at his face and sensed the weakness of his mind.

255) Rabbi Akiva stood before the people and said, “I will give you an allegory. What is this like? Rabbi Elazar is like one who is loved by the king, whom the king loves more than anyone. When he comes before the king, he is welcome, so he does not wish to grant him his wish quickly, so he would not depart him, because he wishes for him to speak to him. I, however, am like the king’s servant, who makes a request before him and the king does not wish that he will come into the palace, much less speak to him. The king says, ‘Grant him his wish immediately lest he will enter.’

“Thus, Rabbi Elazar is the king’s beloved one and I am a servant. The king wishes to speak to him everyday and to not part from him. But as for me, the king does not wish for me to come into the palace so he grants my wish immediately.” Rabbi Elazar was appeased.

256) Rabbi Elazar told him, “Akiva, come and I will tell you something that I saw in a dream. This verse, where it is written, ‘And you, do not pray for this people,’ due to the iniquity of the generation, the prayer for them is not accepted. And yet, it is said, ‘And you, do not pray for them,’ which means that others can pray. This is why I was not granted but you were granted. Moreover, there are discernments for which no righteous in the world can pray.”

Come and see, the twelve mountains of persimmon, which are HGTM de Bina, called “Persimmon,” are included in one another so that each of them consists of HGT, and they are twelve. But Malchut does not shine, even in Malchut, before the end of correction. The one who wears a breastplate and an ephod [vest] entered, meaning raised MAN. This relates to ZA, whose Tifferet is called breastplate, and to Malchut, which is called “ephod.” The twelve stones in the breastplate receive from the twelve lights of Bina, and the twelve of the ephod receive from the twelve of the breastplate. Yet, in them, too, Malchut does not shine as in Bina.

He prayed to the Creator, meaning raised MAN to Bina, to have mercy on the world, to complete the correction in Malchut, herself, too, so she will shine like HGT. But thus far, his prayer was not accepted. Thus, there are discernments for which the prayer is not heard. Hence, why was Rabbi Elazar’s mind weak? Was it because he saw in his dream, “And you, do not pray,” which implies that another could pray? It was because people did not know it and thought that his merit was lesser than the merit of Rabbi Akiva’s.

Eighteen Mountains of Persimmon

257) Eighteen mountains of the upper persimmon is Yesod de Bina. It contains nine Sefirot of Ohr Yashar [direct light] and nine Sefirot of Ohr Hozer [reflected light], thus, eighteen mountains. The souls of the righteous, meaning the Merkava [structure] for Yesod, enter, meaning raise MAN. And forty-nine scents, which are the fifty gates of Bina minus one, rise each day from Bina to the place called “Eden,” Hochma. Correspondingly, the Torah was given with forty-nine impure faces and with forty-nine pure faces. Because of the lack of the fiftieth gate, forty-nine impure faces came out, as it is written, “God has made them one opposite the other.”

There are also the forty-nine letters in the names of the tribes, and the forty-nine days of the count to receive the Torah, in which there are the forty-nine high days of ZON, which stand to receive permission—to be corrected on each of these forty-nine days—from the glowing stones that are filled with engravings of that breastplate. These twelve receive from the twelve mountains of persimmon, and by that, the ZAT de ZON, which consist of seven, are corrected—through the Omer count.

258) The one who wears the breastplate, ZA in Mochin de Gadlut, sits in the precious, holy throne, which shines in Malchut, called “throne.” The four pillars of the throne—Michael, Gabriel, Uriel, and Raphael—stand and look at the breastplate, meaning receive from these twelve stones that shine in it. They come and go by the word of the one who wears the breastplate, meaning that all the lights and corrections extend from the twelve lights in the breastplate, which extend from the twelve lights in Bina. They raise their eyes and look up, and see the fringe that burns in six hundred and twenty sides. This implies to Keter, which is 620 in Gematria, for it is tied on the forehead and on the skull, and the Holy Name is carved on it. They shake and startle and the pillars are tied on the right side, ZA. And the left, Malchut, takes the pillars of the heaven in her hands, meaning the three lines in ZA, which sorts and discloses them, as it is written, “And the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll.”

ZA sits on the four-pillar throne, on Malchut that has four pillars, HG TM, and those four pillars are tied in ZA, which leans to the right, meaning shines for them in covered Hassadim that are not revealed in illumination of Hochma. However, Malchut, left, sorts them through extension of Hochma and discloses them through clothing of the Hochma in Hassadim. At that time the four pillars, HG TM, become four pillars, in each of which are HGT, which shine in disclosed Hassadim, as it is written, “And the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll.” And it is after that that Malchut is called “the revealed world.”

I Went Down into the Garden of Nut Trees

259) “I went down into the garden of nut trees.” This garden comes out of Eden, and it is Divinity. A nut is the high, holy Merkava [structure], the four heads of the rivers that part from the garden, meaning the four faces—faces of a lion, ox, eagle, and man. This nut has four holy heads inside, in its fruit. It also has four shells that cover the fruit, implying to the four Klipot [shells]—stormy wind, great cloud, blazing fire, and brightness—like the upper Merkava. And the reason why he said, “I went down,” meaning “I went down into the garden of nut trees,” is that it is as though a person goes down to the Merkava.

260) Thus, he should have said, “I went down to the nut,” which is the Merkava. Why does he say, “I went down into the garden of nut trees”? It is because the garden, Malchut, is all the praise in the nut, which grows and emerges from this garden. This is why he mentions primarily the garden. And why is the Merkava implied in the nut? As a nut is blocked and hidden from all sides inside its shell, the Merkava that emerges from the garden, from Malchut, is blocked from all its sides. As those four heads in the nut connect at their center and separate outwards, the four faces of the Merkava conjoin in unity, joy, and wholeness, and part each to the discernment on which it was appointed.

At their center, the four faces are united with each other. The illumination of the three lines, the unity from the right line, the joy in the left line, and the wholeness in the middle line are in each, without any differences. In that respect, they are united. However, with respect to their role in bestowing upon the lower ones, they are separated, and each enhances its own essence.

The face of a lion—right—imparts Hassadim.

The face of an ox—left—imparts Hochma.

The face of an eagle—middle—imparts merged abundance.

The face of a man has a role of disclosing the Hassadim in illumination of Hochma.

In that respect, each is separated from the other.

261) What does this dirt in the shell of the nut mean, that is, in the four shells that surround it? Even though the Torah did not reveal it, for it speaks only of the good in the nut, it reveals it in the almonds. This is because the Torah speaks of the four shells in almonds, which imply particularly to the Din, and not to the good side in them.

262) In almonds, some are bitter because of their shells, and some are sweet. This implies that there are those of harsh Din, implied by the bitter almonds. And some are of service, who serve holiness. Those are implied by the sweet almonds. However, we see that each intimation of them—disclosed in the Torah—is Din, and she does not speak of the good in them, which are the sweet ones. So it is with Jeremiah, who was shone the Din in them, as it is written, “I see a rod of an almond-tree.”

What is an almond? A real almond. He was told, “For I watch over [Shoked, same letters as Shaked (almond)] My word to perform it”, “To root out, to pull down, and to destroy.” In Aaron’s rod, too, it said, “And bore ripe almonds,” which became a symbol for those who are rebellious. Thus, the Torah speaks only from the aspect of Din in them. And from the word itself, “almonds [Shkedim],” it implies that it is harsh Din, as it is written, “And so the Lord has watched over [Yshkod] the evil,” and also, “For I watch over My word to perform it.”

