וכל בניך למודי הוי׳ ורב שלום בניך וגו׳

1“And all your children shall be taught by Havayah, and great shall be the peace of your children,” etc. Our Sages, of blessed memory, said: Torah scholars increase peace in the world, as it is said, “And all your children,” etc., “and great shall be the peace of your children”: do not read banayich (“your children”) but bonayich (“your builders”)

(as is found in the Gemara at the end of Tractate Berachos and at the end of Yevamos; and on this verse see the Midrash Rabbah at the end of Parshas Vayigash; Beshalach, at the beginning of chapter 21; Tetzaveh, chapter 38, and see there;

Naso, near the end of chapter 11, regarding “and grant you peace”; at the end of Ki Seitzei; and at the end of Midrash Esther; Zohar Part II, Terumah, 169, end of side b; Part III, Emor, 91b; Acharei, page 62a, 64b, 96b).

We need to understand why they had to prove this from what they said, “Do not read banayich but bonayich.” It could be proved also from what is written, “your children [shall be] taught by Havayah,” which refers to Torah scholars: it is they who are “taught by Havayah,” and it is they who increase peace.

First we should preface with the saying of our Sages, of blessed memory, in chapter 7 of Bava Metzia (page 85b), on the verse “Why did the land perish,” etc., “because they forsook My Torah” (in Jeremiah, chapter 9):

that is, because they did not first bless over the Torah. And the meaning of “they did not bless over the Torah” is not that they did not recite the blessing of the Torah, G‑d forbid, for that certainly cannot be said;

rather, berachu (“they blessed”) is meant in the sense of drawing [from] a pool (bereichah): that is, to draw down the level of a drawing-down of blessing and flow into the Torah

(see what is written in the discourse beginning “To understand the matter of the blessings,” on the matter of “opening with ‘Blessed’ and closing with ‘Blessed’”; in the discourse beginning “The Chanukah lamp,” etc., “and mezuzah”; and at the end of the discourse beginning “This is the statute of the Torah”).

And this is through the prayer that precedes the study of Torah, as is explained elsewhere, in the explanation on the verse “My dove, in the clefts of the rock,” on the matter of “for my prayer, that it be adjacent to my bed,” etc.; and as is written in the Shema: first “And you shall love,” and afterwards “and you shall speak of them,” etc.

The explanation of the matter: the meaning and sense of “taught by Havayah” is that they receive from, and are taught by, the Name Havayah; along the lines of what is written, “and My words that I have put in your mouth,” and as the Maggid said to the Beis Yosef, “I am the Mishnah that speaks in your mouth.”

2The matter is this. The meaning of the four letters of the Name Havayah: the yud is the level of Chochmah (wisdom), and the hei is the level of Binah (understanding), etc.

Now it is found in the Tikkunei Zohar: “And concerning these two it is written, ‘The hidden things belong to Havayah our G‑d’”; these are yud-hei, which are called “the hidden things,” and “the revealed things” are vav-hei, etc. And so it is also in the Tenth Tikkun: that Chochmah and Binah are “hidden” in the mind and the heart, in love and awe.

3Vav-hei are “the revealed things”: Torah and mitzvos, etc. (See what is written on this in the discourse beginning “Arm from among you.”) It follows that the level of yud-hei pertains to the level of prayer, whose essence is love and awe, which are drawn from the level of yud-hei.

The matter is that the essence of prayer is contemplation; that is, in the two [blessings] before it [the Shema], to contemplate how the Seraphim say “Holy,” etc., and the Ofanim, “with a great noise.”

The matter is that “holy” (kadosh) denotes being set apart, beyond comparison. That is: the way He, may He be blessed, gives life to the world is not like the soul giving life to the body, which is affected by, and undergoes changes from, what befalls the body, because it is actually enclothed within the body.

But the Holy One, blessed be He, although it is said, “The heavens and the earth I fill,” is nevertheless holy and set apart from them, may He be blessed, because the worlds were created and brought into existence from Him, may He be blessed, not by way of cause and effect,

which is the level of something from something, in which there is a grasp and an enclothing of the cause in the effect; rather, they came into being as something from nothing (yesh me’ayin), as it is written, “And wisdom (Chochmah) is found from nothing (ayin)”: for even the supernal Chochmah came into being as something from nothing.

Therefore Chochmah is called the yud of the Name Havayah, because it came into being through a tzimtzum (contraction), in which only the level of a yud was drawn forth, etc. And this is [the meaning of] “For by Yah, Havayah [is] the Rock of the worlds”;

for in order for there to be an expansion of the life-force and the coming into being of any glimmer, there must first be the level of the yud, which is tzimtzum. For from the Infinite One (Ein Sof), blessed be He, Himself, the worlds could not receive at all, and something could not come into being from nothing

except through tzimtzum, which is the yud. Afterwards the hei is drawn forth, which is that this contracted glimmer spread out to become the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin) and the light that fills all worlds (memalei kol almin), etc.

And this is what the Seraphim say: “Holy,” etc., “Havayah of hosts,” etc.: that He, may He be blessed, is holy and set apart; and in order for the hosts upon hosts to come into being, it is something from nothing, through the yud, tzimtzum, etc., as mentioned above.

4The explanation of these matters: it is written, “Great is Havayah and highly praised in the city of our G‑d,” and our Sages, of blessed memory, said: When is Havayah great? When He is in the city of our G‑d.

The meaning of “the city of our G‑d” is the level of the combinations of letters, along the lines of what is written in Sefer Yetzirah: “Two stones build two houses,” etc.

