ראה אנכי נותן לפניכם היום ברכה וקללה את הברכה וגו׳

1“See, I give before you today a blessing and a curse: the blessing,” etc. Now, our Sages, of blessed memory, said: wherever it says “today,” it is eternal and forever, [applying] also [to] this very day.

[We need] to understand this here, and also the word “before you” (lifneichem), since it should have said “to you” (lachem). But the explanation is this: in each and every one of Israel there is an inner dimension (pnimiyus) and an outer dimension (chitzoniyus) (see what is written on this on [the verse] “And it came to pass at the end,” in the second discourse).

Now it is written, “Face to face Havayah spoke with you,” for at the time of the receiving of the Torah, the level of Havayah was drawn down to each and every one of Israel, into their level of “face” (panim), in every spark of their souls.

And this is the meaning of receiving the utterance “I am Havayah your G‑d”: that is, that the level of the Name Havayah should shine and be revealed in you so much that it is called by your name, to be “your G‑d,” a G‑d that is yours, as is explained elsewhere.

2The explanation of this matter — how the level of the Name Havayah is in each and every one: our Sages, of blessed memory, said that even the wicked are full of regrets, for thoughts of teshuvah (return) come to them, because he does not want to be separated from the Holy One, blessed be He. And this is without reason or knowledge, because

this level comes from the level of Chochmah (wisdom), which is the level of self-nullification (bittul) before Him, may He be blessed, that is higher than intellection and comprehended knowledge (as is explained in Sefer Shel Beinonim [Tanya], chapter 18).

It is called the level of “one who has insight into a matter” (maskil al davar), and it is written, “A maskil of Eisan the Ezrachi.” The meaning is: maskil, to be eisan, a term for strength, as in “Firm (eisan) is your dwelling place”; for this level is a strong level, very strongly fixed in each and every one of Israel, in the manner of stiff-neckedness, as it is written,

“for it is a stiff-necked people, and You will pardon,” etc., as is explained elsewhere; because it is a simple will, without any reason or comprehensible intellect.

Also, the letters of eisan serve for what is to come (le’asid lavo) (for they come at the beginning of a word to indicate that the action is meant for the future: efal, yifal, tifal, nifal [I, he, you, we will act]).

For in the Time to Come (le’asid lavo) the level of Chochmah, the level of bittul mentioned above, will be revealed in each and every one of Israel; whereas now the spirit of folly covers it, so that it seems in his eyes that he is still within his Jewishness, as is explained elsewhere

(see Sefer Shel Beinonim [Tanya], chapter 24). And this is [the meaning of] “the Ezrachi,” from the term “a native (ezrach) of the land”: for this level is in each and every one from of old, from eternity,

for Israel arose in thought, in the Source of all. And this level is the level of the yud of the Name Havayah, blessed be He

(see Iggeres HaTeshuvah, chapter 4; and see what is written in the discourse beginning “On the eighth day he sent,” on the meaning of “and before (kedem) You formed me,” and in the discourse beginning “My dove, in the clefts,” that it is the level of the primordial thought; and see what is written in the discourse beginning “When Israel put ‘we will do’ first,” on the meaning and concept of “bekadmin” (in the beginning); and this is what it says here, “from of old, from eternity,” etc.;

and see what is written at the end of Parshas Shelach on the subject of “Yisrael — li rosh” (“a head to Me”); and see what is written in the discourse beginning “Havayah is with me among my helpers,” on the meaning of “every native (ha’ezrach) in Israel,” that is, what I am destined to make shine (lehazriach), etc. And both interpretations are true, for in the Time to Come this level will shine forth and give light openly in each one of Israel).

