וכי תבואו אל הארץ ונטעתם כל עץ מאכל כו׳

1“And when you come into the land and plant any tree for food,” etc. “And in the fourth year,” etc. Our Sages, of blessed memory, said in [Midrash] Rabbah, Kedoshim, section 25: “Who will uncover the dust from your eyes, Adam, the first man,” etc., “and here are your children, waiting out orlah for three years,” etc.; see there.

2From this there is proof for the explanation of the Siftei Kohen (Shach) on the Torah, who explains that this mitzvah is a rectification of the sin of the Tree of Knowledge,

for of it, too, it is said, “that the tree was good for food.” Adam, the first man, was commanded concerning it in the ninth hour, and in the tenth hour he transgressed; had he waited three hours, until Shabbos, “all its fruit” would have been “holy, for praises.”

3Corresponding to these [three hours], they were commanded regarding planting, “Three years they shall be orlah for you,” etc.; see there. This is the intent of the Midrash, “and here are your children, waiting,” etc.: that by this they rectify the sin of Adam, the first man, with the Tree of Knowledge, etc.

Now, the meaning of “And in the fourth year all its fruit shall be holy, for praises to Havayah” is that they are eaten by the owners in Jerusalem; and this is [what is meant by] “praises to Havayah”: that one carries it there to extol and to praise Heaven.

4Now, it is written, “For there the tribes went up,” etc., “to give thanks to the Name of Havayah.” We need to understand the matter of thanksgiving and praise, our praising Him, may He be blessed: what purpose does it serve? Is He not, may He be blessed, “exalted above all blessing and praise,” and “to Him silence is praise”?

But the explanation is according to what is written, “And You are holy, sitting upon the praises of Israel.” For the Infinite One (Ein Sof), blessed be He, is exalted and uplifted without end beyond the bounds of the coming-into-being of all the worlds, for He, blessed be He, in Himself is holy and separate, etc.

Rather, the coming-into-being of all the worlds is only from the level of His Name. That is, all His attributes (middos), may He be blessed, by which He brings all the worlds into being, are only His Names, may He be blessed, and nothing more; like a person’s name, which for himself alone he does not need at all.

Therefore, in order to draw down the revelation of His attributes, may He be blessed, since in Himself He is holy and separate from the bounds of these levels,

this is through extolling and praising Him by these attributes, for through this we draw down the revelation of the Names and the attributes; even though in Himself “He is not any of these attributes at all.”

It is like, by way of analogy, a person whose friend needs him to bestow his kindness, while he at that time is in great anger and fury, so that he is far from the attribute of kindness. Even so, when his friend calls to him and begins to extol him, [saying] how

he is a man of great kindness, through this he arouses in him his attribute of kindness, so that it is revealed toward him and he grants him his request.

And although this attribute was then in great concealment, nevertheless he arouses it through the extolling and the calling of the name of his kindness, etc. In the same way the analogue Above will be understood, though in a different manner:

namely, because He, may He be blessed, “is not any of these attributes at all,” as mentioned above, to the point that these attributes are called only His Names, for by oneself one has no need at all for the name.

5If so, they are in great and immense concealment, like a person’s name when no one calls him by it. Therefore, drawing down the revelation of these attributes is through calling His Names, may He be blessed, by which we call Him,

and extolling Him by them; that is, as we say, “Blessed are You, Havayah,” which is a matter of praise and acclaim: that He brings everything into being from nothing into something.

Through this calling we draw down the revelation of the Name Havayah, that it be drawn down to us, to bring everything into being. All this is explained elsewhere, on the verse “And I have given you one portion,” etc.; see there, where it is explained very clearly.

6This is the meaning of the verse “And You are holy, sitting upon the praises of Israel.” That is to say, He, may He be blessed, in Himself is holy and separate; and that He be “sitting” and drawn down below—for drawing down is called by the term “sitting,”

like one who sits, who lowers his stature—is through “the praises of Israel”: through praise and acclaim they cause the revelation and the drawing down. Therefore hillul (praise) is also a term for illumination, as in “When His lamp shone (behilo) over my head.”

