צאינה וראינה בנות ציון במלך שלמה בעטרה שעטרה…

1“Go out and gaze, O daughters of Zion, at King Shlomo, at the crown with which his mother crowned him on the day of his wedding.” And our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “On the day of his wedding”: this is the Giving of the Torah.

To understand this, we must first preface [an explanation of] the matter of the Torah. For it is known that the Torah is likened to several things, to bread, wine and oil, as it is written, “Go, eat of my bread, and drink of the wine that I have mixed”

(and see Berachos, page 57, end of side a, and Tractate Avodah Zarah, page 35, side a). And it is also called oil, as is written in [Midrash] Rabbah on Shir HaShirim on [the verse] “For the fragrance of your oils,” etc.

[We need] to understand these three levels, for certainly the different names, bread, wine and oil, are different aspects and virtues that are in the Torah.

The explanation is according to what is written, “And wine gladdens the heart of man (enosh), to make the face radiant from oil, and bread sustains the heart of man.”

We need to understand the difference between the level of joy that comes from the level of the “wine” of the Torah and the level of radiance that comes from the level of “oil”

(for seemingly both are a matter of joy, as it is written, “And the city of Shushan was radiant and glad”). We also need to understand the expression “to make radiant”: it should have said, “and oil will make the face radiant.”

But the expression “to make radiant” implies that wine gladdens, etc., in order to make the face radiant from oil; yet seemingly wine gladdens by itself, even if there is no oil. Now, first we need [to explain] the matter of “and bread sustains the heart of man.”

The explanation: the word enosh has two meanings. The first is the sense of “man” (ish), and the second is the sense of weakness, as it is written (Jeremiah 17), “The heart is more crooked than all, and it is anush,” where the meaning is weakness and sickness.

That is, because “the heart is more crooked than all,” which denotes distortion and crookedness, meaning that it is drawn after physical desires and pleasures, whose root and source is from the level of the mazalos (the constellations), [as it is said,] “There is no blade of grass that has no mazal,” etc.

And the mazalos receive from the dregs of the Ofanim [a class of angels], which fell there by way of the shattering of the vessels (sheviras hakeilim), from the level of waste, etc., as is known [from the explanation] on “and all my innards,” etc.:

that the life-force that is drawn down and enclothed in the pleasures of this world is only like the level of the waste that is expelled through the sifting in the innards and intestines.

Therefore, just as the waste bears no comparison to what was sifted out of the food, from which life-force is made for the person and which becomes included in the person, whereas the waste that was expelled is not fit even as food for an animal, but only, etc.,

so too, in the same proportion, the pleasures of this world in general bear no comparison to spiritual pleasure, even in the lower Gan Eden, to the point that all the sufferings of Gehinnom are worthwhile [for it], etc.

Therefore, whoever walks uprightly ought to despise the pleasures of this world, in the manner of is’hapcha (transformation), or at any rate iskafya (subjugation), and to be [in the state of] “Taste and see that Havayah is good,” as it is written, “See, I have set before you life,” etc., “and death,” etc.,

“and you shall choose life.” And it is known that physicality is called death, and spirituality is called life. And of this it is said, “to love Havayah your G‑d, for He is your life.”

2Now this love is the one that is drawn from the level of the light that fills all worlds (memalei kol almin), which is the level of “for the sake of your life”; therefore this love is limited within a vessel.

And there is a level of love that comes from contemplating the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He, itself, the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin), which no thought can grasp at all, and the life-force of all the worlds is only from the level of a mere glimmer, [that of] “He spoke and the world came into being,” a mere utterance, etc.

And because of this his soul will yearn, and even expire, to be in a state of actual self-nullification (bittul) toward Him alone, may He be blessed, for the heart does not have the power to contain the love.

But if, G‑d forbid, he is drawn after physical desires, of this it is said, “The heart is more crooked than all,” for there is no crookedness and distortion greater than this.

And not only does he lack the level of the expiring of the soul mentioned above—as it says, “I, Havayah, have not changed,” and how [is it that] “you, children of Yaakov, have not expired” in the expiring of the soul toward this level of “I have not changed,” etc.—but he has cast away from himself even the first love, of the level of “and you shall choose life” and “for the sake of your life,”

as it is written, “Me they have forsaken, the source of living waters, to hew for themselves broken cisterns.”

These are all their pleasures and the love of physical things, which are drawn from the shattering of the vessels and [therefore] are called “broken cisterns,” etc. And because of the attachment to physical pleasures, the power of the soul is weakened as a matter of course, and he has no G‑dly love.

As it is written, “Strength stumbles because of my iniquity”: through the iniquities the power of the soul stumbles and is weakened. And as it is written, “But your iniquities have separated between you and your G‑d.”

And [this means] not actual iniquities but the physicality of the body and its materiality (for avon, “iniquity,” denotes crookedness, which is like the matter of “the heart is crooked” mentioned above. And the main thing is that they take light for darkness and darkness for light, bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.

it is this that becomes a separating screen, which limits and enclothes the soul until it brings her down to be drawn after it, and she has no ability to rise and to go out of it.

