ביאור ענין עלי באר כו׳

1An explanation of the matter of “Rise up, O well,” etc.

2Now, it is explained in Etz Chaim, at the beginning of Sha’ar Mayin Nukvin and Mayin Duchrin (feminine and masculine waters), that the mayin nukvin (feminine waters) of Nukva (the feminine) are drawn into her womb from her brain,

just as the mayin duchrin (masculine waters) are drawn from his intellect (mochin). And it is explained there that the mayin nukvin of Nukva are from the seven kings of Tohu: what sank into the kelipos

and has not yet been refined. Through our prayer and through the mitzvos we refine and bring out the sparks from there and raise them up at the level of mayin nukvin (see there, Derush 11, section 7).

It follows that the root of the mayin nukvin is from Chochmah (wisdom) of the World of Tohu, for the seven kings are from the level of the mochin, which are Chochmah, as is written there in Etz Chaim, Derush 1.

(And as for what is written, that it is drawn from her brain, that is, from the mochin of Nukva of Z’eir Anpin of Atzilus of Tikkun: it was explained elsewhere that this is by way of analogy, as in the physical [realm]: what a woman emits as seed, although it is drawn from her brain, nevertheless comes chiefly from the foods

that she eats. The food is refined until the life-force (chayus) in it rises to her brain, and her brain is strengthened by this; only then is the drawing-down of the mayin nukvin from her brain into her womb completed and drawn forth, so that a birth may come of it. And see what is written a little about this in the explanation on “The Chanukah lamp on the left and the mezuzah on the right.”

In the same way it will be understood above, regarding the mayin nukvin, which are refinements of Chochmah of Tohu that are refined from kelipas nogah and rise until they are included in the mochin of Nukva of the World of Atzilus (Emanation); and through this the mayin nukvin are drawn from her brain, etc. It follows, at any rate, that the root of the mayin nukvin is from Chochmah of Tohu.

And see there in Etz Chaim: “their existence is the mochin of all the feminine ones.” This implies that it is Chochmah of Malchus (sovereignty) of Tohu.) Now, in Chochmah of Tohu there is a radiance of Keser (the Crown) of Tohu,

for “Chochmah is found from ayin (nothing),” which is the level of Keser; for everywhere, the level of Keser is what joins the Emanator, the Infinite One (Ein Sof), blessed be He, with the emanated [levels], whose beginning is Chochmah.

And here too, in the refinement of the 288 sparks of Tohu that are in nogah, to rise up at the level of mayin nukvin: since Chochmah of Tohu is the mayin nukvin, then the level of Keser of Tohu also shines in this Chochmah.

For the level of Keser of Tohu is an intermediary through which the light is drawn into Chochmah of Tohu, just as Keser of Tikkun is an intermediary in its own place.

Only, in Tikkun they became partzufim (configurations), while in Tohu they were points, one beneath the other, etc. (And see Etz Chaim, Sha’ar 41, chapter 3.)

And this radiance is higher even than Chochmah and Binah of Tikkun, for in Tohu the lights were abundant, etc. And this is the meaning of “a well of living waters,”

which is the level of the raising of the mayin nukvin of Nukva. And of this it is said about the Time to Come, “And it shall be on that day, living waters will go out from Jerusalem, half of them to the former sea,” which is Binah (understanding) of Tikkun.

And the Zohar, [Parshas] Shelach (folio 171), raises a difficulty about this: “Who has ever seen the digging of a well” (and a gloss of Rabbi Chaim Vital [reads]: “the well [that] they dug”) “give water to the spring that flows”—[that is,] to Binah of Atzilus, within which is the radiance of Keser and Chochmah, etc.

And the substance of the answer is that through the well, mayin nukvin rise, which are from Keser, Chochmah and Binah of Tohu, and these are higher in their root than Keser, Chochmah and Binah of Tikkun; as is explained elsewhere on the above-mentioned statement of the Zohar.