And the level of the upper hei is the level of Binah (understanding), “the broad expanses of the river,” which has length and breadth, etc.; that is, contemplation of the greatness of G‑d, each one according to his own measure — how He is “in the heavens above

and on the earth below; there is nothing else,” and all before Him is considered as truly nothing. These two levels must always be with a person in his service of G‑d, without separation;

for concerning these two levels it is stated in the Zohar that they are “two companions that never part.” Therefore it must be so in a person as well:

namely, to contemplate, and to deepen his intellect and understanding in length and breadth, as far as the hand of his intellect and the spirit of his understanding reach; and to be nullified before Him and to cleave to Him with actual self-sacrifice (mesirus nefesh), at the level of Chochmah, which is above reason and comprehensible knowledge. For if he does not have the bittul mentioned above,

then even if he contemplates the greatness of G‑d expansively, according to his ability, and from this gives birth to love and awe, they will have no true permanence, and he will fall from his level, G‑d forbid.

For “wisdom gives life to its possessors (be’aleha).” The meaning of be’aleha: as the Targum renders ba’al, “mara” and “ribbon” (master, lord); that is, even [where] he has [only] a measure of mastery over an illumination from this level.

For contemplation of the greatness of G‑d, expansively and in depth, has an added advantage over the bittul that comes from the level of Chochmah mentioned above

(and see what is written at the beginning of Parshas Lech Lecha on the subject of the hei of Avraham; and see Etz Chaim, Sha’ar Abba ve’Imma, chapter 2, that Binah is called “a woman of valor, the crown of her husband,” etc.),

because thought does not grasp it, except for a minute illumination from the level of Chochmah; but contemplation — thought grasps all of it. Nevertheless,

“wisdom gives life,” and it is called “a point in its palace” (see the Zohar, Bereshis, page 6, and the Tikkunei Zohar, Tikkun 5; and see what is written at the end of the discourse beginning

“For You are my lamp,” in Parshas Mikeitz. According to this, it may be said that the [matter of the] cruse of oil that they found, etc., mentioned there, is the concept of the point within its palace,

for oil is supernal Chochmah; see there): for the point gives life to the palace, since if there is no point, the palace serves no purpose at all.

And also, if he has this level of the point but there is no palace, it is nothing. Therefore the two must be together as one, and they are “two companions that never part,” below as above.

32. And the level of the vav of the Name Havayah is the level of nachal eisan (a mighty stream): from the level of eisan mentioned above there descends the level of a stream (nachal), the level of a drawing down below, to the place of the emotive attributes (middos) in the heart, which divide into six levels,

and this is the level of the vav, to transform them to holiness; and afterwards [it is drawn] to the level of the final hei, the level of thought, speech and action, which correspond to the three lines in the final hei. And this is the level of the Oral Torah — “Malchus (sovereignty), we call it ‘mouth’” — and “great is study, for it leads to action.”

(The concept of nachal eisan is explained in Iggeres HaKodesh, at its end, in the discourse beginning “And charity like a mighty stream (nachal eisan)”: that it is the illumination of supernal Chochmah (wisdom), which is to shine in the inner dimension (pnimiyus) of the heart, to be utterly nullified in His unity, may He be blessed, from the depth of the heart.

So too it is explained in the discourse beginning “On the twenty-fifth of Kislev” that the inner dimension of the heart becomes one with the brain, as “two companions,” etc. And this is the concept explained below, in Parshas Nitzavim, in the discourse beginning “For this commandment,” on the meaning of “From the depths I called You”: [“depths” is] in the plural, for there is a depth above a depth, etc.:

Teshuvah (return) is tashuv hei (“the hei returns”), with the filling of yud: the hei is the level of the higher teshuvah, which is from the depth of the heart, and the filling of yud is the level of “the hidden recesses of the heart,” which are in concealment, etc. And this is [the concept of] the two Yesods of Abba and Imma (Chochmah and Binah): for the Yesod of Imma — “Binah is the heart” — is the level of the inner dimension of the heart, the depth

of the heart; and the Yesod of Abba is the illumination of supernal Chochmah that shines in the inner dimension of the heart and is called “the hidden recesses of the heart.” This has been explained on [the verse] “On the eighth day he sent,” mentioned above. And see below, on [the verse] “And I will make [your windows of] kadkod,” that this level of love, which is drawn from supernal Chochmah, is called “stones of desire” (avnei chefetz), being “deep, deep,” etc.; see there.