32. Now, in this state a person is called enosh. For there are several names [for man], enosh, ish and adam, and adam is the highest of them all.

As is written in Parshas Tazria (page 48), adam is the level of completeness, as it is written, “Male and female He created them, and He called their name Adam,” etc. And it is known how in the union of male and female, giver and receiver, there is completeness and the revelation of a supernal radiance.

Also, adam is the expression of “I will be like (adameh) the Most High.” And ish is below the level of adam; in general, ish is the level of the emotive attributes (middos), love and awe, as it is written, “A man (ish) is praised according to his intellect.”

4And adam is when he has the expanded intellect (mochin degadlus), etc. Nevertheless, regarding ish too it is written, “Fortunate is the man (ish) who fears Havayah,” etc., “mighty in the land,” etc.

But enosh is below them all: that is, on the contrary, when he is in a state of weakness of the soul’s power, as mentioned above, from the expression “The heart is more crooked than all, and it is anush,” etc. And so it is in the Zohar, Terumah (168a), on [the verse] “What is enosh, that You should remember him,” etc.

Now, so too Above: regarding the Holy One, blessed be He, it is written, “And upon the likeness of the Throne, a likeness like the appearance of a man (adam),” etc., and it is written, “Havayah is a man (ish) of war.”

But enosh is the level of Metatron, as is written in Parshas Pinchas (page 217) on [the verse] “Enosh, his days are like grass,” etc.: that it is the level of the angel mentioned above, of whom it is said, “I was a youth (naar), and I have also grown old,” etc. And he is likened to grass.

For grass (chatzir) is the herb that is cut several times and grows back again in a short time, and is cut again; it is called aspasta [a fodder grass] (in the Gemara, in [the chapter] Chezkas HaBatim).

Now, so too the level of the angel mentioned above, who is the one that clothes the light of the flow that is drawn down in the six weekdays, the first day [being] the level of Chesed (kindness), etc.: the level of Chesed is enclothed in that angel, and for this reason he is called “the shoe of the Shechinah (Divine Presence),” etc.

5He is called naar, a youth. That is: just as a youth’s intellect and emotive attributes are very small compared to a grown man, so, and even more so, the emotive attributes (middos) of the World of Yetzirah (Formation), which is the level of Metatron, in which Chesed is enclothed in a physical flow, bear no comparison to the emotive attributes of the World of Atzilus (Emanation), where there is the revelation of the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof).

And on every Shabbos, which is the ascent of the worlds, the level of that angel also rises to Atzilus, as is known regarding “How beautiful are your steps in shoes,” etc.

6And this is “and I have also grown old”: that he rises to old age, which is a great ascent from the level of naar and the “small face” (anpei zutra) to the level of the “great face” (anpei ravrevei) and old age, etc.

But on weekdays he is drawn down again to be on the level of naar, which is the “small face,” etc. Therefore it is said, “his days are like grass”: just as grass constantly grows anew, so this enosh is constantly renewed to be on the level of naar.

7And you may know [this], for we count, “Today is the first day of the week,” “the second day,” etc., until the Shabbos day, which is the seventh day.

This is difficult: surely myriads of days have already passed from the six days of Creation until now, so how do we say, “Today is the first day,” etc.?

Rather, it is because on Shabbos the ascent of the level of naar, the Prince of the World, is into Atzilus, and there it is above the level of time. Therefore every first day is truly a first day,

like the first day of the six days of Creation, when time was brought into being anew from above time; so every first day that follows Shabbos is renewed.

For Shabbos is the ascent into Atzilus, which is above time, and on the first day it is drawn down into the level of Metatron, the six extremities (vav ketzavos) of Yetzirah, the level of time. If so, then “enosh, his days are like grass,”

whose growth is only six days; on Shabbos he rises and is included in what is above time, and afterward he is drawn down again for another six days; and this is “like grass,” etc.

(And the reason his ascent into Atzilus is likened to “cutting” is that in his ascent there he is in a state of self-nullification (bittul), like a candle before a torch, etc. See there in Parshas Pinchas) (page 217, side b) on the explanation of “and he is no more,” etc.

Now, from this it is understood how the term enosh, which is the level of an angel who has limits, etc., bears no comparison to the level of ish and adam, of which it is said, “Havayah is a man (ish),” etc., which is the level of the Infinite One (Ein Sof), primordial and eternal.

And accordingly it is likewise understood, in proportion, regarding man below: when he is called enosh, it indicates the weakness of his power and a descent from the rank of the level of ish and adam, etc.

That is, as was said above at length regarding “The heart is more crooked than all, and it is anush”: the weakness is when he has no strength to prevail over his inclination.

For “Who is mighty? One who conquers his inclination,” so as to be as it is written, “And you shall love with all your heart (levavcha)”: with both your inclinations.