3Now, to understand the explanation of these things: it is stated in Sefer HaBahir that there are Ten Sefiros from above to below and from below to above. From above to below, we know; from below to above, we do not know.

This is cited in Pardes, in the Gate “From Below to Above.” And in Etz Chaim, at the end of Sha’ar Mayin Nukvin and Mayin Duchrin, [it is explained] that these are the levels of the Ten Sefiros of direct light and the Ten Sefiros of reflected light, and that in the Ten Sefiros of reflected light, Malchus (sovereignty) is the Keser (the Crown).

(See what is written above about this in the explanation on “And behold, a menorah of gold,” and in the explanation on “For over all the glory, a canopy,” at its end.)

And this is the meaning of “a fountain of gardens” and “a well of living waters.” For the meaning of “a fountain of gardens” is Binah (understanding) of the World of Atzilus (Emanation),

which is also called “the former sea,” and which descends to Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah by first being enclothed in Malchus of Atzilus, which becomes Atik for Beriah. And from this comes [the fact] that the souls delight in the radiance in Gan Eden, for “Imma nests in the Throne.”

And this is the matter of the fountain that waters the higher Gan Eden. And in the same way the fountain goes on and is drawn further: Malchus of Beriah becomes Atik and the welling source for Yetzirah, and Malchus of Yetzirah [becomes] Atik and the source from which the fountain wells forth to Asiyah, to the lower Gan Eden.

And the essence of this fountain is Binah of Atzilus, as is explained in the Zohar at the end of Parshas Haazinu (folio 298a), that “a fountain of gardens” is the level of “And a river goes out from Eden to water the garden.”

And there it explains: “the garden” is heaven; “es hagan” (the garden), to include the earth. That is, heaven and earth are called the higher and the lower Gan Eden, as is known from “Whom do I have in heaven? And with You, I desire nothing on earth.”

And see also the Zohar at the end of Parshas Balak (end of folio 212b), that Chochmah (wisdom) and Binah are called “the wellsprings of salvation.” Now, this praise, “a fountain of gardens,” is said of Knesses Yisrael (the Congregation of Israel), which is Malchus of Atzilus, even though the fountain is the level of Binah.

But for it to be drawn to the gardens is specifically through Malchus of Atzilus, which specifically is the intermediary that draws the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He, from Atzilus to the World of Beriah (Creation); for Malchus of Atzilus becomes Keser for Beriah, and Keser is the intermediary, etc.

If so, she herself is the principal level of “a fountain of gardens.” And see what is written about this in Parshas Va’eschanan, on the verse “So that you may fear,” etc.

4And this is the matter of the Ten Sefiros from above to below: this fountain is drawn from Keser, Chochmah and Binah of Tikkun; for the river goes out from Eden, which is Chochmah, which “is found from ayin,”

and also the revelation of Atik is in Binah; and it is drawn from above to below to the level of Malchus of Atzilus, and she becomes Atik for Beriah and waters the higher and the lower Gan Eden, etc.

(And this is [the meaning of] what is written, “For all of it was watered,” etc., “like the garden of Havayah,” etc.; see Zohar, Part I, 109a. And see [Bereishis] Rabbah, section 41, [which] explains it in another way.)

52. Now, afterwards [the verse] praises her with another praise: that she is also “a well of living waters.” That is: what it praised her for first, that she is “a fountain of gardens,” is from above to below, at the level of direct light, for the fountain is drawn from above to below.

And afterwards it praises her for having within her the level of “from below to above,” which is the Ten Sefiros of reflected light; at this level Malchus (sovereignty) is the principal, for she is the level of the Keser (the Crown) of the Ten Sefiros of reflected light, as mentioned above.

And this is the meaning of “a well of living waters”: the well is where “the waters well up from below to above,” as is written in the Zohar (Vayechi, folio 235a, and the beginning of Parshas Noach, folio 60a).

Moreover, the fountain is what flows and waters by itself, as in “And a river goes out from Eden to water,” etc.; and this is the drawing-down from above to below. Whereas the well comes about only through digging and delving.