Now, chefetz (desire) is the inner dimension of will, and this is the meaning of “and besides You I desire (chafatzti) nothing” — “desire,” specifically; while will is its outer dimension. And this is the root of the level of “a point in its palace,” as is written in the explanation of the Idra by the Arizal)

(page 22a), that the level of the gulgalta (skull) that surrounds the brain is the level of Binah, which is a palace for the Chochmah hidden within it. And see what is written above, at the end of Parshas Shelach, on the meaning of “li rosh” (“a head to Me”).

Now, Chochmah has its source in the hidden Chochmah (Chochmah setimaah); and this is why the love drawn from Chochmah is called “stones of desire,” etc., and this is the concept of “the hidden recesses of his heart.” And this is what is said in the Zohar, Beshalach

(page 63b), on the meaning of “From the depths”: “the depth of all, the depth of the well,” which are the two Yesods of Abba and Imma, “a point in its palace,” etc.;

that is, supernal Chochmah in the inner dimension of the heart, tashuv hei with the filling of yud. And through this one also arouses above the level of “from the depths,” which is the level of the gulgalta and the Chochmah hidden within it, the level of “Your thoughts are very deep,” etc., which are the root and source of the level of “a point in its palace,” as mentioned above.

And this is [the meaning of]: “When Israel respond ‘Amen, yehei shemei rabba mevarach’ (‘May His great Name be blessed’), the Holy One, blessed be He, nods His head”; and as is explained below, “May the Name Yah (shem Yah) be great”: that the level of the Name Yah should grow great, that is, the revelation of Chochmah and Binah, the level of nachal eisan, etc.

Therefore, through this, the revelation of His will and desire, may He be blessed, is drawn down from above: the level of “From the depths I called You,” “Your thoughts are very deep,” etc.

And see further on the subject of eisan in the Zohar, Parshas Vayechi (page 230b), and in the Sava deMishpatim (end of page 110a): “There is a maskil above,” etc.

(and side b), and in Parshas Terumah (page 170b), and in Parshas Acharei (end of page 66b), and in the Mikdash Melech there. And the concept of these levels alluded to in the Name Havayah is the concept of the receiving of the Torah in the utterance “I am Havayah your G‑d.”

And this is what our Sages, of blessed memory, said about a fetus in its mother’s womb: “A lamp is lit above its head, and they teach it the entire Torah.”

“A lamp is lit” is the level of the yud of the Name Havayah, and “they teach it the entire Torah” is the level of the final hei of the Name — to tell you that the whole matter of these levels of the Name Havayah, from the yud to the final hei, they teach him,

so that after his birth and his coming out into the air of the world, the grasping and absorbing of these levels in his mind and heart will be easier for him, and [they will] come out from concealment into revelation

(and see what is written on this on [the verse] “I am black but comely,” in Shir HaShirim, and in Parshas Shelach on [the verse] “And it shall be for you as tzitzis.” And this is [the meaning of] “Draw me after you, we will run; the king has brought me into his chambers,” etc., as is written there).

43. But our Sages, of blessed memory, said that in the time of exile the Name is not whole, etc. (see what is written on this on [the verse] “And you shall make a tzitz,” and on [the verse] “Remember what Amalek did to you,” and in Megillas Esther, in the first discourse, on the saying of our Sages, of blessed memory, “A person is obligated to become intoxicated on Purim”). That is, the letters vav-hei are separated from the letters yud-hei.

The meaning of this in the service of G‑d is that even though one contemplates and goes deep into the greatness of G‑d, and deepens his mind in the level of self-nullification (bittul) before Him, may He be blessed, at a level above knowledge (daas), nevertheless these do not succeed in being drawn into the heart, to transform the emotive attributes (middos) [into] love and awe revealed in the heart, with “flashes of fire” and longing for G‑d alone.

