והיה מדי חדש בחדשו ומדי שבת בשבתו יבא…

1“And it shall be, every New Moon on its New Moon and every Shabbos on its Shabbos, all flesh shall come to bow down before Me, says G‑d.”

(And see on this Rabbah on Bo, end of chapter 15; in the Gemara, first chapter of Sotah, page 5a; Zohar I, 116a, 181a; II, 156b, 157a; III, 77a, 79b, 145a.)

Now it is written, “Everyone that is called by My Name, and for My glory, I have created him, I have formed him, indeed I have made him” (in Isaiah 43:7). (And see on this Bava Basra, page 75b; Yoma 38a; Rabbah on Ki Sisa, end of chapter 46; Zohar I, 96b, 221; II, 42b; III, 225a, 228a.)

This means: in order to be called by My Name, as it is written, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness,” [it] descended and came down step by step into the level of Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah, so as to have also the level of action.

Now Rosh Chodesh, although doing work is permitted on it, is nevertheless not called, in the language of the verse, “the day of work,” as it is written, “Tomorrow is the New Moon…

…and you shall come to the place where you hid on the day of work” (in I Samuel, chapter 20:19). (And see there in Targum Yonasan, in Rashi’s commentary and in the Radak.)

The explanation is that the six days of work are called “the six days of Bereishis” because they are drawn from the level of reishis (beginning), which is Chochmah, as it is written, “You made them all with wisdom,”

and as the saying goes, “He makes Bereishis,” and “In His goodness He renews each day, continually, the work of Bereishis.” And the purpose of the descent of Chochmah into the six days of work and the thirty-nine labors, ploughing, sowing and so on,

is for the sake of ascent: that all the levels of action, too, be elevated, to bind them to the One G‑d. For the labors are for the needs of man, his life and his sustenance; and when a person lifts up his soul in his prayer to the One G‑d in the Shema, “And you shall love…,”

and in the prayer, “Blessed are You…,” then all the vital powers that are in the labors, from which come his life and sustenance, are also elevated with him and included in the One. For in them and through them the strength is given to a person to elevate and bind his soul to the living G‑d in the Shema and prayer.

(This elevation is through Chochmah, which is the level of self-nullification (bittul); therefore through Chochmah there can be the nullification of the yesh (independent existence). And this is why the six days of work are called the six days of Bereishis, which is the level of Chochmah: by the power of Chochmah drawn into the emotive attributes (middos), the nullification of the yesh will be drawn forth. And see Zohar I, Bereishis

(page 31, end of side a): “Those six days go forth from Bereishis”; and see there in the Mikdash Melech the reason Chochmah is called reishis. And see what is explained elsewhere on the matter of the wine preserved in its grapes since the six days of Bereishis.)

Now the six days of work are the level of drawings-down from above to below, and the chain of descent (hishtalshelus) of the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He, to be clothed in Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah, so as to be the power of action.

(And see what is explained in the discourse beginning “He has not beheld iniquity in Yaakov,” and what is explained in the discourse beginning “In the third month,” on “all the praise of Your handiwork.”)

Shabbos, however, is the level of ascent from below to above, in the mode of delight, as it is written, “Then you shall delight in G‑d,” and as the saying goes, “They shall rejoice in Your kingship…; they shall be satisfied and delight in Your goodness…”

(See the Ramaz at the beginning of Pekudei, page 220b,) on “therefore Shabbos is called ‘It is good to give thanks,’” and as our Sages of blessed memory said, “When is He [called] great? When He is in the city of our G‑d…”

[And see what is explained in the discourse beginning “And all your children.”] And as it is written in Zohar I, Vayechi (page 239): “A parable of a king who was sitting on his throne with the crown of kingship upon him: he is called the supreme King.

When he goes down and goes to his servant’s house, he is called a small king. So too the Holy One, blessed be He…”; see there. That is: on the weekdays, when He is clothed in Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah, He is called a small

king. On Shabbos, however, there is the level of the revelation of the delight of G‑d, a semblance of the World to Come: the delight of the souls, who enjoy the radiance of the Shechinah, and the level of receiving their reward. But the weekdays are [for] doing them.

2Therefore it is written about Shabbos, “[refraining] from attending to your affairs and speaking words”: speech is forbidden. For speech (dibbur) is a term of leading and of drawing down from above to below, as it is written, “And G‑d spoke to Moshe, saying.”

