עיני כל אליך ישברו וגו׳

1“The eyes of all look to You with hope,” etc. Now, on what is written, “Her husband is known in the gates,” the Zohar, Parshas Vayeira (page 103b), explains: “according to what he gauges (meshaer) in his heart.”

It further explains there: “What are ‘gates’? As it says, ‘Lift up your heads, O gates.’” And they explained this in Parshas Pinchas (page 253b): “These are the supernal gates,” etc.,

“and they are fifty gates”; and these are the fifty gates of Binah (understanding). And to understand this: how did they say, of the gates of Binah, “what he gauges in his heart”?

But [the answer is] that, behold, they said, “The heart knows, the heart understands” (as is written in the Raaya Mehemna, at the end of Parshas Ki Seitzei) (page 280b).

And in [Midrash] Rabbah on Koheles, on the verse “I spoke with my heart”: “The heart sees, as it is said, ‘And my heart saw much wisdom’; the heart hears, as it is said, ‘Give Your servant a hearing heart,’ etc.;

the heart thinks,” etc. And see Avos, chapter 2, mishnah 9. And so too they said, “Binah is the heart, and with it the heart understands.”

The explanation of the matter is this: contemplation of the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He, how it is the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin) and the light that fills all worlds (memalei kol almin), etc., while it is still in the mind of his understanding, and no radiance or flow has been drawn from it into the heart so that the heart would be stirred by it, is called the mind of Binah,

and not the gates of Binah. But when a light opens from it to shine in the heart as well, it is called the gates of Binah; by way of analogy, like a gate that is opened in order to go out through it.

So the light of comprehension goes out from the mind of his understanding and is grasped in the heart, so that the heart too gauges and comprehends that same comprehension and contemplation

(and see the Yalkut at the beginning of Mishlei: “Where is wisdom found?” etc.; see there. And see the Zohar, Parshas Shelach) (page 161b).

And see what is written elsewhere, in the explanation on the verse “And it shall be to you for tzitzis,” in the discourse beginning “To understand the matter of the heart.” And of this it is said, “Hear, O Israel”: hearing in the heart,

to understand, etc. And this is the intent of the saying [in] Vayeira, [page] 103, on the verse “Her husband is known in the gates”: “each one according to what he gauges in his heart”; that is, according to how much he gauges and comprehends in his heart the contemplation in his mind of the light that encompasses all worlds, etc.

And therefore it is also called the fifty gates of Binah, for the light goes out from his mind outward, to the understanding of his heart, as, by way of analogy, an opened gate

(and elsewhere, on the verse “And you shall count for yourselves,” it was explained that the fifty gates of Binah are the seven supernal emotive attributes (middos), each one comprising seven, which makes forty-nine. That is, the dwelling place of the emotive attributes is in the heart, and through [the light] being drawn from the mind to the understanding of his heart, so that the heart understands, etc., the drawing-down of Binah is thereby drawn into the emotive attributes in the heart;

therefore they are forty-nine gates, corresponding to the seven emotive attributes, as mentioned above. And see what is written in the discourse beginning “Command, etc., My offering, My bread,” on the matter of bones, sinews and flesh; and see the Pardes, Gate 13, the Gate of Gates, chapter 5 and chapter 7; and see what is written elsewhere on the verse “And your gates of carbuncle stones”).

And this is kol (“all”), which in gematria is fifty, these being the fifty gates of Binah. And this is the meaning of “The eyes of all,” etc.: the Congregation of Israel (Knesses Yisrael) is called kol, corresponding to the fifty gates of Binah, each one according to his own measure; “look to You with hope,” etc.

(And the meaning of “the eyes of all” is as mentioned above regarding “the heart sees”: for even though the gates are from the mind of Binah, and seeing is from the level of Chochmah (wisdom),

yet the fiftieth gate is what joins Chochmah and Binah and draws the extension of the higher Chochmah (Chochmah Ila’ah) into all the forty-nine gates. And see what is written at the end of the discourse beginning “And you shall count for yourselves,” mentioned above. And see the Ramaz (Rabbi Moshe Zacuto) on Parshas Emor) (page 93b) on the matter of the heart.