This is because of the exile, in that [a person] is clothed in desires and physical matters. And of this it is said, “You shall circumcise the foreskin of your heart,” etc. And the explanation of the matter: it is written, “And Havayah your G‑d will circumcise your heart.”

5Now this needs to be understood, for it implies that this aspect of circumcision will come from G‑d alone, yet it is said, “You shall circumcise,” etc. But the explanation is this: the foreskin that covers over the heart,

that is, the level of desires and physical matters, which hold back and interpose between the Name Yah and vav-hei so that there is no revelation of love — this depends only on teshuvah (return), as it is said, “Your iniquities separate,” etc., and it is written, “A grumbler separates the Chief (aluf),” etc.

But regarding the revelation of the very essence of love, there are two levels: the level of the outer dimension (chitzoniyus) of the heart, and the level of the inner dimension (pnimiyus) of the point of the heart,

that is, that his love be revealed so much that it becomes the level of complete self-nullification (bittul), and the love will not be felt, because it is an essential point from the depth of the heart, as is explained elsewhere (in Iggeres HaKodesh, the discourse beginning “Israel will be redeemed only through charity”; see there).

The analogy is from a person: if [something] touches the very inner dimension of the point of his own heart, from his essence and being, and his whole life depends on it.

And this level comes from the level of nachal eisan, [whose letters] serve for the future. For of the Time to Come it is written, “If your dispersed will be at the end of the heavens,” etc., “and He will bring you,” etc.,

“and He will do you good and multiply you more than your fathers”: that you will be in ascent after ascent, at a very high level, even higher than the Patriarchs, as it is written that

“Behold, My servant shall be wise; he shall be exalted and lifted up and be very high” — “exalted” above Avraham, etc. And then it is written, “And Havayah your G‑d will circumcise your heart”: it does not say “the foreskin of your heart,” but “your heart,”

meaning that He will circumcise the entire level of the outer dimension of the heart, so that the level of the inner dimension of the point of the heart, mentioned above, will come out from concealment into revelation.

64. And this is why we pray, “May His great Name be blessed forever and to all eternity (le’alam ule’almei almaya); may it be blessed”: for in the time of exile the Name is not whole, etc., and therefore we say, “May the Name Yah be great” — that the level of the Name Yah should grow great

(this follows the interpretation of the Tur, Orach Chaim, section 56, on the meaning of shemei rabba. Above, at the end of Parshas Shelach, on [the verse] “I am,” etc., it was explained that shemei rabba means “His great Name,” and this follows what Tosafos write at the beginning of Berachos; and both intentions are true.

It may also be said that the one depends on the other, along the lines of what was mentioned in the explanation of [the verse] “Remember,” mentioned above: that yud-hei comes to be joined with vav-hei through a drawing down from Arich Anpin, the level of “the locks of hair” (kotzei desa’arei), etc.;

and also, through the Name Yah being great in a person’s soul, the revelation of the level of His great Name is thereby drawn down, as is written nearby on the meaning of “When Israel say ‘Amen, yehei shemei rabba mevarach,’ the Holy One, blessed be He, nods His head,” etc.)

That is: contemplation of the greatness of G‑d and self-nullification (bittul) before Him, may He be blessed, until there is “may it be blessed” (yisbarach) — the level of blessing and drawing down to the place of the emotive attributes (middos), to transform them to holiness from the depth of the inner point of the heart. As is known, and as is explained elsewhere on the difference between blessing (berachah) and acknowledgment (hodaah):

for blessing is the level of sight, the level of the bittul mentioned above. And afterwards it spreads further: le’alam, that is, one concealment (helem); ule’almei, a second concealment; almaya, a third concealment,

that is, the three garments: thought, speech and action; so that even in the level of action, which is the third concealment and garment, the most external of them all, the Name Yah will shine, so that they will all be for G‑d alone and nullified before Him — that is, through the thoughts and words of Torah and the action of the mitzvos.

