להבין ביאור הדברים הנ״ל בענין במדבר סיני באהל מועד כו׳

1To understand the explanation of the matters mentioned above concerning “in the Wilderness of Sinai, in the Tent of Meeting,” etc.: Now, the Wilderness of Sinai and the Tent of Meeting are both the level of Malchus (sovereignty) of the World of Atzilus (Emanation); only

that the Wilderness of Sinai is the matter of the raising of the mayin nukvin (feminine waters) of Malchus, which rises from below to above at the level of mayin nukvin; and the Tent of Meeting is the matter of the drawing down of the mayin duchrin (masculine waters), which is drawn from Z’eir Anpin (the emotive attributes) to sweeten the mayin nukvin of the Gevuros of Nukva (the feminine), etc.

2And this is the matter of prayer: up to [the blessing] Ahavas Olam (“With an everlasting love”) it is called the Wilderness of Sinai, and from Ahavas Olam onward it is the drawing down, and it is called the Tent of Meeting, as will be explained, G‑d willing.

The matter is this: it is known that at night Malchus descends into Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah “to give food (teref) to her household,” etc., that is, to refine the refinements of nogah

of Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah, into which [some] of the 288 sparks fell. And all nine of her Sefiros descend into Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah to refine refinements; only her Keser (Crown) remains above, in Atzilus, as it is written, “Forever, Havayah, Your word stands firm in the heavens.”

(So it is written in Pri Etz Chaim, Shaar 17, chapter 2, in the passage beginning “Now, I found written in my keeping,” etc., and in Shaarei Tziyon and in Mishnas Chassidim. And the Ramaz, on Parshas Yisro, folio 67, took as plain what is written there first in Pri Etz Chaim, and in Shaar 1, chapter 7: that her Keser descends to the upper chamber (heichal) of the Holy of Holies of Beriah, and the nine Sefiros are included in Leah, etc.

However, from what is written in the Mikdash Melech, Parshas Emor, folio 90a, in the wording of Rabbi Chaim Vital, explaining what is written there in the Zohar, “At the hour when the Congregation of Israel is aroused”: that then the nine points that are in Beriah are elevated, the implication is as I have written. And so he wrote further, in Parshas Emor, folio 113b, in the name of Rabbi Chaim Vital;

and also in Likkutei HaShas of the Arizal, folio 16d, in the passage beginning “Know what our Sages, of blessed memory, said: ‘Go and diminish yourself,’” he wrote, “But the Keser does not move from its place,” etc.; see there. And it is marked there “from the Rav, of blessed memory,” so that it appears to be from the Arizal himself.

As for what needs to be understood, how the words of the Pri Etz Chaim mentioned above are to be reconciled with what is written in Etz Chaim, Shaar Miut HaYareach (the Gate of the Diminution of the Moon), chapter 2, and Shaar 48, chapter 3, concerning the enclothing of her nine Sefiros, etc., this is not the place for it.

And see the Ramaz at the beginning of Parshas Tzav, and what is written concerning “Go and diminish,” etc. Now, according to what is written in Zohar HaRakia on Parshas Pekudei, folio 234, her Keser is likewise not among the nine Sefiros mentioned above, for it is her root point.)

And the matter of the refinements is to refine the sparks of holiness, that is, to extract the food from the waste. For the sparks of holiness fell into Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah, into kelipas nogah, and became mixed in waste that is greater than the food; this is the level of the mixture of the good with the evil to the utmost, like the mixture of silver with dross.

Therefore the refinement is to separate the good from the evil, so that they are not mixed; and then the evil separates and falls below.

3And the sparks of holiness, which are the good that has been refined, rise above at the level of mayin nukvin, to be included in Atzilus. And we can understand, by way of analogy, the matter of the mixture of good and evil, and the matter of the separation and the refinement, in the service of G‑d in a person’s soul. For from the side of the animal soul, he is mixed, good and evil together.

4And even though he does mitzvos and does not commit transgressions, nevertheless the evil is in him in concealment, for after all he is able to crave a craving;

and moreover, he can find in his soul how the Torah and mitzvos that he fulfills are not utterly pure and dedicated to fulfilling the will of the Creator, blessed be He, alone, without any other motive; for some other motive and intention is mixed into it, in his inner self.

It follows that there is a mixture of good and evil even in the fulfillment of Torah and mitzvos, which are the level of the garments of the Torah and mitzvos that he fulfills.

5And needless to say [this is so] in the inner dimension of the emotive attributes (middos) of the animal soul, which have not yet been transformed from their nature and their innate character; for by their nature they are a mixture of good and evil, since it [the animal soul] was taken from kelipas nogah, which is a mixture of good and evil, as is known.

And when he prays with intent (kavanah), then through the flame of love of the G‑dly soul, which comes from contemplating the greatness of G‑d, the good is refined from the evil.

That is, he will then find and see how far he is from G‑d, for his deeds are not pure and dedicated to G‑d, blessed be He, as they ought to be.