And this is [the meaning of] “For there the tribes went up,” etc., “to give thanks to the Name of Havayah,” which refers to what is written just before it, “Jerusalem, built as a city that is joined to it together,” which is the level of the Jerusalem Above;

that is, “Blessed is Havayah from the world to the world,” to draw down from the concealed world to the revealed world, as is explained on this in the discourse beginning “These are the accounts of the Mishkan, the Mishkan of the Testimony,” etc. Along these lines is the matter of “all its fruit shall be holy, for praises to Havayah.”

72. Now, in the Zohar, Part III, at the end of Parshas Kedoshim, folio 87, end of side a, it explains there the matter of the three years, etc.: “The fourth year: this is the Congregation of Israel (Knesses Yisrael), who stands as the fourth [leg] of the Throne,

for then the Holy One, blessed be He, unites with her, with the Congregation of Israel” (and see what is written on the verse “Yehudah, you,” in Torah Ohr, Parshas Vayechi). And the Ramaz (Rabbi Moshe Zacuto), on Parshas Vayera, folio 97, end of side b, explains

that in the first three years of the tree’s planting in the land, the supernal Land receives from the level of the last three Sefiros, which are Netzach, Hod and Yesod, and in the fourth year it receives from Tiferes (beauty), etc.; and specifically then “is the wedding celebration (hilula) found.”

8However, this is not understood: even if it receives from Netzach, Hod and Yesod, why should there be so great a prohibition on the fruits, that they be orlah, “not to be eaten,” and forbidden for any benefit?

Rather, the reason is certainly as written in the Pardes, Sha’ar 24, at its end: that what is written, “Three years shall it be for you,” etc., corresponds to the three impure kelipos (husks) mentioned in the Chariot of Yechezkel, “a stormy wind,” etc.; and the fourth is the thin kelipah called Nogah, which can be elevated.

9And so it is written in the book Shaarei Orah, the Fifth Gate, concerning the three times “for I will cut them off (amilam)”; and so it is written in the Zohar, Part II, Pekudei, folio 244, side b: “three years,” etc.

If so, what does this have to do with the words of the Ramaz cited above, based on the passage in Parshas Kedoshim, folio 87, which ties the three years of orlah to its receiving from Netzach, Hod and Yesod, etc., and [says that] in the fourth year, when it receives from Tiferes, it is the level of union and wedding celebration (zivuga vehilula)?

10The explanation is that the supernal speech is called by the term “female” and “recipient” in relation to the supernal attributes, which are called by the terms “bestower” and “male,” as it is written, “He remembered (zachar) His kindness.” And the explanation, by way of “from my flesh I behold,” is that

speech receives from the voice, which comes out from the breath of the heart by way of the windpipe; and the heart is the dwelling place of the attributes. Therefore a person speaks only of what his heart wants and desires.

11Now, we see that the inner dimension (pnimiyus) of an attribute is not enclothed in speech at all, but only the outer dimension (chitzoniyus) of the attribute, as we see.

When a person is in the agitation of great anger, he cannot speak at all, and this is because the essence and the force of the attribute cannot be enclothed in letters at all. As is also explained in the discourse beginning “Sound the shofar on the New Moon,” that this is why the voice of the shofar is a simple voice, without letters: because

it is a cry from the inwardness of the heart, which cannot be enclothed in letters. This is the matter of the “inner voice” (kala penima’ah). By contrast, the voice that is enclothed in letters is only the back (achorayim) and the outer dimension of the attribute.

12Now, the voice is composed of three aspects, fire, water and air (ruach), as is explained in Torah Ohr, Parshas Vayetzei, in the discourse beginning “And I return in peace.”

This is the matter of the world of speech being called “the world of the feminine” (alma denukva) in relation to the attributes, in the manner of “weakness of strength, like a female”: that is, there is not drawn into speech [anything] of the essence of the attributes, but only a very small portion of the attributes, etc. And so too, by way of analogy, Above:

for it is written, “Forever, Havayah, Your word stands in the heavens”: the letters and words of the utterance “Let there be a firmament” “stand,” enclothed and abiding within the firmament of the heavens, to give them life, as is written in Sefer Shel Beinonim (Tanya), Part II; and so it is in Midrash Tehillim.