Through the many changes in the combinations, the creations come to be divided into a great multiplicity; and this is the meaning of “the city of our G‑d.” Then the level of greatness applies.

And this is [the meaning of] “Praise Him according to the abundance of His greatness”: “abundance” is the level of the manifold division of His light and radiance to each and every one according to its own measure. And these are His gevuros (powers of restraint) and His many contractions, by which [the light] is divided so much, down to

a multitude of myriads of angels and souls. And the source of the coming-into-being of speech is in the supernal Chochmah; and relative to the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He, even the supernal Chochmah itself is like physical action, and it is drawn forth through the yud, which is the immense tzimtzum (contraction) mentioned above. (See what is written on all this in the discourse beginning “When Israel put ‘we will do’ first.”)

Nevertheless, Chochmah and Binah are still called “the hidden things,” the hidden world, the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin); and “the revealed things” are vav-hei, that is, the level of drawing-down into the level of speech: “When is He great? When He is in the city of our G‑d,” as mentioned above.

Now likewise in man, Chochmah and Binah are “hidden in the mind and the heart.” This is the contemplation of the greatness of the Infinite One (Ein Sof), blessed be He, which a person is to contemplate in the Shema and its blessings; and it is the level of yud-hei in the soul. For the hei is the level of Binah, which is called “the broad expanses of the river” (rechovos hanahar); that is to say,

just as the shape of the hei spreads out in length and breadth, so this level of comprehension and this contemplation, of how He brings into being something from nothing without measure, and that He, may He be blessed, is holy and set apart, is called “broad expanses” (rechovos), for it comes in length and breadth in the comprehension in one’s mind.

From this branches out the stirring of love, specifically in the mode of ratzo (running forth); for “Binah is the heart”: from contemplation in comprehension is born the thirst, in flashes of fire, in the mode of ratzo.

And this is the hei of the Name Havayah. And the level of the yud is the level of Chochmah, ko’ach mah (“the power of ‘what’”), which is the level of shov (returning) that follows the ratzo,

as Sefer Yetzirah says, “If your heart runs, return to the One.” The meaning of “return” (shov) is the level of self-nullification (bittul) of one’s existence, utterly and completely, which is above the level of the stirring of love in flashes of fire. For the stirring of love is called “something” (yesh),

since there is, after all, someone who is stirred; whereas the level of self-nullification is called “nothing” (ayin), and it is the level of Chochmah, ko’ach mah. This is the level of the higher awe, the awe of shame, as it is written, “Behold, the awe of G‑d, that is wisdom.”

Moreover, the self-nullification is drawn from the aspect of the very essence of the Infinite Light, which is above the radiance and light that is enclothed in the worlds, which “no thought can grasp at all”; and it is

found below just as above, for, “Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?” Therefore it is from this aspect that the awe and the self-nullification, etc., are drawn, and [the capacity] to be in the mode of shov, etc.

This is not so with the level of ratzo, which is the love in flashes of fire, to go out of the confines of the body and be absorbed above in the higher worlds: this ascent is in order to delight in the radiance and light that is enclothed in the worlds, etc.

The rule is: ratzo is drawn from the level of the light that fills all worlds (memalei kol almin), for from the standpoint of the light that fills all worlds there is “above” and “below”; therefore ratzo, an ascent from below to above, is possible.

But shov is drawn from the level of the light that encompasses all worlds, before which above and below are equal, etc., as is explained in the discourse beginning “Know this day.”

And this is the level of yud-hei in the soul: in the Shema and prayer there must be an inclusion of these two levels, ratzo and shov; that is, to go out in the mode of ratzo and give over one’s soul [in the word] “One,” and afterwards in the mode of shov, etc.

And so too afterwards: after the shov, ratzo, and after the ratzo, shov, etc. And this is the meaning of “And all your children”: for “your children” are the level of “He remembered (zachar) His kindness,” which is the attribute of love that is drawn from the level of contemplation.

And this is the meaning of “Binah: ben Yah (a son of yud-hei)”: the level of the son, this love, is born and drawn from the level of yud-hei. (See on this in the Raaya Mehemna, Parshas Naso, page 122a, and in the commentary of the Ramaz there; and in the Idra Zuta, page 290a and page 291a.)

Now, although yud-hei are Chochmah and Binah, the level of the son is nevertheless alluded to in Binah, because love and ratzo are drawn mainly from the level of Binah; as it is written, “He established the heavens with understanding (tevunah),” and it is known that “heavens” are the level of the supernal emotive attributes (middos), etc.

It is like the analogy in physical things: although the son’s brain is drawn from the father’s brain, nevertheless his main growth comes through his stay of nine months in gestation in the mother’s womb. (See what is written on this in the discourse beginning “On the eighth day, Atzeres.”)

And this is “And all your children shall be taught by Havayah”: the level of love, which is called “son” (and awe is also included in it, as is explained on the meaning of “And you shall love” (ve’ahavta es) in the discourse beginning “Know this day”),

comes about through the level of yud-hei in the soul, as mentioned above. The level of vav-hei also pertains to this, namely the voice and speech in the Shema and prayer;

but the main [expression of the] level of vav-hei is through occupation with Torah and mitzvos, as [will be explained] below. (See what is written on the verse “The voice is the voice of Yaakov.”)