And although the welling-up of the water of a well is also called “by the hands of Heaven,” since it is welling water, nevertheless it does not come

except through digging and delving. And see the Zohar, Parshas Balak (end of folio 201b): “What is [the difference] between this and that?” etc. That is, the well is the level of the raising of the mayin nukvin (feminine waters) of Nukva (the feminine), which is the arousal from below (isarusa dilesata).

The explanation is as is written in Etz Chaim, Sha’ar Mayin Nukvin and Mayin Duchrin, Derush 1: although in Malchus herself, that is, in the building of her stature, the refinement has already been completed, and she is at the level of Tikkun,

yet the mayin nukvin of Nukva have not yet been refined; this is what remains to be refined through our divine service. And through the sin of Adam, the first man, the mayin nukvin of Imma also fell, etc.

6Now, [the fact] that Malchus (sovereignty) is called “a fountain of gardens” is from the aspect of Malchus herself, in whom the refinement has been completed; into her [the flow] is drawn from Keser (the Crown), Chochmah (wisdom) and Binah (understanding) of Tikkun of the World of Atzilus (Emanation), and she becomes Atik for the World of Beriah (Creation), to water the gardens, etc.

But that she is called “a well of living waters” is from the aspect of the raising of the mayin nukvin of Nukva (the feminine), which comes about through our divine service, like the well, which requires digging and delving, etc.

7And from the mayin nukvin, and from the mayin duchrin that are drawn down through the mayin nukvin, the offspring is formed, and these are the souls. And see there in Etz Chaim, Derush 1, that this is the meaning of “The son of David will not come until all the souls in the guf (body) are finished,” etc.; and this is the meaning of “until the feet reach the feet,” etc.

For the mayin nukvin as a whole (klalus) are the level of the form of a man: Chochmah, Binah and Daas; Chesed, Gevurah and Tiferes; Netzach, Hod and Yesod. In the days of the Tannaim and Amoraim there was the refinement of Chochmah, Binah and Daas and of Chesed, Gevurah and Tiferes, and now it is the refinement of Netzach, Hod and Yesod, the “heels” of Mashiach (ikvos Meshicha) (see Iggeres HaKodesh, epistle 9). And this is why, when the refinement is completed, it is written, “And His feet shall stand,” etc.

Now, it is explained in the books of medicine that the main building of the fetus is made from the seed of the female, which the mother emits, while the seed of the male is like the curdling agent; this is what is written, “and curdled me like cheese.”

Just as cheese comes into being from milk, only this is by putting something into it, such as rennet, which is what sets the milk so that it congeals and cheese is made from it; so the seed of the male is what refines the seed of the female so that it congeals and the fetus is made from it, etc.

8So too will the analogue above be understood, regarding the souls, which are formed from mayin nukvin and mayin duchrin: their coming into being is chiefly from the mayin nukvin of Nukva, as is written in Etz Chaim there, that the mayin nukvin are the holy souls themselves, which sank within the kelipos, and we raise them up at the level of mayin nukvin, etc.;

except that, nevertheless, this is specifically after they are refined by the mayin duchrin, which refine the mayin nukvin with a second refinement. For it is from the level of Mah, “in Chochmah (wisdom) they were refined,” which draws into them the level of self-nullification (bittul), etc.; for the shattering of the vessels was because they were at the level of yesh (separate existence).

But nevertheless the principal [part] of the soul is from the level of the mayin nukvin, because it is from the level of Chochmah and Keser (the Crown) of Tohu, which is above Chochmah and Keser of Tikkun, which is the level of the mayin duchrin.

9That is, their root is from the Name Sag, which is the essence and very being of the lights in Adam Kadmon, and not a mere radiance like the Name Mah, which is from his forehead, as is written in Iggeres HaKodesh, close to its end; and so it is in the Ramaz, at the beginning of Parshas Vayeshev, on “And the wisdom of the poor man,” etc.