For “from the beginning (merosh), from of old (mikedem), she was anointed (nesuchah); last in deed, first in thought.” The meaning: “from the beginning” is from the very start of the entire chain of descending worlds (hishtalshelus), and “from of old” is prior to “from the beginning,”

for He, may He be blessed, is not within the bounds of worlds at all: “You were He before the world was created, and You are He after,” etc., without any change, as it is written, “For I, Havayah, have not changed,” etc.

For He is above the level of worlds — above the level of the light that fills [all worlds] (memalei) and the level of the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin); for “filling” and “encompassing” apply within the bounds and level of worlds,

but of His being and essence one cannot speak of either the level of memalei or the level of sovev. And of this our Sages, of blessed memory, said, “what is before, what is after,” etc.

7Now, this level descended, came down step by step, and was clothed in the action of the mitzvos; and therefore in the action of the mitzvos, too, there is the level of self-nullification (bittul) mentioned above.

And in occupying oneself with Torah and mitzvos the soul must pine away for Him, for the Source of all, “the source of living waters,” etc.; whereas one who says, “I have nothing but Torah,” etc. — of this it is said, “They have forsaken Me, the source of living waters,” etc.

And this is [the meaning of] “See, I give”: “I” (Anochi) means “the One who I am,” that is, the level of “I am Havayah your G‑d,” which is the first utterance of the receiving of the Torah

(see the Midrash Rabbah at the beginning of Parshas Re’eh: “Rabbi Elazar said: From when [He] said,” etc.; and see what is written in the discourse beginning “And G‑d spoke all these words”).

“Give before you” — in your level of “face” (panim) — the level of blessing: because in your level of “face” there is the level of Havayah, for Israel arose in thought, therefore you can draw down upon yourselves the level of blessing from the Source of all.

And this is [the meaning of] “the blessing, that (asher) you listen to the commandments of Havayah,” because “from the beginning, from of old, she was anointed.” (The meaning of “from of old” (mikedem) will be understood from what is written in the discourse beginning “A person is obligated to become intoxicated on Purim,” on the Torah being called “the parable of the Ancient One” (mashal hakadmoni), the One who preceded the world, etc.;

and in the discourse beginning “Six days you shall eat matzos,” on the meaning of “the east wind” (ruach kadim) at the splitting of the Sea of Reeds; and in the discourse beginning “On the eighth day he sent,” on the meaning of “and before (kedem) You formed me,” as mentioned above. And the term nesuchah is as explained elsewhere on [the verse] “and eight princes (nesichei) of men.”

And the explanation of “See, I give,” etc.: it was explained elsewhere, regarding the difference between blessing and prayer, that blessing is the revelation of the root that is in concealment, that it be “blessed” and drawn down into revelation, and not an entirely new drawing down.

And this is the difference between blessing and prayer. And this is [the meaning of] “each according to his blessing he blessed them”; and therefore he said, “But his younger brother shall be greater than he,” for his root is higher. And this is [the point]: because they arose in thought, for this reason specifically you can draw down to yourselves the level of blessing, etc.)

(And see what is written on [the verse] “And these are the ordinances,” on the meaning of “If you acquire a Hebrew servant”) — to draw down into them the level of Daas (knowledge) from their root, etc.; see there.

Now, it was explained above that the difference between blessing and acknowledgment is that blessing is the level of sight; and this is [the meaning of] “See, I give before you today a blessing”:

that through “I give before you a blessing,” there is thereby “See,” the level of sight, which is the level of the bittul of supernal Chochmah, etc. One may further explain “I give … a blessing” along the lines of what is written at the end of the discourse beginning “Listen, O heavens,” on the blessing “And may G‑d give you of the dew of heaven,” etc.