(And see in Pardes, Erchei HaKinuyim, the entry “Binah” and the entry “ben chorin, ben shemen”; and see what is written elsewhere, in the discourse beginning “The matter of the Patriarchs: they are the Chariot,” on the matter of “the son’s power is greater,” etc.; and see in the Idra Zuta there, on the matter of the “two crowns,” etc. And this is the meaning of “a testimony for Israel,” as is explained elsewhere on the matter of “the Tabernacle of the Testimony.”)

5Summary. The matter of yud-hei: the yud is tzimtzum, until there comes to be the level of the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin); and afterwards vav-hei, the revealed things, a drawing-down into the level of speech: “When is He great,” etc.

And in the soul, yud-hei are the mind and the heart, the contemplation of the greatness of G‑d, from which ratzo and shov are drawn; and this is “And all your children shall be taught,” etc.) (2)

Now all this is the level of “your children,” which is the level of yud-hei; for the level of “your children” is the level alluded to in Binah, ben Yah, as mentioned above. And this is the matter and rank of prayer, in ratzo and shov. After prayer there must be the level of vav,

which is the voice of Torah, which is called vav, as it is written, “The voice is the voice of Yaakov,” and as is explained in the Siddur on this verse. And it is the level of “and the revealed things,” for it is the level of “a voice that is heard.” And see in the Zohar, Part I (page 50b and page 141b).

Now the vav indicates the level of the six emotive attributes (middos), for kosher and invalid, impure and pure, are drawn from the middos; and this is the meaning of the six orders of the Mishnah.

But the drawing-down of Chochmah (wisdom) that is enclothed in these middos is the yud at the head of the vav; for the shape of the vav is that its head is a yud, and from the yud the vav is drawn down, etc. And this is the saying of our Sages, of blessed memory, “because they did not bless over the Torah”:

for to bless over the Torah means to draw the level of the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof) that is enclothed in Chochmah, so that it be drawn down and enclothed in the six supernal middos from which the Torah is drawn; and through this a revelation of the Infinite Light is drawn below

just as above, since there is no change at all before His essence, as mentioned above; spirituality and physicality are equal before Him, for “all before Him is considered as nothing.” And although the Torah speaks of physical matters,

such as terumos and tithes and the like, nevertheless, when one draws from the level of the yud of Chochmah, a revelation of the Infinite Light is drawn into them

just as above, for the reason mentioned. And this blessing and drawing-down into the Torah is through the level of ratzo and shov in prayer, which are the level of yud-hei; for “spirit brings spirit,” etc.

And this is why it is said in the Shema first “And you shall love,” and afterwards “and you shall speak of them”: “and you shall speak” (vedibarta) is a term for leading and drawing, that is, that there be a drawing-down of the Infinite Light, blessed be He, into the Torah, as is explained in the discourse beginning “The heavens are My throne,” etc.; see there.

With this we can understand what is written, “Because they forsook My Torah,” etc., “and did not listen to My voice”: “to My voice” specifically; that is, as is explained in the discourse beginning

“If you will listen to the voice”: “voice” is the drawing-down, but bekol (“in the voice”) means in the inner dimension of the voice, that is, the Infinite Light, blessed be He, that is enclothed in the Torah.

And this was because they did not bless. See what is written on the matter of “My voice” also in the discourse beginning “Blow on the New Moon.” And see what is written in the discourse beginning “And I was beside Him as a nursling,” on the meaning of “and I was [His] delight,” “I delight in Your Torah,” etc.; see there.

6Now all this is the level of three letters of the Name, namely yud, hei, vav. But the final hei of the Name Havayah is the level of the lower awe, which is called “the king’s command,”

which is the acceptance of the yoke (kabbalas ol) of the Kingdom of Heaven specifically as a yoke, as it is written of David, “And the utterance of the man raised up on high (al),” etc.:

the yoke (ol) of the Torah. This is like the saying of our Sages, of blessed memory, on the verse “And you will return and see [the difference] between one who serves G‑d and one who has not served Him”: one who reviews his chapter a hundred times is not like one who reviews his chapter a hundred and one times.

This is because with this one extra time he changes his nature and habit, as is explained in Sefer Shel Beinonim, and then he is called a “servant.” And this has an advantage that is not found in the level of a son, as is explained in Sefer Shel Beinonim, chapter 41:

that a person must comprise both the level of a son and the level of a servant. The level of a son is the level of “And all your children” mentioned above. But the level of a servant, “one who serves G‑d,” is the level of the yoke of Torah; and this is the level of “your builders,” as will be explained.

7And this is the matter of the section “And it will be, if you listen,” in which it is said, “and to serve Him,” as is explained in the discourse beginning “And now, let [the power of Ado-nai] be great,” regarding the level of a servant, which is the level of the self-nullification (bittul) of one’s will that is above intellect.

There this level is explained with regard to the mitzvos: that the mitzvos must be fulfilled in this mode, and that specifically through this the revelation of the supernal will, which is above Chochmah, is drawn down; and this is the meaning of “the power of Ado-nai,” etc.; see there.

8Likewise, this level of a servant exists also in occupation with Torah, which is the level of the yoke of Torah, as is explained in Sefer Shel Beinonim, chapter 41, that there is a son who is also a servant;

that is, after the level of “And all your children” there will be the level of “your builders,” through the yoke of Torah, which is the level of this second [kind of] servant.

9See what is written on the matter of the two levels of servant in the explanation on the verse “He has not beheld iniquity in Yaakov.” And this rank was the root of the level of David, who was a chariot for the level of Malchus (sovereignty), because he was at the level of a servant: “And David My servant.”