13Now, the firmament is bounded; if so, this speech has already been contracted so as to be enclothed within something bounded.

The supernal attributes, by contrast, are in a state of infinity, etc. But this is because speech receives only through contraction (tzimtzum), from the level of the back and the outer dimension of the attributes, etc.

Therefore afterwards it is divided into parts in speech, through the five points of articulation, so that it be drawn down in a bounded manner, as is explained elsewhere, in the discourse beginning “Ado-nai, open my lips.”

[In the Siddur, the Gate of Rosh HaShanah.] (And see the Pardes, the entry “Gevul” [boundary].) And this is [the meaning of] what is written in the Idra Rabba, in Nasso, folio 141, side b: “and pierced,” etc.

And in Etz Chaim, Sha’ar HaKelalim, chapter 10: that this is why she is called nekevah (female), nekev-hei: that is, the five (hei) points of articulation of speech receive from the attributes through a nekev (an opening),

that is, a diminution of the light; and this nekev joined with the lower hei and became nekevah, etc. He also wrote so in the Sixth Palace, Sha’ar 33, chapter 2.

14And in Sha’ar 34, which is the Gate of the Moon. This is the matter mentioned above, that speech receives from the level of Netzach, Hod and Yesod, which are the lowest level within the attributes. And see Iggeres HaKodesh, section 19, in the discourse beginning “He wraps Himself in light as in a garment.”

But after the level of speech has been built through its receiving from the level of Netzach, Hod and Yesod and from the back of the attributes, afterwards there shines further into speech from the level of the essence of the attributes.

15This is what is called the union of male and female (dechar venukva): although speech, of itself, is called “the world of the feminine,” to shine in a manner of limit and end,

the union, however, means that there shine into it from the level of the attributes themselves, which are called “the world of the masculine” (alma dedechura), as mentioned above. See about this in the discourse beginning “Ado-nai, open my lips,” mentioned above, on the explanation of “with the voice of the words of the living G‑d.”

It is like, by way of analogy, the difference in a person between speech in which he speaks mundane words and speech in which he speaks words of wisdom, etc.

In the same way, the Ten Utterances are called “words of commoners” (milin dehedyota) in relation to the Holy One, blessed be He, for in them there shines only from the level of Netzach, Hod and Yesod, to bring into being from nothing into something, and the something appears as a separate thing.

But into the Ten Commandments there was drawn from the level of the inner dimension (pnimiyus) of His wisdom and will, may He be blessed, and there was a revelation of His G‑dliness, may He be blessed, not in a manner of concealment and hiddenness, etc. Therefore our Sages, of blessed memory, said (Berachos, chapter 9, folio 58, end of side a), “‘And the Tiferes (beauty)’: this is the Giving of the Torah.”

For this level of union, that is, the addition of supernal light in speech beyond the fixed measure, is drawn through the attribute of Tiferes, which is above the level of Netzach, Hod and Yesod,

which is called “the middle bar, which runs through from end to end” (see the Zohar, Part II, Terumah, 175b, and Iggeres HaKodesh, section 12).

For the meaning of Tiferes is in the manner of the saying of our Sages, of blessed memory, at the end of chapter 6 of Avos: “Everything that the Holy One, blessed be He, created, He created only for His glory, as it is said, ‘And for My glory I created him,’” etc.;

and the Shelah (Shnei Luchos HaBris), folio 39, side b, explains: that is, so that there be a revelation of His G‑dliness, may He be blessed, below, in the manner of “You have been shown, to know that Havayah is G‑d; there is none else besides Him,”

and in the manner of “And Egypt shall know that I am Havayah,” etc., and as it is written, “But indeed, as I live, and the glory of Havayah shall fill all the earth,” etc.,

and as it concludes in Avos there, “And it says, ‘Havayah shall reign forever and ever,’” etc. (And see on the matter of “And for My glory I created him” in the Zohar, Part II, Terumah, folio 155, side a.)

