אני ה׳ אלקיכם אשר הוצאתי אתכם מארץ מצרים כו׳

1“I am Havayah your G‑d, who brought you out of the land of Egypt,” etc. “I am Havayah your G‑d.” Now, our Sages, of blessed memory, said that wherever it says “I am Havayah,” the meaning is: “I am He who is faithful to pay reward.”

And [we need] to understand the matter of the doubling, that it doubles, saying “I am Havayah” twice, etc.; and further, why this is mentioned only regarding tzitzis.

However, it is written, “Today, to do them”: that is, today, in this world; “and tomorrow, to receive their reward”: that is, in Gan Eden and at the Resurrection of the Dead. And the main receiving of the reward is at the time of the Resurrection.

2And we must understand: what is the reward and recompense for the souls who sit in Gan Eden and delight in G‑d, such as the souls of the Patriarchs Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov, of Moshe and Aharon, and those like them, in their having to be clothed in bodies and to live upon the face of the earth?

Also: why are there distinctions of level, the upper Gan Eden and the lower Gan Eden, and several ascents, one elevation after another, while the Resurrection of the Dead is the same for all Israel, as [the Sages] said, “All

Israel have a share in the World to Come,” except “and these are the ones who have no share,” etc., “one who denies the Resurrection of the Dead”: measure for measure, “he denied,” etc.

3Now, in the blessing over the mitzvos [the Sages] instituted that we say, “Who (asher) has sanctified us with His commandments,” etc. The meaning: asher is a term for delight and happiness (osher),

as in “In my happiness (be’oshri),” etc. And it is the source of the mitzvos, from which they are drawn. [And see what is written about this in the discourse beginning “And I was beside Him as a nursling.”]

The explanation is this: delight is found in all the physicality of the lowly world, as we see that there is the quality of delight in all the senses of the soul: sight, hearing, smell, speech; and how many kinds of delight there are in sight, from pictures and sights, etc.;

and likewise in hearing, from a pleasant voice, etc.; and likewise the sense of taste: “the palate tastes food,” etc., “sweet to the soul.” And in this way there is the quality of delight in all the physical matter in the world; and it is the level of the refuse of the supernal delight.

Now in truth, the level of physical delight is drawn from the level of spiritual delight, in the manner of the saying of our Sages, of blessed memory: “There is no blade of grass below that does not have a constellation (mazal) above,” etc.

Thus the sweetness of the grass is drawn and born from the constellation that strikes it and makes it grow. And in truth it is only refuse from the delight of G‑dliness, by which the souls enjoy and delight in the radiance of the Shechinah (Divine Presence), which is wondrous, etc.

For this world is the lowly world, where G‑dliness is in great hiddenness and concealment, by way of analogy, like the peel of a fruit, which conceals the fruit. So this world and all that fills it conceal the G‑dly life-force, and everything appears to be an existence and a thing [in its own right].

4Therefore, of the Time to Come it is written, “And I will remove the spirit of impurity from the land”; and it is also written, “the new heavens and the new earth that I make”; and of the heavens of the present it is written, “For the heavens shall vanish like smoke,” etc.

And all the delight in it is from the level of the refuse of the supernal delight, as mentioned above. And this is what our Sages, of blessed memory, said (in the first chapter of Taanis, folio 10a):

“[What is] outside the Land drinks from the residue of the Land of Israel.” And this is [the meaning of] what is written, “and all my innards [bless] His holy Name,” etc. (in Psalms, chapter 103).

That is, there are angels called “innards,” who sift the flow of delight. By way of analogy, the innards in a person, in which the food is sifted: from the choice part that has been sifted out, blood is made in the heart, and it gives life to the body, while the refuse is pushed outside. So too above,

there are angels who sift the flow of delight: the inner [part] is drawn into Gan Eden, and the refuse is drawn, by a chain of descent (hishtalshelus), into the constellations, and descends further below to be clothed in physical things, silver and gold, etc. And this is what is said, “May Havayah make His face shine to you,” etc.: that is, from the inner dimension (pnimiyus) of the supernal delight, which shines in Torah and mitzvos.

