על כן יאמרו המושלים באו חשבון וגו׳

1“Therefore the rulers (hamoshlim) will say: Come to Cheshbon,” etc.; “the lords of the high places of Arnon.” Now, our Sages, of blessed memory, expounded (in chapter 5 of Bava Basra): “The rulers”: these are those who rule over their inclination. “Come to Cheshbon”: come, and let us make the reckoning (cheshbon) of the world, etc.

To understand this, and also to understand the saying of our Sages, of blessed memory: “Whoever answers ‘Amen, may His great Name (shmei rabba) be blessed’ with all his strength, they tear up his sentence of seventy years” (as is written in the Tur, Orach Chaim, section 56; Shabbos, chapter 16, 119b).

We must first set out the matter of the soul’s descent into the body, which is a descent for the sake of an ascent, as is known. And we need to understand what this ascent is. For surely

even before its descent it was on an exceedingly high level, standing before G‑d, as it is written, [in the words of] Elijah, “As Havayah lives, before Whom I have stood”; and from there it came down astonishingly, to be clothed in physical matter in this lowly world.

2And when the soul leaves the body, it is written, “And the spirit returns to G‑d Who gave it”: it returns to its source and root, etc. If so, what advantage and superiority is there here through this descent?

All this will be understood by first setting out the matter of the light that fills all worlds (memalei kol almin) and the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin). The level of the light that fills all worlds is the G‑dly light and flow that clothes itself and is grasped within

the worlds, and comes in order and gradation through the worlds, from cause to cause, each one according to its own measure, until it clothes itself also in the physical heavens and earth, according to their measure.

3The explanation of this: it is known and explained in Sefer Yetzirah that there are the levels of “world, year, soul” (olam, shanah, nefesh). That is: “world”

includes all the firmaments and the earth and all the bodies of the created beings, inanimate, vegetative, animal and speaking; and “soul” is the level of the G‑dly life-force (chayus) that clothes itself in them, the level of the light that fills all worlds (memalei kol almin) (and this clothing is through the level of “year,” as will be explained).

Now, within the level of “world” there are also distinctions of levels, higher above higher without end, in the refinement of the matter and the vessel: the higher anything is, the more spiritual it is and abstracted from corporeality,

as is seen plainly in the superiority of the body of the animal over the inanimate and the vegetative, and of the speaking above the animal.

And likewise, in general, the matter of the firmaments is immeasurably more refined than the matter of the earth and the physical elements; and in this way, higher above higher, as is known: just as there are seven physical firmaments, so too there are seven spiritual firmaments, and they are called the seven heichalos (chambers), etc.

And there are many aspects and grades of the heichalos mentioned above. And so too the level of “soul,” which is the G‑dly light and life-force drawn to them from the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He, and clothed in the worlds, is in them

in distinctions of levels: according to the degree of refinement of the very substance of the world’s vessel, so does the light and the soul shine and reveal itself in it, etc.,

so that in the higher world, the light and life-force there are of the highest rank and degree, as in the higher Gan Eden, [where] the souls sit and delight in the radiance, etc.

4And in this way the light proceeds and descends link by link (mishtalshel) through the descent of very many levels, until the light and life-force come and are drawn into the lowly world with a very great tzimtzum (contraction); and these are the light and life-force of heaven and earth, and of the constellations (mazalos)

fixed in them; for there is no blade of grass below that does not have a mazal above that strikes it and says to it, “Grow!” And this is the very last level of life-force and soul, which gives life to the grasses, etc.

5And the whole order of the chain of descending worlds (hishtalshelus) of “soul” and “world” in the Worlds of Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah, from the head of all levels to the end of all levels,

as in the grasses that grow from the mazal, is what is called the light that fills all worlds (memalei kol almin): that is, “soul” clothing itself in “world”; and as the level of the world, so is the level of the soul.

But [we need] to understand the matter of “year.” The explanation: we say, “And in His goodness He renews each day the work of creation.”

6The meaning and substance of this renewal: it is written, “And the chayos ran and returned” (ratzo vashov). By way of analogy: the life-force (chayus) of the spirit of life in a person,

which beats in his heart in the manner of ratzo and shov (running and returning): that is, a withdrawal, to return to its source, and an expansion, to give life to the limbs, as is known; and from this comes the cause of breathing.

And so it goes round and round: it withdraws after it expands, and afterwards expands again; and so it is at every moment: with each and every breath there is a withdrawal and an expansion.

7And in the likeness of this, Above, in the G‑dly life-force (chayus) in created beings, there is ratzo and shov. This is “And the chayos ran and returned,” for this refers to the life-force in the worlds as a whole; and this is also the level of “reaching and not reaching” (mati velo mati) mentioned in Etz Chaim.

And this is the renewal of the life-force, as is said, “He renews each day, continually, the work of creation”: for at every moment the first life-force withdraws, and a new life-force is drawn again from its source; and so it is continually: ratzo and shov. (And see what is written elsewhere, at the end of the discourse beginning “For as the new heavens.”)

8And this is the matter of “year”: for the root of the coming into being of time is this drawing down, in which the life-force is drawn in the manner of ratzo and shov,

which is withdrawal and expansion; and through this the time of a moment, for example, comes into being: for since the life-force runs and returns, there must necessarily be some lapse of time.