That is, that there be a revelation of the precious glory (tiferes) of His greatness, may He be blessed, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said, “The Holy One, blessed be He, desired to have a dwelling place among the lower realms.” And this is in order to bestow good upon His creatures, “to revive the spirit of the lowly,” that they recognize and know the precious glory of the Infinite One (Ein Sof), blessed be He, etc.

And see Shaarei Orah, the Fifth Gate, at “Know that this is why it is called Tiferes,” etc.: for the meaning of Tiferes is [glory] for the Name Havayah, etc., that is, the showing of His greatness and His glory, etc., until the Tiferes ascends on high, up to the Infinite One, etc.; see there at length.

16Therefore the addition of light in the supernal speech, in the manner of “And the glory of Havayah shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see together that the mouth

of Havayah has spoken”: all this is drawn through the attribute of Tiferes. In the same way it is said, “Who led at the right hand of Moshe the arm of His glory (tiferes),” etc., and it is written, “to make for Yourself a Name of glory (tiferes),” etc.

17Therefore this is called the union of Tiferes (beauty) and Malchus (sovereignty), etc. And this is also [why] from the Tiferes of the higher [level] the Keser (the Crown) of the lower is made: for Keser is the will, and this level of will, to shine below, is drawn from the level of the Tiferes of the higher, etc.,

for this attribute causes the revelation, as mentioned above. And this is [the meaning of] “and [we] praise the Name of Your Tiferes”: for it was explained above that praise and acclaim cause the revelation of the light Above.

And how does it cause it? Only because this is an elevation of mayin nukvin (feminine waters) to the level of Tiferes, and it is [Tiferes] that shines through this, so that there be a revelation of His precious glory, as mentioned above. And this is “and [we] praise the Name of Your Tiferes”: that is, Tiferes and Malchus, etc.

183. From all this will be understood the difference between the first three years of the tree’s planting, which alludes to Z’eir Anpin (the emotive attributes) in the supernal Land,

which is speech: then only the level of Netzach, Hod and Yesod shines, like, by way of analogy, the outer dimension of the voice, which is composed of three aspects, fire, air and water, as mentioned above; and then the illumination in speech is very slight, as mentioned above.

But in the fourth year, which is the level of Tiferes, through this there shines into speech an added light that exceeds the principal, etc.,

and this is called the union of voice and speech, in the manner of “The voice of my Beloved knocks: Open for me,” etc.; “The voice of my Beloved! Behold, he comes, leaping,” etc. And this is the matter of “The voice is the voice of Yaakov”: [Yaakov] is the middle bar, etc.

19Therefore our Sages, of blessed memory, said, “A girl of three years and one day can be betrothed through cohabitation,” etc., for before then she is not fit for union. Along the same lines is what our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “At three years old Avraham recognized his Creator,” etc. And this is what is written: “And that fruit is not completed in its completeness until three years”;

for there does not shine upon it from the level of Tiferes, so that it be fit to glorify the Holy One, blessed be He, over it by saying, “Blessed are You, Havayah,” until the fourth year, etc.

But the essence of the matter is that through the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil the kelipos (husks) grew strong, along the lines of what is written in the Zohar, Part I, Lech Lecha, folio 79, end of side b, on the verse “And the Canaanite was then in the land”: that “Cursed is Canaan, a slave of slaves,” for he is of the three impure kelipos.

20And because of the aforementioned sin he had a hold in the land; and see there, in Parshas Noach, folio 73, sides a and b. But this is only in the first three years, when there shines into the land, which is the world of speech, only from the level of Netzach, Hod and Yesod, which is a level of contraction (tzimtzum) and concealment;

then they have nurture, as is explained concerning “to Charan” (Charanah): from the level of garon (throat) is drawn charon (wrath), etc.; and along the lines of what is mentioned in the discourse beginning “In the wilderness of Sinai,” concerning midbar (wilderness) with an open mem, etc.