83. Now, “there is hope for Israel concerning this,” namely through the Torah, which is called bread. Of this it is said, “and bread sustains the heart of enosh”: that it will sustain this heart of enosh, the weak one, and strengthen it, so that it should have power and strength to conquer even its animal soul.

That is because the Torah is called “strength” (oz), as it is written, “Havayah will give strength to His people”: it gives power and strength to the G‑dly soul to prevail over the materiality of the body and over the animal soul and its coarseness, to go out from the captive’s prison

(as is explained on this in the discourse beginning “In the third month after the children of Israel went out of the land of Egypt,” in Parshas Yisro; see there at length). Therefore the Torah is called bread, by analogy with physical bread, which sustains the heart and strengthens it.

That is, it binds and joins the life of the soul to the limbs of the body: for if one goes hungry and does not eat all day, he will weaken, and some of the powers of the life of his soul will withdraw; and through bread the heart is sustained and his soul returns to him

So too the level of the “bread” of the Torah: it is made of wheat (chitah), which is the level of the twenty-two letters of the Torah, the numerical value of chitah. Therefore on Shavuos the Two Loaves are brought from wheat,

and it is also the beginning of the wheat harvest, as is explained elsewhere. It strengthens him and gives power and strength to the G‑dly soul to prevail over the materiality of the body and over the animal soul.

Now, the Torah is also called “My bread,” for it is the level of bread for Him too, as it were. (And although it is said, “and bread sustains the heart of enosh,” which is on the level of the angel Metatron mentioned above, [still,] the level of adam also needs bread, etc.:

that is, the level of the light that fills all worlds (memalei kol almin), which receives light and life-force from the level of the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin) through the Torah and mitzvos; see what is written on this in the discourse beginning “The heads of the tribes.” Only, the bread sustains even the heart of enosh, the weak one, as well.)

And how this level applies Above is as follows. Just as man’s need for bread is because the soul is spiritual and the body is physical, and it is not of the essence and rank of a spiritual soul,

therefore, for the soul to be joined and bound to the body, it must be through an intermediary that joins them, and that is bread, from which blood is made, and it binds the soul to be enclothed in the blood, etc.

9So it is Above, for the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He, to be drawn down and enclothed in the emanated and created beings, since in Himself “He is not of any of these attributes at all,” and “You are wise, but not with a known wisdom.”

And just as a physical body bears no comparison to the spiritual soul, so, and even more so, the level of Chochmah (wisdom), etc., and the emotive attributes (middos), etc., bear no comparison to the Infinite One (Ein Sof), blessed be He.

10Therefore, for the Infinite One, blessed be He, to be bound and joined to the attributes, it is through “bread,” which binds and joins, so that He, may He be blessed, is enclothed in them like a soul in a body, etc.

And this is [the meaning of] “For I said, ‘[For] the world, kindness (chesed) shall be built’”: the Chesed must be “built” so that there may be the level of the world’s endurance. For the coming into being of the worlds is through the supernal attributes, the chief of which is Chesed.

11And also through the level of Chochmah (wisdom), Binah (understanding) and Daas (knowledge), which are enclothed in them, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said, “With ten things the world was created: with wisdom, with understanding and with knowledge.” And our Sages, of blessed memory, said, “‘In the beginning’ is also an utterance.”

For “In the beginning” is the level of Chochmah: even Chochmah is called merely an utterance in relation to the Infinite One (Ein Sof), blessed be He, as mentioned above regarding the body in relation to the soul, etc.

12Therefore, for the level of Chesed and Chochmah to be “built,” it is through “For I said,” that is, through speaking words of Torah, which is called bread, to the point that it is truly the level of “My bread,” to draw the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He, into the supernal attributes of the World of Atzilus (Emanation), which must also be specifically through this level of bread [and see what is written on this at the end of the discourse beginning “To My mare” and in the discourse beginning “I have come into My garden”].

And bread sustains even the heart of enosh, to draw the life-force and the drawing down of the Infinite Light, blessed be He, also below, into the level of enosh, which is the level of naar and the Prince of the World,

so that the flow and the life-force are drawn also into the lower worlds, until through this compassion and goodness are drawn into the world, and also a flow of kindness and physical sustenance to the world

(and see the end of Parshas Vayikra) (page 25b) on the verse “Drip, O heavens, from above,” etc., until “and the sustenance of human beings is found in the world.”

And “drip” (har’ifu) is as it is written, “My teaching shall drip (ya’arof) like the rain,” which refers to the Torah, as is explained elsewhere. And as it is Above, so it is also below, in the soul:

that bread sustains even the heart of enosh, the weak one, until “the weak one shall say, ‘I am mighty’”: to be mighty, one who conquers his inclination. And all this is through the bread of the Torah.

And even one who is on the level of adam also needs this bread, as mentioned above regarding the parallel [Above]. And so it is below: for the Infinite Light to be drawn into the soul is impossible except through the Torah.