5And see on the matter of “and all my innards” in the Zohar, Part I, Lech Lecha, folio 87a, and in the Pardes, under the entry “Innards.” And this is what our Sages, of blessed memory, said of Rabbi Akiva: when he saw the great city of Rome full of every good thing

and in great tranquility, he laughed and said, “If for those who transgress His will it is so, for those who do His will, how much more so!” etc. For from this specifically one can recognize how truly “His greatness is unsearchable”:

for if the refuse of the supernal delight, which descended and fell into the kelipos (husks), is so great, how much more so for those who do His will: the inner dimension of the supernal delight, which shines in Torah and mitzvos, which is vast and mighty, etc. [And see what is written on the verse “And Yaakov settled,” and on the verse “And it came to pass, when Pharaoh sent out.”]

But that it is possible for nurture and bounty from the supernal delight to reach them, those who transgress His will, may He be blessed, be it however it may, even from the refuse of the delight within it, is as King Shlomo, peace be upon him, said: “The spider grasps with [its] hands, yet it is in the king’s palaces.”

6And see in the [Midrash] Rabbah, Parshas Toldos, at the end of section 66. “As the darkness, so the light.” And the purpose of this descent is as it is written, “as the advantage of light from darkness,” specifically. [See in the Zohar, at the end of Parshas Tetzaveh, folio 187, end of side a, and in Parshas Tazria, folio 47b.]

And this is in the manner of the saying of our Sages, of blessed memory, “‘With all your heart’: with both your inclinations,” and as our Sages, of blessed memory, said, “In the place where baalei teshuvah (those who return) stand,” etc. For it is from the opposite specifically: for example, when at first one took pleasure in the delights of this world, afterwards the outcry will be greater, “with greater strength,”

and it is the level of “[with all] your might” (me’odecha), without limit. And this is [the meaning of] what is written, “My soul, I have desired You in the night”: in this world, which is likened to night, the level of darkness; from there will come an advantage of light, in the level of the great love mentioned above. [And also, as is explained elsewhere, that there are two kinds of delight before the King. The first is in the doing of the mitzvos.

7The second is when he sees his son coming from afar, whom he has not seen for a long time; and when the king sees his son, he is filled with joy and delight. And so is the analogue, in the matter of teshuvah (return), etc.

See there. And in the same way is the matter of the descent of the supernal delight below in the shattering of the vessels, so that from this the level of the second delight will afterwards be drawn, through teshuvah, etc.

And this is a descent for the sake of an ascent.] And above as well, “the Ofanim, with a great noise, raise themselves opposite the Seraphim.” Thus the cause of this noise of the Ofanim is specifically the concealment of G‑dliness. This is not so with the Seraphim, for “Imma (Binah) nests in the Throne,” etc.,

which is the level of the revelation of the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof) that is revealed so as to be grasped in the World of Beriah (Creation), and there is the station of the Seraphim. Therefore they stand without noise and say “Holy,” for they grasp how

He, may He be blessed, is holy and set apart, as it is written, “I, Havayah, have not changed”: there is no change at all in His essence between before the creation of the world and after the creation of the world, because the source of the life-force of all the worlds is

only a radiance from Him, no more, and it is called the Infinite Light; by way of analogy, the light of the sun, which brings about no change at all, etc.

And what is written in the books, “the power of the Maker is in the made,” etc., applies below, in the level of Asiyah (Action), which is called “made” (pa’ul), as is known. [And as is written in Mishnas Chassidim and in the Siddur of the Arizal, in the explanation of “And let everything that has been made know

that You made it,” in the Rosh HaShanah prayer; and see what is written in Parshas Yisro, in the discourse beginning “In the third month,” in the explanation of “for all the praise of the work of Your hands.”]

However, the Ofanim and the holy Chayos, which are in the worlds below the level of the Throne, where there is not so much revelation of G‑dliness in comprehension, are in great noise. [And see what is written

about this in Shir HaShirim, in the discourse beginning “I am black, yet comely.”] And by way of analogy, it is the outcry “with greater strength.” And this is why [the Sages] instituted “two [blessings] before it,” that is, before the Shema, [its] “One” and “And you shall love,” so as to be in the level of noise, etc.

82. Now, through the arousal from below, the level of noise (ra’ash), there is drawn from above שער: there is שער with a right-hand shin (sha’ar), and there is שער with a left-hand [shin] (se’ar). שער with the right [shin] is as it is written, “This is the gate (sha’ar) of Havayah.”