But when there shines into speech, from the level of Tiferes, the middle line, an added light, they have no nurture, etc., for light pushes away darkness, as it is written, “As wax melts before fire, they shall perish”

(as is explained in Sefer Shel Beinonim, chapter 19; and see what is written in the discourse beginning “How does one dance,” concerning “And Beis Hillel say,” etc.; and what is written in Parshas Tzav, in the discourse beginning “Who gladdens the groom and the bride,” etc.).

Therefore all this applies specifically to a tree for food, like the Tree of Knowledge, etc. Now, through this pushing away, in which the sitra achra (the other side) is subdued, when one breaks his desire and waits three years, etc., through this “the glory of the Holy One, blessed be He, is elevated,” so that “in the fourth year” there is a revelation of the precious glory of His greatness, may He be blessed.

21And this is [the meaning of] “And now we give thanks to You and praise the Name of Your Tiferes.” For in truth, the very emanation of the attribute of Tiferes is also through the prior tzimtzum (contraction) and the vacated space (makom panui) explained in Etz Chaim,

for in Himself “He is not any of these attributes at all”; only in order to do good to His creatures did He contract Himself into these attributes, as is known.

22If so, the level of Tiferes too came into being after the tzimtzum, like the other attributes, except that it is a source for them. Therefore it is said, “We give thanks to You and praise the Name of Your Tiferes.”

The meaning: to “You,” that is, His very being and essence, may He be blessed, only thanksgiving applies, not praise, for He, may He be blessed, is “awesome in praises,” and “to Him silence is praise.”

23Praise applies only to the level of His Name, may He be blessed. Therefore, from the Malchus of the Infinite One (Ein Sof) the Keser of Atzilus is made: for there is no comparison, in relation to the Infinite One, such that a level of Tiferes could truly apply in the Essence from the extolling with which the worlds extol Him, etc.; as in the matter of “Truth said, ‘Let him not be created,’” etc.

Rather, from the level of the Malchus of the Infinite One a source is drawn, to become Keser for Atzilus; only after the Ten Sefiros of Atzilus were emanated, then from the Tiferes of the higher the Keser of the lower is made, etc.

Now, the matter of the positive commandments and the prohibitive commandments is like the matter of blessing and thanksgiving (as is explained in the discourse beginning “These are the accounts of the Mishkan”). Therefore the fulfillment of the prohibition “Three years they shall be orlah for you,” etc., is like “We give thanks to You.”

And through this, afterwards, [comes] “and [we] praise the Name of Your Tiferes,” that is, “all its fruit shall be holy, for praises.” See what is written in Torah Ohr, Parshas Mikeitz, in the discourse beginning “Sing and rejoice,” on the explanation of “The lamp of Havayah is the soul of man”

[and] “Let every soul praise Yah.” For the advantage of light is drawn from the darkness, as is explained in the discourse beginning “When Pharaoh sent,”

on the matter that “the kelipah (husk) precedes the fruit,” etc.; see there. Therefore, through the fulfillment of the mitzvah in the three years of orlah, through this, afterwards, its fruit is “holy,” etc.,

similar to what is written in [Midrash] Rabbah, Bereshis, section 11, on the verse “which G‑d created to make”: everything that was created in the six days of Creation requires making, etc., that is, to rectify; see there.

Along these lines is [the fact] that when Yechezkel saw the holy Chariot, it is written, “And I looked, and behold, a stormy wind,” etc., “a great cloud and fire,” etc.

(And see the Zohar, Part II, Vayakhel, folio 203, side a; and in Parshas Yisro, folio 69, side b, concerning “from within the thornbush,” and “The secret of this: ‘Who can bring the pure out of the impure,’” etc.; see there. And in the book Avodas HaKodesh, part four, chapter 19; and in the Shelah, folio 116, beginning of side b, and folio 139, side b, in the passage beginning “And he blesses: Who separates,” etc.)

4. “And in the fifth year you shall eat its fruit, so as to increase its yield for you,” etc. In the book Shaarei Orah, Gate 5, he explains that then it is in the level of the last hei of the Name Havayah.

And this is [the meaning of] “And in the fifth year,” etc. That is, the level of Malchus is sometimes called by the name dalet and sometimes by the name hei.