Thus, the word Shaked [almond] implies harsh Din. This means that all that the Creator does is to learn great wisdom from Him, as it is written, “The Lord has done all things for His own purpose.” It is also written, “And God saw all that He has done, and it was very good,” meaning that it is good to learn the high wisdom from Him.

One Opposite the Other

263) “God has made one opposite the other.” As there is in the firmament, the Creator made on earth. And all that exists on earth implies to what exists above in the firmament. When Rabbi Abba saw a tree whose fruit became a bird that fled from it, he cried and said, “If people knew what they were implying, they would tear their clothes to their navels for having forgotten the wisdom.” It is even more so with the rest of the things that the Creator has done on earth.

264) The trees from which Hochma [wisdom] is seen are Carob, Palm, and Pistachio, which is a kind of nut tree. They are all comprised of one composition, since all the fruit-bearing trees are one, implying to Tifferet, except for apples, which are NHY. Only the paths in them are separate because each tree has a special path in which it shines.

265) All the big trees that do not bear fruit, except for willows, have their own meaning, such as above, for they are NH and nurse from the same nursing. This means that they nurse from the externality, from another god, which does not bear fruit. Conversely, all the small trees, except for the hyssop, which implies Yesod, were born from the same mother, Nukva.

The Sons of Israel, the Sons of Jacob

266) All the grass of the land have strong ministers were appointed in heaven, since there is not a single blade of grass on earth that does not have a star and a sign in the firmament that strikes and tells it, “Grow!” Also, each has its own meaning, just as they have special appointees above, and one appointee does not interfere with the other, and one who seeds a mixture confuses their dominion over one another. It is written about that, “Do you know the ordinances of the heavens or fix their rule over the earth?” It is also written, “He calls them all by name,” and all that is in the world has a meaning in and of itself, and the Creator did not wish to suspend it from its place and mix it with another. And he calls each of the sons of Jacob by a name, for they are holy tribes, the persistence of the world, and it is even more so, as it is written, “These are the names of the sons of Israel.”

267) Had it said, “These are the names,” it would mean that so it is. But “These are the names of the sons of Israel” implies the importance of the tribes that sustain the world. Now that it is written, “And these are the names” with an extra Vav [in Hebrew], it implies that he adds to the first.

The name, “Israel,” implies ascent and importance, and the name Jacob implies descent. And since it writes here, “The sons of Israel,” it is said about the importance of the tribes. But because of the added Vav when it says, “And these,” it indicates that it is connected to the previous writings and stands after the death of Jacob and Joseph and the tribes, when they came to a descent in degree and were called “the sons of Jacob.” And even though the writing says, “The sons of Israel,” it is not because of importance, since in terms of degree, they have already fallen to the degree of the sons of Jacob. Rather, it is for another reason: it is in Jacob’s honor.

268) When the Creator said, “I will go down with you to Egypt,” would you even consider that Divinity descended with him right at that moment, that as soon as they came into Egypt, the sons of Jacob were in the state of descent? Rather, when his sons had a descent, Divinity descended, as it is written, “I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up again,” meaning as long as you will have an ascent, I will have an ascent, as well. And when you have a descent, I will go down with you. And after Joseph and all his brothers died, meaning had a descent, Divinity stood and went down with them. As the sons of Israel went down, Divinity and her Merkavot [assemblies] went down.

269) It is written, “And Joseph died, being a hundred and ten years old.” When Joseph died and all the tribes had a descent, the sons of Israel descended into exile and Divinity, and the high angels went down with them. It is written, “And these are the names of the sons of Israel,” where the Vav of “And these” is added to the first, after the death of Joseph and his brothers, descending to exile. This is why they are necessarily the sons of Jacob, meaning in descent.

270) Thus, was Jacob dead or not? It is written, “Who come into Egypt with Jacob.” Remove the name Jacob from there, since he has already died, since the Vav adds to the first. However, the writing did not say, “Who came down into Egypt with Jacob” because thus far, Jacob did not have a descent. Instead, it writes, “Who came.”

We learned that Divinity and the twelve tribes in her came to Egypt with Jacob. They went from there until they came down to the exile, after the death of Jacob and the tribes, and then they came down with them, meaning Divinity and her twelve tribes. This is why it writes, “And these are the names of the sons of Israel,” referring to their great merit and importance, since it concerns the days of ascent, not the days of descent.

271) Each and every day, Divinity and the twelve tribes in her and go their way. This is the meaning of the words, “Who come into Egypt,” in present tense, and not, “Who came,” in past tense. First it writes, “Who come into Egypt with Jacob,” relating to prior to the descent. Afterwards, when they had a descent, it writes, “They came each man with his household,” which is past tense. By that time, the sons of Jacob had all died and went down into exile.

They Came Each Man with His Household

272) These Merkavot [assemblies] and holy camps are the twelve tribes that are carved above, in Divinity. When they came down, everyone came to dwell with them, as it is written, “They came each man with his household,” relating to the angels that came to dwell with the sons of Israel in Egypt. Reuben, Shimon, Levi, and all the others imply the forms of the twelve tribes in Divinity.

273) “And these are the names of the sons of Israel, who come into Egypt with Jacob.” It begins with “The sons of Israel” and ends with, “With Jacob,” which says that this portion returns from the sons of Israel to Jacob, meaning the sons of Israel descended to the degree of sons of Jacob.

274) When Israel went into exile, all the souls of the tribes gathered at the Cave of Machpelah. They cried out and said, “Grandfather, Grandfather!” In all the labor in this world, there is nothing like the pain of the sons. “Your sons are all enslaved in hard labor by others, and every vengeance in the world is inflicted upon them.”

275) At that time, that spirit of the grandfather, meaning Jacob, awakened, asked permission, and descended into Egypt. He called unto the Creator, to all His Merkavot and camps, and to their king, and Divinity was leading them. They all came down with Jacob and with his tribes. The tribes came down alive to Egypt with their father, and they also came down dead to Egypt with their father, as it is written, “And these are the names of the sons of Israel, who come into Egypt.” It is also written, “Reuben, Shimon, Levi,” who were now dead but went down to Egypt. It is written, “And Joseph was in Egypt,” since his spirit did not part with Egypt after his demise, compelling him to come back down like the rest of the tribes. Joseph, “Like as a father has compassion on his children,” did not part with them even after his demise.

The Dead Know the Affliction of the Living

280) The Creator made two oaths to Jacob—that He would go down to dwell in exile with him, and that at the time of redemption, He would raise him from his grave to see the joy of the camp of holiness of the Merkavot and the angels that dwelled with his sons in exile. It is written about that, “I will go down with you into Egypt,” in the exile, “And I will also surely bring you up again,” at the time of redemption. Ascent means redemption, as it is written, “And [I will] cause you to come up out of your graves, O My people,” and as it is written, “There the tribes went up.”

281) “And a new king arose.” On that day, the minister of Egypt was given authority so he would prevail over all other nations. Until the death of Joseph, Egypt was not given government over Israel. When Joseph died, “A new king arose over Egypt.” “Arose,” as in falling and rising, since on that day the minister of Egypt was grown.

While the King Sat at His Table

282) “While the king sat at his table, my spikenard sent forth its scent.” “While the king” means the Creator, as it is written, “Thus said the Lord, King of Israel,” and as it is written, “And there was a king in Jeshurun.” “At his table” means among the wings of the Cherubim, by the ark of the covenant. “My spikenard sent forth its scent,” meaning it caused the Creator to depart from among them. “Sent forth its scent” means their bad smell.

Israel Compared to the Rest of the Nations

283) While the Creator was giving the Torah to Israel, it is written, “And he was there with the Lord.” While He was writing the Torah for Israel, they left their good smell and said, “These are your gods, O Israel.” Also, giving means leaving.