And on the left it is as it is written, “And the hair (se’ar) of His head [was] like pure wool.” The meaning: by way of analogy, the hairs, whose growth is from the brain, yet they are an external radiance from it, so much so that when a hair is cut from it, it is not felt in the brain.

So too above, the Torah is called by the name of the level of “hairs,” as it is written, “His locks are curled (taltalim)”: “mounds upon mounds (tilei tilim) of halachos.” For “the Torah comes forth from Chochmah (wisdom),” and this drawing-down from the supernal delight, the source of all delights, is called a “hair.”

For the source of delight is the level of His essence, may He be blessed. It is not like the delight below in a person, who delights in some thing from which he receives the delight; and even the delight of the souls in the World to Come: they enjoy and receive the delight from the radiance of the Shechinah (Divine Presence), etc.

This is not so with Him, may He be blessed, for there is nothing outside Him, and “He is the Knowledge,” etc. And the delight that is in Him is the level of the very essence of delight, which is itself the level of delight. And this is why He is called the source of delights, for He is the source of all the levels of delight below.

9However, the revelation and drawing-down of the delight from there is through tzimtzum (contraction): the delight contracts itself so as to shine in the wisdom of the Torah. And this is what is called the level of “hairs,” by way of analogy, the level of the contraction of the life-force of the brain in a hair, etc.

And this is also the matter of the delight of the souls in Gan Eden, which is also from comprehending the Torah, etc., as is known: in the lower Gan Eden there is the study of the inner [meaning] of the Torah that is revealed to us, and in the upper Gan Eden, “the secret of secrets,” etc. And all this is the level of “the hair of His head,” etc., as is known.

However, the mitzvos are more exalted: that is, they are drawn from the very essence of delight, which is above the revelation of delight that contracts itself through “hairs” and is drawn into Chochmah (wisdom). And as it is written, “more than the abundance of all”: that is, above the G‑dly delight

which is the upper Gan Eden, which is the level of tzimtzum: “with the yud the World to Come was created,” etc. (And see what is written about this in the discourse beginning “A menorah all of gold,” and in the discourse beginning “And you shall command the children of Israel.”)

And it is of them that it is said, “His garments [were] white as snow,” as it is known that the mitzvos are called “garments.” The meaning: by way of analogy, a garment, which hides and conceals the person clothed in it; so too the root of the mitzvos is from the level of the source of delights, which is in a state of concealment and is not revealed in the level of Chochmah and comprehension, etc.

But it is drawn down through the practical mitzvos. For the 613 mitzvos of the Torah, with the seven rabbinic mitzvos, add up to 620, and they are the 620 pillars of light; by way of analogy, a pillar, which connects, etc.

And this is because “their end is wedged in their beginning,” and through the fulfillment of the deed one can draw down from the source of delights, which is what is not revealed in Chochmah.

10And this is the matter of the offerings: the offering of a physical animal atones for a person’s sin, as it is written, “Man and beast You save, Havayah,” and it is written, “and they brought their offering before Havayah.”

For “Havayah’s portion is His people”; and when one blemishes and sins, he blemishes the Name Havayah itself. For Havayah means that He brings into being, and through the sin one draws the life-force that brings into being to a place that is not fit. And the atonement for this is from the level of “before Havayah,”

which are the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy, “bearing iniquity,” etc. And it is impossible to draw down and arouse from this level except through the offering of a physical animal specifically, because “their end is wedged,” etc.,

as the rule is known: whatever is higher falls lower in its descent below. So too the animal, which is below, lower in level than man,

who is the level of the speaking being: this indicates the great loftiness of its root above, only that it fell below through the shattering of the vessels. That is, the animal is below Daas (knowledge),

but its root is from above Daas. And see what is written about this on the verse “And Moshe spoke to the heads of the tribes,” etc.

11However, through its being offered upon the altar, one arouses and draws down from the level that is “before Havayah,” etc.

So too regarding the mitzvah of charity (tzedakah) it is written, “And the work of charity shall be peace.” And the matter of peace is known from the matter of “He makes peace in His heights”: between the prince of water and the prince of fire, etc.,

that is, through the revelation of the radiance that is above the chain of descending worlds (hishtalshelus). So too, every giver and receiver are two opposites, and through charity one makes peace. And this is “in the household above and in the household below,” etc.