8Summary. (1) At the time of the receiving of the Torah, of which it is written, “Face to face Havayah spoke with you,” the level of Havayah was drawn to each one, in the level of “face” (panim) in the soul (see what is written in the discourse beginning “Remember and Keep,” that the souls are rooted in the level of “His vessels” (garmohi), and through the Torah they rise to the level of “His life-forces” (chayohi); and this is why the level of Havayah was then drawn into them.

That is, through the utterance “I,” the level of ihu (“He”) Himself. And see what is written on [the verse] “And I appeared,” etc., “but by My Name Havayah I did not make Myself known to them”: rather, this was drawn down through the Giving of the Torah.)

The level of the yud of the Name is Chochmah (wisdom), which is the level of self-nullification (bittul) that is higher than Binah (understanding) and Daas (knowledge), as is explained in Sefer Shel Beinonim [Tanya], at the end of chapter 18; and it is called “a maskil of Eisan.” This follows the explanation of the Pardes, under the entries “maskil” and “eisan”; Zohar, Part II, Mishpatim (end of 110a)

(and see what is written in the discourse beginning “This matzah” and in the discourse beginning “Who has counted,” on the subject of the fourth level, of “the fourth part (rova) of Israel”). And the level of the upper hei is the level of Binah, contemplation (see what is written at the end of the discourse beginning “On the eighth day, an assembly”).

And these two levels are called “a point in its palace,” and are called “two companions.” And see what is written on the subject of the yud of the Name in Biurei HaZohar, Parshas Acharei, on the saying there (page 79b), “Bring an atonement for Me.”

9(2) And the level of the vav is the drawing down from Chochmah and Binah to the six emotive attributes (middos) in the heart, and it is called nachal eisan; see the Pardes, under the entry “nachal,” and Me’orei Or, letter nun, section 26. And afterwards, the final hei is the thought, speech and action of the Torah.

And this is [the meaning of] “a lamp is lit above its head” (and see what is written in the discourse beginning “For You are my lamp, Havayah”) “and they teach it,” etc. (and see what is written on [the verse] “And all your children shall be taught of Havayah,” and see Me’orei Or, letter lamed, section 29).

10(3) But the matter of the Name not being whole is that the level of nachal eisan is not drawn into the emotive attributes (middos) and into thought, speech and action, like what is written in the Zohar, Part I (page 6b), on [the verse] “And the river shall be wasted and dried up”; and see in Parshas Shemos (page 9b).

And there must be “You shall circumcise the foreskin of your heart,” so that through this, afterwards, “Havayah will circumcise your heart.” Also, milah (circumcision) is [the letters of] mal Yah.

Now, “es levavcha ve’es levav [zarecha]” (“your heart and the heart of [your offspring]”) are the initials of Elul, for they are days of [Divine] favor; see what is written in the discourse beginning “I am my Beloved’s.” (4)

And this is why we pray, “May His great Name be blessed” (yehei shemei rabba mevarach): the meaning is, the Name Yah will be great, so that it will be drawn into the level of vav-hei.

So too it is explained in the Zohar, Part II, Terumah (page 165b), on [the verse] “Extol Him who rides upon the heavens, by His Name Yah.” See there in the Ramaz, and what is written on this in the explanation of [the verse] “For as the new heavens.”

And this drawing down is through the thought and speech of Torah and the action of the mitzvos. And this is [the meaning of] “the blessing”: that the Name Yah be blessed, and this is through “that you listen to the commandments of Havayah.” See what is written on [the verse] “And now, may the power of Ado-nai be great,”

and what is written at the end of the discourse beginning “The land is very, very good,” and at the end of the discourse beginning “Who has counted.” And also, the prohibitive commandments are rooted in yud-hei and the positive commandments in vav-hei, as is written in the discourse beginning “These are the accounts of the Mishkan.”

And see on the subject of blessing in the Zohar, Part II, Beshalach (page 63b), and in Me’orei Or, letter beis (sections 35 and 39). That is, the essence of blessing is the drawing down of the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin), the level of Atika Kadisha, into the light that fills all worlds (memalei kol almin); and this is the matter of the Name becoming whole.