284) “While the king sat at his table,” meaning while the Creator was coming down upon Mount Sinai to give the Torah to Israel, “My spikenard sent forth its scent,” gave its good smell, as it is written that they said, “We shall do and we shall hear.”

285) Every nation has a minister above. When the Creator gives government to one, He lowers the other. And when He gave dominion to that minister of Egypt, He had dominion only because of Israel, as it is written, “Her adversaries become the head.”

286) Israel are equal to all the other nations of the world. As the rest of the nations are seventy, Israel are seventy, as it is written, “All the souls of the house of Jacob, that came into Egypt, were seventy.” And the ruler of Israel, it is as though he rules over the entire world.

287) This means that Israel are seventy, as it is written, “And the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and became mighty exceedingly and extraordinarily.” Thus, there are seven degrees here, and each degree consists of ten, thus seventy. After that, it is written, “And a new king arose over Egypt,” meaning that because of its dominion over Israel, which are opposite the seventy nations, he was regarded as a new king.

288) Israel were enslaved by all the nations so that the world would rise through them, since they are opposite the whole world. It is written, “In that day shall the Lord be One, and His name one.” And as the Creator is one, Israel are one, as it is written, “One nation in the land.” As the name of the Creator is “One,” and spreads in seventy names, Israel are one and spread into seventy.

Under a Slave When He Becomes King

289) “Under three things the earth quakes ... under a slave when he becomes king.” There is none so low, vile, and ignoble before the Creator as the Egyptians. Yet, the Creator gave them dominion over Israel. “The maidservant that is heir to her mistress is Hagar, who bore Ishmael. Ishmael did several wrongs to Israel: he ruled over them, tormented them with various torments, declared several destructions of them, and to this day they overtake them and do not let them be in their tenet. There is no such harsh exile for Israel as the exile in Ishmael.

290) Rabbi Joshua was going up to the Jerusalem. While on the way, he saw an Arab walking with his son. They met a Jew. The Arab told his son, this Jew is defiled because his Master loathes him. Smear him and spit on his beard seven times, for he is from the seed of the upper ones, from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and I know that seventy nations are enslaved to them. His son went and grabbed the Jew’s beard. Rabbi Joshua said, “High ones, High ones,” meaning he prayed by ancestral merit, “I declare that the upper ones, the Arab, and his son, who consider themselves superior to the Jews, shall come down.” Before Rabbi Joshua completed his words, they were swallowed in the ground where they stood.

Until the Day Breathe

291) “Until the day breathes and the shadows flee away.” “Until the day breathes” was said about the exile of Israel, that they will be enslaved in exile until that day of the government of the nations is through. We learned that all the nations together rule over Israel a thousand years, and there is no nation to which they will not be enslaved. “And one day” corresponds to what is written, “And there shall be one day which shall be known as the Lord's.”

292) “Until the day breathes.” First, that day will blow on the nations. “And the shadows flee away” are the governments that rule over them. “I will go to the mountain of myrrh,” said the Creator. I will go to shake the nations from Jerusalem, which is the mountain of myrrh, as it is written, “At Jerusalem in mount Moriah.” “And to the hill of frankincense” is the Temple in Zion, of which it is written, “Fair in view, the joy of the whole earth is mount Zion,” to shake the wicked off there. It is written, “That it might take hold of the ends of the earth, and the wicked be shaken out of it,” as one who holds a gown to shake the filth off it.

293) The Creator will be revealed in Jerusalem below and purify it from the filth of the nations until that day of the nations is completed. The rule of the nations over Israel is only one day, and it is the day of the Creator, which is a thousand years, as it is written, “He has made me desolate and faint all the day,” meaning only one day and not more.

294) If they are enslaved for more than a thousand years, it is not by the sentence of the King, but because they do not wish to repent before Him. And it is written, “And if all these things come upon you ... and shall return unto the Lord thy God.” It is also written, “If any of you that are dispersed be in the outermost parts of heaven, from there will the Lord thy God gather you.”

And He Said unto His People

295) In any case, there was an angel governing over Egypt, who said to his people, “Behold, the people of the children of Israel are too many and too mighty for us.” And so it is through most of the portion, where it says only the king of Egypt, meaning the minister appointed over Egypt. And if it says, “Pharaoh, king of Egypt,” it is the actual Pharaoh.

296) “And he said unto his people,” meaning I will place a thought in their hearts, so they will think that they are “Too many and too mighty for us.” “For us” means for their appointee, because they said to themselves that God and Israel’s power were greater and stronger than the appointee that was governing Egypt.

297) All the nations of the world draw strength from the ministers appointed over them in heaven. And Israel draw their forces from the Creator. They are called “the people of the Lord,” and not a people of an appointed governor. Here the Egyptians are called “the people of the appointed governor.” Israel are called “the people of the Lord,” and the rest of the nations are called “the people of their governors,” as it is written, “Let all the peoples walk each one in the name of its god, but we will walk in the name of the Lord our God for ever and ever.”

298) “The people of the children of Israel are too many and too mighty for us.” What is “The people of the children”? It is actually the people of the children of Israel, the people of the children of Israel below, the corporeal Israel, which extends from the Israel above, meaning ZA. However, the people itself is not attributed to the Israel above. This is why they added the word, “people,” since they thought that they were the people of the children of Israel below and not the people of the Lord, ZA. It is written, “And they were in dread of the children of Israel.” It does not say, “From the actual children of Israel,” which is Israel below, since in the end they recognized that they were the children of Israel of above, the people of the Lord.

299) Balak said, “Behold, there is a people come out from Egypt.” He did not say, “Behold the people of the children of Israel.” But Balak was a great sorcerer, and it is the conduct of sorcerers to take the thing that is not suspected. Also, the name of one’s father is never mentioned, but the name of one’s mother, since this is something that is not suspected. This is why Balaam did not say “The children of Israel,” meaning the name of the father.

300) Such is the way of demons. They scrutinize the thing that they are told by the sorcerers. If it is a lie, they tell them lies. If it is the truth, everything they tell them is truth, albeit for a short while. It is even more so if the sorcerers wish for them to perform an act. Then they are certainly meticulous about telling the truth, without any suspicions. This is why the name of one’s father is not mentioned. But Balak went with the way of degrading, “Behold, there is a people come out from Egypt,” meaning we do not know from whom they are.

301) A people that is under the guidance of ministers is watched over, and the people of the Creator is not watched over. The poor is not like the rich. The poor must keep what is his because people do not fear challenging him. But the rich does not watch over what is his because everyone fears challenging him. Israel are guided by the King who loves truth and Din [judgment]. He performs the first Din with His own people because He wishes for them to be kept from sin more than all the nations, as it is written, “You only have I known of all the families of the earth.”

302) Rabbi Yosi and Rabbi Aha went on the way. Rabbi Yosi was contemplating worldly matters and Rabbi Aha was contemplating words of Torah. Rabbi Yosi saw a snake chasing him. He said to Rabbi Aha, “Do you see that snake chasing me?” Rabbi Aha replied, “I do not see it.” Rabbi Yosi ran, and the snake was behind him. Rabbi Yosi stumbled and blood was pouring out of his nose. He heard them saying, “You only have I known of all the families of the earth,” meaning that thanks to that, he was saved from the snake. Rabbi Yosi said, “If a single hour of ceasing words of Torah and turning to worldly matters cost me that, it is several times more so for one who shifted his mind from words of Torah completely.