9And because of the great division of the life-force into very many aspects and levels, each aspect and level among the particulars of these levels being drawn through ratzo and shov, therefore time comes into being as it is with us, etc.; as is written at length elsewhere, on the meaning and matter of “Teshuvah (return) preceded the world.”

10Now we need to understand the meaning and substance of the term olam (world): what is it? The G‑dly life-force in each world, which clothes itself in it to give it life and is called “soul,” is like the life-force of the soul in its body: it is hidden in the body, and the body clothes it and conceals it.

It is like, by way of analogy, a king who sits in his chamber, closed and hidden away, so that his palace and his chamber conceal him, and he is not revealed at all to anyone.

11So too Above: the G‑dly light and life-force from the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He, is clothed and hidden within all the worlds (almin), for the worlds and the heichalos are what hide the G‑dly light, so that it is not revealed at all,

just as the soul that is clothed in the body is hidden, neither seen nor revealed. And so our Sages, of blessed memory, said in the first chapter of Berachos: “It sees and is not seen,” etc.; see there. And therefore they are called by the name olamos (worlds),

which is also a term for helem (concealment), because they conceal and hide, etc. (And see what is written on this at the beginning of Parshas Sh’lach, in the discourse beginning “The matter of the spies,” and in the discourse beginning “The land is good,” etc.)

But this hiding and concealment comes according to the measure of the levels of the worlds, from the head of all levels to the end of all levels, as mentioned above: in the highest world, the hiding there is not so great.

But with the great descent of the levels from cause to effect, down to the end of the World of Asiyah, as in our lowly world, the hiding and concealment are in utter darkness, to the point that the heavens and the earth appear as truly separate matter, without self-nullification (bittul).

This is not so above this material world, for it is said, “And the host of heaven bow down to You.” And even in this very world,

the celestial spheres still have something of self-nullification, as the sphere of the sun bows toward the west, and so too the other spheres.

This is not so with the elements beneath the sphere of the moon, which are coarse matter, like the dust of the physical earth. And this is what is written of the Time to Come (in Isaiah, chapter 51, [verse] 6): “For the heavens shall vanish like smoke, and the earth shall wear out like a garment,”

for their materiality will come to an end. (And see on this: the Midrash Rabbah, Noach, chapter 34, 38a; Parshas Lech Lecha, chapter 42, 46b; Parshas Shemini, chapter 11, 177d; Naso, chapter 13, 252b; Parshas Eikev, 293b; and in Ruth Rabbah, on “And the name of the man was Elimelech”; and in Esther [Rabbah], on “And it came to pass in the days of Achashverosh.”

The beginning of Koheles Rabbah, on “Vanity of vanities”; the Zohar, Part I, Bereishis, 24b, end of the column; the Tikkunei Zohar, Tikkun 8 and Tikkun 31.) And the light of a new creation will be renewed, the level of new heavens and a new earth,

as it is written, “For as the new heavens,” etc., “which I make,” specifically: they will not hide and conceal the light and life-force drawn from the Infinite One (Ein Sof), blessed be He, so that the glory of G‑d will be revealed without hiding or concealment; and as it is written, “For they shall see eye to eye,” etc., and “The glory of Havayah shall be revealed,” etc.

122. Now, all that was said above about the levels of world, year and soul, in that the soul is clothed in the world, in each world according to its measure, is the level of the light that fills all worlds (memalei kol almin): for the meaning of “fills” is the light and life-force that is clothed and hidden in the worlds, as mentioned above.

But the level of the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin) is what is written, “I, Havayah, have not changed”: [the same] before the world was created and after the world was created; and above and below are equal, for He “is equal and makes small and great equal,” as, by way of analogy, a circle, which has no above and below, etc.

13And therefore it is called by the name sovev (encompassing). But the meaning of sovev is not that it encircles from above alone and does not come into the worlds; for surely it is written, “I fill the heavens and the earth”: “I,” truly, for this refers specifically to the level of the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin).

Rather, it means that although it is within all the worlds, it does not come there clothed as a light and flow revealed to the recipients; it is holy and set apart from them, and is not grasped within the bounds of the worlds; as in the saying, “the Holy One in the heavens and on earth.”

That is, He is holy and set apart even while He is in the heavens and on earth. That is to say: although He fills the heavens and the earth, and this is “in the heavens and on earth,” nevertheless He is holy and set apart from them, etc.

And therefore He is in the heavens and on earth equally. For with the light that fills all worlds, since it clothes itself and is grasped within the worlds, order and gradation apply, from cause to cause, from spirituality to physicality;

but with sovev there is no distinction of levels at all between spirituality, etc.; rather, it is equal and makes spirituality and physicality equal, “darkness and light alike.” And this is “in the heavens above

and on the earth below; there is none else.” And it is written, “If I ascend to the heavens, You are there; if I make my bed in the netherworld, behold, You are there.” And this is “Great is Havayah and exceedingly praised, and His greatness is unsearchable.” That is: “Great is Havayah and praised

exceedingly” is from the aspect of the light that fills all worlds, for He is praised and lauded in a division into very many levels in all the worlds, in myriads of myriads without number, until even the physical creatures at the end of Asiyah utter song.

