9. “Like an apple among the trees of the forest, so is my beloved among the men.” Happy are Israel from all the idol-worshiping nations, since all other nations were given to appointed ministers to govern them, and holy Israel, happy are they in this world and in the next world, for the Creator has not given them to an angel or to another ruler, but He holds them as His own portion, as it is written, “for the portion of the Lord is His people,” and as it is written, “The Lord has chosen Jacob for Himself.”
“Like an apple among the trees of the forest,” as the apple is distinguished in colors from all the other trees of the field, the Creator is separated and registered on all the upper and lower armies. This is why it is written, “And Lord of hosts is His name,” meaning that it is a token in all the army of above.
10. The Creator is like an apple that has three colors in it: white, red, and green, implying HGT. The assembly of Israel, Malchut, is as a rose. A simple rose, which contains six petals, its colors are white and red, indicating judgment and Hesed. So is the assembly of Israel, Malchut.
11. The Creator is like an apple; the assembly of Israel is like a rose, since this is what the assembly of Israel said, “Under the apple, I awakened you.” Under the apple in which place? These are the patriarchs, HGT, and it is Yovel, Bina, who is called an “apple.”
It is all beautiful, since the patriarchs are three colors that connect in the apple, namely the three lines in Bina and HGT in ZA. Hence, it can be said that an apple is ZA, and it can be said that it is Bina.
12. In which place is the assembly of Israel incorporated in the rose? In those kisses of love, when Malchut adhered to the upper king, ZA. At that time, she took two roses from his two lips, as it is written, “His lips are roses.” For this reason, the assembly of Israel, “He will kiss me with the kisses of his mouth,” for then she is incorporated in the roses, in his two lips, called “roses.”