303) “The Lord your God ... who led you through the great and dreadful wilderness, with fiery serpents, and scorpions.” Why was there a fiery serpent here in the wilderness? It was to punish Israel, as long as they were separated from the tree of life, of which it is written, “For that is your life, and the length of your days.”

304) It is written, “He that spares his rod hates his son.” It is also written, “I have loved you, says the Lord,” and it is written, “But Esau I hated.” “I hated” is as it is written, “He that spares his rod hates his son.” I hated him, hence I spared him the rod. It is all the more so with disciples of the wise; He does not spare them the rod, since the Creator does not wish for them to part from the tree of life for even a minute.

305) “And he said unto his people,” meaning gave them an advice, to harm them. Rabbi Tanhum said, “The Egyptians knew their wisdom of the stars, that they would eventually be beaten because of Israel; hence their minister came and harmed them beforehand.

306) Rabbi Isaac came across a mountain and saw a man sleeping under a tree. Rabbi Isaac sat there. While he was sitting, he saw that the earth was quaking and that tree broke and fell, and he saw crevices and holes in the ground, and the ground was rising and falling.

307) That man awoke, yelled toward Rabbi Isaac and told him, “Jew, Jew, weep and wail, for a minister is being raised in the firmament, an appointee, a high governor, and he is destined to inflict much harm upon you. This quake of the earth was for you, since every time the earth quakes, it is because an appointee who will harm you rises in the firmament.

Their Valiant Ones Cry Outside

308) “Under three things the earth quakes ... Under a slave when he becomes king,” meaning an appointee, who was previously enslaved under another governor and has now come to kingship, has been given government, and the earth quakes. It is all the more so when that appointee governs Israel, the earth will certainly quake.

309) When the Creator placed Israel under the rule of the nations, He sat and sobbed and cried, as it is written, “My soul shall weep in secret.” “In secret” means in the world of Atzilut.

310) “In the light of a king's face is life.” If the Master is sad, all the more so if he is sobbing and weeping, his servants cry outside. What is outside? Their Master is within, as it is written, “My soul shall weep in secret,” and they are outside. Their Master is in the inner houses, in Atzilut, and they are in the outer houses, in BYA. The inner houses are of the ten Ketarim [crowns, plural of Keter] of the king, of the ten Sefirot de ZA de Atzilut.

311) “Angels of peace.” Are there angels who are not of peace? There are angels who are of harsh Din, who extend from the Sefira of Gevura. There are those of Din that is not harsh, who extend from Malchut. There are also those of Din and Rachamim, who extend from Tifferet, and there are those with Rachamim, in whom there is no Din at all. Those extend from Bina and are called “angels of peace.”

Two Tears to the Deep of the Great Sea

312) When the ministers appointed on the people see their Master sad because of the enslavement of Israel, why do they work His sons in hard labor? They only do what they must; they carry out their Master’s will.

313) When the sons of the Creator were given to the governors of the peoples, twelve courthouses gather, meaning the Malchut—who has twelve combinations of ADNI, which are the letters of DINA [Din]. And since the Zivug of HaVaYaH ADNI has been cancelled, where the twelve combinations of ADNI were receiving from the twelve combinations of HaVaYaH, twelve combinations of ADNI gathered and settled inside the great deep, Bina. The Master—Bina—cried, wept aloud, called “sobbing,” which means that Bina descended because of the ascent of Malchut to Katnut [smallness/infancy], called “weeping.”

And two teardrops run down from the Nikvey Eynaim [holes of the eyes], meaning Bina, into the deep of the great sea, which is Malchut. This means that two kinds of Dinim were made in Malchut: from Bina de Malchut and from Malchut de Bina. And since they were made through Malchut’s ascent to Bina and their mingling in each other, they are called Demaot [tears], from the word Meduma [mixture of holy and secular].

It is also because this Bina is Nikvey Eynaim, and all that descends and comes out of Nikvey Eynaim is called “tears.” It is written, “Your judgments are like a great deep,” where because the Din in Malchut rose to Bina, which is called, “the great deep,” sentences were made in her, which are Din. The upper ones are rolled below and the lower ones are fissured and descend by 240 degrees, as it is written, “The lion has roared, who will not fear?”

Here The Zohar explains how the descent of ZON into VAK without a Rosh occurred while Israel were given into exile among the nations, when Malchut rose to Bina, which is called “the great deep.” And by that, Bina came into Katnut and became two kinds of Dinim in Malchut, called “tears.” And YESHSUT, who were connected with AVI, have now descended because of the Masach de Malchut that rose to half of Bina, because as a result, Bina divided into two Partzufim [plural of Partzuf]: 1) The GAR in her are called AVI, and retained their merit, since they are from the half of Bina that is above the Masach. 2) YESHSUT—which are from the half of Bina below the Masach of Malchut—descended. It turns out that YESHSUT, who were above, have cascaded downwards.

Afterwards, KHB TM of YESHSUT were broken, too, due to Malchut’s ascent to Bina. Thus, Keter and Hochma and half of Bina remained above the Masach de Malchut, and half of Bina, Tifferet, and Malchut went below the Masach of Malchut that stands at half of Bina.

It was written that the lower ones were broken, that YESHSUT had already departed AVI downwards and were broken, too, and descended 240 degrees, which are half of Bina, Tifferet, and Malchut, which are 250, since the Sefira of YESHSUT is considered hundreds. However, because Malchut de Malchut rose and remained above, in upper AVI, only the first ninety Sefirot through Yesod remained in Malchut de YESHSUT, which is considered 100. Thus, there are only ninety Sefirot in her, which is why it is considered that only 240 degrees went down and not 250.

And those two and a half degrees that came down from YESHSUT clothed ZON, and they are VAK without a Rosh. This is because the GAR, meaning Keter, Hochma, and the upper half of Bina are absent there. For this reason, ZON remained without a Zivug and with VAK without a Rosh, until Israel are redeemed from exile. And although there are special times and occasions, and through prayers ZON regain the GAR even during the days of exile, it is not permanent. But at the time of redemption they will return to permanent GAR, as AVI during the exile.

314) When the Creator gave Israel to the minister of Egypt, He sentenced them with seven sentences by which the Egyptians were to enslave them, as it is written, “And they made their lives bitter with hard labor in mortar and bricks and at all kinds of labor in the field, all their labors which they rigorously imposed on them.” Correspondingly, there were seven good ones, “And the sons of Israel were fruitful and increased greatly, and multiplied, and became exceedingly mighty, so that the land was filled with them.”

Let Us Deal Wisely

315) “Let us” is an invitation to execute judgment. “Let us” means consent and invitation, such as, “Let us build us a city.” “Ascribe to the Lord, O sons of gods.”

316) “Let us deal wisely with it” means let us make a legal agreement with it, lest they will multiply. And the spirit of holiness says, “The more they multiplied and the more they spread abroad.” The serving angels were to them as thorns and as pricks, as it is written, “And they were in dread [sounds like a thorn in Hebrew] of the children of Israel.” This refers to the children of Israel above, which are the angels, who were stung by the serving angels, like the thorns that sting people.

Against All the Gods of Egypt, I Will Execute Judgments

317) What was the Egyptians’ thought, and the thought of the minister appointed over them, who put it in their hearts? To prevent Israel from multiplying. This is because “And he said unto his people” relates to their minister, and he told them. And they knew that a son was to come out of Israel, by whom their gods would be sentenced.

318) When Moses said, “Against all the gods of Egypt, I will execute judgments,” Dumah, the minister of Egypt, went four hundred parsas [1 parsa is about 4 miles] because of the great fear. The Creator told him that a sentence has been given before Me and it cannot be undone, as it is written, “The Lord will punish the host of the high heaven on high.” At that time, the authority had been taken away from him and Dumah was appointed as the minister of hell, to sentence the evil souls there.