And in the name of the Maggid, whose soul is in Eden, it is said on [the verse] “the breast of the wave-offering” that it is called chazeh (“breast”) because Chochmah, which is the level of sight, is drawn down as far as the chest, and from there downward is the level of the thighs (yarchin); as is known from the matter of the diaphragm (chatzar hakaved), which is a partition that separates between the organs of breathing, etc.;

only, because the chest is an external thing, it is therefore called chazeh, which is the Aramaic (Targum) for “seeing.” And see what is written elsewhere on the verse “And from my flesh I will see (echezeh) G‑d,” in the discourse beginning “And you shall know this day”: that echezeh, which is an Aramaic expression, is the back (achorayim) of the level of actual sight.

However, the Congregation of Israel is sometimes called kallah (“bride”), with an added hei. The reason for this is that there is a betrothed woman (arusah) and a married woman (nesuah): before she has entered the chuppah, when she is not

yet fit for union and coupling, she is called betrothed; and the married woman is after she has entered the chuppah and is fit for coupling: then she is married, and she is called kallah, with a hei. And see what is written in the discourse beginning “He will revive us after two days.”

2And the explanation of this matter in “the service of the heart, which is prayer,” according to what has been explained: when the contemplation is drawn into the heart, it is called a gate (sha’ar), [as in] “what he gauges (meshaer) in his heart.”

However, it can be that even if he gauges [it] in his heart, the light has not been absorbed into the innermost depth of his heart. As it is written, “With all my heart I have sought You”: the meaning is that when it is absorbed, etc.,

then it is called “with all (kol) my heart,” that is, that all (kol) the fifty gates of Binah (understanding) enter within the point of his heart. But if it is not absorbed, but is only in the outer dimension (chitzoniyus) of the heart, it is called kol without a hei.

But when it is absorbed, as mentioned above, it is called kallah, with a hei; for the hei indicates the inner dimension (pnimiyus) of the heart, which receives the fifty gates of Binah within it, in the likeness of the Nukva (the feminine / Malchus) absorbing the drop of the masculine.

Therefore it is called married, after the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He, which is in the comprehension of his mind, has been absorbed within the point of his heart, in union and coupling. And see what is written in the discourse beginning “The matter of Rosh HaShanah,” in Parshas Savo.

Whereas the level of a betrothed woman is when it has not been absorbed, as mentioned above; then it is called betrothed, and it is called kol, as mentioned above. And this is “Her husband is known in the gates”: the meaning is that “known” is a term for union and coupling, as in “And Adam knew,” etc.

And this is [the meaning of] what is written, “And you shall know this day, and take it to your heart,” etc. (And see what is written in the discourse beginning “For the fragrance of your oils,” on the matter of “and when she has received a male, she is called na’arah with a hei”; for the hei indicates that she has received the influx from the world of the masculine (alma dedechura).

Therefore, according to the Holy Tongue as well, the addition of the hei indicates the masculine form: as ve’at (“and you”) is the feminine form and ve’atah the masculine form, as Rashi explains in Parshas Va’eschanan on the verse “And you (ve’at) shall speak.” And so it is in the Mishnah, chapter 4

of Nazir, and in the Gemara at the beginning of Kiddushin, regarding shalosh and sheloshah (“three”). And see the Pardes, the Gate of Gates, at the end of chapter 6, and in Erchei HaKinuyim, under the entry kol. And see further what is written on the matter of “For all (kol) that is in heaven and on earth,” in Shir HaShirim, in the discourse beginning “To My mare among Pharaoh’s chariots.”)