And this is “The utterance of David son of Yishai, and the utterance of the man raised up on high”: that is, first he is the level of “son of Yishai,” like the level of “And all your children shall be taught by Havayah,”

for “son of Yishai” is like “son of Yah,” since Yishai is yud with the 310 (shai) worlds that are in Binah. And see on this in the Zohar at the end of Parshas Terumah (page 175b),

and in the Mikdash Melech there. And afterwards, “and the utterance of the man raised up on high (al)”: this is the level of “your builders.” And see in the Zohar at the beginning of Parshas Chukas (page 180b) on the matter of “raised up on high.”

And this is also the meaning of what is written, “And Benayahu son of Yehoyada, son of a living man, great in deeds” (in II Samuel, chapter 23): Benayahu is ben Yah (“son of yud-hei”), and the vav that follows is occupation with Torah,

that is, in the mode of “great in deeds,” which is the level of the yoke of Torah, as is written in the Gemara at the beginning of chapter 3 of Berachos (page 18b), and in the Zohar, Part I (page 6, end of side a; 132a; 136a; 207b).

Therefore “David set him over his council,” for in him and through him the building of Jerusalem came about, the level of “your builders.” For Jerusalem (Yerushalayim)

is yirah shalem, “perfect awe”; and through the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven the building of “perfect awe” comes about, that there be perfection of awe, etc. For correspondingly, the destruction of Jerusalem is the fall of the building of Malchus,

which is what is written, “the fallen booth of David.” This is the yoke of worldly occupation and the pursuit of luxuries in the pleasures of this world beyond what suffices, which is the cause that distracts from the yoke of Torah; for “G‑d has made the one opposite the other,” etc.

But the reason that the building of perfect awe comes specifically through the yoke of Torah is as it is written, “With wisdom a house is built,”

and this is the level of the Torah, which “comes forth from Chochmah,” where the root of the perfect awe mentioned above lies; as is known, Chochmah is the higher awe, which is the root of the level of the lower awe, etc.

Therefore, through occupation with Torah in the mode of accepting the yoke (kabbalas ol) of Torah, one draws from the level of the supernal Chochmah, which is the higher awe, into the lower awe; and therefore they are called specifically “your builders.”

10Now, although the level of “your children” is also ben Yah, which receives from the level of Chochmah as well, nevertheless its main receiving is from Binah, as mentioned above; whereas the level of “your builders” is mainly from the level of Chochmah itself,

like the difference between the “calling of holiness” (mikra kodesh) of Yom Tov and actual holiness (kodesh), the level of Shabbos. See what is written at the end of the discourse beginning “And I appeared to Avraham,” regarding “but by My Name Havayah I was not known to them.”

And this is “The voice is the voice of Yaakov”: by way of analogy, the voice joins the thought, to bring it into speech in revelation; so too, with the voice of Torah one draws from the level of the light of Chochmah into speech, which is the building of Jerusalem, perfect awe.

This is as explained above on “When is Havayah great? When He is in the city of our G‑d”; and through occupation with Torah one draws [it down] so that there be in this level praise and increase, in strength of light and revelation.

For without this, speech receives from the emotive attributes (middos), and it is in the mode of gevuros and contractions, as it is written, “They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom, and tell (yedaberu) of Your might (gevurascha).”

But through occupation with Torah one draws into speech from the level of the supernal Chochmah itself, and also from above Chochmah, so that it be “from the beginning, from of old, installed,” as is explained elsewhere on the verse “And now, let the power of Ado-nai be great.” And this is also the meaning of “one who answers ‘Amen, yehei shmei rabba mevarach’ with all his power.”

11And this is what is written, “To make known,” etc., “and the glory of the splendor of His kingdom.” And this is “I will exalt You, my G‑d the King.” See what is written in the discourse beginning “For You are my lamp” and in the discourse beginning “I have come into my garden.”

And this is “Do not read banayich but bonayich”: for the main thing is to draw the light and revelation into the attribute of His kingship (Malchus), may He be blessed, as is explained elsewhere, at the end of the discourse beginning “Return, Israel, unto,” on the matter of

“For with You is forgiveness, that You may be held in awe.” Along these lines one may interpret the verse “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and cleave to his wife,” for at first glance, what does it teach us?

But by way of allusion, the matter is this: “his father and his mother” are the level of contemplation, which includes Chochmah and Binah; and this is “Binah, ben Yah,”

that is, the love drawn from contemplation, as mentioned above; and it is the level of prayer with awe and love. And occupation with the Oral Torah is called “and cleave to his wife,” for it is “the heritage (morashah) of the congregation of Yaakov”: do not read morashah (“heritage”) but me’orasah (“betrothed”).

12Now the Oral Torah speaks entirely of physical matters, and at first glance it is low in comparison with the contemplation in prayer with awe and love; but in truth this is the main thing, so that there be a dwelling place among the lower realms. See what is written on this in the discourse on the section of the libations (nesachim).

And this comes through “shall leave,” in the manner of “do not read banayich,” and “cleave to his wife,” the level of “your builders.” See what is written in the discourse beginning “Israel is holy,” on the meaning of “Enjoy life with the wife whom you love,” which also refers to the Oral Torah. Nevertheless, it is impossible to come to this level

unless there is first the level of “And all your children”; for whoever says, “I have nothing but Torah,” does not have even Torah.