13And this is [the meaning of] “And G‑d spoke all these words, saying.” “All these words” means the general and collective expression (klalus) of the entire Torah, which is included in the Ten Commandments, as the Ramban writes, that in the Ten Commandments there are 620 letters.

“Saying” (lemor) means: so that through this there may be endurance and life-force for the Ten Utterances, as mentioned above regarding “My bread,” etc.

And this is what our Sages, of blessed memory, said (Sanhedrin 99b) on the verse, “Or let him take hold of My strength, that he may make peace with Me; peace he shall make with Me”: that one who occupies himself with Torah for its own sake makes peace in the household Above and in the household below.

“In the household Above” means the bond and joining of the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof) with Chochmah and with Tevunah (understanding), etc., through which [the worlds] were created and emanated, etc., which is called the household Above.

And “in the household below” means in the G‑dly soul within the body, which conquers even its animal soul, because of the strength and power added to the G‑dly spark through the bread of the Torah.

14Now, the main reason that the Torah has the ability to join the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof) with the emanated and created beings is that the Torah is rooted in the level of the supernal will, which is the level of Keser (the Crown), the 620 pillars of light;

that is, the level of “when it arose in His simple will to emanate and to create,” etc., which is the source of all the worlds, and it is above even the level of Chochmah (wisdom).

Through this supernal will the Infinite Light is drawn into Chochmah, and likewise into Tevunah (understanding) and Daas (knowledge), etc. (for Keser is the level of an intermediary that joins the Infinite Light, blessed be He, with the emanated beings, as is known).

Of this it is said, “You open Your hand and satisfy every living thing [with] will (ratzon).” Do not read yadecha, “Your hand,” but yudecha, “Your yuds”; and through this He satisfies every living thing from the level of the supernal will.

And this is as it is written, “which a man (adam) shall do, and live by them”: that the level of light and life-force is drawn also into the supernal Adam, etc. And this is [the meaning of] “as though they had made Me.”

And this is the matter of the Two Loaves that were offered on Atzeres [Shavuos]: through the Two Loaves that were offered below, the level of “sustaining the heart” was drawn to the souls of Israel as a whole (and see what is written in Parshas Shelach in the discourse beginning “The matter of the libations”).

That is, to join the G‑dly light with the souls of Israel as a whole, and to conquer the evil inclination through this power and strength, as mentioned above; and this is the peace in the household below.

And likewise, in the arousal from above, [as] “As water [reflects] face to face, so the heart of man,” etc., there comes to be, Above, the level of “My bread,” to make peace in the household Above: the enclothing of the Infinite Light in Chochmah and in Tevunah, etc.

(And it may be said that this is the matter of the communal peace-offerings, the two lambs that were offered on Shavuos, with the Two Loaves upon the two lambs. For shelamim, “peace-offerings,” is the level of shalom, “peace,” as is written in the Zohar, Vayikra) (page 11, end of side b, and page 12).

That is, from the level of the Two Loaves, which are the Written Torah and the Oral Torah, there comes to be peace in the household Above and in the household below.

Therefore the communal peace-offerings mentioned are holy of holies (kodshei kodashim); see the Zohar at the beginning of Parshas Tzav, and the commentary of the Ramash there, on the matter of holy of holies.

And it will be understood that all those levels are present in the peace that is drawn down through the Torah. And see what is written in the explanation on [the verse] “Arm from among you,” etc.

15And this is the meaning of “at King Shlomo”: at the King to Whom peace (shalom) belongs, etc. 4. Now we need to understand the matter of “And wine gladdens the heart of enosh.” This will be understood through explaining the wording “Go, eat of my bread,” etc.: what is this “going”?

But the meaning of “Go” is that one must go out from his house, etc., and even from his body and his very self, which are the enjoyment of the matters of this world and everything like it,

and put all his intellect only into the Torah, so that nothing of his intellect remains, not even a little; and into the matters of this world he should put only a little of his intellect. Through this he will rise up in His Thought, [as] “Israel arose in Thought,” each one according to his level.

16Therefore we see that at times an unlearned person (am haaretz) succeeds more in his way, because he does not put his intellect into his affairs, since he has no intellect;

but one who has intellect and puts all his intellect into the matters of this world, more than is proper, therefore does not succeed.

Rather, he should put all his intellect into the knowledge of the Torah, according to his level, both in the revealed [Torah] and in the inner dimension (pnimiyus), and in matters of business he should not delve too deeply, etc. And this is “Go, eat.”