For because he will understand well, and it will be verified for him with sensory sight, through contemplating and delving deeply into the greatness of G‑d, how there is truly nothing besides Him, he will then be ashamed and abashed by his deeds,

for outwardly he is still at the level of a something (yesh) and a thing, and “for themselves they act,” etc.; and he will set counsels in his soul to push away the evil, etc.

It follows that through prayer the evil is revealed, which at first was mixed with the good and was not known at all to be evil, for it seemed to him that his way was pure and upright; now, through the refinement, the evil is revealed.

6And through this it will be separated from the good, and the good will remain alone, without admixture of evil. And just as is the refinement in human souls, where the G‑dly soul refines the animal soul at the time of prayer,

so in the same way will be understood, above, the matter of the descent of Malchus of Atzilus to refine the kelipas nogah of Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah. For the 288 sparks of holiness that fell in the breaking of the vessels are mixed in nogah, like the analogy of the mixture of good and evil in the animal soul that is in man.

7Therefore, through the descent of Malchus into Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah to refine, she refines and separates the good from the evil; and then the evil is separated and falls below, and the 288 sparks rise above to be included in Atzilus.

And therefore this refinement is specifically through her descent into Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah, for in Atzilus “evil shall not dwell with You” at all; and even the kelipos of Atzilus also stand in Beriah. As it is written in [Midrash] Rabbah, [Parshas] Bo, section 15, folio 132d: “Nothing evil touches the throne of the Holy One, blessed be He,

as it is said, ‘Evil shall not dwell with You.’” (And see the Zohar, Part I, Bereishis, folio 27a, at the top, and the Mikdash Melech there; 52a; 56b, at the bottom; Parshas Noach, folio 62a, at the top; Vayeshev 188a; Vayechi, folio 219b. Part II: Mishpatim 103a; 117b, at the bottom; Ki Sisa 193b, at the bottom.

Part III: Emor 105b. And in the Gemara: chapter 23 of Shabbos, 149b; chapter 2 of Chagigah, folio 12b, at the bottom; the end of chapter 7 of Sotah, 42a; Sanhedrin, folio 103a, at the bottom; chapter 2 of Niddah, 13b: all on the matter of “Evil shall not dwell with You,” in Tehillim, Psalm 5.)

And in Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah too, the evil is found only in the garments of Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah, for there is evil there: in Beriah the lesser part is evil, in Yetzirah half is evil, and in Asiyah the greater part is evil; all of this is in the garments of Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah. And therefore she descends there to refine.

(And according to this will be understood what we see: at the time of prayer, when a person wants to cleave with his mind to the greatness of the Creator, blessed be He, alien thoughts (machshavos zaros) then fall into his mind that harass and confuse him, [thoughts] that did not occur to him at all the whole day long.

The explanation is that it is precisely because the time of prayer is the time of refinement, to separate the evil from the good and to push it away, that it too therefore exerts itself to cleave utterly to the good and does not want to be separated from the good; for all its life-force (chayus) is from the good, and of itself it has no life-force or existence, as is known.

Whereas the whole rest of the day, which is not the time of refinement, when it is mixed with the good, it is quiet and rests in its place. And so it will be understood above: when Malchus descends to refine the 288 [sparks], kelipas nogah as a whole also wants to rise, etc., as is mentioned in Pri Etz Chaim)

(Shaar 18, chapter 3), in the kavanah of washing in hot water on Erev Shabbos, which is the level of a “flame of fire” (shalhova de’esha) drawn down from above to push away kelipas nogah, so that it should not rise, etc.

And this is [the meaning of] what is written, “Fire goes before Him and sets ablaze His adversaries round about”: that is, that only the sparks of holiness that have been refined should rise, by themselves, and not the evil, etc.

Therefore a person ought not to lose heart within himself because alien thoughts fall into his mind during prayer, saying that his prayer is worth nothing;

for such is the pattern also in the matter of the refinements above. Only, he must push them away and turn his mind from them; and this is like the matter of the “flame of fire” mentioned above.

82. Now, concerning the ascent of Malchus from Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah to Atzilus, of this it is said, “Who is this that rises from the wilderness (midbar) like pillars of smoke?”

That is: when she descends into Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah to refine, she is called midbar, with the addition of an open mem. And this is because, on account of her enclothing in Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah to refine, the external forces (chitzonim) are able to draw nourishment from her, since

she is enclothed there in actual enclothement. Whereas at the time when the Holy Temple stood, she was then at the level of “He subdues (yadber) peoples,” etc., which is the level of dominion.

9The explanation is that then she did not descend into Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah at all, but was always in Atzilus. And this is the meaning of [the saying] that in the days of Shlomo “the moon stood in its fullness,” at the level of a face-to-face union with Z’eir Anpin in Atzilus.

But according to this, it would seemingly need to be asked: if so, how were the 288 sparks refined, which had fallen long before, in the breaking [of the vessels], into Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah, and which are refined through Malchus, as is written in the explanation of “And she gives food.”

10And if so, since Malchus did not then descend into Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah at all, how then were they refined? But the explanation is that even though she did not then descend into Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah at all, nevertheless they were refined,

the sparks, because of the union of Z’eir Anpin and Nukva, which was face to face in Atzilus. And then, because of the abundance of the revelation of light in Atzilus, the sparks were refined of themselves and included in Malchus, like a candle before a torch, from the intensity of the revelation, etc.