14And this is “King, lauded and glorified forever and ever (adei ad),” etc. That is, He is lauded and glorified “adei ad,” for the song and praise with which the creatures of Asiyah, whose comprehension is not so great, laud and glorify Him is not like the song and praise with which higher creatures glorify and laud Him.

15And because there are many levels, higher above higher without end, it therefore says, “lauded and glorified adei ad.”

And all this division is from the aspect of the light that fills all worlds (memalei kol almin), which is grasped in the comprehension of the worlds; and of this it is said, “Great is Havayah and exceedingly praised.”

But “and His greatness is unsearchable” is the level of the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin), which is the level of His great Name. Therefore it is said of it, “and His greatness is unsearchable,” for it is not grasped and clothed within the worlds at all, and no distinction of levels applies to it at all.

And this is the meaning of shmei rabba, “His great Name” (and see what is written on this at the end of Parshas Sh’lach, on “I am Havayah your G‑d”; see there). And this is the purpose of the descent of the souls into this world, into physical matter.

For the main point of the service of G‑d as a whole, in Torah and mitzvos, is to draw the level of the light that encompasses all worlds into revelation:

that is, the essence of the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), which is not within the bounds of the worlds, so that it rests and dwells and is revealed within all the worlds. (And then the worlds will not hide at all;

for with the light that fills all worlds, although it is clothed within the worlds, the worlds hide this light and revelation of memalei kol almin, which shines with an immense tzimtzum (contraction);

but when the light of sovev kol almin shines and is revealed, which is holy and set apart, etc., before which “darkness and light are alike,” the worlds will not hide at all. And see what is written in the explanation of “I saw,

and behold, a menorah of gold,” etc.) And this is specifically through the practical mitzvos, in this world specifically; and for this the soul descended into the body,

and this is the purpose of the descent. For although before its descent it was also standing before G‑d and delighting in the radiance of the Shechinah, this is from the level of the light that fills all worlds;

but through its descent into the body, in engaging in the practical mitzvos, it draws down the revelation of the light of sovev kol almin (and see what is written on this on “You shall keep My Shabbosos”; see there, also at length).

The explanation of this: the mitzvos are divided into two kinds, the positive commandments and the prohibitive commandments. The positive commandments are the drawing down of holiness and strengthening the good,

as we bless, “Who has sanctified us with His commandments”: we draw a revelation of supernal holiness below. And through the prohibitive commandments [the aim] is to separate the evil from the good and to subdue the sitra achra (the other side), so that it will have no hold on holiness.

16And see what is written on this in the discourse beginning “How goodly are your tents.” And there is the well-known saying of the Zohar: “When the sitra achra (the other side) is subdued (iskafya), the glory of the Holy One, blessed be He, is exalted (istalek) in all the worlds.”

For “G‑d has made the one opposite the other”: just as there are heichalos of holiness, from which all good flows and is drawn, so that all holy thoughts, and the speech and deed of Torah and mitzvos, have their life-force drawn from the heichalos mentioned above,

so, opposite them, there are also heichalos of the forces of impurity, from which flow and life-force are drawn to every evil thing. And man has free choice: when he loads upon himself the yoke of Torah and mitzvos, “like an ox to the yoke and like a donkey to the burden,”

he will receive his life-force and existence from the heichalos of holiness mentioned above, and from them and through them all his physical needs too will come down, when he does everything for the sake of Heaven, so that he can serve G‑d, etc.

17But if, G‑d forbid, “the one who separates himself seeks desire,” to pursue physical wants, then he receives his life-force and existence from the heichalos of the kelipos (husks), which give forth every evil thing, such as foreign thoughts from bodily desire, which are not for G‑d.

Only, among the kelipos there are also the heichalos of nogah, from which the desire for what is permitted is drawn, when one does not intend it for the sake of Heaven. And kelipas nogah of Asiyah, from which the desire for what is permitted in this world flows, is mostly evil, as though wholly so,

with only a little good mixed into it. And see what is written in Parshas Acharei, in the explanation of “For on this day He shall atone,” on the inner and the encompassing levels of nogah, from which desire and honor, etc., are drawn; see there.

18And there are the heichalos of the three impure kelipos, which are beneath kelipas nogah, from which is drawn the desire for what is forbidden: anything that has in it a branch of a prohibition of the Torah or of the Rabbis.

And since man has free choice, everything depends on him. And when he pushes away the foreign thoughts and removes his mind from them,

through this the sitra achra (the other side) is subdued as well, that is, the heichalos of the kelipos, which are the source of this thought; and through this “the glory of the Holy One, blessed be He, is exalted in all the worlds.”

That is: even the heichalos of holiness are called almin (worlds), like the palace in which the king is hidden while he sits in it; so

the heichalos and worlds conceal and hide the revelation of G‑d’s light, so that the revelation is not so great, [coming] only through the garment and concealment of the palace; and therefore it is called olam, a term for helem (concealment), as mentioned above.