And this is [so] on the weekdays, which are the level of the chain of descent and drawing down from above to below, to be clothed even in the level of physical Asiyah, as it is written, “Your kingship is a kingship of all

worlds,” even in the World of Asiyah, and as it is written, “indeed I have made him.” On Shabbos, however, “and speaking words” [is forbidden], for speech returns to its source and root above. [And see what is explained on this in the discourse beginning “Return, O Israel, unto.”]

3Summary. The six days of work are the six supernal emotive attributes, and they are in the mode of drawing down and chain of descent, to be clothed in Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah, as it is written, “indeed I have made him”; and the descent is for the sake of ascent and the nullification of the yesh.

Therefore they are called the days of Bereishis, which is the level of Chochmah, for in Chochmah is the refinement (birur). And on Shabbos there is the ascent from the level of Asiyah up to the level of delight, “and they shall delight in Your goodness.” Therefore it is said about Shabbos, “from attending to your affairs and speaking words.”

42. However, nothing that has descended below rises up above until strength and might are given to it from above to raise it. For this, the matter of receiving

Shabbos, “Come, my Beloved,” was instituted: that there be an illumination from above “to greet the bride,” who is Knesses Yisrael (the Community of Israel), so that “let us receive the face of Shabbos.” And this is [the meaning of] “Draw me, we will run after you”: all the weekdays are the level of “after you,”

and there must be “draw me” so that “we will run.” And in this way is the theme of the whole Song of Songs: to give strength and might to Knesses Yisrael, etc. However, “one who toiled on the eve of Shabbos, etc.”

And every day there must be something like the ascent of Shabbos. This is the ascent in prayer from “And David blessed” until the Shemoneh Esreh, for all the matters spoken of there speak of ascent from below to above, to be included in the light of G‑d. And in the blessing of Yotzer [it tells] how the angels sanctify, “and the Ofanim with a great noise…”

The noise is their longing and desire, with the expiring of the soul (kelos hanefesh). The Seraphim, however, stand, because this level of inclusion and self-nullification is what is grasped in their very being and essence.

But the Ofanim are on a level below them; they only perceive that the level of inclusion is far from them, for it is holy and set apart…

and not within the category of worlds, neither in the category of memalei nor in the category of sovev…; and therefore all their desire and all their salvation is that their soul expire toward Him, [something] beyond their capacity.

Therefore the noise is great. So too all the matters from “And David blessed” until the Shemoneh Esreh are all the level of ascent from below to above, [up to] the Shema, that one gives over his soul in “One,” and “And you shall love…,”

until the Shemoneh Esreh, where we say “Blessed are You,” which is the level of drawing down from above to below, so that there be a revelation of the level of Havayah, as it is written, “Blessed is Havayah, the G‑d of Israel, from the world and to the world,” meaning: from the hidden world to the revealed world;

that is, that there be a revelation of the level of the hidden, which is beyond the category of worlds, and “no thought can grasp Him at all”: the level of “I, Havayah, have not changed,” and “You were [the same] before the world was created…”

(And see what is explained on this in the discourse beginning “Then Moshe and the Children of Israel sang.”) And the main revelation is every day, through the performance of the mitzvos, and the study of Torah, which is equal to them all; for they are all the drawing down of the revelation of the hidden, as is explained elsewhere.

However, the difference between the ascent on Shabbos and the ascent on the weekday, at the time of prayer, is that “a villager who saw the king is not like a city-dweller who saw…” And the explanation is that

“the Ofanim with a great noise…,” through their perceiving the level of “holy and set apart,” beyond the level of sovev and memalei kol almin, are like a villager who saw [the king], by way of analogy: his self-nullification before the king is because of the novelty of his exaltedness, beyond the bounds of his grasp.

This is the level of the weekdays. On Shabbos, however, there is the level of the revelation of the supernal delight, “They shall rejoice in Your kingship; they shall be satisfied and delight in Your goodness”; then it is like a city-dweller, by way of analogy, in whose eyes the exaltedness of the king is no novelty,

but he delights in and enjoys the radiance of the preciousness and beauty of his greatness. And on this they said, “The sun on Shabbos is charity (tzedakah) for the poor.” And the explanation is

as it is written, “a sun of tzedakah (righteousness), with healing in its wings,” for “G‑d is a sun and a shield”; it is the healing, the level of “Healer of the sick.” And therefore it is charity for the poor, who have nothing of their own at all.