32. However, the aspect of absorption does not come about until after the chuppah, because the aspect of the chuppah is an encompassing light (Or Makif) from above, which shines upon the groom and bride so that they can unite;

that is, the radiance of the Supernal Will, which rests in the manner of an encompassing [light] over the heart, so that it can absorb the light within it. And above, in the Congregation of Israel (Knesses Yisrael), there is likewise a supernal encompassing [light] that is called chuppah, as it is written,

“For over all the glory [there shall be] a canopy (chuppah),” so that there may be union and coupling; and then the Congregation of Israel is called kallah, with the hei.

(And the matter of this level of chuppah in [divine] service can be explained according to what is written elsewhere on the verse “It is better to take refuge”: that there are several kinds of contemplation. There is [contemplation] that enters “the inward part of man and a deep heart,” etc., so that the heart is a receptacle for this love; and there is contemplation

that is above, in the comprehension of his mind and his understanding, and the heart is too small to contain this contemplation, for if it reached the heart, “his flesh and his heart would fail” in the expiry of the soul (kelos hanefesh), etc.; and there is [contemplation] that even his mind cannot bear, etc., and this is the matter of prayer in a whisper and in silence, etc.,

which is the nullification (bittul) of the soul’s comprehension, [it being more] than it can bear, etc. And this level of contemplation, which is the level of an encompassing [light] (makif), is called chuppah. And see what is written on the matter of this level of makif in the explanation on the verse “And you shall count for yourselves,” in Parshas Emor; and see what is written on the matter of the chuppah in the discourse beginning “To My mare,” mentioned above, and in the discourse beginning “The Torah [that Moshe] commanded.”)

And this is “The eyes of all”; the meaning is: before she is called kallah, that is, before the absorption, she is then called “The eyes of all (kol) look to You with hope,” in the manner of longing from afar, like a betrothed woman for her betrothed.

But after the chuppah, it is then the time of union and coupling, to receive and absorb the light as kallah, and then she is called married. And of this it is said, “And You give them their food (ochlam),” which is a term for coupling,

as in “I have come into My garden, My sister, [My] bride; I have eaten,” etc. (And see the Zohar, Parshas Pinchas, page 226a, and page 240, at the beginning of side b, and in the Mikdash Melech there, and there in the name of Rabbi Chaim Vital);

that is, the influx of supernal light, to be received and absorbed in the level of Malchus (sovereignty), which is called heart (lev); and then she is called kallah: “You have captured My heart (libavtini), My sister, [My] bride.” And the drawing-down of mayin duchrin (masculine waters) is called by the name “their food” (ochlam), as in “except the bread that he eats,”

and as in “She eats and wipes her mouth.” And as for its not saying be’itam (“in their time”), like ochlam (“their food”), but rather be’ito (“in His time”), with a vav: this refers to

the time of the Supernal Will of the Essence of the Emanator; because the drawing-down of mayin duchrin mentioned above depends on an arousal from above, without any arousal from below at all. Therefore it says be’ito: His will, the Supernal Will alone, as on Shabbosos and Yamim Tovim.

(And see nearby that the Supernal Will is the level of the chuppah; and therefore it is well understood that this revelation is on Shabbosos and Yamim Tovim, for then there is the revelation of the Supernal Will, as is written in the discourse beginning “The Torah [that Moshe] commanded,” mentioned above, on the matter of “And bestow upon us,” etc.,

“as You have willed and said,” etc.; see there; and in the discourse beginning “And Moshe assembled,” regarding “And on the Shabbos day it shall be opened”; and see the Zohar, Parshas Bereishis, page 8a).

And to this they alluded in the Sanctification of the Moon: “A statute and an appointed time (zman) He gave them, that they should not alter their task.” (And see the Zohar, Parshas Acharei, page 58, at the end of side a. And to understand, accordingly, the wording “and an appointed time He gave them,” it will be understood according to what the Ramaz (Rabbi Moshe Zacuto) wrote on Parshas Tisa)

(page 188b), on the explanation of “The Holy One, blessed be He, is destined (zamin) to do for Israel,” etc.; see there. And see what is written in the discourse beginning “And the number of the children of Israel shall be,” on the meaning of “You visited the earth,” etc.

