ביאור הדברים

1An explanation of the matter. Now, Keser (the Crown) is above all the Ten Sefiros, and it is the source of delight (taanug), the level of the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin); and the beginning of the chain of descending worlds (hishtalshelus) of the World of Atzilus (Emanation), [the level of] the light that fills all worlds (memalei kol almin), is from Chochmah (wisdom)

(so it is in Etz Chaim, Sha’ar Mochin deTzelem, chapter —, in the name of Sefer Yetzirah; and so he wrote further in Sha’ar 25, Derush 5; and so the Ramaz (Rabbi Moshe Zacuto) wrote on Parshas Va’eschanan, on folio 266; and see the Zohar, Vayikra, folio 10, end of side b: “The first is Yah”; and see the Mikdash Melech there). And Chochmah is the root of Atzilus,

for the essence of Atzilus is the rectification (tikkun) from the World of Tohu, and “through Chochmah they were refined.” The reason is that the matter of the shattering from the World of Tohu means that they fell into the state of yesh (being), and the rectification is to become ayin (nothingness); and this is through Chochmah, koach mah (“the power of what”).

Now, Chochmah itself has Ten Sefiros within it. From the Keser within Chochmah down to the Tiferes (beauty) within Chochmah is called Abba, and the Netzach (victory) and Hod (splendor) are called Yisrael Sava (see Pri Etz Chaim, Sha’ar Chag HaMatzos, chapter 1); and from there the root of the souls is drawn. For

indeed, Netzach and Hod are the flow of Chochmah’s influence (for Netzach and Hod are themselves the vessels of influence and of bringing down the life-force (chayus) from the higher to the lower), except that it is an influence within Atzilus, before it comes to the level of the revelation of the soul itself; and the revelation of the soul itself is the “Yisrael” that is below.

But the root of the revelation, which is in Chochmah, is called Yisrael Sava: “and may Israel rejoice in You.” (And this is the matter of the level of the soul’s mazal, which is in the mode of a makif (encompassing light), explained above in the discourse beginning “My dove, in the clefts of the rock.”

But we need to understand: for there, in the discourse beginning “My dove,” it was explained that the level of the [soul’s] mazal is the level of “Israel arose in thought,” and “arose in thought” is the highest level within Chochmah, that which cleaves to Keser, etc.; see there.

And it was also further explained there that “they arose in thought” is the level of Adam Kadmon, the primordial thought (machshavah hakedumah), etc.; and in the same way it was also explained in the discourse beginning “Listen, O heavens.” Whereas Yisrael Sava is the Netzach and Hod of Abba, which is the last level within Chochmah, etc. However, in [the Zohar,] Parshas Bereishis) (folio 6a), regarding Rav Hamnuna Sava, [it says]:

“But my father was great and precious, and Atik Yomin (Ancient of Days)”; and the Eshel Avraham explained [this] as alluding to Yisrael Sava, who is also called Atik Yomin, for the word sava (elder) and the word atika (ancient) are all one.

That is to say, the soul of Rav Hamnuna Sava was drawn from the level of Yisrael Sava. However, as for what is said, that Yisrael Sava is called Atik Yomin, it may be explained that this is along the lines of [the teaching] that from the level of Tevunah a Keser is made for Z’eir Anpin (the emotive attributes);

and therefore Yisrael Sava, which is the soul of this Keser, is called Atik Yomin relative to Z’eir Anpin, for Atik Yomin is the inner dimension (pnimiyus) of Keser and its soul.

2If so, according to this it may well be said that the soul that is drawn from Yisrael Sava and Tevunah is called the mazal of the souls that are from Z’eir Anpin and Nukva; and this is somewhat implied in the Zohar, at the beginning of Parshas Noach, regarding the fact that it says “Noach, Noach” twice, corresponding to the inner light (or pnimi) of the soul and the encompassing light (or makif), etc.

In truth, however, just as the true Keser of Z’eir Anpin is made from Arich Anpin itself, as is written in Etz Chaim, Sha’ar 22, chapter 3, so too the true level of the soul’s mazal is from the Keser of Atzilus and the primordial thought, etc., as mentioned above.