19And when the very last concealment is subdued, which hides and conceals utterly, namely the heichalos of the kelipos, from which a foreign thought is drawn, something against the will of G‑d, this being the complete and very last concealment;

and the subduing (iskafya), when one pushes this thought away, is the pushing away of this kelipah, which conceals and hides, so that it will not hide the light of

G‑d that is in a person: through this “the glory of the Holy One, blessed be He, is exalted.” That is, the level of the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin) shines and is revealed, which is called “the Holy One (Kudsha), blessed be He,” a term for holy and set apart, as mentioned above in explaining “and the Holy One in the heavens and on earth,” etc.

20And this revelation is “in all the worlds,” and in the heichalos that conceal, so that they do not conceal and hide at all. And the revelation of this radiance from the level of the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin) is called istalek, from the term for exaltation (as is written elsewhere, in Parshas Vayakhel, in the discourse beginning “Take from among you an offering (terumah),” etc.

And see what is written in Parshas Sh’lach on “The land is exceedingly, exceedingly good,” mentioned above.) And this is precisely through the subduing of the sitra achra (the other side) below, specifically (in this world, in the human body and the animal soul;

21as in the analogy of a house that one wants to raise: when one raises the bottom beam and timber, the whole building is raised by it, etc.; as is written elsewhere, in Parshas Bereishis, in the discourse beginning “To understand the reason”).

And this is through breaking the power of bodily desire, through which the screen of kelipah, which hides and conceals, is torn; and through this the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin) is revealed and exalted within all the worlds. And this exaltation and elevation

means that it will not be in a state of being clothed and hidden within the worlds, which hide the light that fills all worlds (memalei kol almin); but through the revelation of sovev kol almin there is nothing that conceals and hides, etc.

22And all this is brought about by man, for “Yaakov is the rope (chevel) of His inheritance”: as in the analogy of a rope, which, when it is shaken below, is shaken also above, at its top; so, through the arousal of the G‑dly spark below to go out of the matter of bodily desires, so there will be an arousal above.

Therefore a person’s heart should not fall because foreign thoughts fall upon him; only, he should see to push them away, that is, to remove his mind from them; and removing the mind is through fixing the mind in contemplation and in the words of the prayer. And through this the sitra achra (the other side) is subdued above, and “the glory of the Holy One, blessed be He, is exalted in all the worlds.”

233. And this is the meaning of the saying of our Sages, of blessed memory: “Whoever answers ‘Amen, may His great Name be blessed’ with all his strength, they tear up his sentence of seventy years.”

For the meaning of shmei rabba is the level of the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin), which is what is called “His great Name.” For it is explained elsewhere, on “Moshe would speak,”

that the Names of the Holy One, blessed be He, are themselves the extension and flow through which His attributes, may He be blessed, come into being: the Name Havayah with the vowel patach is in Chochmah, and the Name Kel in Chesed, etc.; and these are the Ten Sefiros of the World of Atzilus (Emanation), which are called by the name “the light that fills all worlds” (memalei kol almin) (see Iggeres HaKodesh, the section beginning “And He put on righteousness as a coat of mail”).

But His great Name is the level of the light that encompasses all worlds; and it is as our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “Before the world was created there was He and His Name alone,” at the level of Ein Sof (the Infinite One).

24And the meaning of “May His great Name be blessed forever (le’alam),” etc., is that it should be drawn into revelation in the three worlds of Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah as well, as it is written, “For My glory I created it, I formed it, I also made it.”

That is, that it should be drawn into revelation, and the concealment and hiding of the worlds should not hide at all; as mentioned above in explaining “the glory of the Holy One, blessed be He, is exalted in all the worlds.”

And this is le’alam ul’almei almaya (“forever and to all eternity”), which in general are the three general worlds, Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah, and in particular is “in all the worlds.” And through this they tear up his sentence of seventy years.

That is: just as there are seven holy emotive attributes (middos) in the G‑dly soul, each one comprising ten, so there are also seven attributes in the animal soul, each one comprising ten. And the G‑dly soul

clothes itself in the animal soul in order to refine it, as it is written, “The days of our years: in them are seventy years.” And the evil of the attributes of the animal soul, which are seven attributes each comprising ten, is called “his sentence

of seventy years.” (And it is also truly the sentence of seventy years in its plain sense, for “days were formed” in order to refine the attributes of the animal soul, as mentioned above in explaining “The days of our years: in them,” etc.

25And because of the prevailing of the evil of the animal soul, the sentence concerning the life of the seventy years is drawn upon him.) And through the revelation that he draws down

from the level of the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin), through “the sitra achra is subdued and the glory of the Holy One, blessed be He, is exalted in all the worlds,” so that they no longer conceal or hide: this is the tearing up of his sentence of seventy years.

(And also, since in world, year, soul it is from the level of “soul,” which is the light that fills all worlds (memalei kol almin), that the levels of “year” and “world” are drawn, as mentioned above, while through “Amen, may His great Name be blessed” he draws from the level of the light that encompasses all worlds, which is above the level of “soul”;

and this is “If He sets His heart upon Himself (elav)”: that is, upon Himself and not upon His attributes; and through this, “His spirit and His breath He gathers to Himself.” “His spirit” is as it is written, “and by the spirit of His mouth all their host,” and this too is the level of the light that fills all worlds,

but it is above the level of “soul”; and see what is written in Parshas Sh’lach about the worlds (almin), whose root is from the level of the circles (iggulim), which is the level of “soul,” etc.;

see there. And “His breath” (nishmaso) is the level of the light that encompasses all worlds; and this drawing down is le’alam, into the level of “world,” and likewise into the level of “year”; therefore, through this, “they tear up for him,” etc.