But since it is possible for Torah study to be not for its own sake, in order to become great, etc., therefore it says further, “Go,” etc., “of my bread” (bilchmi), in the singular:

to go out from the “mountains of separation” to the level of reshus hayachid, the “domain of the Single One,” for He, may He be blessed, is the Single One of the world. And the essence of this going is through contemplation in prayer on the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He, which encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin) and fills all worlds (memalei kol almin),

and how “His Name alone is exalted,” only “His splendor is upon the earth,” etc. Through this he will be stirred with love to go out from the prison of the physical body, to cleave to Him; and this is what is called “going”

(see what is written elsewhere on [the verse] “If you walk in My statutes,” and on “Thus said,” etc., “and I will give you places to walk,” etc., and on “that I may test them, whether they will walk in My Torah”). And when his Torah study is afterwards on this level, so as to “walk in My Torah,” he will then rise higher and higher.

And this is the meaning of what our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “Make His will as your will, so that He will make your will as His will.” “His will” is the level of the supernal will, which is far, far above even the level of supernal Chochmah (wisdom), as mentioned above.

As is known, the level and nature of will Above is not as in a person, who wants something because he lacks that thing, so that his will is born according to the intellect,

for reason and intellect dictate that he needs that thing, and therefore the will is drawn to it. This is not so Above, for He, may He be blessed, is the perfection of all, and there is nothing outside Him, and nothing at all is lacking, etc.

17Therefore the level of His will, may He be blessed, is above intellect and cannot be grasped at all. Now, for a person’s will to be drawn to Him, may He be blessed, to cleave to Him, it comes at first through contemplation, reason and intellect: his contemplating the greatness of the Infinite One (Ein Sof), blessed be He.

As is written in the Zohar, Vayeira (page 103b), on [the verse] “Known in the gates”: “according to what one measures in his heart,” etc. And of this they said, “Make His will as your will.”

That is: “as your will,” which is below the intellect and drawn from the intellect; so “make His will” by contemplating the greatness of G‑d, and from the contemplation the will for G‑d will be drawn forth.

18There is also [another] explanation of “Make His will,” etc.: that through occupying yourself with Torah you will draw His supernal will, blessed be He, to be enclothed in Chochmah (wisdom) and in Tevunah (understanding), etc.

If so, you make His will to be as your will: just as your will is on the level of Chochmah, so you make the supernal will, which, although in itself “its ways are exalted” above the level of supernal Chochmah (Chochmah Ila’ah), as mentioned above, nevertheless through this will be enclothed in the level of Chochmah, so that afterward He will make your will as His will.

That is: just as His will is exalted above the level of reason and wisdom and is called the supernal will, so He, may He be blessed, will act and make your will, too, to be on this level.

And this is the shining in you of the level of great love (ahavah rabbah) that comes from Above, which is the level of the love “with all your might,” without limit, which is above the level of the love that comes according to the intellect, “according to what one measures,” mentioned above

And afterward he said further, “Nullify your will,” etc. For this level, that “He will make your will as His will” in the manner of great love, all this applies specifically at the time of prayer, for then one sets his heart on concentration in prayer, and on Pesukei deZimra [the Verses of Praise] with contemplation, in order to reach love, and afterward the great love mentioned above will also shine in him.

But after prayer, as when he is occupied in business all day, the revelation of this love certainly passes and goes away. Therefore he said, “Nullify your will”:

that is, to nullify the foreign wills, in bodily desires and the material matters of this world, so as to subdue the sitra achra (the other side), whatever is against the will of G‑d.

For this, at any rate, every person can attain, even while he is occupied in business: although the revelation of the great love has already passed and gone, nevertheless he can at any rate nullify every foreign will.

19And this is why he afterward also said, “Nullify your will,” etc.: that is, even not at the time of prayer. For at the time of prayer, when his soul thirsts for G‑d, the expression “nullifying a foreign will” does not apply, for then he has only one heart, etc.

But even afterward, when the sweetness of the great love has passed and a foreign will is possible, nevertheless “nullify your will” at any rate, “so that He will nullify the will of others”: these are the kelipos (husks) and the sitra achra.

20The nullifying of their will is along the lines of the saying of our Sages, of blessed memory, “The evil angel answers ‘Amen’ against his will.” And this is the matter of “with all your heart”: with both your inclinations, etc.

And this is the matter of “And wine gladdens the heart of enosh.” For our Sages, of blessed memory, said, “Wine entered, the secret came out.” A secret is something hidden and concealed.

21So too the world appears to be a something, an entity; but in truth it is nullified in its existence relative to the light of G‑d that brings it into being. Only, this nullification is hidden, and this is the level of the “secret.”

And through “wine,” which is the level of contemplation, the secret comes out into revelation, so that from this comes love for this hidden light and life-force (chayus), as it is written, “to love,” etc., “for He is your life.”

And this is the level and rank of “Make His will as your will” mentioned above: the drawing of the will within a person through contemplation, which is the level of “wine” (and see what is written on this in the discourse beginning “For the fragrance of your oils”). Now, wine is what causes joy.

That is, as is known, the keeping of the Torah and mitzvos must be specifically with joy, as it is written, “with joy and with gladness of heart.” And so too with the Torah: “Rejoice, my soul; for you I have read [Scripture],” etc., and so too, “and we will rejoice in the words of Your Torah,” etc.