And it is specifically now, in the time of descent (when the revelation is not as it was then), that she needs to descend into Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah to refine them. And this is the root of the difference between yadber and midbar: when she is united with her Emanator in Atzilus, the refinement of the sparks is of itself;

that is, being nullified by the intensity of the revelation, they are nullified of themselves. Whereas when she is compelled to descend into Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah to refine them, she is called midbar, with the addition of an open mem.

And the explanation of the matter is set out elsewhere, on the statement of the Zohar, Part I, Parshas Vayetzei (folio 148a), on [the verse] “Arise, Havayah, to Your resting place”: that this is the difference between the Mishkan, which was in the wilderness, and the Eternal House (Beis Olamim), which is called “resting place” (menuchah).

For the refinement of the sparks takes place in two modes. The first is as it is written, “And she gives teref,” etc., which is a term of war; as, by way of analogy, a king goes out to meet

his enemy where he is, and fights with him until he subdues him. And such is the descent of Malchus into Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah to refine: it is the level of going out to the enemy’s place, where he is, to subdue him.

And therefore the Mishkan was in the wilderness, which is the place where the external forces draw nourishment, and it was specifically there that the revelation was drawn down to subdue them; and this level is the way of war.

(Now, in the way of war, one sometimes intends to give his enemy room to prevail in some small battle, in order to defeat him in a greater battle; for sometimes it does not suffice without this.

And so, by way of analogy, with the descent of Malchus: this is why she is then called midbar, with an open mem, for she gives room for the external forces to draw nourishment, in order to defeat them in the great battle, to bring out what they swallowed from their mouths, as it is written, “He swallowed wealth, and he shall vomit it up,” etc., and like the matter of “a time when man ruled over man to his harm.”

But all this is in the mode of the refinement that is by way of war. The second mode of the refinements, however, is not by way of war. That is, as by way of analogy below, in the earthly kingdom: a great and awesome king, whose hand is already known

to be strong and whose wisdom is great, so that he does not need to go out against his enemy to fight him and subdue him; rather, through the spreading of his greatness in his own place, they are subdued and bowed of themselves; as we find this with King Shlomo, peace be upon him) (as is explained in I Kings 5).

And so it will be understood, by way of analogy, above: there is also a refinement of sparks in this manner, not by way of war, but through the drawing down of the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof) below

as it is above, in the World of Atzilus; [then] of itself there comes about the nullification of the sitra achra (the other side), like the nullification of a candle before a torch: the torch is in its place,

and all the small candles are nullified of themselves, as all the lights of the candles gather to the torch, because they are drawn after it, and they are extinguished from their place; and there is no need to descend to the place of the kelipos to subdue them, etc.

11Now, in this manner was the refinement in the time of the Temple, etc.: even though Malchus did not descend into Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah to refine, in the mode of war, nevertheless the refinement took place in a more elevated manner.

That is, because Z’eir Anpin and Nukva were then face to face, there was therefore a very great revelation from the Infinite One (Ein Sof), blessed be He, through this union of Z’eir Anpin and Nukva in Atzilus;

then the kelipos were nullified of themselves by the intensity of this revelation in Atzilus, and the sparks in them were included, like a candle in a torch.

Therefore this level is called “rest” (menuchah), for there is no need for the mode of war. (And see Etz Chaim, Shaar Miut HaYareach, at the end of chapter 2: “And afterwards, when the First Temple was built by Shlomo,” etc., “both on Shabbos and on weekdays,” etc.

But this needs examination in light of what the Ramaz wrote at the beginning of Parshas Tzav: “And Rachel descends into Beriah,” etc., “and in the time of the Holy Temple, to give food to her household”; and so it is implied in the Zohar, Parshas Vayechi, folio 229b, at the bottom, and folio 250a, and in Parshas Yisro, folio 67b. And it can be said that her descent then was

only to the chamber of the Holy of Holies of Beriah, as the Ramaz wrote on Parshas Yisro there, and this is from Pri Etz Chaim, Shaar 1, chapter 7. And by this power the refinements were refined, etc. And see Sefer Shel Beinonim, Part I, chapter 53.)

Whereas after the destruction, when Malchus descended wondrously and her light was diminished on the weekdays, as is written in Etz Chaim there, the refinement of the sparks therefore cannot take place in the manner described above; therefore the refinement must be through her enclothing in kelipas nogah to refine.

(And see what is written along these lines in Parshas Bereishis, at the end of the discourse beginning “Behold, man has become,” etc.) And this is why she is now called midbar, with an open mem: because she is enclothed in kelipas nogah to refine, etc.

But the closed mem is the level of Binah, “the world of freedom,” because there is no drawing of nourishment there, etc.; and it is also called “the wine preserved from the six days of Creation.”

And this is [the meaning of] “Who is this that rises from the wilderness like pillars of smoke,” etc.: it is the 288 that are refined, which rise in the raising of mayin nukvin, like smoke, as is explained elsewhere.