And this is also the saying of our Sages, of blessed memory, in the first chapter of Berachos, that one who gladdens a bridegroom merits Torah. For at first glance, why do others need to gladden him, and why would he not rejoice by himself? But it is because at first he is at the level of ben Yah,

and he must leave his father and his mother; therefore he needs to be gladdened. See what is written on this at the end of the discourse beginning “This is the dedication of the altar.”

13In the same way this is also to be understood above. For the Torah too is called a groom: “on the day of his wedding,” this is the Giving of the Torah, that is, the Written Torah; and it too is at the level of “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother,”

that is, the level of the two thousand years by which the Torah preceded the world, which is the level of “I will teach you (a’alefcha) Chochmah, I will teach you Binah”; and from there it descended to the level of a world, and this is a level of descent.

Therefore they said, “The fallen fruit of the wisdom above is Torah.” And “cleave to his wife” is the Oral Torah, or the Congregation of Israel (Knesses Yisrael), which is also called a bride. (See on this in the discourse beginning “The Torah [Moshe] commanded,” why the Congregation of Israel is sometimes called a bride and sometimes a groom, as above.)

Therefore there must be “whoever gladdens the groom,” as it is written, “I delight in Your Torah.” And this is because in truth the power of this descent is drawn from above the supernal Chochmah itself, as is explained elsewhere in the discourse beginning “Go forth from your land,” etc.,

and as is written in the Zohar, Part III (page 140a and page 262a): “and from the drawing-forth of the supernal hidden brain,” etc., the crown of Gevurah (restraint), the source of the Oral Torah, is drawn forth, etc.

The main point is that this descent is for the sake of an ascent: that “wisdom has an advantage over folly,” that is, through the animal soul being transformed and refined, there comes about “the advantage of light”; as is explained in the discourse beginning “Remember the

Shabbos day,” on the meaning of “Wisdoms sing out in the street”; and as is explained at the end of the discourse beginning “And I will return in peace,” on the matter of “peace to the one who is far,” who becomes near; and as will be explained below on the meaning of “and great peace.” And see what is written in the discourse beginning “Who is enthroned on high,” on the matter of the oil that is drawn from the refinement of kelipas nogah, from which mainly comes the advantage of light.

14Summary. Now “your children” is the love in prayer, and awe too is included in it. Afterwards, occupation with Torah is the level of vav, and “the revealed things are for us.” The hei is the level of “raised up on high (al).” “Your builders.” “And Benayahu,” etc., “great in deeds.”

And this is “Therefore [a man] shall leave,” etc. “Whoever gladdens.” “Wisdoms in the street.” (3) Now according to this we can also understand what our Sages, of blessed memory, said concerning “and great shall be the peace of your children”: do not read banayich

but bonayich. For the level of “and great peace” comes about specifically through the level of “your builders,” which is occupation with Torah with acceptance of the yoke (kabbalas ol);

that is, after the level of “your children,” which is prayer, has come first; and then, through the Torah in the mode of “your builders,” the level of “and great peace” comes about, etc.

The meaning of “and great” (verav) is Esav, as it is written, “And the elder (verav) shall serve the younger,” and as it is written, Esav [said], “I have plenty (rav)”; and see in the Midrash Rabbah, Parshas Devarim, on the verse “Enough (rav) for you.”

This is because he is at the level of separation, which is multiplicity, as it is written of Esav, “souls” (nafshos), in the plural; and it is called “the public domain” (reshus harabim, “the domain of the many”) and “mountains of separation,” as is known.

But of the level of the seventy “souls” of Yaakov it says “soul” (nefesh), in the singular, because they are in a state of unity; and it is called “the private domain” (reshus hayachid, “the domain of the single one”). And this is the level of “and great peace”: that [what is] from the level of the multiplicity and separation of Esav will be included and united in the level of the divine unity.

(See what is written in Torah Ohr, Parshas Vayeshev, in the discourse beginning “Thus says Havayah of hosts,” etc., on the meaning of “And the elder shall serve,” etc., where this inclusion is explained: it is like the inclusion of the powers of the animal soul in the G‑dly soul, etc.)

And this is what is called “peace,” for peace is the joining of two opposites, as is known; and so too this is what joins, so that sparks from the level of the “mountains of separation” are included in the divine holiness. And this is “and great peace”; and this is also the meaning of “and great to save,” etc.

15To understand how it is specifically through occupation with Torah that the level of “and great peace” comes about, as it is written, “Or let him take hold of My strength, let him make peace with Me” in the household above, “peace he shall make with Me” in the household below; and not from the level of prayer alone,

as they said, “Do not read banayich,” which is the level of the love in prayer, which is called “son,” “but bonayich,” specifically in the mode of the yoke of Torah that comes after prayer; and then “and great peace” comes about, etc.

The matter will be understood by first citing the saying of our Sages, of blessed memory: “In the future the pig (chazir) will become pure” (see Midrash Tehillim, Psalm 146, on the verse “He releases the bound,” and the book Me’or Or, letter ches, section 6; and see the Midrash Rabbah at the end of Parshas Shemini).

For it is written, “The boar from the forest (miya’ar) gnaws at it,” and the ayin in the word miya’ar is a suspended ayin. This is because, as is known, the root from which the seventy princes draw their nurture is the level of the seven supernal emotive attributes (middos), each comprising ten, which are seventy; and in holiness they are the seventy souls of Yaakov.

And this is “He set the borders of the peoples according to the number,” etc. And when they receive from the level of the seven supernal middos, each comprising ten, which are seventy, then the ayin (seventy) is suspended, so that

the divine light shines upon them from afar, for it is not enclothed within them but only shines upon them in the mode of an encompassing light (makif), high and exalted above them, as it is written, “High above all,” etc.