319) “Upon their gods also the Lord executed judgments.” But are there judgments upon a god of silver or gold or of wood or of stone? Indeed, the ones of silver and gold melted by themselves, and the ones of wood rotted.

320) The God of Egypt was a lamb. The Creator commanded that judgments would be executed upon it, that it would be burned in fire, as it is written, “The graven images of their gods shall you burn with fire,” so their smell will spread. Moreover, “Its head with its legs and with its inwards,” in a degrading manner. Moreover, its bones are thrown in the market, which was the hardest for the Egyptians. This is the meaning of the words, judgments.

321) He executed judgments in their actual gods. And this is their minister, to keep, “The Lord will punish the host of the high heaven on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth.” And the wise ones among them knew all that, all the more so their minister. This is why it is written, “Let us deal wisely.”

322) Idol worship abounded in Egypt. And the Nile river was their god; actually, he was their gods. And in all of them, the Creator executed judgments. Their gods were struck first, and then the nation. And also, the Nile was struck first, and the trees and the stones that they worshipped, as it is written, “And the blood was through all the land of Egypt,” in the trees and in the rocks that really were their gods. It is written about the host of the high heaven on high that the Nile was not above, but on the earth. For the most part, the waters of the Nile are similar to the river as it is above. Their minister is struck first, and then the rest of their gods.

323) The actual striking of the nation of Egypt was only at sea, as it is written, “Not even one of them remained.” But before that, judgments were executed on their gods. This is why it is written, “Come, let us deal wisely with them, or else they will multiply and in the event of war,” meaning they were predicting the future, as it happened to them. “They also join themselves unto our enemies,” meaning they were predicting the camps of high angels that would be in the midst of them. “And fight against us” means that they were predicting what is written, “The Lord will fight for you.” “And get them up out of the land,” as he says, “And the children of Israel went out with a high hand.”

The Song of Songs that Is for Solomon

324) “The song of songs that is for Solomon.” When the Creator, Bina, created His world, a desire appeared within Him and He created the heaven, ZA. On His right are Hassadim and on His left, the earth, Nukva, Gevurot. And a desire appeared in Him to establish the day and the night so they would come into a Zivug, as it is written, “And there was evening and there was morning, one day.” He created the angels who are appointed by His grace—and extend from ZA—in the day, and created the angels and the appointees to sing at night, since the singing is illumination of Hochma that is drawn through the Nukva, called “night.”

It is written, “By day the Lord will command His grace,” through the angels appointed over Hesed [grace], “And in the night His song shall be with me,” through the angels appointed over singing. On the right are the appointees over Hesed; on the left, the appointees over singing. And those on the right listen to the singing of the day, the singing of the holy Israel, since Israel sing in the day. Those who sing at night listen to the singing of Israel in the daytime, as it is written, “The friends listen to your voice.”

325) One faction, from the left line, consists of three factions, three lines, and sings at night, as it is written, “She rises also while it is still night, and gives prey to her household.” If the left line is alone and does not comprise all three lines, no singing extends from it. On the contrary, then all the Dinim extend from it.

326) Ten things were created on the first day, among them are the quality of night, Malchut, and the quality of day, Tifferet. It is written about the quality of night, “She rises also while it is still night, and gives prey to her household.” Prey is Dinim, as it is written, “And preys and there is none to rescue.” When it writes, “And a law to her maidens,” law is also Dinim, as it is written, “A statute and an ordinance,” “His statutes and His ordinances,” “For it is a statute for Israel, an ordinance of the God of Jacob.” We learn from this that the quality of Din governs at night.

327) Those who sing at night are ministers who rise above all the singers. When the living, the lower ones, begin to sing, the upper ones add strength to know and to attain all that they did not attain. Heaven and earth, ZON, add strength through this singing, too.

Singing is extension of Mochin of illumination of Hochma, whose root is only from the left line and from the Nukva, called “night,” and extends in the form of a sentence. It was written that those who sing at night are the ministers of all the singers. It is written, “She rises while it is still night, meaning the disclosure of Mochin of illumination of Hochma is called “rising,” and this rising applies only at night, the time of Dinim in the Nukva. It is written, “And gives prey to her household and a law to her maidens,” since prey and law mean Dinim.

It is known that it is impossible for the lower ones to extend Mochin if that Mochin does not first appear in all the Partzufim in the world of Atzilut and BYA that precede them. It was written that when the living begin to sing, the upper ones add strength, to know and to recognize. This is so because when the lower ones begin to sing, which is obtainment of Mochin de Hochma, that Mochin had necessarily been revealed already in ZON and the angels that precede them. In this way, the lower ones add strength and illumination of Mochin in the upper ones.

328) Happy is the one who is rewarded with knowing that song, these Mochin of illumination of Hochma. One who is rewarded with that song will know the matters of Torah and wisdom and will balance and scrutinize and will add strength and might in what was and what will be. In that, Solomon was rewarded with knowing.

329) David had knowledge in it, for he obtained the Mochin de Hochma within reason, hence he established many songs and praises. Through them, he hinted to the future and added strength and might in the spirit of holiness, the Nukva, when she receives spirit from the holiness, Hochma. He knew about the Torah and the wisdom, and he balanced and scrutinized and added strength and might in the holy tongue, the Nukva, when she receives Daat from the holiness, Hochma.

331) Those who sing, the poets above, halted their singing until Levi was born. But since Levi was born, they sang, though it was as yet, incomplete. When Moses was born and Aaron was anointed and the Levites were sanctified, the song was completed and the singers above stood guard.

Reuben, Shimon, and Levi are HGT, three lines, right, left, and middle line. Hence, even when Shimon was born, the left line, from which the singing extends, meaning illumination of Hochma, they still halted their singing because the left line cannot shine for lack of Hassadim. When Levi was born, meaning the middle line that sustains them both and clothes the Hochma on the left with the Hassadim on the right, then Hochma on the left shines, meaning the singing.

However, it is still incomplete, since the middle line itself should be divided into right and left. This is the meaning of the tribe of Levi being divided into priests, on the right, and Levites, on the left. And the Levites, the Hochma in the left line, need to clothe in the priests’ light of Hassadim from the right. And then the Hochma shines in the Levites, meaning that the Levites are sanctified by the priests, since holiness is Hochma. At that time, the singing—the extension of Hochma—is complete, since it extends through the left line in the middle line, the Levites, which are always connected to the priests and are their subjects.

It was written that when Moses was born and Aaron was anointed, Moses separated the tribe of Levi into priests—from the sons of Aaron—and Levites, the rest—meaning right and left. The Levites were sanctified because the Hochma in them clothed in the illumination of Hassadim in the priests. Thus, the song was completed, since it extends from the discernment of the left in the middle line, and not from the actual left line. At that time, the ministers above stood guard in the night shifts, when the angels sing.

332) When Levi was born, they started above and said, meaning Divinity told ZA, “Who would make you like a brother to me,” meaning that you will impart Hochma within me, since with respect to the Hochma, ZON are called brother and sister.

“Who nursed at my mother's breasts,” for then both of them nurse from Bina and they are on the same degree.

“If I found you outside, I would kiss you,” since illumination of Hochma without Hassadim, externality, asked of him to be able to kiss him and shine from him, even when she is in externality.

“No one would despise me, either,” since in the externality, the Klipot awaken to despise Divinity, as it is written, “Sin crouches at the door,” and she asked that they would not be able to despise her. All that was before the middle line, Levi, prevailed and sustained the two lines, right and left, because of which it, too, inherits those two lines himself, priests and Levites.