123. And there is yet another reason why she is called midbar. For the reason the wilderness does not grow plants is the intensity of the sun’s heat in it; and this analogy of the intensity of heat alludes to the level of the ascent of Malchus from Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah to Atzilus,

which is at the level of Gevuros and thirst, as it is written, “So that glory may sing praise to You,” etc.: “she calls constantly and does not rest.” And of this it is said, “Do not be silent and do not be still, O G‑d.”

13And this is the meaning of the intensity of heat: the intensification of love, as is mentioned in Parshas Balak, folio 191, on [the verse] “I am black, yet comely”: “Out of distress and love she made herself small,”

that is, from her whole configuration (partzuf), which was in Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah, she becomes only a single point in Atzilus. And this is the level of utter self-nullification (bittul), as is explained at length in the explanation of the statement mentioned above.

14And this point is the level of the Keser of Malchus, which always remains in Atzilus; and the nine Sefiros that descended into Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah also rise with Gevurah and thirst into Atzilus,

and this comes to them from the level of the Keser that is always in Atzilus. And then she becomes a point beneath Yesod, which is the level of the point of Keser mentioned above. And this is the meaning of “in the wilderness” (bamidbar).

For this level of Keser is the will that is above Chochmah, to be included in her Emanator; and it is like the analogy of the wilderness, in which there is no growth at all,

only the level of the truly inanimate, the level of dust, because of the intensity of the heat. So is the intensity of this self-nullification (bittul) and this will, until she is at the level of the inanimate in relation to her Emanator, a single point, etc.: “she made herself small.” And this is [the meaning of] “and your speech (midbarech) is comely.”

That is: this ascent of Malchus, who rises from Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah with Gevuros, when she is called midbar, a term of speech (dibur), “so that glory may sing praise to You,” etc.,

is “comely”; for such was the intention of the Emanator, blessed be He, at the outset: that she descend into Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah in order to be elevated afterwards; and the descent is for the sake of ascent, as mentioned above.

And of this King David, peace be upon him, who was a chariot for the attribute of Malchus, said, speaking of his own attribute, “My soul thirsts for You,” which is Malchus, “when shall I come and appear,” that she be elevated into Atzilus, etc.

15Now, just as this level exists above, in the attribute of Malchus, which descends into Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah, and the descent is for the sake of ascent, to refine and to elevate, etc.,

so it is in the soul of man, which is a particular spark drawn from the attribute of Malchus, enclothed in the body and the animal soul, after the pattern of the descent of the Shechinah (Divine Presence), in order to refine the animal soul.

(As is written in Parshas Bereishis there, that this is the meaning of “He sent him out of the Garden of Eden to work the ground,” etc.; see there.) And the main refinement is at the time of prayer, when it rises at the level of midbar and thirst,

and this is the level of crying out that was explained above, which is the level of midbar, as it is written, “They wandered in the wilderness,” etc., “thirsty,” etc., “and they cried out,” etc., to be included in His light, blessed be He.

And this is the Wilderness of Sinai, which is the matter of the refinements, in which the evil is separated from the good: both above, through Malchus, who refines, as mentioned above, and in the soul of man, through prayer.

(And through this will be understood the matter of Tikkun Chatzos (the midnight rectification): for then the ascent of Malchus begins, at the level of midbar and thirst, “so that glory may sing praise to You,” etc. Therefore one must weep over this descent of the Shechinah, which had to descend and be enclothed in kelipas nogah; and through this he adds strength above for the ascent of Malchus to take place,

and he also draws down to her supernal delight (taanug) through the study of Torah after midnight, as is explained in Pri Etz Chaim, until in the morning prayer afterwards she rises into Atzilus itself. And so too in the soul of man, for then is the propitious time to contemplate the greatness of G‑d, to draw down into his soul a revelation of the unity of the Infinite One (Ein Sof), blessed be He.)

164. And with all this we can interpret the Midrash Rabbah, Parshas Bamidbar, chapter 1, on “Havayah spoke to Moshe in the Wilderness of Sinai.” These are its words: On [the verse] “Let the wilderness and its cities raise [their voice], the villages,” etc.

(in Isaiah, chapter 42, [verse] 11): [It may be compared] to a prince who entered a province, and the people of the province saw him and fled. He entered a second, and they fled from before him.

He entered a desolate city, and they came out to meet him and were praising him. The prince said: This city is better than all the provinces; here I will build a fine throne, here I will dwell.

So too, when the Holy One, blessed be He, came to the sea, it fled from before Him, as it is said, “The sea saw and fled”; and so too, “the mountains skipped like rams.” He came to the desolate wilderness; it came out to meet Him and praised Him,

as it is said, “Let the wilderness and its cities raise [their voice], the villages that Kedar inhabits; let the dwellers of the rock sing.” He said: This city is better for Me than all the provinces;

in it I will build a house of assembly (knesiah) and dwell within it. They began to rejoice that the Holy One, blessed be He, dwells within it, as it is said, “The wilderness and the parched land shall rejoice over them.” End of quote.