One may further say that the matter of the root of the souls that are drawn from the level of Yisrael Sava and Tevunah is what is written in Etz Chaim, Sha’ar Mayin Nukvin uMayin Duchrin (the feminine and masculine waters), Derush 4, on the basis of the Zohar at the beginning of Parshas Mishpatim (folio 94, end of side b): “And he is called a son of the Holy One, blessed be He,” etc.;

“if he merits more, they give him a neshamah from the side of Abba and Imma,” etc.: “that in that supernal union (zivug) of Abba and Imma, the souls of human beings come forth from there,” etc.,

“except that they are not yet fit and not yet complete until Z’eir Anpin and Nukva of Atzilus unite, and then they come forth from that union,” etc. End of quote.

And see the Zohar, Mishpatim (folio 121, end of side b, and folio 122a), and the Mikdash Melech there; and the Zohar, Part III, Vayikra (folio 7b, folio 22a and folio 160b),

and the Mikdash Melech there: that of this it is said, “For the sake of my brothers and my friends”; for since they have a chayah and a neshamah from Abba and Imma, they are called brothers and friends of Z’eir Anpin and Nukva of Atzilus, etc.

Therefore [they are] “those who sanctify Your Name.” “Your Name” is Malchus, which descended to Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah, and it ascends to Atzilus through Israel, “who sanctify Your Name,” for they draw down the level of kodesh (holiness): the threefold “holy” is Chochmah, Binah and Daas,

for “through Chochmah they were refined” (and this is the matter of “those who sanctify Your Name”: that the Name Mah be drawn down to refine the Name Ban; and see what is written in the discourse beginning “Binding to the vine”).

And Israel draws the level of Chochmah down below because they are from the root of Yisrael Sava and Tevunah. For Tevunah is the revelation of contemplation (hisbonenus), from which is drawn the level of the delight of the higher and the lower Gan Eden,

that is, the revelation of the delight that is in Keser, the source of delights. For Eden is Chochmah; there the delight is not yet in a revealed state, and the principal revelation is in Tevunah,

just as, by way of analogy, in a person the principal revelation of delight is at the conclusion of understanding an idea, etc. And the source of the souls of Israel is from this level of delight, as is known that the emission of seed is at the culmination of union, at the time of delight; and as it is written regarding Shimshon, “and she pressed him,” etc.

So too the souls of Israel were drawn from the delight above, which is at the time of the bestowal; for above, no delight whatsoever applies, except that the delight is in His bestowing, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said, “More than the calf wishes to suckle,” etc. This is the level of delight above, namely, the delight of bestowing the souls.

Therefore they have the power to raise Malchus, to be “those who sanctify Your Name,” to sanctify her from below to above, as in “Behold, you are betrothed (mekudeshes) to me”: that is, that she be betrothed to Z’eir Anpin, her husband, in Atzilus, and ascend from Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah.

(Now, what was said, that above no delight whatsoever applies, except, etc., at first glance is not understood; for on the contrary, it is written, “For with You is the source of life,” the source of delights, “strength and joy are in His place.” But the explanation is as is written elsewhere: that the delight above, as it were, is not

like, by way of analogy, the delight in a person, who receives the delight from some other thing outside himself, such as from grasping a splendid wisdom or from eating a tasty food. Even the souls who delight in G‑d in Gan Eden receive the delight through what they apprehend:

the radiance of the Shechinah (Divine Presence). With Him, may He be blessed, however, this is not so: there is nothing outside Him, such that one could say that He receives delight from the thing outside Him, G‑d forbid. On the contrary, He Himself, may He be blessed, is the source of delights. If so, He and His delight, may He be blessed, are, as it were, one thing,

just as He is the Knower and He is the knowledge itself, etc. And this is the matter of “the King’s delight in His own essence,” mentioned in the book Emek HaMelech, whereas in Etz Chaim this is not mentioned at all. And this is also what is written, “And I was with Him … delights,” etc.

But surely He, may He be blessed, receives delight from the deeds of the tzaddikim, as it is written, “Is Ephraim a precious son to Me, a child of delights?” etc.; and in the Zohar, in many places: “The Holy One, blessed be He, comes to delight with the tzaddikim in Gan Eden,” etc.