And this is the matter of Yehudah, in which there are a dalet and a hei, etc. (as the Ramaz writes at the beginning of Parshas Vayikra; and see the Zohar, Part III, Chukas, folio 180, side b, on the matter of “she was a hei [and] a dalet”).

And it can be explained here according to what the Ramaz writes on Parshas Vayera, there: that in the fourth year it receives from two thirds of Tiferes, that is, up to the chest, etc.,

and then it is called dalet, for it receives from four (dalet) levels, Tiferes, Netzach, Hod and Yesod; but in the fifth year it receives also from the upper third of Tiferes.

24And then it is the level of hei. See what is written on this matter in the explanation on the verse “And I will make your windows of kadkod,” at its end. The explanation of these thirds in Tiferes is that the attribute of Tiferes, by way of analogy in man below, contains Chochmah, Binah and Daas; Chesed, Gevurah and Tiferes; Netzach, Hod and Yesod.

Chochmah, Binah and Daas are the reasoning and comprehension of why he should glory, for example, so that they extol and recognize his glory and his greatness; and the glorying in his heart, [the urge] to glory, is the essence: the Chesed, Gevurah and Tiferes in it.

25And Netzach, Hod and Yesod are the extension, in which he does a deed in order to glory, as in “when he showed the riches of his glorious kingdom and the precious glory of his greatness,” or speaks

words through which others can recognize his praiseworthiness. Thus the deed or the words whose aim is to glory are from the level of Netzach, Hod and Yesod in it, “outside the body,” and are not comparable to the essence of the attribute.

Or it may be explained in another way: as, by way of analogy, there is glorying from making, and this glorying is from something outside him and separate from [his] essence,

like the glorying of being glorified and extolled for his works, that he makes a beautiful vessel and a beautiful picture, so that they recognize the maker’s power and extol him. Here the main acclaim of him is on account of the vessel and the beauty of its workmanship, and this is very far from the glory and acclaim of the maker’s own essence,

for this is acclaim only for his being able to make many beautiful vessels, and the vessel is separate from him, being only an extension of his power.

But when they extol him for something that is of his very self, for example, that they extol and glorify his voice, that it is very sweet, the essence of the attribute of glorying will shine more in this than when they glorify and extol his handwriting and his drawing and the like; and so too when they extol his body and his flesh, that they are very beautiful.

26And all the more so when they glorify his Chochmah, Binah and Daas. Whenever the acclaim and the glory are for something close to his essence, the essence of the attribute is aroused more; and whenever the glory is for something farther from his essence, it will be more from the level of Netzach, Hod and Yesod in him.

Along these lines one can explain the meaning of “and the choicest of his shalishim (officers)” of Pharaoh “were drowned in the Sea of Reeds,” etc.: that is, even the upper third (shelish), the Chochmah, Binah and Daas in him, as is explained elsewhere.

27It is understood by the discerning that the attribute of Tiferes is not the substance of an actual attribute like the other attributes, which are the very drawing forth of something, such as kindnesses (chasadim) or severities (gevuros);

rather, Tiferes is an encompassing attribute, present in all the attributes, for it is only the matter of the intent and the purpose in each attribute: why it should be drawn forth, and for what need.

For example, to bestow kindness so that the recipient recognize his goodness and his kindness: this is the Tiferes in Chesed. And so too the Tiferes in Chochmah is the intent, in bestowing intellect,

that they recognize his wisdom. Even the will has an attribute of Tiferes: why he should will so; as is explained above on the matter of “The Holy One, blessed be He, desired to have a dwelling place among the lower realms” (and see Shaarei Orah, Gate 5). By way of this analogy the analogue Above will be understood:

that the level of the Tiferes of His greatness, may He be blessed, in Atzilus also has three thirds; that is, the supernal speech, the attribute of His Malchus, may He be blessed, receives at first only from the lower third of Tiferes,

for what can be revealed through speech to the created beings is the lowest level of the precious glory of His greatness, may He be blessed; as in the saying, “May You be blessed in the heavens above and on the earth below, for all the acclaim of the work of Your hands,” etc., “they will glorify You, Selah.”