17The explanation is that the essence of Torah study is to be at the level of complete self-nullification (bittul) to the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He; as it is written, “You shall not profane (techalelu),” meaning not to be at the level of a void (chalal), as in the saying, “he presses the feet of the Shechinah,” as it were, etc.

And therefore, “Whoever says, ‘I have only Torah’”: that is, whoever is at the level of “I,” a something (yesh) and a thing, “even Torah he does not have.” As is written about this in the discourse beginning “And you shall make a tzitz,” and in the discourse beginning “In the third month after the children of Israel went out of the land of Egypt.”

18Now, the level of “sea” is the lower waters, as it is written, “Let there be a firmament, and let it divide,” etc.: that is, the source for the coming into being of a something and a separate thing. Whereas the upper waters are the hidden worlds (almin s’timin) that are not revealed, etc., which are at the level of self-nullification.

And in Me’orei Or, the letter yud, section 16: “Yetzirah is called ‘sea,’ and the Malchus within it is called Yam Suf (the Sea of Reeds), the end (sofa) of the levels.” End of quote. And this is from what is written in the Zohar, Part III, Shelach, 163b.

19That is, Beriah is called the hidden worlds, and Yetzirah is the revealed world (alma de’isgalya), like the analogy of thought and speech, as is written in the discourse beginning “Who has counted the dust of Yaakov.”

And therefore Yetzirah is called the lower waters in relation to Beriah. And this is like the difference between the Seraphim and the Chayos and Ofanim, who “raise themselves with a great noise,” etc.;

for the Seraphim are in Beriah, where the Infinite Light shines in revelation, and they comprehend; therefore they say “Holy,” etc. But the Chayos and Ofanim, who are in Yetzirah and do not comprehend the light, therefore raise themselves with a noise, etc.

20Therefore the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil essentially begins in Yetzirah, as is written in Me’orei Or, the letter ayin, section 17. These are his words: “But the true Tree of Knowledge of good and evil is kelipas nogah mixed with Metatron,

for in Yetzirah the good and the evil are equal; they are mixed.” End of quote. Whereas in Beriah most is good and the lesser part evil, and they are also not mixed; and so wrote the Ramaz at the beginning of Parshas Vayeshev. And therefore the waters of the sea are salty and unfit to drink.

21This being so, this is the meaning of “The sea saw and fled,” that it fled from before the Holy One, blessed be He: that is, when it saw the revelation of the Infinite Light, blessed be He, before whom all is truly considered as nothing, it could not withstand and receive this nullification, for then it would be as if it had never been.

For its essential level is to be a something and a separate thing, to the point that the level of the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil is there, as mentioned above.

22And as is written along these lines at the end of the discourse beginning “And all the people saw the sounds,” on the explanation of “And the people saw, and they trembled and stood from afar”: that it refers to the mixed multitude (erev rav), who did not see the sounds,

which are the drawings down from the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He: namely, that the Infinite Light rests upon what is nullified to it; for they did not want to receive this drawing down and nullification,

but rather “they stood from afar,” to receive from the outer dimension (chitzoniyus) of the life-force that the Holy One, blessed be He, radiates, so that through this they could remain in their state of yesh. Although even so they are moved by the greatness of the Holy One, blessed be He, it is only from afar, etc.;

that is, that nevertheless it remains at the level of yesh, etc. And see along these lines in the Zohar, Part I, Vayetzei, folio 162b, on the explanation of “And the feeble ones (ha’atufim) were Lavan’s,” etc.: “they yearn, and wrap themselves away from that radiance, and cannot come near to it,” etc.;

see there, and it is explained elsewhere. And see what is written concerning “sea,” that it is in Yetzirah, on [the verse] “Heal me, Havayah, and I shall be healed.” And the Midrash further says, in explaining “the mountains skipped like rams,” that this too means that they fled from before Him.

For these mountains are what is written, “Why do you leap, you many-peaked mountains?”, and as Rashi explained (Pesachim 118b), they are the level of “the mountains of Bater,” the mountains of separation; that is,

just as a mountain is a protrusion and a height, so is the matter of arrogance (gasus haruach), which is the level of a something and a thing, etc. Whereas Mount Sinai, as Yonasan translated (in Judges, chapter 5),

is the weakest and smallest of all the mountains: that is, the level of self-nullification (bittul). And the level of the little height that it has is like [the saying] that a Torah scholar must have in him an eighth of an eighth, etc., as the explanation is written in the discourse beginning “Let them bring royal apparel.”

Whereas the mountains mentioned above are at the level of yesh and coarseness, and of them it is said, “And every mountain and hill shall be made low,” etc.; and therefore they skipped and fled, for they could not receive this drawing down and nullification.

“He came to the desolate wilderness; it came out to meet Him and praised Him, as it is said, ‘Let the wilderness and its cities raise [their voice], the villages,’” etc. The meaning of the expression “desolate wilderness” is along the lines of what our Sages, of blessed memory, said of the seventh millennium: “and one [thousand] desolate.”