Now, this level of delight and pleasure is a matter of receiving delight; and how can one say that He, may He be blessed, is in the category of a receiver, G‑d forbid? Is anything lacking in the King’s house, that He should need to receive? On the contrary: “You are the perfection of them all,” and “from You is everything.”

But the answer is that the matter of the delight with the tzaddikim is that He delights, as it were, in what He bestows upon them, which is a delight without end, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said, “More than the calf,” etc. If so, He is not in the category of a receiver, G‑d forbid; but on the contrary, the delight is from what He bestows, etc.,

except that this bestowal cannot be except when they are tzaddikim, for then they can receive the bestowal, since from the Torah and mitzvos garments and food for the soul are made, through which they can receive the radiance, etc.

And this is what was said here, that above no delight whatsoever applies: that is to say, that He should receive delight from some thing, G‑d forbid; rather, He Himself is the source of delights. But the level of receiving delight does apply in what He bestows, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said, “More than,” etc.

And the coming into being of the root of the souls of Israel is from this level of delight, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said, “With whom did He take counsel? With the souls of the tzaddikim.” And see what is written in Etz Chaim, Sha’ar Mayin Nukvin uMayin Duchrin, Derush 2, and also in the explanation of “When it arose in His will,” etc.; see there. Therefore they have the power to be “those who sanctify Your Name,” etc. And see the Zohar, Vayechi) (folio 245).

And see what is written elsewhere on the matter of “Elokim has made laughter for me”: that this is the matter of supernal laughter and delight drawn from the Name Elokim, which is the matter of becoming a yesh (an existent) and a separate thing, and the nullification of the yesh, through which laughter and delight come about above.

And this is the matter of “This Leviathan You formed to sport with,” as is written in the discourse beginning “Command the children of Israel and say to them: My offering, My bread,” etc.,

and in the discourse beginning “I am Havayah your G‑d, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.” And see what is written in the discourse beginning “Havayah is with me among my helpers,” on the matter of “the season of our rejoicing”: “Havayah will rejoice in His works,” etc.; and in the discourse beginning “On the eighth day, Atzeres,” regarding

“Now, by way of analogy, there are two kinds of delight before the king”; and in the discourse beginning “I will greatly rejoice,” regarding [the explanation] that she brings about the joy in Havayah, etc.

32. And this is the matter of “And wine gladdens the heart of man”: “Wine enters, the secret comes out.” The secret is the delight that is within Israel, and the revelation of this delight is the joy of a mitzvah, which is the delight of “Asher Ehe-yeh,” etc.

And the revelation of this joy is “Make His will as your will” — your will, which is below Daas (knowledge) — “so that He will make your will as His will,” which is above Daas: “with the crown with which his mother crowned him.” For the level of the crown is not Imma itself,

but rather it is made from Imma, like a physical crown, which is a thing in its own right; and the essence of the crown is the revelation of the light of Abba.

For “And wine gladdens the heart of man” is to be only in an inward manner, just as, by way of analogy, when one drinks a little wine it gladdens the heart, whereas much wine confuses the mind.

Therefore they would pour libations upon the altar in measure: “half a hin for the bull, and a third of a hin for the ram,” etc. For the altar is the level of Malchus (sovereignty), and the wine is the drawing down of Binah (understanding), and it must be in measure, because “Binah: judgments are aroused from it.”

Therefore there was the sin of Adam, the first man, who squeezed a cluster of grapes, and also the sin of Noach: “And he became drunk and was uncovered within his tent,” from which there followed “And Cham saw,” etc.

Rather, it must be in measure, only to gladden the heart, in an inward manner, in order to arouse Keser (the Crown), that is, the crown, which is the supernal delight (taanug) that is aroused through the joy of a mitzvah.

But after Keser has been aroused, the main thing is to draw down the intellect (mochin) of Abba, “to make the face shine with oil.” Oil [is] in silence: “When they stood, they let down their wings.”

“Their wings” — their flying — is their having been aflame, etc.; and afterward “they let down” [their wings]: it becomes a state of self-nullification (bittul). And the revelation of the light of Abba is what breaks through the lights of Imma: “And Havayah passed before him,” etc.,

to descend below, that is, in the enclothing of lights in vessels: the light of the Torah, which became enclothed in physical matters, terumos and maasros, etc. (And see Pri Etz Chaim, Sha’ar 12, chapter 1.)