And the way to reach this joy is through contemplation: although the Torah and mitzvos are the level of the supernal will, which is above the level of Chochmah (wisdom) and above the level of contemplation, nevertheless through contemplation he will know how to rejoice in this.

22And this is what is said, “Who (asher) has sanctified us with His commandments.” Asher is an expression of acclaim and praise, as in “In my happiness, for they have called me happy (ishruni).” For it is an exceedingly beautiful thing, to praise [Him] for having sanctified us with His commandments, which are themselves the level of the supernal will, which is above even the apprehension of supernal Chochmah (Chochmah Ila’ah).

23So too when he occupies himself with Torah: when he contemplates that through this occupation the level of the supernal will mentioned above is revealed in his soul, so that “His will is as your will,” he will rejoice and exult exceedingly from this.

And this level of contemplation is the level of the “wine” of the Torah, which gladdens the heart of enosh. And this is the meaning of “and Israel, who sanctify Your Name, will rejoice in You.”

The meaning of “who sanctify Your Name”: “Your Name” is the level of Malchus (sovereignty), which is the level of the light that fills all worlds (memalei kol almin), “Your kingship is the kingship of all worlds.”

For the life-force (chayus) that is enclothed in the worlds is only the level of a mere glow and glimmer, like the letters of a name alone. And the souls of Israel draw down the revelation of the level of the supernal holiness, the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin), into the level of Malchus

And this is “will rejoice in You”: that they draw down from the level of His being and essence into the level of “Your Name”; and see what is written on this on [the verse] “Binding his foal to the vine.” And this power in the souls of Israel, to draw down from the level of the supernal holiness, is because they “arose in Thought,”

that is, the level of the “hidden thought” (machshavah stima’ah), in which delight (taanug) is enclothed, for delight rests in Chochmah; and the souls of Israel are drawn from the inner dimension (pnimiyus) of supernal Chochmah, for they are called “children of the Omnipresent.” By way of analogy, in a son, the drop is drawn from the brain, where the power of the intellect resides.

24Therefore there is delight (taanug) in the drawing forth of the drop, and the delight is specifically at the culmination of the union, for the delight comes from the giving, as in “More than the calf [wants to suck], etc., the cow wants to suckle.”

So too, by way of analogy, in the souls of Israel, which are also called “light sown for the righteous”: the level of supernal delight is enclothed in them, and therefore it has the power to draw down the level of anointing and supernal delight.

And this is “will rejoice in You,” etc., in the level of the inner dimension (pnimiyus) of supernal delight. And through this they are able to be also “those who sanctify Your Name,” drawing this level of holiness into the level of Malchus (sovereignty).

5. “To make the face radiant from oil.” The meaning is: wine gladdens, but the radiance of the face is from the oil. This is its plain meaning.

25Now, the difference between joy and the radiance of the face: for seemingly, through wine too, when one rejoices, the face reddens.

But the matter of wine’s gladdening is that the action of wine is to bring [things] from concealment into revelation. Therefore it draws forth the revelation of the inner part of the blood: what was in a state of concealment comes, through the wine, into revelation.

Therefore the face reddens. And since the life-force (chayus) of the soul is enclothed in the blood, in the inner part of the blood there is enclothed a more inward life-force of the soul than the life-force enclothed in the outer part of the blood; therefore, through wine the inner life-force is revealed, from concealment into revelation, because of the revelation of the inner part of the blood.

26And this is the matter of joy. It follows that the joy that comes from wine is due to the revelation of the inner part of the blood. But the radiance of the face does not come at all by reason of the blood;

rather, it is a shining of the face that comes to a person from the light of Chochmah (wisdom) that shines in him, as it is written, “A man’s wisdom makes his face shine,”

and as Rabbi Yehudah answered the matron who saw that his face was glowing and said to him, “A teacher, and drunk!”; and he told her that he did not drink wine at all,

but rather “a man’s wisdom makes his face shine” (Nedarim 49b); and as they said of Rabbi Abahu, that his face shone because he had found a new Tosefta, etc.

This, then, is the level of the shining of the face that does not come from the gathering of the blood; rather, a light comes and is drawn from above, which illuminates the face and makes it glow:

that is, the light of one who grasps a new insight. And this is what is called oil, which is above the level of wine, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said: oil that floats on top of wine, they disagreed whether it is joined [to it], etc.

And this is “to make the face radiant” specifically “from oil” (that is, because oil is above the level of water;

Now, the root of the difference between the shining of the face that comes from the joy of wine and the shining of the face that comes only from the illumination of Chochmah is this: from the blood the inner life-force rises into the face, from below upward, in the manner of gathering and raising up.

And this comes as flashes of fire, a warmth burning like a flame, which rises and is revealed in the face.

But the shining of the face that shines from Chochmah shines and comes from above downward, and there are no flashes of fire in it at all, for Chochmah is called ko’ach mah, “the power of what,” which is the level of self-nullification (bittul), etc.