5The explanation of the matter: all the weekdays Knesses Yisrael is in the state of “sick with love,” as it is written, “Sustain me with flasks [of wine], spread apples around me, for I am sick with love.”

That is, because she is in the state of a poor person, who has nothing of her own at all, and her soul “longs and even expires” to go up to her Beloved, to be included in the light of G‑d, the Infinite One (Ein Sof), blessed be He,

which is beyond the category of memalei and sovev. And love with such expiring of the soul is the state of sickness, because of “hope deferred,” for she always longs and even expires, and she will not attain it all the days of her life.

Therefore Torah scholars in this world are called “weak and ailing,” because Torah scholars are those who receive from the level of Chochmah,

who see what is born, from nothing to something, and see that the whole chain of descent of the level of yesh (something) is the opposite of the level of ayin (nothing). Therefore their soul expires in the state of being sick with love, their soul pouring itself out, literally.

(In Likkutei Torah, Parshas Vayeira, it explains that “sick” is when the fiftieth gate is missing from him. It may be explained that the fiftieth gate of Binah is what joins Chochmah, which is ayin, with Binah, which is called yesh; that is, to draw the self-nullification of Chochmah also into the level of yesh, as is explained in the explanation on the verse “And you shall count for yourselves.”

Now in Atzilus there is the joining of Chochmah and Binah in the manner of “two companions.” But in Beriah the level of supernal Chochmah does not shine, only the level of Binah; and therefore Beriah is the level of yesh.

Hence on the weekdays, when Malchus descends into Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah, she is therefore in the state of being sick with love because of this: that the level of yesh is the opposite of ayin. And on Shabbos there is the level of healing, for she rises into Atzilus, the joining of ayin with yesh…)

And so a person must arouse this love in prayer, as it is written, “Now entreat (chalu) the face of G‑d”; and chalu is explained as in “And Moshe entreated (vayechal),” [of which the Sages say,] “This teaches that he became ill…”; and this is the level of “and the Ofanim… with a great noise…”

But on Shabbos there is the level of “Healer of the sick,” for “a sun of tzedakah with healing in its wings,” because “they shall be satisfied and delight in Your goodness,” and then “you shall delight in G‑d.”

Therefore “the sun on Shabbos is charity for the poor,” who have nothing of their own, whose soul longs and even expires; for the sun heals. (And see what is explained in the discourse beginning “Blow the shofar on the New Moon,” on the matter that in the future the Holy One, blessed be He, will take the sun out of its sheath and the righteous will be healed by it.)

It is the level of “G‑d is a sun and a shield,” the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He, the level of supernal Chochmah, whose illumination descended

and was clothed in Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah during the six weekdays, and on Shabbos it returns and rises to its source and root, as it is written, “And you shall keep the Shabbos, for it is holy…” (See what is explained on this in the discourse beginning “A Shabbos of complete rest.”)

6Summary. The matter of receiving Shabbos, and “one who toiled on the eve of Shabbos”; and this is the matter of the ascent in Pesukei d’Zimrah, the Shema and the Shemoneh Esreh; “Blessed are You, G‑d” is drawing down.

And the difference between the ascent of the weekday and the ascent of Shabbos is like a villager who saw the king compared with a city-dweller; and the matter of “a sun of tzedakah with healing.”

73. And all this is the level of Shabbos as against the weekdays. The level of Rosh Chodesh, however, is another matter: for work is permitted on it, and nevertheless it is not counted among the six days of work.

Now it is written, “Thus says G‑d: The gate of the inner courtyard that faces east shall be closed the six days of work, and on the Shabbos day it shall be opened, and on the day of the New Moon it shall be opened”: [this shows] that the day of the New Moon is not included among the days of work, for the gate to be closed on it.

8The matter will be understood by way of analogy, and [as] “from my flesh I behold G‑d”: speech receives from two levels. Sometimes it receives from the level of the emotive attributes: because one loves the thing, one speaks on its behalf, or because one is angry…; and sometimes it receives from the level of intellect and understanding: one speaks what one understands with one’s mind.