And this is the matter of adam (man): alef, dam (blood). For the excitement and the joy are drawn from the level of the blood that is in the heart, as in “And wine gladdens.” And the alef is the level of Chochmah (wisdom), to sweeten the gevuros.

“Because you did not serve with joy” — this is the beginning, but it is not the ultimate purpose, for this is only the level of ratzo (running forth); and there must be the level of shov (returning) to the One,

which is the drawing down of the light of Abba specifically, so that the light of Abba specifically be revealed; and the lights of Imma are only in order to gladden.

Therefore, in the blessing “Grant peace,” which is the level of the union (zivug), [we say,] “For by the light of Your countenance You have given us a Torah of life”: the revelation of the light of Abba. And this is “to make the face shine with oil” specifically, which is the level of Abba.

(And see what is written in the discourse beginning “When you come into the land of your dwellings”; and see what is written on the statement of the Zohar in Parshas Vayeira, folio 112a, on “She is my father’s daughter,” and in Parshas Emor, folio 100b; and what is written on this also in the discourse beginning “Return, O Israel”; and see what is written at the end of the discourse beginning “Yehudah, you,” regarding “your father’s sons.”)

However, this oil is the level of self-nullification that, by virtue of the joy of wine, is in its source above, in the mochin. But when Abba descends below, into Netzach (victory) and Hod (splendor), it is called bread, as it is written, “And bread sustains the heart of man.”

“Sustains” is the strength of the Torah, which gives power to the weakness of the soul, as is written elsewhere on the verse “In the third month after the children of Israel went out of the land of Egypt,” etc.; see there. And so “the heart of man” is Malchus, which descended to Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah: “Her feet go down to death.”

(See Me’orei Or, letter alef, section 104.) And this power to ascend into Atzilus is through the descent of the light of Abba into the Netzach and Hod of Z’eir Anpin (the emotive attributes), which are the level of letters

(for Netzach and Hod are called “the legs of the man” and his feet, which are the level of letters: just as the feet carry a person from place to place, so through the letters the intellect is conveyed, etc.).

And this is the level of wheat, for chitah (wheat) in numerical value (gematria) is 22, which are the 22 letters; for wheat too is the level of Chochmah,

for indeed, “a child does not know how to call ‘Abba’ (Father) until it tastes the taste of grain.” But this level of Chochmah is a level of extreme smallness (katnus). And see what is written on this in the discourse beginning “And you shall count for yourselves,” regarding the festival of Shavuos.

And this is the level of the letters within Chochmah, and they are in the Netzach and Hod of Z’eir Anpin and below, where the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil is. There is the enclothing of Chochmah and its descent in the form of bread, to be strength; and it is not in the form of joy

like wine, for bread has no taste of sweetness; and it is the level of Malchus, as it is written, “For not by bread alone does man live” (and as is written in the Zohar, Vayechi, folio 240a).

Nevertheless, bread comes first, as is known that it is impossible to drink wine on an empty stomach (aliba reikana). And there is “Eat of my bread” (lachamu belachmi): the two loaves are Netzach and Hod, “He in Netzach and she in Hod,” etc.

And Hod is in the vowel melopum; therefore it is called lachamu. Also, lachamu is plural: that is, the ascents of Malchus from the public domain, “the mountains of separation,” etc.

And lachmi is “He in Netzach,” which is in the vowel chirik; so that afterward there can be the wine that gladdens, and there can be “to make the face shine with oil” specifically, “with the crown with which his mother crowned him,” etc.

But this level of the crown must be “Go out and gaze”: “go out” from Atzilus, for in Atzilus everything is in the mode of makifim (encompassing lights), and “He and His life-forces are one,” and it is not seen and revealed, etc.;

only “Go out and gaze, O daughters of Zion,” that is, in the chambers (heichalos) of Beriah: there the glory of the revelation of the delight is felt and revealed, etc.

43. Now, to understand the matter of bread: we see that bread specifically “sustains the heart of man” more than wine, etc.; and here too it is explained that its root is from Abba, which is above the level of wine, which is Imma, etc.