And this is also what is written in the Raaya Mehemna, Parshas [Ki] Sisa: “A stone to weigh with: this is yud.” The meaning: yud is the level of Chochmah (wisdom) of Atzilus, which is the level of the mayin duchrin that refine the mayin nukvin; just as the stone weighs the merchandise in the other pan [of the scale] and lifts it up.

And nevertheless, after the mayin nukvin have been refined through the mayin duchrin, they are then higher; as in the analogy of the merchandise weighed with the stone, which is far more precious than the stone, etc.

(And see there in Etz Chaim, that the two yuds in the alef are the matter of the mayin duchrin and the mayin nukvin. And according to what is written elsewhere, that in tefillin the form of the alef is yud, vav, dalet, it may be said also that this is the meaning of “A stone to weigh with: this is yud”; and what is weighed,

that is, the mayin nukvin, is the vav and dalet, which also add up to yud (ten); and this is the matter of the two halves of the holy shekel, as is written elsewhere.) And this is also the meaning of “until David exceeded,” ואחע״ב, because the root of the mayin nukvin is from Sag, which is higher than Mah.

And this matter will be understood further along the lines of what is written in Sefer HaBahir, cited in Pardes, Sha’ar 15, chapter 4: “The Shechinah (Divine Presence) is below just as the Shechinah is above. A parable: to what may the matter be compared? To a king who had seven sons,” etc.

“And the lowest said, ‘I am below; let me not be far from you.’ He said to them, ‘Here I am, encircling and seeing you’; that is, ‘The whole earth is full of His glory.’” End of quote.

And the meaning of “I encircle you” is that He, may He be blessed, is the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin), which is the level of the great circle that is before the kav (line of light), which encompasses all the worlds.

10Now, from the standpoint of the kav (line of light), above and below apply: the beginning of the kav is in Chochmah (wisdom), and there is the main revelation—“You made them all with Chochmah”—and the further down it is drawn, the more it is contracted and the revelation of the light is lessened. And Malchus (sovereignty),

which is the last level among the Ten Sefiros, is “And the lowest said, ‘I am below; let me not be far from you’”; for from the standpoint of the light of the kav, she is further away, etc.

11And the answer was, “I encircle you.” If so, from the standpoint of this level of sovev kol almin (encompassing all worlds), the great circle that encompasses the kav (line of light) and all the worlds, then, on the contrary, Malchus (sovereignty), which is there at the bottom of the kav and its end, is closer to the level of the great circle than the other nine Sefiros, which are in the middle of the kav, by way of analogy.

12And even the level of the higher Chochmah (Chochmah Ila’ah), which is the beginning of revelation: the kav was first drawn as the level of Keser (the Crown), and if so, Keser interposes between the great circle and the level of Chochmah, by way of analogy; whereas the level of Malchus (sovereignty) is close to the bottom of the circle, with no interruption whatsoever between them.

13And as is written about this in the discourse beginning “He and His life-forces”: “And this is only because the feet of Adam Kadmon end at the bottom of Asiyah, and beneath his feet shines the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He, which encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin), with no interruption between them except,” etc.;

“and also the kav (line of light) shines from below to above as reflected light,” etc.; and through this there is power and strength in the end of the vessel of Malchus (sovereignty), etc. See there.

14So too regarding the refinement of the sparks of Tohu, which are the level of mayin nukvin (feminine waters): they were distanced and fell further down, into the nogah of Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah; and when they are refined from the kelipos and included in holiness, the radiance of sovev kol almin (encompassing all worlds) shines in them with greater closeness.

And this is the superiority of baalei teshuvah (those who return) over the tzaddikim: for the level of “the one far off” who has become near becomes nearer from the standpoint of the light of sovev kol almin, which shines in him more, as closeness and revelation, etc.

And in the same way it will be understood that the refinements of sparks of the World of Asiyah (Action) have, for this reason, a greater advantage than the refinements of Yetzirah and Beriah; and this is the meaning of “until the feet reach the feet,” mentioned above.