See what is written in the discourse beginning “See, the fragrance of my son.” And this “forest” (ya’ar) is the world of the angels, as it is written, “I have eaten my forest,” which is the level of [the blessing] “Who forms light” (Yotzer Or), where the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil begins; and from there the seventy princes draw nurture.

But they receive from afar, as mentioned above; and when they receive divine light and flow, they afterwards become a state of separation. And this is “The boar from the forest gnaws at it,” etc.

And see the Midrash Rabbah, Toldos, beginning of chapter 65; the end of Terumah; Parshas Shemini, chapter 13; and in Shir HaShirim [Rabbah] on the verse “Scarcely had I passed (one) from them.”

But of the future it is written, “Then I will turn to the peoples a clear language”; that is, even the idol-worshippers will be refined,

for of the future it is written, “And I will remove the spirit of impurity from the earth,” and it is written, “And the glory of Havayah will be revealed, and all flesh will see,” etc.,

and “they will enter the caves of the rocks for fear of Havayah,” etc.; for every aspect of evil will be refined, and darkness will be turned to light and bitterness to sweetness, until all mortals will bow and fall down, etc.

(as is explained on this in Parshas Vayishlach on the verse “And he took of what came into his hand a gift,” etc.; see there). And this is why in the future the pig will become pure:

for now “it does not chew the cud,” since it does not bring back (machzir) the sparks that fell into it in the shattering of the vessels from the level of the suspended ayin mentioned above;

but in the future it will bring back all the sparks. And then, in the future, from the level of ya’ar (“forest”) mentioned above, the word ir (“city”) is made: the level of “the city of our G‑d,” the building of perfect awe, so that “Havayah is great in the city of our G‑d,” etc.

And this is the meaning of “and great peace,” etc.; and this is like what is written at the end of the discourse beginning “And I will return in peace,” mentioned above, on the twofold “peace,” etc.

Now this refinement is accomplished specifically through occupation with Torah, for the reason it is called Torah is that it is from the term horaah (“instruction”), “to distinguish between the impure and the pure,” etc.

And there is a ruling that permits and declares pure even what at first glance appears forbidden and impure, or the reverse, that forbids what at first glance appears permitted, etc.

And this is precisely the matter of the refinements, to turn darkness into light. And this is “Shema Yisrael”: shem ayin (“the name of seventy”), that is, to raise the sparks that fell from the level of the seventy mentioned above to their root in supernal holiness, etc.

And this is “I have eaten my forest with my honey”: “my forest” is [the blessing] “Who forms light,” for through the contemplation of how the angels stand in awe, etc.,

one brings about a rectification, so that the external forces will not draw nurture from the level of the “forest” mentioned above. And “my honey” is the Shema: “like an apple tree among the trees of the forest,” etc.

And this is Shema, shem ayin. And afterwards, in the Shemoneh Esreh, Sandalphon, which in gematria equals ya’ar (“forest”), ties crowns for his Maker from their prayers, etc.

But the main refinement is through the Torah. And this is “and great peace,” that they increase peace: because, out of the level of separation of the seventy princes, they make a level of unity, through the refinements that come about through the Torah;

for “through Chochmah specifically they are refined” (see what is written in the discourse beginning “In the third month,” regarding the Torah being called “strength and sound wisdom,” etc., and “peace in the household below,” etc., that there be no hindrance on the part of the body and the animal soul; and see what is written in the discourse beginning “A psalm of thanksgiving: shout to Havayah, all the earth,” on the matter of the leaven in the thanksgiving offering.

And the initials of “Shout,” etc., spell halachah, for through Chochmah they are refined, as mentioned above.) And this is why they are called talmidei chachamim (“students of wisdom”): they are “taught” from the level of Chochmah, ko’ach mah. And see the Midrash Rabbah, Tetzaveh, chapter 38.

And this is the flow of the verse, “And all your children shall be taught by Havayah”: “your children” are “taught by Havayah,” for they receive from the level of yud-hei to be in the mode of ratzo and shov;

and this is the service of prayer. Afterwards they become the level of “your builders,” in occupation with Torah in the mode of the yoke of Torah; and through this “and great peace” comes about, etc.

And this is also the meaning of “and the mother is sitting,” etc., “you shall not take the mother with the young (banim)”: rather, first to be at the level of “And all your children”;

but afterwards it is written, “You shall surely send away,” etc., which is as explained above on the meaning of “Therefore [a man] shall leave,” etc.; “and the young you may take for yourself” is the level of “your children”; and afterwards, “so that it may be good for you and you will prolong your days” is the level of “Through righteousness (tzedakah) you shall be established,” as [will be explained] below.

16From all this the matter of “your builders” is understood: it is the level of the building of Jerusalem. In the Midrash Rabbah, Seder Vayera, chapter 56, it is found: “Yireh Shalem,” etc., and “And Malki-Tzedek, king of Shalem,” etc.

Now shalem has two meanings. The first is a term for wholeness: the wholeness of the lower awe is when the level of the higher awe is drawn into it; and this is through the Torah, as is known from “If there is no wisdom, there is no awe.”

And also, the meaning of “a whole king” (melech shalem) is when one draws into the level of the light that fills all worlds (memalei kol almin), which is called “king,” from the level of the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin); and then He is a whole King, as is written in the Zohar, Part I (page 87a): “When,” etc., “on the Day of Atonement,” etc.