So too, by way of analogy, it will be understood above by one who contemplates: for although “My thoughts are not your thoughts…,” nevertheless above there is spoken of the level of speech, and “the word of G‑d,”

which is the level of the revealed world (alma d’isgalya), and it is the source of the level of Knesses Yisrael. And at times Knesses Yisrael receives this level from the level of the emotive attributes,

that is, the level of the hidden love, throughout all the six weekdays after prayer, to “turn from evil and do good, seek peace,” out of the natural love hidden in the heart

of every Jew. And “seek peace” means that there be a bonding of the two opposites: for whatever is higher and higher is the level of ayin (nothing), and whatever is lower and lower is the level of yesh (something)…

On Rosh Chodesh, however, she receives from the level of intellect and understanding, for then is an opportune time above to draw down to it insight and understanding in the renewal of the work of Bereishis from nothing to something,

and that the love be in the state of self-nullification (bittul), as it is written, “And My words which I have put in your mouth,” and it is written, “And I have put My words in your mouth”: My words, literally. (And see what is explained in the explanation on the verse “And the number of the Children of Israel shall be,” and in the discourse beginning “In the third month.”)

And this level is called “the gate of the inner courtyard that faces east (kadim)”: from before (mikedem) the work of Bereishis. (For the work of Bereishis is the level of Chochmah as it is clothed in the emotive attributes, as explained above on the meaning of “the six days of Bereishis.”

On Rosh Chodesh, however, speech receives from the level of Chochmah itself. And the level of Chochmah clothed in the emotive attributes, where it is within them in concealment, is not like the level of the revelation of Chochmah itself, which is lofty and exalted far above the emotive attributes, as is explained on this in the discourse beginning “I have come into My garden.”

And see what is explained in the discourse beginning “And G‑d spoke to Moshe… and I appeared to Avraham…,” that about this level it is said, “but by My Name Havayah I did not make Myself known to them.” And see what is explained further on the matter of “that faces east” in the discourse beginning “And Moshe assembled”; and see Zohar I, Parshas Noach, page 75b.)

And this is the matter of “He renews the months,” the source of renewal; and Knesses Yisrael is elevated into this level, so that “on the day of the New Moon it shall be opened,” as on the Shabbos day.

But since it is the level of speech and “the word of G‑d,” the level of the revealed world, which is itself what is renewed, therefore work is permitted on Rosh Chodesh;

but it is not counted among the days of work, because it is elevated to their source and beginning. (And see further in Sefer Shel Beinonim, Part I, chapter 16, on the matter of “a good thought the Holy One, blessed be He, joins to deed…,” “their ways are exalted” far above the level of deed…; see there.

And another example of this is from what our Sages of blessed memory said at the beginning of chapter 6 of Berachos: “When Israel does the will of the Omnipresent, their work is done by others.” Thus we find that there is no need for the level of deed, even though work is permitted; and as is explained on this elsewhere, in the discourse beginning “Gathering wood.”)

9Summary. Now Shabbos is that speech returns to its place; but Rosh Chodesh is the level of speech, and therefore work is permitted, and nevertheless it is not called a day of work, because on Rosh Chodesh speech receives from before the work of Bereishis.

104. Now all this is the level of the Shabbos and the New Moon that come after the weekdays. But “And it shall be, every New Moon on its New Moon and every Shabbos on its Shabbos” means the New Moon of the New Moon and the Shabbos of Shabbos; then “all flesh shall come…”

The explanation of the matter: the Shabbos that comes after the six days of work is because “on it He rested from all His work.”

This is, by way of analogy, like a person who draws his intellect and brings it down into the devices of his actions, as in writing, where he applies his wisdom to how to write; and after he writes, his intellect returns to its source and root. So too the matter

that “in six days G‑d made the heavens and the earth”: the illumination of His wisdom, blessed be He, descended and came down step by step even into physical Asiyah, as it is written, “You made them all with wisdom.”

