Tell Me, You Whom My Soul Loves
469. It is written, “Tell me, you whom my soul loves.” It has been explained that where the words “tell,” “told,” and “will tell” are written, they are all words of saying, drawing of Hochma, since Hochma is called “telling.” “Tell me” is Hochma.
470. In many places of choice, it is written “tell,” but there is no Hochma in them, as it is written, “He told us plainly that the donkeys had been found,” and also, “But about the matter of the kingdom … he did not tell him.” What Hochma is there here? Even these are Hochma, for if they were not Hochma, how did Samuel know if the donkeys were found or not? Also, the matter of the kingship is upper Hochma above and below, which are the secrets of the Creator.
471. It is written, “And God said, ‘Let the water gather under the heaven.’” When the Creator wished to create the earth, He took from the snow that is under the throne and cast it into the water, and they froze there, and the earth was frozen inside the water and was concealed there, and was in darkness and blackness.
472. When He said, “Let the water gather under the heaven into one place,” the sources of the water extended and drew water from above to the place of Yesod of the upper king. At that time, the earth, which was concealed below, was decorated and corrected so as to be seen. If the place, Yesod, had not been corrected, the earth would not have been seen, since that place was corrected by extension of upper water only in order to give to the Nukva, to Malchut.
473. When Yesod was corrected for her, it is written, “And let the dry land be seen,” that she would be seen in her decorations. From here it is derived that a woman must not be seen in her decorations and corrections except when she is with her husband. At that time, she will be seen and corrected properly.
474. Then it is written, “And God called the dry land ‘earth.’” At first, it was dry land, meaning she did not have an appearance of a shape, to make fruits and offspring. Once she was established in her husband, she was immediately called “earth,” a corrected place for bearing fruits and offspring.
Malchut was established in two states: In the first state, she was under Bina, in Hochma without Hassadim. At that time, the Hochma froze in her since she could not shine without Hassadim. When the Emanator wished to emanate Malchut, the earth, He took from the snow under Bina, who is called “the throne,” meaning elevated Malchut under the Bina, so she would receive there from the left line of Bina, Hochma without Hassadim, called “snow,” because without Hassadim, she is frozen and cannot shine, and He cast the snow to Malchut and the light was frozen there.
The earth, Malchut, was frozen inside the water of Hochma and could not shine. She was hidden there, unseen due to her lowliness. She was dark and black because of the judgments extended from Hochma without Hassadim.
When He said, “Let the water under the heaven gather into one place,” it was after Malchut had been diminished and descended into being a dot under Yesod of ZA, meaning in the second state. At that time, He said, “Let the water gather,” meaning the sources, the Sefirot of ZA, would extend and draw water, Hassadim, from above to the place of Yesod of the upper king, Yesod of ZA, in order to bestow upon Malchut. Then, after Malchut received the Hassadim from Yesod of ZA, the earth, which was hidden below, was decorated and was corrected so as to be seen.
In other words, at that time, she was corrected and decorated in illumination of Hochma clothed in Hassadim, called “mirror” and “seeing.” Then it is written, “And let the dry land be seen,” meaning she will be seen in her corrections, that she would shine in illumination of Hochma, called “seeing.”
Then, it is written, “And God called the dry land ‘earth.” She was dry at first, for in the first state, she was dry and frozen. Once she was corrected in her husband, in the second state, after she was diminished to receive everything from ZA, her husband, she was immediately called “earth,” a place corrected to making fruits and offspring, meaning her lights opened to bestow upon the lower ones.
475. “Let the water under the heaven gather into one place,” Yesod. That was in the second state of Malchut. At that time, every joy and every gladness and every correction was corrected. When all the corrections were corrected, Malchut rose to the male, ZA, and said, “Tell me, you whom my soul loves, where do you pasture your flock, where do you make it lie down at noon?” Where, where, is written twice, implying the two ruins, the ruin of the First Temple and the ruin of the Second Temple.
The ruin of the First and Second Temples was because the lower ones, through their bad deeds, brought Malchut back to her first state, and she was separated from ZA her husband. Hence, now, in the second state, Malchut mentions the ruins, which are extended from the first state, in order to be fond of the second state.
476. “Where do you pasture,” in the first ruin, “where do you make it lie down,” in the second ruin, which were because they brought Malchut to the first state, since our joy in the second state is good and seemly, and within that joy I should cry over two temples, the upper Temple and the lower Temple.
477. “For why should I be like one who veils herself?” Were it not for these twice that I am destined to read lamentations, I will be whole, I will be at peace without any exile, I would be at peace for my children below. “As one who veils herself” means wrapping, that she said “I will be enveloped in the upper, holy wrapping, which is the holy name Yod-Hey, since “as one who veils herself” has the letters of “veiling Yod-Hey [the Creator].”
“For why should I be,” I will be at peace, in all the wholeness of above, “as one who envelops Yod-Hey,” to be in all the upper wholeness that is in Yod-Hey.
478. Then he replies to her, “If you do not know, O fairest among women.” If you do not know,” twice where, where, why are they “go you out,” go out and see “in the footsteps of the flocks,” over what will be the ruin of the first and second Temples.
She will know for what, for the shepherds’ tents, since they are destined to revoke the Torah in the First Temple and in the Second Temple, since the shepherds’ tents are seminaries where they learn Torah.
479. “Tell me, you whom my soul loves.” You, my soul’s beloved, tell me, in Hochma, where do you pasture, how do you want, you, before me, that I will be happy with you and to always be with you.
When I am with you, I will be whole; I will be in peace, as one who envelops the herds of your friends, that I will be as the marrow of the nut, which is enveloped over all the halls in it. I, too, will be enveloped and hide all the degrees that your friends, the Sefirot of ZA, will bestow upon me, so they will not draw from it illumination of Hochma from above downward, as it is written, “Know this day and reply to your heart that the Lord, He is the God,” that ZA, called HaVaYaH [Lord], is the God, that He is Malchut, so the two of them will be one.