See the Zohar, Part II, at the end of Parshas Terumah (page 175b), and in Parshas Vayishlach (page 167b). And see what is written on “and you shall bless Havayah” at the end of the discourse beginning “And you shall eat and be satisfied.”

Therefore this power to draw down the blessing comes through the utterance “I” (Anochi), through which the Name Havayah was drawn into each one; and through this comes the drawing down of the blessing, so that there is “Blessed is Havayah,” etc.,

“from world to world,” etc. (in Psalms, at the end of Psalm 106). (5) Also, the Torah begins with a beis because it is a sign of blessing (and see what is written on this in the Zohar, Part I, at the beginning of Parshas Vayigash (page 205b)). And although the alef is the letters of pele (wonder), which is above the level of the beis,

it is in the state of wonder and concealment; and also, there “darkness is like light,” etc., as is written in the discourse beginning “When Pharaoh sent,” on the subject of “How long-suffering,” etc.

And it is stated in the Midrash Rabbah at the beginning of Bereshis that for twenty-six generations the alef complained, etc.: “Tomorrow I am coming to give the Torah, and I will open

only with you, as it is said, ‘I (Anochi),’” etc. That is, through the Torah being given, there could then be a revelation of what is concealed; and also, then Anochi was drawn down to be “Havayah your G‑d,” etc.

Therefore it was given on Mount Sinai, from which hatred (sinah) descended upon evil; see what is written at the end of the discourse beginning “This matzah,” on the subject of “because of this,” etc.; and see what is written in the discourse beginning

“To understand the matter of the blessings,” on the meaning of “opens with ‘Blessed,’” etc. And this is [the meaning of] “See, I give before you today a blessing”: that from the level of the alef of Anochi, which is above the rank of the beis, the blessing is drawn down today before you, etc.

This is along the lines of what is written in the Zohar, Part I, Vayetzei (page 158b), on [the verse] “Blessed is Havayah,” etc., “from world to world”: from the hidden world to the revealed world. That is, along the lines of what is written before the Thirteen Attributes, “And He called: Havayah, Havayah,”

that is, to join and draw down the Name Havayah that is above the chain of descending worlds (hishtalshelus), which is Atika Kadisha, into the Name Havayah that is within the order of hishtalshelus and the coming into being of the worlds; as is written on this at the end of the discourse beginning “And Israel saw the great hand.”

11And this is the meaning of “shemei rabba mevarach,” etc.; and this is above the rank of the blessing by which the world was created with the letter beis, which is the blessing from the Name Havayah that is within the chain of descending worlds (hishtalshelus), etc.

But concerning this blessing and drawing down of the level of “Havayah, Havayah,” “from world to world” — of this it is said, “See, I” — the One who I am — “give before you today,” specifically through the Giving of the Torah, “a blessing,” etc.

12And drawing down this blessing is through “that you listen to the commandments of Havayah,” as mentioned above; and along the lines of the saying of our Sages, of blessed memory, “Today — if you will listen to His voice.”

See what is written on this in the discourse beginning “On the eighth day, an assembly” (Shemini Atzeres). And “the curse, if you do not listen,” is only in order to remove the spirit of the external forces and the impurity of the evil inclination, so that the blessing mentioned above will be fulfilled, as is written on this in the discourse beginning “These are the statutes and the ordinances,” in Parshas Bechukosai.

And this is why, regarding the blessing, it says “that (asher) you listen,” and not “if (im) you listen,” as it says regarding “and the curse, if.” For the blessing is not in doubt, since either way, in the end the blessing will be fulfilled.

And this is [the meaning of] “And David blessed Havayah” (Vayevarech David es Havayah): the initials of vadai (certain). “His Name is ‘the Certain,’ and so is His praise”; see what is written on this in Me’orei Or, letter vav, section 6.