This is because of the intensity of the revelation of the Infinite Light, “the day that is entirely Shabbos,” “the day that is entirely long”: the physicality of the world will not be able to receive life-force (chayus) from there so as to be

as it is now, at the level of a something and a separate thing, etc. And there will be “water in water”: the level of the lower waters will be at the rank of the upper waters, the hidden worlds, etc.,

which are above the firmament and the dividing curtain (parsa), etc. And this is called “and one desolate”: at the level of self-nullification, like the point beneath Yesod, etc.; and through this there will afterwards be a new building,

with greater excellence, at the level of “the new heavens and the new earth that I am making,” which will not conceal and hide at all.

23As is written in Torah Ohr, Parshas Vayetzei, regarding “I will surely give a tenth to You”: “And this arousal from below (isarusa dilesata) that remains from the first elevation,” etc.; see there.

And see further on the matter of “and one desolate” there, in the discourse beginning “And when she came before the king.” One may further say: for the meaning of “in the wilderness,” etc., “where no man dwelt”

can be interpreted in two ways. The first is in a negative sense, as is written in the discourse beginning “I am my beloved’s”: namely, “a land not sown” is the deeds, words and thoughts that are not for G‑d, etc.

And this is “where no man (adam) dwelt.” The meaning of “man” is as it is written, “And upon the likeness of the throne was a likeness like the appearance of a man”; there, etc.;

see there. And this is as it is written, “like the beauty (tiferes) of a man, to dwell in a house” (Isaiah 44:13), which was explained as referring to the Torah, which is called “man.”

And “house” is the Oral Torah, along the lines of “Do not read ‘your children’ (banayich) but ‘your builders’ (bonayich),” etc. (And see the Zohar, Part II, 117b; Part III, 141b, at the bottom.)

Whereas the level of thought, speech and action of the vanities of the world is called a wilderness “where no man,” the man mentioned above, “dwelt.”

And this is a desolate land in the negative sense, along the lines of what our Sages, of blessed memory, said on [the verse] “I shall be filled from her that is laid waste”: Tyre was filled only from the destruction of Jerusalem; [Jerusalem] is yirah shalem (complete awe).

And the second is in a positive sense, the opposite of this, as is written at the end of the discourse beginning “The matter of the days of the inauguration (miluim)”: that when [one] is filled with complete awe, the cravings of the animal soul are of themselves laid waste, etc., for “and one nation shall prevail over the other nation,” etc.

And along these lines our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “And Chanina My son is satisfied with a kav of carobs (charuvin),” etc.; and likewise Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai and Rabbi Elazar his son in the cave: “a carob tree (charuva) was created for them,” etc. (chapter 2 of Shabbos, 33b).

And the meaning of “no man dwelt there” is along the lines of what is written elsewhere on [the verse] “And the man was wondering at her, keeping silent,” etc., and along the lines of “This is no mortal man (bar nash),” etc.

And therefore, to rectify the level of midbar mentioned above, what has fallen into thought, speech and action that are not for G‑d, at the level of “no man dwelt there”: this too is through “and your speech (midbarech) is comely,”

at the level of teshuvah (return), which is also at the level of “no man dwelt there”: for in the place where penitents (baalei teshuvah) stand, the perfectly righteous, who are called “man,” cannot stand, etc.

But the main intent here in the meaning of “in the Wilderness of Sinai” is that her configuration (partzuf), which was in Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah at the level of “like the beauty of a man,” etc., the lower man (adam tata’ah), is concealed, and she rises into Atzilus to be a point beneath Yesod, along the lines of “and one desolate,” etc., as mentioned above.

And from this it will afterwards be drawn to be at the level of the Tent of Meeting, to be built anew with greater excellence. And see what is written on [the verse] “And G‑d led the people around by way of the wilderness,” etc.

245. Now, after she has refined the sparks in Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah, and she rises at the level of mayin nukvin through Gevuros and thirst, which is what is meant by midbar, as mentioned above,

then afterwards comes the drawing down of mayin duchrin to sweeten the Gevuros of the mayin nukvin; and this is the matter of the union of Z’eir Anpin and Nukva, as it is written, “Everyone who thirsts, go to the water,”

which is the level of mayin duchrin that sweetens the Gevuros and thirst of Malchus. And this is the level of the Tent of Meeting, which is the level of the union of Z’eir Anpin and Nukva, which is in the Chamber of Love (Heichal Ahavah).

And this is the root of what was mentioned above, that the blessing of Ahavas Olam is the level of the Tent of Meeting: for the blessing of Ahavas Olam is the Chamber of Love, and this is the meaning of “and His right hand embraces me,” mentioned [above].

And below, in man, this is the fulfillment of Torah and mitzvos, as the reason is explained there why it is the level of an embrace (and see what is written on [the verse] “I will betroth you to Me forever”);

and this is the meaning of what is written, “And Yaakov kissed Rachel”: that the level of Yaakov lowers itself and is drawn into the Chamber of the Holy of Holies to bestow the mayin duchrin, etc.