The poets below came from the tribe of Levi, after they divided into right and left, priests and Levites, they were all sanctified, meaning that the Hochma in the Levites was sanctified by their clothing in the priests’ Hassadim. And they stood guard, meaning the ministers above, and the angels were sanctified in correspondence with the Levites, friends as one, since the acts of the lower ones complement the upper ones, and then the worlds become one. And one king is over them means that after all these corrections, Solomon came and made a book out of that song of those ministers, and the Hochma [wisdom] was concealed in him.

333) The ministers below are called “Levites” because they accompany and join above as one [Livui means accompanying], and because one who hears the singing becomes accompanying and his soul clings upwards, in the Creator. This is why Leah said, “My husband be joined unto me.” This is why he was called “Levi,” since the whole of the seed of Levi accompanied Divinity in Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, and in all his seed after him. Also, they are the ones that follow the Creator, to serve Him.

And There Went a Man

337) “And there went a man” is Gabriel, who went and returned her to Amram. Amram was real, but his name is not mentioned because this walking to mate with his wife was not from him but from above, since it was the counsel of the Creator that activated him, and he went.

338) Why was the Zivug of the parents not mentioned in Aaron and Miriam, while in Moses, it says, “And took to wife a daughter of Levi”? It is to show that Divinity is named after Levi, and Amram was unfit to beget Moses until he took part in Divinity, as it is written, “And took to wife a daughter of Levi,” meaning Divinity.

339) Amram was rewarded with having a son come out of him; he was rewarded with a great voice, ZA, as it is written, “And God answered him by a voice.” Amram was rewarded with the daughter of voice [faint sound], Malchut, as it is written, “And took to wife a daughter of Levi,” meaning the daughter of voice. This is why it is written, “And there went,” meaning that he walked to that degree. When Moses was born, the Creator united His name upon him, as it is written, “She saw that he was good.” Good is the name of the Creator, as it is written, “The Lord is good to all,” and it is written, “Taste and see that the Lord is good.” Thus, the Creator is called “Good.”

The King of Egypt Died

340) “And it came to pass in the course of those many days.” This was the end of their exile, when Israel were enslaved in any labor. “In those many days,” meaning many days of Israel’s stay in Egypt, when the end has come. And since their exile has come to its conclusion, it is written, “The king of Egypt died,” meaning that the minister of Egypt has been brought down and fell from his pride. This is why it is written about him, “The king of Egypt died,” since descent was as death to him. And since the king of Egypt—their minister—has fallen, the Creator remembered Israel and heard their prayer.

341) As long as their minister had dominion over Israel, Israel’s cry was not heard. When their minister fell, it is written, “The king of Egypt died.” And promptly, “And the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their outcry came up unto God.” But until that time, their cry was not answered.

Two Tears to the Great Sea

342) Come and sea the Creator’s mercy. When He has mercy over Israel, He forces the quality of Din and brings it down and has pity on them. The Creator brings two tears down to the great sea.

In Tzimtzum Bet [second restriction], Malchut rose to Bina as a Yod that entered the Ohr [light] and became Avir [air]. Thus, the light of Bina became Avir because of Malchut’s Dinim that entered her. Avir means VAK without a Rosh [head], and two kinds of Dinim were made in Bina by Malchut’s ascent: Malchut that is mingled with Bina, where at the time of Gadlut, the illumination from AB SAG brings down the Malchut from Bina back to her place. It turns out that the Yod departs the Avir of Bina and Bina returns to being light, which means GAR. Thus, when the Katnut and Gadlut in Bina are made, it is also made in Malchut, and Mochin de GAR emerge in Malchut, too.

It was written that when He has pity over Israel, He forces the quality of Din, which is Malchut that rose to Bina, and brings her down to her own place and has pity on them. At that time, the GAR come out in Bina, in Malchut, and in the souls of Israel below.

In other words, the Creator brings two tears down to the great sea, Malchut, two kinds of Dinim: Bina that is mingled with Malchut, and Malchut that is mingled with Bina. It is not clear why they are called tears, meaning that it is not clear that the Din in them is Din, due to the mixture of Bina in Malchut and Malchut in Bina.

Tears indicate mixture, from the words, “Raising the Meduma [mixture],” where the Din in them is unclear. This is because even at the time of Katnut, when the light of Bina becomes Avir and the light of ZON becomes Avir because of them, too, and the Klipa of Ov wishes to cling to Dinim, it is denied and said of these two Dinim that they are not Din, thus removing it from clinging to them. Thus, the Din in them is not so clear, which is why they are called Demaot [tears], from the words, “mixture of Din” that it is not so clear that it is Din.

343) We do not follow the Klipa of Ov. We bring no evidence from the Klipa of Ov that because we deny before him saying that there is no Din in them and we distance him, it is evidence that the Din in the two tears is unclear. This is not so. Rather, the meaning of it is that the Din in the two tears is clear: in the ten Sefirot of the king, there are two tears for the Creator and two qualities of Din, one that extends from the mingling of Malchut in Bina, and one that extends from the mingling of Bina in Malchut.

The Din comes from both. Thus, the Din in them is clear, and when the Creator remembers His sons, He brings them down to the great sea, the sea of Hochma, Malchut, to mitigate them. Thus, the Katnut of Bina comes out in Malchut. Afterwards, Malchut can receive the Gadlut de Ima, too, like a mother who lends her clothes to her daughter. At that time Malchut’s quality of Din becomes the quality of Rachamim, meaning she receives GAR. And He has pity on them, on Israel, so they receive GAR, as well.

The Din comes from the two tears from which the tears come. At their root, the two tears in Bina that are made by the ascent of Malchut to her are not clear Din. Rather, other tears extend from them to the place of Malchut, and the Din comes from these tears in Malchut, as it was written that the Din comes from the two tears from which the tears come in Malchut.

344) “The Egyptians were traveling after them.” This is the minister of Egypt. It means that he was still established when Israel departed Egypt, but you said, “The king of Egypt died,” which is the minister of Egypt. This was prior to Israel’s exit from Egypt. There is no contradiction here. Rather, it even supports the interpretation of the words above, which is “The king of Egypt died,” since here it writes, “Behold, the Egyptians,” and there it writes, “The king of Egypt died.” This teaches that now, after the exodus from Egypt, there was no king, since he has already been brought down from his greatness. This is why it writes, “Behold, the Egyptians,” and does not write, “Behold, the king of Egypt.” And the reason why he said that he died is not that he was completely annulled, but that he was brought down from greatness and could no longer do harm, as it is written, “For all the men that sought your life are dead,” meaning they can no longer harm. Here, too, “Died” means no longer being able to harm, since he was brought down from his greatness.

345) All the kings of Egypt are named, “Pharaoh.” And here it says only, “The king of Egypt died.” It did not say, “Pharaoh, king of Egypt.” This is because it is about the minister of Egypt. Had it written, “Pharaoh,” instead, it would be the actual Pharaoh and not the minister of Egypt. As long as there is government above, in the minister of the people, there is government in the people below. When the government above is removed from the people’s minister, the government below is removed, as well.

Does the Lord Have a Sword?

346) “Behold, a day of the Lord is coming,” “And there shall be one day which shall be known as the Lord's.” But are the rest of the days not the Lord’s? This teaches that the rest of the days were given to the ministers, and that “day” is not the ministers’, but the Creator’s, to execute judgment on idolaters, since on that day, all the ministers will fall from their degree. This is why it is written, “And the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day,” since on that day there will be no rank to the ministers.