And then it is also “perfect awe” (yirah shalem), as is explained elsewhere on the matter of “and my soul shall rejoice” and “rejoice with trembling,” etc.: because the glory of the splendor of His kingdom is revealed, the kingship (Malchus) of the Infinite One (Ein Sof), etc.; and therefore the angels “tremble in fear of the Throne,” etc.

17As is also explained at the end of the discourse beginning “And it will be on that day, [a great shofar] will be sounded,” on the matter of “and they will bow down to Havayah on the holy mountain in Jerusalem”: perfect awe.

But shalem can further be interpreted also as a term for peace (shalom), as is written in the Targum on the verse “Return, return, O Shulamite”: that is, Jerusalem.

And so explain the Ibn Ezra, and the Radak in his Shorashim at the end of the root shalem: that “the Shulamite” refers to Jerusalem, which is called Shalem. And in the Midrash on Shir HaShirim they explain “Shulamite” as a term for peace. And even without this, the idea of wholeness is connected with the idea of peace,

as Rashi explains in Parshas Vayishlach on the verse “They are at peace (sheleimim) with us”: “in peace and with a whole heart”; and in Parshas Vayikra, on the verse “And if [his offering is] a sacrifice of peace-offerings (shelamim),” Rashi explains: because they bring peace into the world; and in the Zohar, Part III, Vayikra (page 12b), they explain it as a term of wholeness and a term of peace.

And see in the Zohar, Part I (172, end of side b), on the verse “And His tabernacle was in Shalem,” and as [we] say, “Spread over us the tabernacle of Your peace.” The matter is that through “your builders” the level of “and great peace” comes about: that from the level of the “mountains of separation” the sparks will be included in the Malchus of [the World of] Atzilus (Emanation).

And this is the matter of “peace to the one who is far,” who becomes near; as the Ramaz writes on Parshas Naso (page 122b): “Peace to the one who is far”: these are the sparks that fell, etc.

Now this is the level of “and great peace” from below upward: the meaning is that from the level of rav (“great,” “many”) the level of peace is made, through the level of “your builders,” as mentioned above. And likewise, through this the level of “and great peace” is drawn from above,

that is, an actual abundance of peace. This is what is said in the Midrash on Esther, at its end: “goodness in abundance, kindness in abundance,” etc., up to “peace in abundance.” And see what is written on the verse “Like showers (revivim) upon the grass,” and on the verse “And He came from the myriads (rivevos) of holiness.”

And this is the meaning of what is written, “But My kindness shall not depart from you, and My covenant of peace shall not be removed.” And see what is written on the verse “Like the curtains of Shlomo.”

18Now in the level of “perfect awe” (yirah shalem) the term “peace” also applies, which is the inclusion of love and awe together, through “And all hearts shall fear You, and all innards and kidneys shall sing to Your Name,” as is explained in the discourse beginning “Know this day,” that this level of inclusion is called “peace”;

and then, too, it is “perfect awe” in the sense of wholeness, for it is drawn from the level of “and the awesome, G‑d Most High,” etc.; see there.

19(4) “Through righteousness (tzedakah) you shall be established.” For along with the level of “your builders” there must be “you shall be established,” which is the endurance and guarding of the building, so that it not be spoiled; along the lines of “The lip of truth shall be established forever,” that is, that it endure forever; and likewise, “Indeed, the world is established, it shall not falter.”

And so too, “Let the city of Sichon be built and established.” See what is written on this in the discourse beginning “Therefore the rulers say.” And this endurance is through charity (tzedakah) and kindness, as it is written, “And a throne shall be established through kindness” (in Isaiah 16:5).

The matter is that the building comes about through the yoke of Torah and the acceptance of the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven (kabbalas ol); but for the building to have eternal endurance is through charity.

Therefore our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “Whoever says, ‘I have nothing but Torah,’” that is, without acts of kindness, “does not have even Torah.” The reason for this is that of one who closes his eyes to charity and acts of kindness it is said, “And he will cry out against you to Havayah, and it will be a sin in you”

(in Parshas Re’eh, 15:9). At first glance this has no connection specifically with one who closes his eyes to charity and acts of kindness. And see in the Gemara, chapter 6 of Kesubos (page 68a), that they were very severe about this sin; and in the Midrash Rabbah on Ruth, on the verse “And her mother-in-law said to her.”

But the matter is that it is said, “For there is no righteous man on earth who does good and does not sin” (in Ecclesiastes, chapter 7, [verse] 20).

See on this in the Midrash Rabbah on Ecclesiastes there, and in the Gemara, Sanhedrin (46b, 101a). And it is along the lines of the saying of our Sages, of blessed memory, in Bava Basra (164b): “There are three sins from which a person is not saved every day: thoughts of sin,” etc.

But charity removes the stain of that sin, for of this it is said, “And redeem your sin through charity.” And see on this in Sotah (20, end of side b),

Bava Basra (page 4a), the Midrash Rabbah on Mishpatim at the end of chapter 30, and at the beginning of Acharei. And this is because charity is “to revive the spirit of the lowly” with one’s money;

it follows that he gives life to, and has compassion on, the lowly one, who has nothing of his own. And through this arousal from below, an arousal from above is drawn as well from the Life of all life, the Infinite One, blessed be He, “to revive the spirit of the lowly,” namely the creations of [the worlds of] Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah; and it is also drawn to revive the lowly spirit of one who sins in thought, etc.,

which is the drawing-down of the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy, etc., to cleanse him of the sin. Therefore, of one who closes his eyes to charity it is said, “and it will be a sin in you”: the sin that already exists even in every person will remain,

for “there is no righteous man on earth” who does not sin, and the soul is blemished on its account, etc., since the supernal mercies that cleanse the aforementioned sin are not drawn down.