15And as mentioned above, “beneath his feet shines,” etc. And this is what is written in Sefer HaBahir: the Ten Sefiros from above to below “we know,” because they are drawn from the level of the kav (line of light);

but the Ten Sefiros from below to above “we do not know,” because there is drawn into them the radiance of sovev kol almin (encompassing all worlds), of which “no thought can grasp Him at all”: the level of the great encompassing [light], in which there is no above and below at all,

and it is beyond knowledge and comprehension. And along these lines may be explained the saying of our Sages, of blessed memory (end of chapter 2 of Rosh HaShanah), on the verse “The sun knows its setting”: “but the moon does not know its setting.”

And see the Zohar, Part I, Vayechi (end of folio 236b). That is: the level of the sun is direct light, from above to below, [which] “we know”;

but the level of the moon, which went down to be “a head to foxes,” to refine the sparks that fell from the World of Tohu, through which the level of the raising of mayin nukvin (feminine waters) comes about, is at the level that is beyond knowledge and comprehension, as mentioned above;

and this is “does not know its setting.” And see the Mikdash Melech, at the beginning of Parshas Tzav, on the meaning of “I did not know my soul”: that it comes from a lofty place, from Reisha d’Lo Isyada (the Unknowable Head), etc. And see [Midrash] Rabbah on the Song of Songs, on the verse “I did not know my soul.” And see Etz Chaim, Sha’ar Arich Anpin, end of chapter 2.

163. Now, the meaning of “a well of living waters” in the service of G‑d is the active mitzvos [done] with the desire of the heart (re’usa deliba) (as was explained in Parshas Toldos, on the verse “And Yitzchak’s servants dug”). For

the body of the act of the mitzvah is made from something taken from kelipas nogah, such as the wool of tzitzis and the parchment of tefillin, and it rises and is included in holiness, like “a well of living waters,” which wells up from beneath the ground, etc.

And although the mitzvos are called the 620 pillars of light (just as pillars extend from the roof to the ground, so they are drawings-down from above to below, from Keser (the Crown) and Chochmah (wisdom) of Tikkun),

yet it is by way of analogy like the pillars, which stand specifically upon the ground, for it is specifically on it that the pillar is upheld, the ground being what supports and holds up the pillar. So too, the main drawing-down of the mayin duchrin (masculine waters), which is drawn

from Keser and Chochmah of Tikkun through the fulfillment of the mitzvah (as in “and commanded us,” vetzivanu, an expression of joining, tzavsa, and of drawing-down), all this is through the raising of mayin nukvin (feminine waters): “who has sanctified us with His commandments,” which are sparks of Keser and Chochmah of Tohu, which are above the World of Tikkun, as mentioned above.

17And this is why the mitzvos are, in general, in three things: thought, speech and action. There are mitzvos that depend on thought, and there are mitzvos that depend on speech, such as Torah study, the Shema, prayer and Grace after Meals.

And most of the mitzvos are in action. These correspond to the three worlds, Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah, in which the refinements apply, that is, the refinement of the kelipas nogah of Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah, which is the matter of “a well of living waters.” And from this there is drawn

an addition of light in Gan Eden, at the level of “a fountain of gardens,” in the manner of “living waters will go out from Jerusalem to the former sea”; and the revelation of light is drawn to the soul of man in Gan Eden, [as] inner light (Or Pnimi) and encompassing light (Or Makif), etc.

18And the matter of “a fountain of gardens” below, in man, may be said to be the study of the Torah, the fifty-three (gan) sedarim of the Torah. For “a fountain of gardens” is the mayin duchrin (masculine waters), which refine the mayin nukvin (feminine waters), as the Ramaz wrote, Parshas Va’eschanan, folio 266.

Now, the refinement of the action of the mitzvos is through the study of the Torah, as is written elsewhere, that this is the meaning of “Great is study, for it brings to action”: Mah refines Ban, etc.