For all the worlds, heavens and earth—from the earth to the firmament is five hundred years—are only the level of “the work of Your hands”: just as, by way of analogy, in the work of a person’s hands only the power of action is enclothed,

which is the lowest power among the powers of the soul, etc., so the life-force enclothed in all the worlds is only the level of the power of action, which does not touch the essence and being, etc., as all this is explained in the discourse beginning “In the third month after the children of Israel went out.”

It follows that all that the created beings can praise and extol the Holy One, blessed be He, for is that He created all the worlds from nothing into something.

28And this is the matter of Perek Shirah, which the creatures recite, and likewise the song of the angels: “All the masters of song go out with song.” Thus all their comprehension is only at the level of “the acclaim of the work of Your hands.” This is like, by way of analogy, someone who is wise, wondrous beyond all wonder,

and they extol him only for what he can write or draw beautifully, which is the very last level in him. Along these lines our Sages, of blessed memory, said, “‘There is no rock (tzur) like our G‑d’: there is no artist (tzayar) like our G‑d,” etc.

Along these lines our Sages, of blessed memory, said (Berachos, chapter 5, folio 33, side b): “A parable: a king of flesh and blood who had a thousand thousand gold dinars, and they were extolling him for silver ones; is this not a disgrace to him?” etc.; see there.

(And see on this in the Shelah, in his Tractate Tamid, folio 256, side b, and folio 257, side a, where he discusses this at length.) And this is the meaning of the explanation that the supernal speech, the source of Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah, receives from the lower third of the attribute of Tiferes of Atzilus, which is, by way of analogy, “the acclaim of the work of Your hands,” etc., as mentioned above.

And one may explain the matter of the three thirds of Tiferes along the lines that the worlds as a whole are divided into three levels: the worlds of Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah; the World of Atzilus; and the worlds that are above Atzilus.

29As our Sages, of blessed memory, said, “He travels through eighteen thousand worlds,” “which are not (she’einan),” etc.; these are from the level of ayin (nothing), as in “And wisdom, from ayin (nothing) it is found,” etc. And see what the Ramaz writes on Parshas Shelach, folio 159, end of side a, on the explanation of the saying, “The Holy One, blessed be He, has three worlds.”

For in each world of the three kinds of worlds mentioned above, more of the precious glory of the greatness of the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He, is revealed: the revelation in Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah bears no comparison to the revelation in Atzilus,

and likewise the revelation in Atzilus bears no comparison to the revelation in the World of the Infinite, etc. See what is written on the verse “The splendor of the glory of Your majesty, and the words of Your wonders I will speak,” etc.

30And this is the matter of “holy” three times. See what is written at the end of the discourse beginning “And you shall make holy garments,” that in the preparation and making of Aharon’s garments there are three levels and grades.

But all this is only in the level of the light that shines in the worlds; but with regard to His Essence, may He be blessed, no comprehension at all applies, only “We give thanks to You.” And what we praise is “the Name of Your Tiferes,” etc., as mentioned above.

31Now, in the fourth year the Congregation of Israel receives from the last third of His attribute of Tiferes, may He be blessed—and the Ramaz writes, from two thirds, etc.—that is, what the created beings can praise the Holy One, blessed be He, for, which is called “the acclaim of the work of Your hands,” etc.,

as mentioned above. And this is the matter of “praises (hillulim) to Havayah”: hillulim is in the plural, meaning two levels of praise, which are the two thirds of Tiferes, etc.; whereas above this they have no comprehension.

But through this, afterwards, there is drawn also from the level of the upper third of His attribute of Tiferes, may He be blessed. And this is [the meaning of] “And in the fifth year,” etc., “so as to increase its yield for you”: that is, the additional light that comes from above.

32And then it is in the level of hei, whereas the level of dalet is an expression of poverty (dalus) and lack in relation to this level of hei.

From this will be understood, with further explanation, what is written in the discourse beginning “See that Havayah has given you the Shabbos,” concerning “with the hei this world was created,”

and [that] one must draw down the revelation of this level of hei; and this is along the lines of what is explained here. And this is [the meaning of] what is written, “to work it and to guard it,” with the two hei’s;

that is, drawing down the upper hei, the level of yud-hei, and drawing down the lower hei, vav-hei, etc. And see in Etz Chaim, Sha’ar 31, chapter 7, what is written on the verse “four parts shall be yours, and the fifth to Pharaoh.”