Therefore it is said, “Through charity you shall be established”: in order for the building of Jerusalem to endure, so that it not be lost through the nurture drawn by the external forces and they not spoil the building, is through charity, which draws down mercy and supernal encompassing lights, from which the level of guarding is drawn.

20And this is what is said, “Unless Havayah guards the city, the watchman keeps vigil in vain.” For after the building of Jerusalem by “your children” and “your builders,” which is through the ratzo and shov of prayer and the yoke of Torah, there must be a drawing-down of guarding and of supernal encompassing lights; and this is through charity and acts of kindness, etc.,

so that through this “you shall be established,” as mentioned above. And this is “and from terror, for it shall not come near [you].” And see the Zohar, Part III, Balak (188b), which explains that there will be no sin, etc.;

see there. And see what is written in the discourse beginning “And the work of charity shall be peace,” on the matter of “and the service of charity, quiet and security”; and what is written at the end of the discourse beginning “Zion shall be redeemed through justice,” regarding “and her returnees through charity”; and see the Zohar, Part III, at the beginning of Emor, on the verse “But for you who fear My Name, the sun of righteousness (tzedakah) shall shine.”

Mikeitz (203b); and in the Midrash Rabbah, Vayishlach, chapter 78; Bo, chapter 15; Mishpatim, chapter 31. And see what is written on this above in the discourse beginning “And I will make [your windows] of kadkod”; and see what is written in the discourse beginning

“If you will listen to the voice,” on the meaning of “to keep (lishmor) all His commandments”: that through the mitzvos comes the guarding (shemirah), etc.

(With all this we can understand what is said in the Midrash Rabbah in several places, in Seder Lech Lecha, chapter 42, at the beginning of Shemini, at the beginning of Ruth and at the beginning of Esther: that wherever it says vehayah (“and it will be”), it denotes nothing but joy: “And it will be on that day, living waters will go out”;

“And it will be on that day, a great shofar will be sounded,” etc. For the word vehayah is a combination [of the letters] of the Name Havayah, except that the letters vav-hei come before the letters yud-hei. That is, the level of yud-hei is “your children,” as mentioned above, which is prayer in ratzo and shov;

and this is “Let every soul (neshamah) praise Yah,” as is explained elsewhere in the discourse beginning “Sing and rejoice, O daughter.” But the level of vav-hei alludes to the level of “your builders,” which is a dwelling place among the lower realms, the ultimate purpose intended, so that there be “and great peace” from below upward and from above downward, as mentioned above.

It may also be said that it alludes to the two levels of “your builders” and “Through charity you shall be established”: for the vav is occupation with Torah, and the hei is the level of charity, which is the level of action (asiyah), as is explained in the discourse beginning “But [Havayah your G‑d] was not willing” in Parshas Teitzei, and as is explained on the verse “And David made a name.”

Therefore joy is drawn from this, as it is written, “Havayah shall rejoice in His works,” that is, through the level of the World of Asiyah (Action) being refined, as is explained elsewhere in the discourse beginning “Havayah is with me among my helpers.” And this is “And I will return in peace to my father’s house, and Havayah will be my G‑d.” The meaning is: “in peace,” through the two levels of

peace mentioned above, one will come to the level of “my father’s house,” which is Yitzchak, the level of laughter (tzechok) and joy, the revelation of the inner dimension (pnimiyus) of the supernal delight. And then “Havayah will be my G‑d (Elokim)”: that is, what is now the level of the Name Havayah will then be merely the level of Elokim, relative to the revelation of the inner dimension of

the supernal delight, which is above the Name Havayah; as it is written, “Then you will delight above (al) Havayah,” “above” precisely. And this revelation is drawn through vehayah specifically, the level of “your builders,” from which “and great peace” is drawn, so that there be “And I will return in peace,” as mentioned above; and through charity, as it is said, “And the work of charity shall be (vehayah) peace.”

And this is “and Havayah will be (vehayah) my G‑d”: vehayah precisely. And this is what is said in the Midrash Rabbah, Vayeitzei, chapter 70: “The Holy One, blessed be He, took the words of the Patriarchs,” etc.; see there. This will be further understood from what is written at the end of the discourse beginning “Sing and rejoice, O daughter,” on the three levels of “He did not cease to cherish her,” etc.,

and that in the future the level of “daughter” will be raised to greater eminence; and it is known that the level of “daughter” is the lower hei. From this the matter of vehayah will be understood, in which the letters vav-hei come first, for this alludes to the level of “For behold, I am coming,” etc. And see the Zohar, Part III, Sh’lach) (page 171a),

on the verse “And it will be on that day, living waters will go out from Jerusalem.” And this is what is said in the Midrash on Eichah on the verse “Her adversaries have become (hayu)”: “I did not say vai (‘woe’), but vah I said,” for to them the letters vav-hei indicated joy.

But for this level to be revealed in the future is through the service now: to be “taught by Havayah,” in the mode of “your children” and “your builders” and “Through charity you shall be established.” And see what is written in the discourse beginning “Return, Israel,” on what Yaakov said, “If Elokim will be with me,” etc., “and it will be (vehayah),” etc.; see there.