27All this will be understood in “the service of the heart, which is prayer”: through contemplation comes joy, in flashes of fire, a flame of enthusiasm and fervor of the heart; and this is the gathering of the inner life-force that is in the blood, mentioned above, like “wine gladdens,” mentioned above.

And this is the service of the holy Chayos [the angels called “living creatures”] of the supernal Chariot, of whom it is written, “burning like the appearance of torches,” etc.

28And throughout the passage it says of them, “and their wings,” meaning the level of love and awe in excitement, enthusiasm and fervor, to fly upward, to be nullified and included in the light of the Shechinah (Divine Presence) that shines upon them, etc.

Likewise, at the Giving of the Torah it is written, “And all the people saw the sounds and the torches.”

For the sounds and the torches did not come in order to frighten Israel; rather, they were an arousal from above (isarusa dileila) in flashes of fire, to awaken the love in Israel as an arousal from below (isarusa dilesata), so that their souls would be set aflame with flashes of the fire of longing for the One G‑d. For this the sounds and the torches came: to set the Community of Israel (Knesses Yisrael) aflame.

29And so it was: at each utterance their souls flew out, for the sounds and the torches kindled in their souls an enthusiasm of light and joy, in a state of the actual expiring of the soul, until their souls flew out at each utterance, etc. All this is the level of joy through contemplation, like “wine gladdens,” mentioned above.

But with the level of Chochmah (wisdom), since the light of Chochmah shines from above downward, it comes in the manner of the nullification of existence, the opposite of enthusiasm. And this is what is said of the holy Chayos, “And over the heads of the Chayah was a firmament, like the color of the awesome ice (kerach).”

The meaning of kerach: just as, by way of analogy, physical ice, in which the water has congealed, so the level of Chochmah draws into the heads of the Chayos the level of nullification of existence, until “the waters congealed” and became like ice;

and this is the level of the dot of the chirik [vowel], which is beneath the letters, for chirik has the letters of kerach, being the level of nullification beneath the letters.

30And then it is said of the Chayos, “When they stood, they let down their wings”: that is, their wings, [which were] in the enthusiasm of love and awe, drop down, for they are nullified from their own existence and stand in a state of complete self-nullification (bittul).

And this is “to make the face radiant from oil.” For seemingly the expression “to make radiant,” etc., is not understood: it should have said, “and oil will make the face radiant,” just as it says, “and bread,” etc., “sustains,” and “and wine gladdens,” etc., as was written above.

But the point is that the whole essence of the level of “and wine gladdens” is so that afterward there will be “to make the face radiant from oil.”

For the whole essence of the joy in flashes of the fire of longing at first, in the mode of ratzo (running forth), which is called wine, is only so that afterward there will be the mode of shov (return),

which is the drawing down and revelation of light that comes through Chochmah (wisdom), which is the level of “A man’s wisdom makes his face shine,” etc.

It follows that the main intention is the mode of shov, which is the level of “to make the face radiant from oil,” for in this there is greater permanence.

But since it is impossible to come to the mode of shov unless the mode of ratzo, specifically in flashes of fire, has preceded it, that is, in order to go out from the prison of the body, which is through contemplation and flashes of fire, etc.

(see what is written in the discourse beginning “And I shall be sanctified among the children of Israel” and in the discourse beginning “And it shall be for you as tzitzis”), therefore it says first “and wine gladdens,” and afterward “to make radiant,” which is the main intention, etc.

And with all this will be understood what we say, “For by the light of Your face You have given us a Torah of life,” etc., for the Torah comes forth from Chochmah, and it is the level of the shining of the face.

316. Now we come to the matter of the verse “Go out and gaze,” etc., “at the crown with which his mother crowned him.” For the crown is the level of the supernal will, as it is written, “As with a shield, You will crown him with will (ratzon),” which is the level of a supernal encompassing [light] (makif),

and it is the level of the “crown of Torah.” And it is above the level of bread and wine, which are what is drawn down as an inner light (or pnimi), whereas the crown is from the level of the revelation of the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof) itself, the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin).

(And along the lines of what is written in the Zohar at the beginning of Parshas Beha’aloscha) (page 148b), on the meaning of “And he is like a bridegroom coming out of his chuppah”: “What is his chuppah? This is the crown with which his mother crowned him,” etc.

And it is explained above, in the discourse beginning “To My mare,” that the level of the chuppah is the light that encompasses all worlds; and see what is written on this also in the discourse beginning “The Torah commanded”; and see the Zohar, Bereishis, page 8a.

Therefore our Sages, of blessed memory, said that in the time to come the righteous sit with their crowns on their heads: for in the time to come the Infinite Light that encompasses all worlds will be drawn down and revealed, in a manner of revelation.

Now, from the level of “the crown with which his mother crowned him on the day of his wedding” comes the level of “to make the face radiant from oil,” as in the saying, “the sound of the radiant rejoicing (mitzhalos) of bridegrooms from their chuppah.”