And within the study of the Torah, too, there is the level of “a river” and the level of “living waters”: the level of recitation (girsa) is called “a river,” and it is not “living waters”;

but the level of in-depth study (iyun), which is the birth of new knowledge (daas), draws down the level of “living waters,” etc., as was explained elsewhere.

19And this is “Rise up, O well; sing to it (enu lah).” The meaning of “sing to it” is the arousal from above (isarusa dile’eila), which is drawn first to awaken the raising of mayin nukvin (feminine waters), so that there be “Rise up, O well.”

And this is “a well of living waters, and streams (nozlim) from Lebanon”: that it flows and is drawn from the supernal mazalos of the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy, from where an arousal of mercy is drawn, so that there be an arousal from below (isarusa dilesata),

as in the words, “In Your great mercy, have mercy on us, and put understanding in our hearts,” etc. (And see Otzros Chaim, folio 100b, what is written there in the name of the Arizal on the meaning of “sing to it”; and afterwards in the Ramaz, at the beginning of Parshas Teitzei, on “When You ride upon Your horses.”)

“A well that princes dug” is as is written, “And Havayah Elokim built the rib”: that Abba and Imma (Chochmah and Binah) fashioned her, etc., as is written in the Zohar, Part I

(49a). That is, from the level of Chesed (kindness), Gevurah (restraint) and Tiferes (beauty) of Abba and Imma; and this is “the nobles of the people,” etc. And this is the meaning of “The Sanctuary, Ado-nai, that Your hands established.”

And see what is written about this in the explanation on “Take a census of the sons of Gershon,” and see about this in Etz Chaim, Sha’ar 34, Sha’ar HaYare’ach (the Gate of the Moon), chapter 3; and see what is written about this on “The eyes of all look hopefully to You,” etc., “You open Your hand,” etc.

20And this is the matter of the Patriarchs, who are called “the nobles of the people.” And the choicest of the Patriarchs is Yaakov, of whom it is said, “For you have striven (sarisa) with Elokim and with men, and have prevailed”; and this is “princes (sarim) dug it.”

For of Avraham it is said, “And behold, three men were standing over him,” whereas of Yaakov it is said, “He strove with an angel and prevailed; he wept and pleaded with him”: for the angel was nullified and subdued before him.

21The explanation is that the Patriarchs were from the level of Chesed (kindness), Gevurah (restraint) and Tiferes (beauty), and in the emotive attributes (middos) there is the level of division, each attribute by itself. Therefore there were three angels with Avraham, for “one angel does not perform two missions,” etc., [which is] also at the level of division.

But the Torah, which “comes forth from Chochmah (wisdom),” is the general and collective expression of them all (klalus), like the brain, which includes all the 248 limbs, etc. And see Sefer Shel Beinonim, chapters 51 [and] 52.

And this is what [the Sages] said on the verse “Like a hammer that shatters a rock”: one verse goes out to several meanings, etc. And Yaakov, although he is at the level of the emotive attributes,

yet his root is from the higher Chochmah (Chochmah Ila’ah), Yesod (foundation) of Abba, which is drawn and spreads within the emotive attributes, as is written in the Likkutei Torah of the Arizal on the verse “And He established a testimony in Yaakov,” etc.

(as is explained in Parshas Balak, in the explanation on “Who has counted the dust of Yaakov,” and in Parshas Vayishlach, on “And a man wrestled with him”). Therefore it is said of him, “For you have striven with Elokim and with men,” etc.

Now, from the level of the Name Elokim are drawn the tzimtzum (contraction) and the concealment; and “men” are Metatron and Sandalphon, who also serve to be a garment and a concealment, and are called “the shoe of the Shechinah,” as is written elsewhere. And Yaakov is the one who prevails over this level, so that there be no concealment and hiding; and this is the matter of the digging and delving, etc.