And the meaning of “His garments white as snow” is, by way of analogy, snow, which is made of particles gathered together and congealed little by little until it becomes a great [mass], etc. So too regarding charity it is written, “And He put on charity,” etc.:

“every single perutah (coin) adds up to a great sum.” And so it is with all the practical mitzvos: from many together one garment is made; and it is, by way of analogy, like a garment that is made of many pieces of cloth.

123. Now, the mitzvah of tzitzis is equal to all the mitzvos; and as is also known, tzitzis has the numerical value of 600, and with the eight threads and five knots, 613.

The explanation is that in tzitzis there is [something] of both levels mentioned above, “His garments” and “the hair of His head.” For the tallis itself, “the King’s mantle,” is the level of “His garments.” And in the first chapter of Rosh HaShanah (folio 17b):

“This teaches that the Holy One, blessed be He, wrapped Himself like a shliach tzibbur (prayer leader).” The Maharsha wrote in the Chiddushei Aggados, and these are his words: “And in an old book of the wisdom of the Kabbalists I found, and these are its words: ‘The Holy One, blessed be He, wrapped Himself in that

white tallis in which He wrapped Himself at the creation of the world, of which it is said, “He wraps Himself in light as in a garment,” which shines from one end of the world to the other,’ etc.” End of his words. And see what is written in Torah Ohr, in the explanation of the verse “Let them bring royal apparel.”

13And see what is written on the matter of “His garment as snow” in the explanation of the verse “For on this day He shall atone.” And the tzitzis are the level of “hairs,” for the thirty-two threads are the thirty-two paths of Chochmah (wisdom). The meaning:

by way of analogy, a path, on which one passes from place to place; so too above, there are levels of paths, through which the flow of delight is drawn into Chochmah. And this is the level of the supernal “hairs,” as mentioned above regarding “the hair of His head,” etc.

And this is what is said regarding tzitzis, “So that you shall remember (tizkeru) and do”: that is, that you shall be the level of a male (dechar), which is the level of a giver. For without this, the Community of Israel is the level of a receiver: “and your desire shall be to your husband.”

But through this you shall be the level of a male who gives: that is, that they will draw the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He, into the Torah, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said on the verse “Moshe commanded us the Torah, an inheritance (morashah),” etc.: “Do not read morashah (inheritance) but me’orasah (betrothed),” for the Torah is called a bride, and one who occupies himself with Torah is called a ba’al (husband, master) of Torah,

as the Zohar says, “masters of the Torah” (marei de’oraisa). And this is along the lines of what is written in Ma’ayan HaChochmah: King David, peace be upon him, would join the Torah above with the Holy One, blessed be He, for he would draw the indwelling of the Infinite Light into Chochmah. And this is the meaning of “one who occupies himself with Torah for its own sake (lishmah)”: lishmah literally, for the sake of the Torah itself.

14And this is along the lines of what was mentioned above regarding ra’ash (noise) and שער: that from the level of ra’ash, שער is made. There is שער on the right, “This is the gate (sha’ar) of Havayah,” for entering and going out, that the King Himself goes out and is revealed; and שער on the left, “the hair (se’ar) of His head like wool,” etc.

And this is what is written, “His left hand is under my head, and his right hand embraces me.” [And see what is written in Parshas Mikeitz concerning the matter of “the mezuzah on the right and the Chanukah lamp on the left”: that the mezuzah is the level of the mitzvos, and it is on the right,

and this is like the matter of שער on the right; and the Chanukah lamp is the drawing-down of the Torah, and it is on the left, and this is like the matter of “and the hair of His head,” which is שער on the left. And see what is written in the explanation on the saying of our Sages, of blessed memory, “When Israel put ‘we will do’ before ‘we will hear,’” etc.]

15And at first it says, “And you shall not stray,” etc., “after which you go astray (zonim),” etc. For [with] anything that one longs for, he is called the level of Nukva (the feminine) and a receiver; and then he is called the level of a zonah (harlot), that is, that he desires physical pleasures,

and then he cannot receive from the supernal delight, and all the more so he cannot be the level of a male. [And see what is written about this in the discourse beginning “And it shall be for you as tzitzis.”] This is not so when “you shall not stray,” etc.: then “you shall remember and do,” etc. And this suffices for one who understands.