347) When the Creator passes judgment on the ministers above, it is written, “For My sword has drunk its fill in heaven.” But does the Creator have a sword? He has a sword, as it is written, “The sword of the Lord is filled with blood,” and it is written, “By His sword with all flesh.”

348) That sword is the Din [judgment] that He executes, as it is written, “And David lifted up his eyes, and saw the angel of the Lord standing between the earth and the heaven, having a drawn sword in his hand.” But was there a drawn sword in the hand of the angel? He was given authority to execute judgment, and that authority is called a “sword.”

349) He asks, “The angel of death told me that if I did not spare the dignity of people, I would reveal to them the slaughterhouse like a beast.” This means that there is a real sword in the hands of the angel of death, but wherever it writes, “sword,” in the upper ones, it means that he was given authority to complete the judgment, not a real sword. And disclosure of the slaughterhouse is that he would reveal the cause of death, the iniquity, which is like a slaughterhouse, the reason for the death of the beast, as it is written, “Having a drawn sword in his hand,” meaning the authority given to him to execute judgment. Why does it say, “And he put his sword back into its sheath”? It means that the Din was given back to the litigant, and the authority to execute the Din was returned to the one that the authority is His, to the Creator.

And the Children of Israel Sighed

350) “And the children of Israel sighed.” It does not say that they were sighing because of their own affliction. Rather, “Sighed” means that they sighed for others’ affliction. The sigh was for them above; the angels were sighing for Israel.

351) “And the children of Israel sighed,” meaning the children of Israel above, the angels. “By reason of the bondage” means that the children of Israel are called “the ones who work,” those who are from the work above, the serving angels. “Their outcry came up unto God” means that thus far their cry did not rise before Him.

352) What is the Din that the Creator executes in the servants above, in the serving angels and the ministers of the seventy nations? He takes them through the river of fire, removes them from their government, and appoints other ministers from the rest of the nations, as it is written, “Flaming fire are Your ministers.” Hence, what does He deny them if they are taken through the river of fire? There is a fire that is harder than fire, and there is fire that repels fire. Hence, even though they are fire, the fire of the river of fire is harder than them, and there the Din is executed upon the angels of fire.

Sigh, Cry, and Outcry

353) There are three things here: sigh, cry, and outcry, and they are not similar. With a sigh, it is written, “And the children of Israel sighed.” With a cry, it is written, “And they cried.” With an outcry, it is written, “And their outcry came up unto God.” Each is interpreted separately, but Israel did all of them. However, another one said, “Israel did the cry and the outcry, but they did not do the sigh.” This is implied by the words that they sighed but were not sighed, and that the sigh above was for them.

354) How are outcry and cry different? There is an outcry only in prayer, as it was said, “Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give ear to my outcry,” and also, “Unto You, O Lord, is my outcry,” and “My outcry is unto You, and You will heal me.” Thus, an outcry means words of prayer. A cry means crying and not saying anything, without any words. The cry is greater than all of them, for the cry is in the heart. It is closer to the Creator than a prayer or a sigh, as it is written, “For if they cry unto Me, I will surely hear their cry.”

A sigh, a cry, and an outcry are thought, voice, speech—Bina, ZA, and Malchut. Hence, a cry in which there is no speech is more acceptable to the Creator than a prayer in words, since the speech is revealed and there is gripping in it, but a cry, where there is no disclosure except in the crying heart, there is no hold for the accusers in it. It is also more acceptable than a sigh because it is revealed only in the thought of the one who sighs, which is Bina, and the lower one cannot properly adhere to the Creator through it. This is why a cry is more acceptable.

355) What does it say when the Creator said to Samuel, “It repents Me that I have set up Saul to be king”? “And it grieved Samuel; and he cried unto the Lord all night.” He left everything—the sigh, the outcry—and took the cry, since it was closest to the Creator, as it is written, “And now, behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come unto Me.”

356) One who prays and cries and cries out until he can no longer move his lips, this is a complete prayer that is in the heart. It is never returned empty, but is accepted. Great is the cry for it tears a man’s sentence from all his days.

357) Great is the cry that governs the quality of Din above. Great is the cry that governs this world and the next world. For a cry, man inherits this world and the next world, as it is written, “Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and He delivered them out of their distresses.”

My Beloved Is Mine and I Am His, He Pastures among the Lilies

358) Woe unto people who do not watch and do not know. When a thought came before the Creator to create His world, all the worlds rose in one thought, and in that thought they were all created, as it is written, “In wisdom have You made them all.” And in that thought, which is wisdom [Hochma], this world and the world above were created.

359) His right [side] leaned and He created the world above, ZA. His left [side] leaned and He created this world, Malchut, as it is written, “My hand has laid the foundation of the earth,” Malchut, “And My right hand has spread out the heavens,” ZA. “When I call unto them, they stand up together.”

All were created in a single moment, and He made this world corresponding to the world above, and all that there is above, its likeness appeared below. Thus, there is nothing below without a root in the upper worlds, and all that there is below on earth, its likeness exists in the sea, and all is one. In the upper worlds, He created the angels; in this world, He created people; and in the sea, He created the leviathan [whale], as it is written, “To join the tent together so that it might be one.”

360) It is written of man that He made man in the image of God. It is also written, “You have made him a little lower than God.” If people so cherish their deeds and they are lower than the dust of the well, for they are lowered by the Klipot that cling to the dust of Malchut, called “well,” how will they come to pump out abundance from the well? He chose the upper ones, the angels, and He chose Israel. He did not call the upper ones, “sons,” but called the lower ones, “sons,” as it is written, “You are the children of the Lord your God.” He called them “children,” and they called Him “Father,” as it is written, “For You are our father,” and it is written, “My Beloved is mine and I am His,” meaning He chose me and I chose Him.

361) “He pastures among the lilies.” He pastures among the lilies despite the thorns, the Klipot around them. No other can pasture in the lilies like Him. “He pastures among the lilies.” As this rose is red and its waters, which are melted out of it, are white, the Creator leads His world from the quality of Din, implied in the red, to the quality of Rachamim, implied in the white, as it is written, “Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.”

362) Rabbi Abba was walking along the way and Rabbi Isaac was with him. While they were walking, they came across roses. Rabbi Abba took a rose in his hand and was walking. Rabbi Yosi met them and said, “Divinity must be here,” and I see a rose in Rabbi Abba’s hand, which is to learn much wisdom from him, for I know that Rabbi Abba took it only to show wisdom.”

363) Rabbi Abba said, “Sit down my son.” They sat. Rabbi Abba smelled that rose and said, “The world exists only by the smell,” the Mochin of illumination of Hochma that shine from below upwards, like the smell. “I see that the soul exists only on the smell,” which is why we smell the myrtle at the end of the Sabbath, to extend Mochin of illumination of Hochma, smell.

364) He started and said, “My Beloved is mine and I am His, He pastures among the lilies.” Who caused me to be my Beloved’s and my Beloved to be mine? It is because He leads His world with roses. As a rose has a smell and is red, when it melts, it turns to white, but its smell never goes away. So is the Creator: He leads His world in this way. Otherwise, the world would not persist because of the sinful man.

The sinful is called “red,” as it is written, “Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.” Also, the sinner offers his sacrifice to the fire, which is red. He throws the blood, which is red, around the altar, and the quality of Din that is implied in the red. It melts when the offering burns on the altar and the smoke that rises is all white. Then the red turns to white, implying that the quality of Din has been turned into the quality of Rachamim.