“With the lawgiver (bimchokek)”: this is Moshe, Yesod of Abba, who makes the engraving (chakikah) in the inner dimension (pnimiyus), the level of self-nullification (bittul), etc.; for “Moshe is within, Yaakov is without,” since a vessel has two engravings, from within and from without, etc.

And see what is written at the end of the discourse beginning “Command the children of Israel,” etc., “The one lamb you shall offer in the morning,” etc. “With their staffs (bemishanosam)”: these are the level of the supporters of the Torah (tamchei oraysa)

(and see Pri Etz Chaim, Sha’ar HaShabbos, chapter 21, regarding the Kiddusha Rabba (the Kiddush of the Shabbos day): “the letters of be’er (well),” etc., up to “shemei rabba.” That is: through the raising of the mayin nukvin of the level of “a well of living waters” mentioned above, there is drawn the level of the revelation of shemei rabba,

that is, His great Name. And see what is written about this revelation on “I,” etc., “who brought you out of the land of Egypt,” of the section of tzitzis. It is further explained in Pri Etz Chaim there that [light] is drawn from the upper well, of Binah (understanding), into the lower well, of Malchus (sovereignty). And see Zohar, Part II, Beshalach) (63b).

And see about these two wells in Biurei HaZohar, on “And Yaakov went out from Be’er Sheva.” And [as for] what is repeated in the Torah, “Therefore the name of the city is Be’er Sheva”: the first is regarding Avraham (in Parshas Vayera, 21:31),

the second regarding Yitzchak, in Parshas (Toldos, 26:33); for it alludes to the two wells mentioned above, of Binah and of Malchus. And according to this, one may explain the meaning of “Then Israel sang,” etc., “Rise up, O well”:

that the song is to draw down the power from above, from the level and rank of the upper well, so that there be “Rise up, O well”; that is to say, that the raising of mayin nukvin from below, from the level of Malchus, too, be like the level and rank of the upper well, of Binah.

For if this were not so, there would be a difference between them, as is written in the discourse beginning “The Song of Songs”: the difference between “my soul pines for the courts of Havayah,”

that is, the level of “with all your soul,” and the level of “my flesh and my heart pine away (kalah),” an expression of expiring (kilayon), which is the level of self-sacrifice (mesirus nefesh) at “One,” etc. See there.

But the level of the ascent of Malchus, in the manner of “He did not stop cherishing her until He called her ‘My mother,’” and in the manner of “like a city that is joined together,” in the discourse beginning “These are the accounts of the Mishkan, the Mishkan of the Testimony,” is when she too is at the level of the raising of mayin nukvin mentioned above; and this is the matter of “with all your might (me’odecha).”

22And this is the matter of the ascents of Shabbos, when the level of vav-hei rises to the rank of yud-hei. Therefore, for there to be “Rise up, O well” at this level, it must be through a drawing-down of power from above; and this is “a well that princes dug,” as is written about this in the discourse beginning “See, the fragrance of my son,” regarding “which Havayah has blessed.”

23And then, through the raising of mayin nukvin (feminine waters) at the level of “Rise up, O well,” one draws from the level of the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He, itself, the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin), which is above the drawing-down of the kav (line of light), etc. See there. And this is the matter of the revelation of shemei rabba (His great Name).

And this is the matter of “a well of living waters,” which wells up constantly, in the manner of “two companions who never part”; and it is the level of “his Torah is his occupation.” And nevertheless they interrupt for the Shema, so as to be at the level of the well mentioned above in their engagement in Torah, etc.

24And along these lines one may explain the difference between “a fountain of gardens” and the level of “a well of living waters.” “A fountain of gardens,” which goes out by itself constantly, is like “And a river goes out from Eden”: it goes out constantly; and this is the constant union of Chochmah (wisdom) and Binah (understanding), to give life to the worlds.

But for there to be a drawing-down of truly new light from the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), this is through the digging and delving of “a well of living waters,” etc. And see about this in the explanation on “Remember” and “Observe.”