And this is the meaning of ve’atah (“And You”): that is, a drawing-down from the level of Chochmah (wisdom), the beginning of the drawing-down of mayin duchrin. And see the Zohar, Parshas Balak (page 193b),

on the verse “Havayah, You are my G‑d; I will exalt You,” etc. And the meaning of ve’atah: es [alef–tav], that is, the drawing-down of the twenty-two letters to the lower hei, which is the level of Malchus.

And the vav of ve’atah indicates this drawing-down, for the form of the vav is that at its head it is like a yud, and from there a thin line is drawn down.

And see [the Zohar,] Parshas Tetzaveh (page 179b); and see what is written at the end of the discourse beginning “And Havayah shall be to me,” regarding “and he set it up as a pillar,” etc.; see there.

And this is “And You give,” etc., “in His time” (be’ito), specifically: that is, at the time of the Supernal Will, which is the level of the chuppah that precedes the union. (And see what is written further on the matter of “The eyes of all” in the discourse beginning “For the mountains may move away.”)

And the matter of “You open Your hands” is along the lines of what is written, “The Sanctuary, Ado-nai, that Your hands established”: for a receptacle, the level of a vessel, must be made in Malchus, so that she may receive the drawing-down of mayin duchrin, which is called “their food,” etc.

For before the union she is called besulah (“virgin”), a term for being sealed, [as in] “his heart is sealed like a virgin.” And of this it is said, “A well that princes dug,” etc.

(as is written in Etz Chaim, Gate 31, chapter 7, and the Gate of the Moon, chapter 3; and in Pri Etz Chaim, the Gate of the Shema at Bedtime, chapter 11 and chapter 6).

And this is “You open Your hands”: that He opens the supernal hands, to dig with them, to make below a vessel and a well to receive “their food,” mentioned above.

And this is “The Sanctuary, Ado-nai, that Your hands established.” For behold, it is written, “And they shall make Me a Sanctuary, and I will dwell within them”; and our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “It does not say ‘within it,’

but ‘within them.’” And our Sages, of blessed memory, also said: “Since the Holy Temple (Beis HaMikdash) was destroyed, the Holy One, blessed be He, has only the four cubits of halachah,” which is the revelation of His will and His wisdom, may He be blessed; and it is called the drawing-down of mayin duchrin, the drop of the higher Chochmah (Chochmah Ila’ah).

But there must be a receptacle for this, so that it be “With all my heart I have sought You,” etc., for then she is called kallah, as mentioned above. And the making of this vessel is “Your hands established.” And see what is written in the explanation on the verse “A well that princes dug,” etc., and in the explanation on the verse “Lift up the head of the sons of Gershon.”

Also, yadecha (“Your hands”) is a term for yudin (“yuds”), for the opening of the yuds (pesichu deyudin) is that it is drawn from the yud at its head and becomes a vav;

and this is the drawing-down of the Supernal Will in order to build for her a vessel, a receptacle; as our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “A woman makes a covenant only with the one who made her a vessel.”

4As it is written, “For your Husband is your Maker,” etc. And afterwards, “You satisfy every living thing (kol chai) [with] will (ratzon).” Kol chai is the level of the Yesod (foundation) of the Nukva (the feminine / Malchus), which receives from the Yesod of the masculine; therefore she is called kol chai, for she receives from Chai Olamim (the Life of the Worlds). And after the absorption, then “You satisfy,” in the manner of satiation, the opposite of longing;

for longing is from afar, when one has not attained the desire, [as in] “And your longing shall be to your husband.” And after the union, when the abundance of the light has been absorbed within her, “and it brings her rest,” as is written at the beginning of Parshas Noach (page 59b),

then “You satisfy every living thing” [with] the Supernal Will that is drawn down “in His time,” as mentioned above, in the manner of satiation, as mentioned above. And see what is written in the explanation on the verse “Thus shall you bless,” etc.

And from all this one can understand the matter explained on the verse “And if a woman vows,” etc., “in her father’s house, in her youth”; and the matter of a betrothed and a married woman.