365) The whole of the quality of Din needs its scent only from the side of the redness, since the smell, illumination of Hochma, does not extend from the side of the white—right line, which is all Hassadim—but from the side of the red, left line, from which comes Hochma, the point of Shuruk. It is written, “And cut themselves according to their custom ... until the blood gushed out on them.” And yet, they knew that they would not obtain their wish from the quality of Din, meaning Malchut, to extend Hochma from above downwards, as is the wish of all idolaters. Rather, it is only in redness, through the left line, which is red. This is why they “Cut themselves ... with swords ... until the blood gushed out on them,” to extend the redness.

366) Moreover, red and white—left and right—approach the world and the smell rises from the both of them, since the Hochma in the left cannot shine without clothing in light of Hassadim on the right. Hence, as the rose is red and white, the smell of the offering and the offering itself is from red and white. In the scent of the incense, the oils are red and white. The frankincense is white; the flowing myrrh is red, and the scent rises from red and white. Hence He leads His world with roses, which are red and white, and it is written, “To offer unto Me the fat and the blood,” where the fat is white and the blood is red.

367) Correspondingly, a man sacrifices his fat and his blood is atoned for him, for this is red and that is white. As the rose is red and white, it is not melted to be made all white again, but in fire. Likewise, the sacrifice is not melted to be made all white again, but in fire. Now, one who sits in his fast and sacrifices his fat and his blood is not melted into being all white again, but in fire. Out of one’s fasting, his organs weaken and the fire overcomes him. At that time, he should sacrifice his fat and his blood in that fire, and this is called “the atonement altar.”

368) When Rabbi Elazar was sitting in fasting, he was praying and said, “It is revealed and known to You, the Lord my God and the God of my fathers, that I have sacrificed my fat and my blood to You, and I boiled them with the warmth of the weakness of my body. May it please You that this scent that comes out of my mouth at this time is like the scent of the offering from the sacrifice in the fire of the altar and You will grant me.”

369) It turns out that with his fasting, a man sacrifices the fat and the blood, and the smell that comes up from his mouth is the altar of repentance. This is why they established the prayer at the place of the offering, as long as he intends to what we were saying. “Everything that can stand the fire, you shall pass through the fire, and it shall be clean.” Through the fire, it is returned to being all white.

Rabbi Yosi said that while the Temple stood, a person would offer his sacrifice on that matter of the red and white and the smell that rises from them, and its complete return into whiteness through the fire, and he would be forgiven. Now, a man’s prayer atones for him in the place of the sacrifice in the same way as the intention of the sacrifice.

370) “My Beloved is mine and I am His, He pastures among the lilies.” As the lilies have thorns in them, the Creator leads His world with righteous and wicked. As the lilies would not persist without the wicked, the righteous would not be distinguishable without the wicked. By what are the righteous recognized? Because there are wicked. Had there been no wicked, the righteous would be undetected. “He pastures among the Shoshanim [lilies]” means that He leads His world in Shesh Shanim [six years], since “lilies” have the letters of “six years” [see brackets]. And the seventh is a Sabbath for the Creator. Another thing, “In lilies” means in those lilies in the Torah, since Shoshanim [lilies] come from the word Shoneh [delving].

Moses Was Pasturing

371) “A Psalm of David. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” “The Lord is my shepherd,” my shepherd. As the shepherd leads the flock to a good grazing site, a lush grazing site in a place of springs, and straightens their walk with righteousness and justice, so does the Creator, as it is written, “He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters, He restores my soul.”

372) It is the way of the shepherd to lead his flock with righteousness, to remove them from robbery, to lead them in plains, and the rod is always in his hand lest they turn to the right or to the left.

379) “And came to the mountain of God, unto Horeb,” he alone, without the flock. When that stone that pulls and receives iron sees it; the iron jumps on it. So were Moses and Mount Sinai. When they saw each other, he jumped on it, as it is written, “And came to the mountain of God, unto Horeb.”

388) When Moses entered Mount Sinai, why did it appear to him in a flame of fire, which is Din? At that time, it was the time that caused. This was a time of Din, the time of Minchah [afternoon prayer]. Everything—the core of fire and the name Horeb, and the bush—was rooted into one stem. It is written, “And came to the mountain of God, unto Horeb,” and it is written, “At Horeb you provoked the Lord to wrath,” and also, “And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush.” This means that since they were destined to be as the bush, “Like cut thorns which are burned in the fire.” The Creator caused Israel to be destined to sin there and to be as the bush. This is why He appeared in the flame of fire, which is Din, which burns the wicked, as it is written, “Like cut thorns which are burned in the fire.”

In a Flame of Fire Out of the Midst of a Bush

389) From here we see the Creator’s mercy on the wicked. “Behold, the bush burned with fire,” to execute Din in her for the wicked,” “And the bush was not consumed,” meaning there was no destruction in them. “Burned with fire” implies to the fire of hell. Even though the fire appeared to Moses, who was righteous, the fire implies the fire of hell, the wicked. However, the “The bush was not consumed” means He did not perform extinction in them.

390) Why did this fire appear to Moses in the midst, and not to the rest of the prophets? Moses is not like the rest of the prophets. Anyone who approaches fire, burns in it. But Moses approached and was not burned, as it is written, “And Moses drew near unto the thick mist where God was.” It is also written, “And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush.”

391) Concerning Moses, we should regard him with sublime wisdom. Why does it say, “Because I drew him out of the water”? It is to teach that one who is pulled out of the water, Hesed, does not fear fire, Din. From the place from which the soul of Moses was formed, no other man was formed. He was improved by the ten degrees of ZA, as it is written, “In all My house,” in the Nukva, “He is trusted.” It does not say, “My house trustee,” which would mean that he is the trustee of the Nukva, but that he is trusted, meaning a trustee of ZA, which is above the Nukva. Happy is a man whose Master testifies to that about him.

392) It is written that never has such a prophet as Moses risen in Israel. Has not risen in Israel, but has risen in the nations of the world. And who is he? He is Balaam. Then how do you say that in the place from which Moses was formed, no other man was formed?

393) The liquid that comes out of a foul smelling flower was mingled with the good persimmon. In other words, are you comparing evil Balaam with Moses Our Great One? Rather, the meaning of rising in the nations of the world—referring to Balaam—is that the deeds of Moses are above, in holiness, and Balaam is below, in impurity. Moses used the holy crown of the High King, ZA, above, and Balaam used the lower crowns, below, which are not holy. In that very same way, it is written, “Balaam also the son of Beor,” the wizard, “They [children of Israel] slew with the sword.” Thus, he is called a wizard because his deeds were in impurity. And if you consider more than that, go and ask his mare, with which he was defiled and with which he laid.

394) Here it means that there are upper ones and lower ones, right and left, Rachamim and Din, Israel and idol worshippers. Israel use the high and holy crowns, and idol worshippers the lower crowns, which are not holy. Those of Israel are from the right, and those of idolaters are from the left. And in any case, the high prophets of Israel are separate from the low prophets of the idol worshippers, the prophets of holiness from prophets that are not of holiness.

395) As Moses was separate from all the prophets in the high, holy prophecy, Balaam was separate from the rest of the prophets and wizards in the unholy prophecy below. And yet, Moses was above, and Balaam was below, and many degrees separated between them.

396) Moses contemplated and said, “Perhaps Israel will perish in this hard labor, as it is written, ‘And looked on their burdens.’” Hence, “And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire ... and, behold, the bush burned with fire,” meaning they were enslaved in hard labor. “And the bush was not consumed,” meaning they were not destroyed in their exile. Happy are Israel for the Creator separated them from all the peoples and called them “sons,” as it is written, “You are the children of the Lord your God.”