And see in the Raaya Mehemna, Parshas Teitzei (277b, end of the column), on the matter of “year”; in the Zohar, Parshas Pinchas (250a): “the lower days, the times, which are 355 (shanah, year),” etc.; “draw the upper days toward the lower days,” etc.

And see there (220a, end of the column), where “with all his strength (kocho)” is explained like “Let the power (koach) of Ado-nai be great”; and see the commentary of the Ramaz there; and so the Maharsha explains in Shabbos (119b). And see the Idra Rabba (138b)

on “In the midst of the years revive it”: “these are the primordial years, which are called the days of old (yemei kedem),” etc.; and see there (133b); and the Zohar, Parshas Vayechi (238b), and Parshas Beshalach (45a),

and the commentary of the Ramaz there. And all this is alluded to in the saying of our Sages, of blessed memory, “Whoever answers ‘Amen, may His great Name be blessed’ with all his strength”: it is the drawing down from the level of the days of old and the primordial years;

therefore through this they tear up his sentence of seventy years, whose root is from the level of “the years of the world (olam)” and “the days of the world.” And see the Zohar, Parshas Bereishis (37b, end of the column, and folio 58a),

and the Zohar HaRakia there, and the Zohar at the end of Parshas Terumah, 178b, end of the column.) And this is “Therefore the rulers will say: Come to Cheshbon”: come, let us make the reckoning of the world.

That is: “the rulers” are those who rule over their inclination, to subdue the sitra achra, as mentioned above, by breaking bodily desire, in “turning from evil” in thought, speech and deed, and also in seeing and hearing, etc.

As it is written, “And you shall not stray after your heart and after your eyes”: for instance, to be “one who shuts his eyes from seeing evil,” in gazing, etc.; and in deed,

as they said, “Sanctify yourself in what is permitted to you,” and the like. And through this “the glory of the Holy One, blessed be He, is exalted,” so that there is a revelation of the light that encompasses all worlds within the concealment and hiding that is in all the worlds, as mentioned above.

26And this is “Therefore the rulers” over their inclination, specifically, “will say: Come, let us make the reckoning of the world (olam).” The meaning of olam is from the term for concealment and hiding, as mentioned above;

and they say: let us make the reckoning of the soul’s descent into this world, into the dark body: that the purpose of the descent is for the sake of an ascent, namely so that there be the subduing of the sitra achra (the other side), through which “the glory of the Holy One, blessed be He, will be exalted,” etc., as mentioned above.

27There is a further [explanation] of “the reckoning of the world,” and it is the main one: in keeping with the great concealment in this world, which is the very last world, so that the darkness is thick, doubled and redoubled,

therefore, to illuminate a darkness as thick as this, one must draw down specifically a great light, abundant and exceedingly mighty, for precisely through this “even darkness will not darken,” and “darkness and light are alike”; whereas a small light will not help, because of the thickness of the darkness.

As we see that in a house the light of a candle is enough; but in a cellar, since the air there is very thick, being within the materiality of the earth, therefore

to illuminate the coarse air there must be a great light, whereas a thin candle may go out because of the physicality of the air.

28So too, by way of analogy, illuminating the darkness of the physical World of Asiyah is through an exceedingly supernal light. And this is the descent of the souls into this world: that through “the lamp of Havayah, the soul of man,” and “a mitzvah is a lamp and the Torah is light,” precisely through this they will be able to illuminate, so that there is the transformation of darkness into light (is’hapcha chashocha linehora), etc.

And this is the meaning of “and let us make the reckoning of the world”: in keeping with the greatness of the concealment, so must one increase the light of the Torah and the mitzvos.

294. “Let the city of Sichon be built and established.” Now, “the city of Sichon” is prayer, which is called sichah, [spelled] with the left-dotted shin, as it is written, “And Yitzchak went out to converse (lasuach) in the field,” and Rashi explains: a term for prayer,

as in “he pours out his speech (sicho).” And as our Sages, of blessed memory, said in the first chapter of Avodah Zarah: “Sichah means nothing other than prayer.” And [we need] to understand the reason why prayer is called sichah.

But the explanation is this: besides sichah being a term for speech, and all the more so according to what is written in Pri Etz Chaim, Sha’ar HaSukkos, chapter 2, that sichah is speech in a whisper, quietly and hidden, which is the matter of “prayer in a whisper” (tzelosa bilchash),

there is yet this further [sense] in the meaning of sichah: that it is from the sense of hasachah, moving and shifting from one place to another place, as in “as the swimmer (hasocheh) spreads out to swim” (in Isaiah 25:11), whose meaning is to swim in the water.

For one who swims in the water moves and shifts himself from place to place, etc. (And likewise we find that our Sages, of blessed memory, explained “If there is worry in a man’s heart, let him yesichenah” with the two meanings mentioned above: “let him put it out of his mind” is a term for removing the mind, that he shifts and removes his mind from his worry, to fix his mind on Torah and the service of G‑d;

30and “let him tell it to others” is a term for speech.) And the meaning and substance of “shifting” in prayer: the main request in prayer is that the level of the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin) be revealed, to be clothed within all the worlds. And this is why we say “Yehi ratzon,” “May there be will,” for He, may He be blessed, is above will.