And this is the meaning of the Tent of Meeting (mo’ed), from the word venoadti (“I will meet”), which is a permutation of venodati (“I will be known”), which is the level of Daas (knowledge), as it is written, “And the man knew,” from which the bestowal is drawn down through the level of Yesod

(as is known from the kavanah of the lulav. And it appears that in “Tent of Meeting,” [“tent”] is the level of a tent, [and] afterwards the level of an inner drawing down is drawn; and this is “meeting” (mo’ed), venodati, “and the man knew,” etc.; and this is the matter of [the blessing] Sim Shalom),

for within the Yesod of Z’eir Anpin is enclothed the Yesod of Abba, in which are the intellect (mochin) of Abba and of Arich Anpin; and through this it is the level of the enclothement and revelation of the supernal delight (taanug). And below, in the soul, this is the joy of a mitzvah, for joy is the level of a revelation in the soul from the level of delight and the joy of G‑d.

And this is the matter of “being absorbed into the body of the King,” which is above Gan Eden, for Gan Eden is only a radiance, etc. But through the descent of the soul,

the ascent is that when Malchus rises from Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah at the level of mayin nukvin, she also raises the souls of the righteous themselves, and they are included in her at the level of mayin nukvin; and afterwards the mayin duchrin from the Yesod of Z’eir Anpin is also drawn into them themselves. And this is the level of “being absorbed into the body,” etc.

25And this is specifically through Torah and mitzvos, for the drop of mayin duchrin is drawn from the five Chasadim, from which all the 248 positive commandments are drawn, as is known;

and also the drop of Abba is drawn through all the 248 limbs, from which the 248 positive commandments are drawn, as is written about this elsewhere on [the verse] “And it shall be for you as tzitzis,” etc.; see there.

26And this too is the root of what was mentioned, that this level of the Tent of Meeting is through Moshe, and the elevation of the level of the Wilderness of Sinai is through Aharon.

For Moshe is “the King’s groomsman” (shushvina demalka); that is, Moshe is the Yesod of Abba. Therefore he is the groomsman who brings down the groom, who is Z’eir Anpin, the six extremities (vav ketzavos) of Atzilus, that he descend and be enclothed in the 248 physical positive commandments, which is a great descent.

27As, by way of analogy, the descent and enclothing of the power of intellect, which is spiritual, in the physical brain in man, is a great descent, because the physical brain is not of the order and nature of intellect,

which is spiritual. So too, truly, above: the 248 positive commandments are physical matters, enclothed in physical Asiyah, while the six extremities, which are the emotive attributes (middos) of Atzilus, the 248 limbs of the King, are spiritual, the level of Atzilus,

for there is no comparison at all between them. And therefore it is a great descent for the six extremities of Atzilus to be enclothed in the 248 physical positive commandments; like the section “Sanctify” (Kadesh) in the tefillin, which is the level of the higher Chochmah (Chochmah Ila’ah), enclothed in the letters of physical writing upon physical parchment.

28And so with all the positive commandments. And this level of descent is called “a groom: go down a step”; “on the day of his wedding: this is the giving of the Torah.”

Therefore, that this descent comes about is through Moshe, who is the level of the Yesod of Abba, and he is the level of the King’s groomsman.

And this will be understood according to what is written in the discourse beginning “This matzah,” in the explanation of the matter of the intellect (mochin) of Abba, which is the level above the order of the chain of descending worlds (hishtalshelus), before which “darkness is as light”; and from there specifically is drawn the power to be enclothed in practical mitzvos, in physicality; see there, regarding “Because of this Havayah did for me,” etc.

29And see what is further written about Moshe in the discourse beginning “And these are the ordinances,” etc. And this is [the meaning of] “And Moshe erected the Mishkan”: that Moshe, who is the Yesod of Abba, the King’s groomsman, is the one who erected the Mishkan,

which is Malchus of Atzilus, for he drew into it the revelation of the level of Z’eir Anpin, which is called “the King”; and through this an excellent erecting (kimah me’alyasa) came about for the level of the Mishkan. And see about this in [Midrash] Rabbah, Pekudei, chapter 52: “How many sages were there,” etc.,

“and they could not erect it,” etc., until “and you surpass them all”; see there. And in Parshas Naso, chapter 12 (folio 249b),

on [the verse] “to erect the Mishkan”: “Who has ascended to heaven,” etc., “who has established,” etc. And in the Zohar, Part II, Pekudei, 238b, 240b,

241b. And Aharon is “the Queen’s groomsman” (shushvina dematronisa), who draws down the five Gevuros from Binah to Malchus, so that she be aroused in the raising of mayin nukvin, to be the level of the Wilderness of Sinai, etc.; for Aharon is the level of “and abundant in kindness.”

Now, just as in the south there is not so much settlement, but rather the level of wilderness, because of the intensity of the heat, so, by way of analogy, from the intensity of the great love (ahavah rabbah) of Aharon, who is the level of the right hand of the Holy One, blessed be He, it comes about to be at the level of “in the Wilderness of Sinai,” etc., as mentioned above.

