1. It is written, “The Spirit of the Lord will rest upon Him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and strength, the spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord.” There are four spirits here, but no man has been rewarded with them except for the Messiah king.
2. But it is written, “Come from four Ruchot [spirits/directions/winds], O Ruach [sin. of Ruchot].” Why is it not written, “four,” but “from four Ruchot”? It is because this is the complete spirit comprising four spirits.
3. How does one Ruach contain four Ruchot? It comes from the love of a kiss. As a kiss of love is only in the mouth—and spirit connects with spirit, each comprises two spirits because in each there is one’s own spirit and the spirit of the other that one receives, hence both have four spirits—it is even more so when the male and female unite; there are four spirits there combined. The son that comes forth from them is a spirit that comes from the four spirits, as it is written, “Come from four spirits, O spirit.” This is the complete spirit.
The male spirit is Hassadim. The female spirit is Hochma. Through the kisses, spirit adheres to spirit and there are two spirits of Hassadim and Hochma in the Peh of ZA, and two spirits of Hassadim and Hochma in the Peh of the Nukva. This is the whole perfection.
4. Rabbi Berechia said, “I sat at the gates of the great city of Rome and saw a man coming. I went out to greet him and brought him to my home. I tested him in the Bible [Old Testament], Mishnah, Tosafta, and legends, and I did not find anything in him. I admonished him, but he replied nothing to me. He dropped himself behind the door and slept. I said, ‘He and the dog will eat together.’”
5. It is written, “And the dogs are brazen and insatiable; and they are shepherds who have no understanding.” Insatiable refers to the uneducated people, who are as brazen as a dog, insolent in everything, since they have no understanding. The Creator does not install His Shechina [Divinity] within them, hence they are brazen. Because of it, he and the dog will eat together.
6. When he awoke, he approached the table, lowered his head, and said nothing. I saw and looked into his eyes, which were laughing.
He said to me, “You must have drifted far from the ways of your master, who prepared food before a person came, and before he came to him and tested if he knew Torah. If you continue on this path you will have no sons.” And promptly, he repented and said, “They will live for you and be for you.”
7. I said to him, “Why did you go back on your words and repent?” He replied, “It is forbidden for one to curse oneself, much less curse another, since the curse of a sage comes true even when it is conditional.” I said, “Indeed, so it is, as it is written, “The one with whom you find your gods shall not live,” and it came true because Rachel died on the way. But you, I tested you and did not find you to be knowledgeable in Torah, and your curses are worthless.”
8. He said, “It is written, ‘And now, if You will forgive their sin, and if not, please blot me out of Your book which You have written.’ That curse was conditional because the Creator pardoned their iniquities for Moses. And even though Moses’ name was blotted out from a good portion in the Torah, in the commandments of the work of the tabernacle, which is the portion Tzav [Command], where He should have written Moses’ name in each word and commandment there, he was blotted out from that entire portion and was not mentioned there. Thus, the curse of a sage, even if conditional, comes true.”
9. Because I recognized him as a wise disciple, I arose and sat him down at the head of the table. I said to him, “But after the portion Command, in the portion Ki Tissa [When You Take],” Moses said that thing—cursing himself.” He replied, “There is no before or after in the Torah.”
10. I tested him in the Bible, the Mishnah, Tosafta, and legends, and he was proficient in all. I said, “Why did you not reply in the first time I tested you?” He said to me, “I was aching to sleep for I had gone two days without sleep, and since I was becoming sleepy, I did not reply.”