31And for Him to have a will in the blessings of the Shemoneh Esreh, such as “Who redeems Israel” and “Who blesses the years,” and the like, this too is a matter of hasachah, shifting from place to place;

for in Himself, “not that He has any of these attributes at all”; and He, may He be blessed, moves and descends from the place of His essential level, which is above even the level of will, to have a will for the drawings-down, etc.

And this arousal from above (isarusa dile’eila), that is, this drawing down that is drawn through prayer, the level of “May there be will,” etc., is called sichah and shifting from above to below, etc.

But this sichah from above to below comes through an arousal from below (isarusa dilesata), in the sichah of prayer that a person prays, for “spirit brings spirit,” etc.

32And in this arousal from below, too, the two meanings mentioned above apply. The sense of hasachah, shifting: for the essence of prayer is crying out in one’s distress; and this is “before Havayah he pours out his speech (sicho).”

The term “pours out” is the pouring out of the soul when it is in great distress because “in vanity it came, and in darkness” and the shadow of death “it goes,” for most of the time, etc.

33And this is through first having “Come to Cheshbon,” being one of the “masters of reckoning” (marei dechushbana) every night, as mentioned above: to taste bitterness in his soul over all his deeds, words and thoughts that were not for G‑d, from the day he came to be, and over his having sunk and drowned in the desires of this world,

and in this is all his effort, “when he lies down and when he rises,” etc.; and the truth is forgotten from the tablet of his heart because of his preoccupation with the vanities of the time, etc.; only, “they have turned their back to Me,” without heart, etc.

34And “he who adds knowledge” of the greatness of G‑d “adds pain” in his soul. And through this he will pour out his speech with self-sacrifice (mesirus nefesh), from the depth of the heart, so that there will be a true hasachah and shifting: that he will move away and be separated from his animal attributes, which hide, etc.

And this is why through “Come to Cheshbon,” then “the city of Sichon will be built and established”: that prayer will be as it should be, as a pouring out of the soul, and that he will be moved and shifted away from the ingrained nature of the attributes of the animal soul.

However, as for the term “will be built and established,” the point is that in prayer there must also be, specifically, combinations of letters of speech, according to the plain meaning that sichah is a term for speech.

Therefore the term “building” is said of it: like a building made of stones, so the words of prayer are called “houses,” as is written in Sefer Yetzirah that the letters are called “stones,” etc.

35And this is what King David, peace be upon him, wrote: “Evening, morning and noon I speak (asichah) and moan, and He hears my voice”; that is, when prayer is in the manner of asichah, in the way mentioned above, through this “He hears my voice,” etc.

And see what is written in the discourse beginning “And all your children.” And the meaning of “and established” is as it is written, “Through righteousness (tzedakah) you shall be established,” and as is written on “I, through righteousness, shall behold Your face”: “Rabbi Elazar would give a coin to a poor man and then pray.” And see what is written on this also on “The voice is the voice of Yaakov.”

36Now, the explanation of Sichon as “pleasant speech” (sichah na’ah) will also be interpreted as referring to the Torah, in its combinations of letters. For King David, peace be upon him, said, “How I love Your Torah! All day it is my speech (sichasi),” and it is written, “For Your testimonies are speech (sichah) to me.” And see what is written on “And Yitzchak went out to converse in the field.”

That is: the combinations of letters in the Torah, whether in Scripture, in Mishnah, or in halachos and aggados, are called sichah, in the way mentioned above, which is the matter of hasachah, shifting from place to place.

For our Sages, of blessed memory, said on “His locks are curled (taltalim)” that Rabbi Akiva would expound on each and every tip (kotz) [of the letters] heaps upon heaps (tilei tilim) of halachos.

37Now, the halachos are likened to hairs, and this is the level of “the hair of His head is like pure wool.” As, by way of analogy, the hairs that are drawn from the head

break through and come out, and a glimmer from the brain is drawn and clothed in them: so through the halachos there is drawn from His wisdom, may He be blessed, which no thought can grasp at all, of which it is said, “Your thoughts are very deep,” etc.,

and it is clothed in the halachos set out before us. And this is the level of “like the good oil upon the head,” etc., “oil of holy anointing,” for from the level of kodesh (holiness), “a thing unto itself,” it is drawn and clothed in the laws of the Torah.

38And this is the matter of sichah and shifting. And therefore the Torah is called a bridegroom (chasan): “chas darga” (he goes down a step), etc. And see what is written on “The Song of Songs,” etc.

And this is “How I love Your Torah! All day it is my speech (sichasi)”: sichah meaning shifting, because the revelation of the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof) is drawn down through the combinations of letters, which are called “the hair of His head,” etc.

And this is what our Sages, of blessed memory, said in Eruvin (54b) on “And those who walk on the way, speak (sichu)”: that it refers to masters of Scripture, Mishnah and Talmud. And of this, too, it says “will be built and established,”

for Torah scholars who engage in Torah are called “builders,” because they engage in the building of the world, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “Do not read ‘your children’ (banayich) but ‘your builders’ (bonayich),” etc.