30And this is [the meaning of] “Lift up the head (se’u es rosh) of the children of Israel, by their families,” etc.: that is, specifically through Moshe and Aharon. And the elevation at first, by which they raise us who are below in Asiyah, is to the level of “by their families”: the seventy souls,

which are in Beriah. Afterwards, the twelve tribes, which are what join Beriah and Atzilus. Afterwards, a further elevation, “by their fathers’ house”: the Patriarchs are the supernal chariot (merkavta ila’ah), Chesed, Gevurah and Tiferes of Atzilus,

and they are three levels of compassion (rachamim). (Now, compassion is drawn from Tiferes, for through contemplating “the glory of the splendor (tiferes)” of the greatness of the Infinite One (Ein Sof), blessed be He, compassion is drawn down over the descent, etc.;

and the matter of the three thirds in the vessel of the attribute of Tiferes is explained elsewhere; therefore it may be said that this is the root of the three levels of compassion mentioned above. See what is written in Parshas Kedoshim, in the discourse beginning “And you shall plant every fruit tree,” etc.)

And afterwards, “by their skulls” (legulgelosam): this is the level of Keser and the Skull (Gulgalta) of Z’eir Anpin. And in the service of G‑d it is the level of great love (ahavah rabbah), which is above daas (reason) and is not grasped by the intellect at all, just as the skull encompasses the brain (mochin).

And this is the level of Shavuos, when the Keser of Z’eir Anpin is drawn down. For throughout all the days of the Counting one draws down everything from the level of the emotive attributes (middos) of Atzilus: the first week is Chesed, and each one is composed of seven; and this is like the matter of the elevation “by their families, by their fathers’ house.” And on Shavuos the revelation of Keser is drawn down: the level of “by their skulls.”

(Now, it is explained elsewhere that this level of Keser that is drawn down to Z’eir Anpin on the festival of Shavuos is from Arich Anpin itself. And according to this will be further understood what is said: “And He spoke,” etc., “in the wilderness,” etc., “Lift up,” etc., “by their skulls.”

For it is explained elsewhere, in the explanation (Biur) on [the verse] “Go forth and see,” the meaning of what is written, “in the wilderness,” etc., “in a land through which no man passed and where no man dwelt”: that the level of the Forehead (Mitzcha) of Z’eir Anpin is called “where no man dwelt,” for it is above the level of man,

as it is written, “for He is not a man,” and as is explained in the Idra) (folio 136b). And therefore it is also called midbar: for just as the wilderness has no growth of the earth, so the Forehead has no growth of hair,

for it is above the level of growth, which is the level of changes from smallness to greatness, which belongs to the level of man; whereas of the level of “for He is not a man” it is written, “I have not changed,” etc.

And along these lines is the matter of “and one desolate,” which is the level of “rest for eternal life,” the level of an ascent above which there is no further ascent in this sabbatical cycle (shemitah), etc.;

therefore it has no sowing and growing, etc. And along these lines one can explain what is written in the Zohar, Parshas Bamidbar, 117b: “If in the Tent of Meeting, why in the Wilderness of Sinai? Rather, one for the Torah and one for the Mishkan.” And the Mikdash Melech explained

that the wilderness is the Torah, which alludes to Z’eir Anpin, etc. And this is the opposite of what has been written [here], that the Wilderness of Sinai is an elevation from below to above, namely the ascent of Malchus from Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah, as it is written, “Who is this that rises from the wilderness.”

But according to what has been written [here], it is well resolved: for there is also the level of a supernal wilderness, the level of “where no man dwelt,” as mentioned above, and it is the source of the Torah, as it is said, “And from the wilderness, Mattanah (a gift).” And this is [the meaning of] what is written, “in the Wilderness of Sinai,” etc.,

“Lift up,” etc., “by their skulls”: “the Wilderness of Sinai” is the level of the wilderness that is from below to above, “and your speech is comely,” etc.: that is, her becoming a single point beneath Yesod, which is the level of the Keser within her, “with all your might” (me’odecha), etc.,

and “their end is wedged [in their beginning],” etc. And this is “Lift up,” etc., “by their skulls”: this is the level of the supernal wilderness, for the Forehead is the revelation of the level of the Skull, as is written in the Idra (129a) and in the Idra Zuta (folio 289b), that is, the supernal Keser.

Now, even the level of the supernal wilderness, which is the level of the Forehead and the supernal will, it can be said that this is the outer dimension (chitzoniyus) of the Torah; but its inner dimension (pnimiyus) is the level of “and I was [His] delight,” which is above the level of the wilderness mentioned above.

And see what is written on [the verse] “And I was with Him as a nursling (amon),” concerning “David, you called them songs,” etc.: that the Torah has a front and a back, etc.

31And see what is written in Parshas Shelach on [the verse] “I am Havayah,” etc., concerning [the saying] “When Israel say ‘Amen, yehei shmei rabba mevorach,’ the Holy One, blessed be He, nods His head,” etc.;

and it may be said that this is the matter of “And from the wilderness, Mattanah,” etc., “a service of gift,” etc.: the meaning of “gift” is an arousal from above (isarusa dileila), from a level that an arousal from below (isarusa dilesata) does not reach,

but rather it comes of itself, as a gift, after he is at the level of midbar, etc. And see what is written at the end of the discourse beginning “I am asleep,” concerning “Open to me,” etc., “and I will open for you”; and see what is written in the discourse beginning “And I pleaded,” etc.