It may also be explained, according to what is written in the discourse beginning “See, the fragrance of my son,” [on] the difference between the level of Miriam’s well, which is a spring that wells up by itself, this being the raising of mayin nukvin (feminine waters) to the inner light (Or Pnimi), and “a well that princes dug,”

which is for there to be a raising of mayin nukvin to the level of the supernal encompassing [light], etc.: in the same way one may explain the difference between the level of “a fountain of gardens” and “a well of living waters.”

25And of this it is said, “A well that princes (sarim) dug”: Chochmah, Binah and Daas, like a minister (sar) before the king, etc. And the matter of “with their staffs”: for the level of the raising of mayin nukvin (feminine waters) mentioned above is called by the name “walking,” as it is written, “And I will give you mehalchim (those who walk) among those who stand.”

For the angels, whose service is to arouse and draw down the constant union, the level of “And in His goodness He renews,” etc., are called “those who stand”; but the souls, who through “they dug it, they delved it” draw down new light, are called “those who walk.”

Therefore of the angels it is said, “And their feet were a straight foot (regel yesharah)”; and Tosafos explained (chapter 2 of Chagigah, folio 13a), from the Jerusalem Talmud (chapter 9 of Berachos), that it is a journey of five hundred years, like from the earth to the firmament, and the foot exceeds it further by yud-hei (fifteen), that is, the numerical value of yesharah, which is 515;

that is, their service is to draw the level of yud-hei into the worlds, which are a journey of five hundred years. And this is as it is written, “For with Yah, Havayah formed the worlds”: with the yud the World to Come was created, with the hei this world was created.

Therefore their service is to draw down this level, so that there be “And in His goodness He renews each day, constantly, the work of creation”; and since the source of the drawing-down is from the level of the two letters yud-hei, they are called “those who stand.”

But of Israel it is said, “Until Your people pass over, Havayah”: above the Name Havayah, to draw down new light from the very essence of the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof) itself; this is the matter of “those who walk.” And as it is written, “And I will walk among you.” And this drawing-down is through “with all your might,” without limit.

26Now, walking is by means of the feet; and this is the matter of “Three regalim (pilgrimage festivals) you shall celebrate for Me,” in which and through which is drawn the power to be able to be [at the level of] “with all your might,” as is written on the verse “to offer to Me in its appointed time.” And the souls too are called “foot,” as is written on the verse “And the earth is My footstool.”

27As it is written, “You are children to Havayah,” and “a son is the leg of his father,” etc. Yet even so, one needs a staff to be able to walk on one’s feet, as it is written of Elisha, “Take my staff in your hand,” etc.

That is: through the fulfillment of the mitzvos, which are called “with their staffs,” supports (tamchin), through this the power will be drawn into the soul to be at the level of “those who walk”; as it is written, “If you walk in My statutes”: through fulfilling the statutes one will come to the level of “you walk,” as is written about this in the discourse beginning “And now, I pray, let [the strength] be great.”

And this is the meaning of “Havayah will send the staff of your strength from Zion.” The meaning: mateh (staff) is an expression of inclining (hatayah) and of the drawing-down of the level of strength and power.

(As is written there on the meaning of “Master of our strength,” etc. And see [Bereishis] Rabbah, Vayeshev, section 85, on the verse “Your signet, your cord and your staff,” etc., and the end of Parshas Korach.

And see what is written above on the verse “And behold, the staff of Aharon had blossomed,” etc. And see Me’orei Or, the letter mem, section 64. And see the Gemara, chapter 6 of Pesachim, end of folio 68a, on the verse “each man with his staff in his hand”; and the Zohar, Part I, Toldos, 135a, and the Ramaz’s commentary there.)

That is: the resurrection of the dead is drawn through a drawing-down from the level of sovev kol almin (encompassing all worlds), and this is the matter of “with their staffs”; and therefore from there is drawn also the power for there to be “a well of living waters.”

And so too, “And it shall be on that day, living waters will go out,” etc. And see what is written about the matter of living waters on the verse “That they take to you a [red] heifer,” etc.