395. “For a fire went out from Cheshbon, a flame from the city of Sichon.” Now, it is written, “Its flashes are flashes of fire, a flame of Yah (shalheves Yah).”

(And see what is written on this in the Zohar, Vayechi (folio 245a), and in Parshas Metzora (folio 54b), and in Parshas Mishpatim (folio 104a); and in the Mikdash Melech, Parshas Beshalach (folio 56), in the name of the Arizal; and in the Likkutei Torah of the Arizal, Parshas Vayeira.

The substance of their explanation: the “flashes of fire” of the Congregation of Israel (Knesses Yisrael): from where did this fire come out? It is from the flame that came out from Yah, etc. And this is the meaning of “For a fire went out from Cheshbon,” etc.; see there.

And see what is written in Parshas Sh’lach, in the discourse beginning “And it shall be tzitzis for you,” on “This shall be called woman (ishah), for from man (ish) she was taken,” for from what is written there the words of the Arizal will be understood a little. And see what is written in Parshas Noach, in the discourse beginning “Many waters,” etc.)

The explanation: “flashes of fire” (rishpei esh) is a glowing coal, as Rashi explains on “and in his hand a coal (ritzpah)”; that is, when the fire burns and consumes the wood and it becomes a glowing coal.

40And shalheves is the blaze (lahav); and see the Mishnah, end of chapter 5 of Beitzah. And the matter of this level in the soul is as explained elsewhere, in the explanation of “And it shall be tzitzis for you” mentioned above, and in the discourse beginning “For You are my lamp”: that in the light of a candle there are two hues, the blue light (nehora techela) and the white light (nehora chivra).

The blue light is the hue next to the wick, which comes about from the consuming of the wick: since something that is not of its kind is consumed and burns in it, therefore the light changes to a blue hue.

41And this is the nullification (bittul) of the yesh (sense of self): the yesh of the animal soul is transformed from darkness to light and included in the fire. And this is the matter of ahavas olam (“love of the world”): from the level of olam and helem (concealment) it is refined, to be included and nullified in G‑dliness.

And the white light is the level of ahavah rabbah (great love), which comes from above. And see what is written in the explanation of “His eyes shall be red (chachlili),” on these two loves. And see what is written on “And you shall offer a burnt-offering, a fire-offering (isheh),” etc.

And this is also the matter of “flashes of fire” and the matter of “a flame of Yah.” For “flashes of fire,” which is a glowing coal, is when something else, not of the kind of fire, is transformed and included in the fire;

and this is the G‑dly soul refining and transforming the animal soul with its fire, so that it is included in G‑dliness. And see what is written in the Zohar, Parshas Noach (folio 70a),

on “And Mount Sinai was all in smoke, because Havayah descended upon it in fire”: “Come and see: a fire comes out from within, and it is fine, and it takes hold of another thing outside that is not as fine,” etc.; as was explained elsewhere. And see the Zohar, in the Idra Rabba (138a).

And “a flame of Yah” is the level of ahavah rabbah (great love), which comes from above, from the level of Yah, etc.; that is, after the arousal from below (isarusa dilesata), in the nullification of the yesh of the blue light, ahavah rabbah rests and is drawn upon it, etc.

But also, for there to be the arousal from below, this comes through an arousal from above (isarusa dile’eila) first, from above, from the level of “a flame of Yah,” which gives the G‑dly soul power to refine the animal soul and to be “flashes of fire.”

42And this is what the Arizal said: the “flashes of fire” of the Congregation of Israel: from where did this fire come out? From “a flame of Yah,” etc. And this is “With ahavas olam (an everlasting love) I have loved you”: the power of the level of ahavas olam, to be refined from the level of olam and helem into G‑dliness, is drawn through

“I have loved you; therefore I have drawn you with kindness,” etc. And this is the matter of “This shall be called woman (ishah), for from man (ish) she was taken”: from the level of the fire (esh) of the yud, “a flame of Yah.”

43Now, the drawing down of this arousal from above (isarusa dile’eila), to give the G‑dly soul power to refine the animal soul, is through the mitzvos, as it is written, “Charity (tzedakah) exalts a nation,” and as is written elsewhere on “Who is raised up to sit,” etc. And this is the meaning of “For a fire went out from Cheshbon,”

that is, the practice of the mitzvos, as above regarding “and let us make the reckoning of the world: the loss of a mitzvah against its reward,” etc.

44And therefore from this comes “For a fire went out,” so that there are “its flashes, flashes of fire.” And afterwards, “a flame from the city of Sichon” is the resting of the white light upon these flashes of fire, etc.;

and it is drawn from above to below through the study of Torah, as it is written, “and the Torah is light,” which is the drawing down of the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He, from above to below: “wise, but not with a known wisdom,” etc.

And this is “a flame from the city of Sichon,” which is the study of Torah, as above in explaining “For Your testimonies are speech to me.” And this is “and He tells man what (mah) is His speech (sicho)”: the drawing down of the Name Mah (45), which is the level of self-nullification (bittul),

that is, through “His speech,” which is the Torah, which is the drawing down of the Name Mah, to refine a second time the flashes of fire of [the Name] Ban (52), etc.