But on the Shabbos day it returns to its rest and to its supernal source. The Shabbos of Shabbos, however, is that even the Shabbos day is considered before Him like the weekdays;

for it is the level of what is beyond the bounds of the chain of descent (hishtalshelus), from which radiance and illumination are drawn to give life to the worlds and sustain them, for otherwise the worlds would be nullified and would be as if they were not;

for it is far above the bounds of sovev and memalei… (And see what is explained in the discourse beginning “A Shabbos of complete rest” and in the discourse beginning “Listen, O heavens”; and in this way something of the matter of “Shabbos on its Shabbos” can be understood.

And see what is explained in the discourse beginning “Many waters” in Parshas Noach. And in the Mishnah at the end of chapter 2 of Eduyos, “every Shabbos on its Shabbos” is explained as from Pesach to Atzeres; that is because on the festival of Shavuos there is the revelation of the fiftieth gate, the revelation of Keser, as is explained elsewhere.) And so too the New Moon of the New Moon is the source of the beginning of renewal, as mentioned above.

But the revelation of these levels is in the days of Mashiach, of whom it is said, “Behold, My servant shall prosper; he shall be exalted and lifted up and be very high” (in Isaiah, chapter 52). (See Zohar I, Vayeishev, page 181b; III, 246b.)

For then the light and revelation of the Infinite One (Ein Sof), blessed be He, which is beyond the bounds of hishtalshelus, will shine forth; and then “all flesh shall come to bow down…” For

the matter of “all flesh” is the element of fire, for the level of the animate is the element of fire. And therefore “the face of a lion, the face of an ox…” [are said,] “their appearance was like coals of fire,” because they are burning ones (seraphim), like the element of fire.

And therefore they said in the Gemara that an unlearned person (am haaretz) is forbidden to eat meat (basar). For the purpose of a person’s eating is that he eats the food and it turns into blood and becomes flesh like his own flesh, so that thereby the food has the power

to rise in the elevation of the person. And when a person lifts up his soul to G‑d, the power of the food too is included in him and rises with him as well, because it has also become the level of man.

11Now Torah scholars are in the state of “weak and ailing,” which is the state of being sick with love, from the element of fire, and thirst…, because they receive from the level of Chochmah and comprehension, seeing what is born from nothing to something; and through this the fiery flames of their love grow…

Therefore they are permitted to eat meat, which is from the element of fire: when it is transformed and becomes like his flesh, it is included in the level of man, to elevate and bind his soul to G‑d with the fiery flames of love.

The unlearned, however, who have only the hidden love, and in whom there is no stirring at all of the fiery flames mentioned above,

the power of the meat does not rise with him; on the contrary, it causes him to be brought down below, G‑d forbid. (See what is explained on this in the discourse beginning “When you go out,” in the discourse [beginning] “When you kindle,” and in the discourse beginning “The heads of the tribes,” on “vows are a fence for abstinence.”)

Now “all flesh,” which is the element of fire, will come and reach the level of bowing and self-nullification (bittul). (And it may be said that this is the matter of “everyone that is called by My Name”; and see the Rashbam on Bava Basra

(75b), on the explanation of “In the future the righteous will be called by the name of the Holy One, blessed be He”: when there will be the level of the revelation of its Shabbos and its New Moon.) For

what is now the level of the element of fire and the stirring of feeling is because of the state of being sick with love, and “the Ofanim with a great noise…,”

for inclusion and self-nullification in the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He, is high and exalted beyond them, because they are below. But when there will be the level of the revelation of its Shabbos and its New Moon, which is beyond hishtalshelus, then they will reach and come to bow down.

And the explanation of “to bow down before Me”: the level of bowing, although it is the level of bittul, is also the level of drawing down,

for it is a drawing down from the level of bittul, the level of what is beyond the bounds of hishtalshelus. (And see Rabbah, Parshas Vayeira, chapter 56, on “and we will bow down and return to you.”)

And in this way is the matter of the bowing in the prayer of Shemoneh Esreh, as is explained at the end of the discourse beginning “The heavens are My throne”: it is the drawing down of the matter of bittul, as in the saying “Blessed are You,” that it be blessed (baruch) and drawn down to be in the level of “You,” the level of revelation.

And this is “to bow down before Me (lefanai)”: that is, that there be the level of “face” (panim), which is the level of revelation, as in “his face beamed…” And this is the matter of “May G‑d make His face shine upon you…,”

“may He make His face shine with us, Selah.” And this is “says G‑d”: that there be the level of saying and drawing down from above to below, in the revelation of this level.