16Now the matter of “I am Havayah your G‑d” will be understood. Ani (אני, “I”) has the letters of ayin (אין, “nothing”), and this is along the lines of what is written, “Is there a tree (etz) in it or not (ayin)?” [And see in the Zohar, Sh’lach, folio 158b, and in the commentary of the Ramaz there.] The meaning: etz (“tree”) is from the term etzah (“counsel”), and it is in the level of Chochmah (wisdom), which is called “counsel and sound wisdom,”

for counsel is wise deliberation and the comprehension of some matter. And the meaning of “or not (im ayin)” is the level of ayin (“nothing”), from which the level of Chochmah is found; and it is the level of “the most hidden of all hidden things,” and it is not within the bounds of grasp and comprehension.

However, Havayah is the level of the chain of descending worlds (hishtalshelus): the yud is contraction, the hei is expansion, etc.; that is, through the level of contractions, as is known. Nevertheless it says, “I am Havayah”: that the level of Ani is truly the level of Havayah,

for the contraction and the concealment are only relative to us, who dwell below; but with Him, may He be blessed, all is truly one, without separation. And this is “who brought you out of the land of Egypt,”

for this world in general is called Mitzrayim (Egypt) on account of the straits (meitzarim) and limits, for it is bounded: from the earth to the firmament is [a journey of] five hundred years. And through the going out from these straits and limits, that is, as mentioned above regarding the noise “with greater strength,” etc.,

there is drawn down “to be your G‑d (Elokim).” Elokim is the level of tzimtzum (contraction), and it is the drawing-down of delight in Gan Eden in the level of “hairs”: “[they] sit and enjoy,” etc. And this is the matter of “For He is a holy G‑d (Elokim kedoshim),” and in the Jerusalem Talmud, at the beginning of the ninth chapter of Berachos: “His way is in holiness, His speech is in holiness,” etc.:

that is, drawings-forth of the level of “holy” itself, only that it is drawn through the level of “hairs” and contractions. For kadosh (“holy”) with a vav is the level of the drawing of kodesh (“holiness”) onto a hair, the level of the vav,

as in “He shall be holy; he shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow.” This is not so with the supernal kodesh itself: it is above the level of “hairs” and drawings-forth. And therefore this level is called “to be your G‑d (Elokim).”

And this is the matter of “the living G‑d (Elokim chayim)”: see what is written in the Siddur, in the discourse beginning “Ado-nai, open my lips,” and see in Me’orei Or, letter alef, section 83.

Also along the lines of what is written, “No eye has seen, Elokim, except You, what He will do for one who waits for Him” (and see the Zohar, Part I, folio 6, end of side a, and Part III, Pinchas, folio 267b);

and although in the Gemara they explained this as referring to the time of the Resurrection, nevertheless it can also be explained as referring to Gan Eden; see in Parshas Terumah, [folio] 142b. And see what is written in the discourse beginning

“For as the new heavens,” below. And afterwards, “I am Havayah your G‑d” the second time refers to the greatness of the reward at the time of the Resurrection, which is the level of the revelation of the essence of delight, which is not within the bounds of contraction and division: the level of the supernal kodesh itself.

And it is as it is written, “His garments white as snow,” which is the level of a delight that is above the delight revealed in the level of the inner dimension (pnimiyus), which is called “the hair of His head.” And it is this that will be revealed in the Time to Come, and it is the giving of the reward of the mitzvos, as mentioned above.

17And this is what our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “The righteous sit with their crowns on their heads.” The crown is the level of an encompassing [light] (makif), which is above the brain in the head, and all the more so above the hairs. And see what is written elsewhere on the verse “With the crown with which his mother crowned him.” And this is [the meaning of] “I am Havayah, faithful to pay reward,”

for the payment of this reward, which is the level of the essence of delight, is at present above comprehension, and is only in the level of faith.

Now, this is why “I” is said twice, corresponding to the two levels mentioned above, “His garments” and “the hair of His head,” etc., in the mitzvah of tzitzis specifically, for in tzitzis there are both levels, as mentioned above.

18And this is the reason that receiving this delight is specifically through the Resurrection of the Dead, when the body specifically will rise and delight together with the soul: because this delight,

which is from the level of the essence of delight that is above contraction and division, is drawn down through the practical mitzvos, because “their end is wedged,” etc.

Therefore its revelation in the Time to Come is in the body specifically. This is not so with the delight in Gan Eden, the comprehension of the inner dimension of the delight: it is [for] the souls without bodies.