45And the Torah is the level of “the cleaving of spirit to spirit” (isdabkus rucha berucha), in the manner of kisses, and it is the level of “doubled kisses.” For kisses are the cleaving of spirit to spirit, and there are two kinds of cleaving: the first is an arousal from above (isarusa dile’eila) that awakens an arousal from below (isarusa dilesata),

and this is the matter of “spirit brings spirit”: the spirit of the giver awakens the spirit of the receiver. And the second is that the arousal from below, the spirit of the receiver, awakens the arousal from above; and this is the matter of “draws spirit”: it draws the spirit of the giver, etc.

(And see what is written at the end of the discourse beginning “Your cheeks are comely with rows, your neck with strings of beads,” on “brings spirit” and “draws spirit.” And see what is written further on the meaning of “doubled kisses” in the discourse beginning “And the children of Israel found a man gathering,”

which is the matter of two modes in the supernal union: that the higher descends below, or that the lower ascends above. And here too it can be explained in the same way, etc.

And see what is written further on the cleaving of spirit to spirit through the Torah in the discourse beginning “And the number of the children of Israel shall be,” and see Sefer Shel Beinonim (Tanya), chapter 46.)

46“It consumed Ar of Moav.” Moav is the Chochmah (wisdom) of kelipah, that is, what is written in Jeremiah (chapter 4), “They are wise to do evil, but to do good they do not know,” or like the magicians of Egypt; and it is opposite the Chochmah of holiness, which is called av (father), as is known, for the Torah is called “the instruction of your father.”

And therefore the Chochmah of kelipah is called Ar Moav, from the term in “and he has become your enemy (arecha)” (in I Samuel, chapter 28), [and] “Your enemies (arecha) take in vain” (in Psalms, chapter 139).

And in the same way, too, the excessive cleverness and the superfluous schemes in matters of business, in the manner of “My strength and the might of my hand have made me this wealth,” which remove one’s trust from G‑d. For although it is said, “And you shall gather in your grain,”

“conduct yourself with them in the way of the world,” this is as it is written, “When you eat the toil of your hands”; but not toil of the mind beyond measure, as it is written, “nor bread to the wise.” On the contrary, thought is harmful (machshavah mo’eles).

47And this is what causes dullness of the mind, which becomes coarse because of its delving deep into physical matters, even permitted ones; and because of this, contemplation of the greatness of G‑d does not take hold.

However, through the study of Torah and the keeping of the mitzvos, it is said, “For a fire went out from Cheshbon, a flame from the city of Sichon; it consumed Ar of Moav,”

for the supernal Chochmah that is drawn down through the Torah and mitzvos pushes away the darkness and folly of the animal soul; and on the contrary, through this the intellect of the animal soul in a person is transformed, to be included in the wisdom of the G‑dly soul, which understands and contemplates the greatness of G‑d. (And as from Moav, too, Ruth the Moabite was refined and came out, from whom came the kingship of the House of David, etc.

And see what is written in the discourse beginning “Who is raised up to sit,” mentioned above. And see what is written in the discourse beginning “Many waters,” etc.; and see the Zohar, Bereishis, folio 6b.)

48“The lords of the high places of Arnon.” The explanation: it is explained in the Zohar, Parshas Beshalach (56a), on “and the streams of Arnon,” that it is the level of “the two companions who never part,” as it is written, “And a river goes out from Eden,” etc. And see the Mikdash Melech there, and the Likkutei Torah of the Arizal, Parshas Vayeira.

And this is the meaning of Arnon, from the term aron, the Ark of the Covenant, in which were the Tablets: for “the Torah comes forth from Chochmah,” and the Ark is the level of Binah (understanding), which is the vessel for Chochmah, “a point in its palace”; and this is the matter of “the two companions,” etc.

(And see the Zohar, beginning of Parshas Noach (59b), on “What is the ark (teivah)? This is the Ark of the Covenant,” etc.; and the Likkutei Torah of the Arizal there; and the Zohar, Vayakhel (folio 214a); and Etz Chaim, Sha’ar 31, chapter 8.)

Now, the Chochmah of holiness is koach mah (the power of “what”), the level of self-nullification (bittul) before the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He; and this union of “the two companions” is so that there be bittul, and the drawing of the ayin (nothing) into the yesh (something), etc.

But “the one opposite the other” in kelipah is called “the high places of Arnon,” as our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “These are the arrogant,” as it is written, “I have seen a man wise in his own eyes; there is more hope for a fool than for him,”

which causes the yesh (sense of self) and coarseness; and this is the matter of the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil, and it is the very opposite of G‑dly wisdom, which is koach mah, the level of bittul, etc.

And therefore the wisdom of kelipah mentioned above is called “the high places of Arnon.” But through the Chochmah of holiness, koach mah and bittul, which is the level of Torah, through this “the high places of Arnon” will be nullified. And this is “And you shall tread upon their high places,” in the manner of “I shall be filled from the one laid waste.”

And see the Zohar, Vayakhel (folio 214), on “Everything was placed in the Ark,” etc.; and in Parshas Balak (folio 192b).

And one may further explain “For a fire went out from Cheshbon,” etc., along the lines of what is explained in the Zohar, Vayakhel (203b): “Then a single flame comes out,” etc.; see there.