(And see what is written on this in the explanation on the verse “Go out and see,” etc., at its end, and what is written at the end of the discourse beginning “Israel is holy to Havayah.”) And this is [the meaning of] “Majesty (hod) and splendor (hadar) are before Him; strength and joy are in His place” (Divrei HaYamim I, chapter 16, [verse] 27).

And the meaning of “Majesty and splendor are before Him” can be explained as referring to the song that the angels sing and extol before Him, as is implied in [Midrash] Rabbah, in the Introduction (Pesichta) to Eichah, folio 55, side a, where the angels said, “It is written, ‘Majesty and splendor are before Him,’ and You say thus?” etc.; see there.

From this is drawn “strength and joy in His place,” for delight is drawn from the nullification of the yesh (bittul hayesh), as is explained in the discourse beginning “My offering, My bread,” concerning “This Leviathan You formed to play with,” etc.

So too in the Gemara (Chagigah, chapter 1, folio 5, side b) they explained that “Majesty and splendor are before Him” speaks of the outer chambers, etc.

That is, it is known that the extension of the attribute is an elevation of mayin nukvin (feminine waters) to the essence. By way of analogy, in a person: when others glorify him, the essence of glorying is aroused in his heart. Accordingly it will be understood that the majesty and splendor that are before Him cause strength and joy in His place,

for through this they add the lights of the essential Tiferes of Atzilus, in the level of Atzilus. And this is “so as to increase its yield for you”: the two upper thirds of Tiferes, in the fifth year.

33One can say further that the first three years correspond to Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah, in which the supernal speech is hidden, and they are a yesh (something) and a thing separate unto itself.

That is, when there is no union of Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah with Atzilus, that is, the union of Z’eir Anpin and Nukva, as it is written, “one cherub at the end on one side.” (See Torah Ohr, end of Parshas Terumah.)

And this is the matter of the diminution of the moon, when there is no union of the sun and the moon (shimsha vesihara), and then the three kelipos draw nurture from her. But “And in the fourth year” corresponds to the World of Atzilus, in which Malchus, the source of Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah, is united with Z’eir Anpin of Atzilus;

and this is the matter of drawing down the supernal self-nullification (bittul) of Mah into the created beings, in the manner of “What (mah) did they see concerning this, and what (mah) came upon them”; then “all its fruit” will be “holy, for praises,”

so that there be supernal unions: the union of yud-hei and the union of vav-hei, etc. See what is written on the verse “Who has counted,” concerning “and numbered the fourth part (rova) of Israel.” And this can be connected with what is written above: that in the first three years it receives from the outer dimension of the attributes,

which are the level of Netzach, Hod and Yesod, and in the fourth year it receives from the inner dimension, from a third of Tiferes; for the four levels Tiferes, Netzach, Hod and Yesod are also the level of Atzilus, Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah within Z’eir Anpin, etc.

Accordingly one can explain the level of “And in the fifth year,” etc.: “to increase for you” is an addition of light drawn from the tip (kotz) of the yud of the Name Havayah, which is the level of Keser, etc.;

and specifically from there the additional light is drawn, “to increase for you,” etc. See what is written elsewhere about Yosef, who is so named on account of the addition (tosefes) of light, etc.

And this is [the meaning of] “And Yosef was brought down,” etc., through “For there the tribes went up,” etc., “to give thanks,” etc.: for through this ascent an addition of light is drawn from the level of Yesod of Adam Kadmon, which is also the matter of “Majesty and splendor are before Him,”

the level of “splendor (hadar),” etc. (And see further on the matter of the verse “and you shall plant any tree for food” in [Midrash] Rabbah, Parshas Nasso, section 10, folio 236d, and in Parshas Shelach Lecha; and in Shir HaShirim Rabbah, on “His legs are pillars of marble,” and at the end of “His palate is most sweet.”)