32The explanation: our Sages, of blessed memory, said, “The fallen fruit of the wisdom Above is Torah.” The meaning is that the Torah, as it has descended below, is drawn from the level of the “back” (achorayim) of supernal Chochmah (Chochmah Ila’ah), as is written in Iggeres HaKodesh, in the passage beginning “He wraps Himself in light.”

And this is the level of the Torah that is called bread. And see what is written regarding “My beloved is like a gazelle”: just as a gazelle turns its head back, etc.

But the level of “to make the face radiant” is the matter of “May Havayah make His face shine”: that there be drawn into the Torah the revelation of the very essence of supernal Chochmah, which is above the level of “the fallen fruit of wisdom,” etc.,

as in “A man’s wisdom makes his face shine,” which is through the great revelation of new light from the source of wisdom that flows forth, etc.

And this is the matter of one who occupies himself with Torah for its own sake: for the sake of the Torah itself, that the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He, should rest and be revealed in it.

And this is “to make the face radiant” specifically “from oil,” for oil is the source of supernal Chochmah, its essence and its root, as was explained above; and specifically from there comes the level of “to make the face radiant,” “May Havayah make His face shine,” etc.

Nevertheless, the level of “to make radiant” and “the radiant rejoicing of bridegrooms” comes specifically “from their chuppah,” which is from the level of the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin), from which comes the revelation that is the level of “to make the face radiant from oil”;

that is, through the level of the crown and the chuppah mentioned above, there comes about the revelation of the level of the essence of supernal Chochmah, which is called oil, that which is above the level of the “fallen fruit,” etc.

(And see what is written on this in the discourse beginning “The Torah commanded,” mentioned above; and see the Zohar, Vayikra) (page 7b) on [the verse] “Like the good oil,” etc., and in the Zohar HaRakia there, and at the beginning of Parshas Emor (page 88).

It may also be said, regarding what is written, that the essence of the crown is the revelation of the light of Abba, the level of oil, along the lines of what is written in Etz Chaim, Sha’ar (Gate) 22, chapter 3: “And from the Tiferes of Abba a soul is made for him,” etc., “and a true Keser is made,” etc.; see there.

And see the Zohar, Emor (end of page 102b), and the commentary of the Ramaz there, on “and then the King inherits Abba and Imma,” etc.; see there. But the main intent here is as mentioned above, and it all comes to one thing.

Even so, it is called “the crown with which his mother crowned him.”

For although the crown itself is far, far above the level of Imma (as the Ramaz writes, and as is also written in the Mikdash Melech on Parshas Acharei, page 66b), which [Imma] is the level of “wine gladdens,” as it is written, “a joyful mother of children,” nevertheless it is that “with which his mother crowned him.”

For the revelation and drawing down of this crown must follow the order of the levels, as in the saying, “Make His will as your will, so that He will make your will as His will.” And it was explained above that “He will make your will as His will” is the revelation of the level of the supernal will, which is above Chochmah,

that is, the drawing down of Keser: that the supernal will, which is “His will,” should be drawn down and revealed in the lower will, which is called “your will.” And for this level to come about, there must first be “Make His will as your will.”

And this is through contemplation, the level of “wine gladdens,” through which the lower will is born; and it brings about the revelation of the supernal will.

And this is “the crown with which his mother crowned him,” etc. (And this is what is written in the Zohar, Emor) (page 94a): “And this wine crowns the King with His crowns, as it is written, ‘with which his mother crowned him.’”

And see what is written in the discourse beginning “And Moshe assembled,” on the lower will being a vessel for the revelation of the supernal will, etc. And through this crown comes the level of “to make the face radiant from oil,” etc.

And the matter of “at King Shlomo,” the King to Whom peace belongs, was explained above: that through this, peace is drawn down in the household Above and in the household below. And the source of this level of peace comes from the level of the crown and the crown of Torah.

33Now, for there to be the revelation of this level of the crown, there must be “Go out and gaze”: “go out” into Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah. As, by way of analogy, a precious stone that sparkles exceedingly cannot be seen and looked at directly facing the sun, but specifically in a place where there is not so much light.

And it is also like the light of a torch, which it is impossible to look at from really close by, but only from afar, etc.

It may further be said, according to its plain sense, that the meaning of “Go out” is the matter of “Go, eat,” etc. For although the crown is that “with which his mother crowned him,” which is the level of “a joyful mother of children” and “will rejoice in You,” etc., this joy is the level of the “wine” of the Torah, as mentioned above.

And just as it is impossible to drink wine on an empty stomach, so first there must be “and bread sustains the heart of enosh,”

that is, “Go, eat of my bread”; and this is “Go out,” etc. And afterward “and wine gladdens,” etc., “to make the face radiant,” and this is “and gaze at the crown with which his mother crowned him on the day of his wedding,” etc.