This will be understood on the basis of what is written in Iggeres HaKodesh, at its beginning, on the verse “She girds her loins with strength”: “Strength means nothing but Torah,” which gives power and strength to the level of the loins, etc.; see there.

Now, the loins are Netzach (victory) and Hod (splendor), which are called “the two thighs” (terein shokin); and at the place of the loins, within, are the kidneys, for Netzach and Hod are also called “the counseling kidneys.”

And it is explained in Etz Chaim that the new Netzach, Hod and Yesod are drawn from Keser (the Crown) (in Pri Etz Chaim, Sha’ar HaAmidah, chapter 14, it says, and these are his words: “Arich Anpin, which is Keser, called Kel Elyon (G‑d Most High), is the One who ‘bestows kindnesses,’ which are the Netzach, Hod and Yesod of Z’eir Anpin, bringing them forth in the mystery of an addition anew.” End of quote.)

And see the commentary of the Ramaz (Rabbi Moshe Zacuto) on Parshas Bereishis (folio 8, beginning of side a), regarding “to all who practice them,” what he wrote in the name of Sefer HaLikkutim in the discourse on the new Netzach, Hod and Yesod, etc.

And this is “She girds her loins with strength”: “strength” is the Torah, whose root is from Keser; from it the power and strength are drawn to the level of the loins, which are Netzach and Hod.

The explanation is like what we see, by way of analogy: there is a person who, although he grasps an idea, nevertheless cannot teach it to another; only for himself does he understand [it],

but he cannot impart it and make it understood to others. The reason is that he is not a person of such great intellect; therefore it is enough for him to satisfy himself,

but he cannot “take counsel in his soul” how to impart [it] to another; as is written in Iggeres HaKodesh, in the epistle beginning “To understand a parable and a figure”: that in order to impart, one must take counsel how to impart in a way that the recipient will be able to receive what is imparted.

For if he says it as it is in his own mind, the son, who is small, will not be able to understand and receive [it]; rather, he must arrange it for him in another order and manner: “a word

fitly spoken,” little by little. And this level of counsel is called Netzach and Hod, which are “the counseling kidneys,” etc. Netzach and Hod are also called Shechakim, and millstones, which grind manna for the tzaddikim,

like one who grinds with millstones, by way of analogy, crushing the wheat into very fine particles. So must the father reduce the idea and the word of wisdom that he wishes to impart to his son, and divide it into many parts, to tell it to him little by little, with counsel and knowledge, etc., as all this is written in Iggeres HaKodesh there.

5Therefore one who is not a person of great intellect cannot take counsel how to impart; therefore, although he understands the idea by itself, he cannot impart it to another. Only one who is a person of great intellect is able to impart,

for by virtue of the greatness of his intellect and the depth of his understanding he is able to take counsel how to impart even to the son who is small, etc.

It follows that this counsel, which is the level of Netzach (victory) and Hod (splendor), has its root drawn specifically from the greatness of intellect, which is above the very idea that he imparts, etc. Therefore there is one who grasps the idea and nevertheless cannot impart [it].

And so will the analogue above be understood: this is the matter of the new Netzach, Hod and Yesod being drawn from Keser (the Crown). (And see what is written on this also in the explanation on the verse “These are the journeys.”)

For the worlds of Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah are bounded and finite, and bear no comparison at all to Atzilus, in which the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He, is enclothed.

Therefore, for there to be the flow of the light and the life-force (chayus) from Atzilus to Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah, this is through Netzach and Hod, which are called “scales of righteousness” (moznei tzedek), for they weigh how and how much the flow will be from the level of Tzedek, the Malchus (sovereignty) of Atzilus, which gives life to Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah. And this is the meaning of “the counseling kidneys,” etc.

6Therefore even the prophecy of Moshe was only from the level of Netzach (victory) and Hod (splendor), as the Arizal, of blessed memory, wrote in Sha’ar HaNevuah, chapter 1, and as is written in Iggeres HaKodesh, in the epistle beginning “He wraps [Himself in] light”: that above Netzach and Hod there is no apprehension at all for a prophet or seer.

Therefore the coming into being of the new Netzach, Hod and Yesod, which are the level of the counsel mentioned above — how to impart to the source of Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah — is drawn specifically from the level of Keser (the Crown).

This is along the lines of “Who is enthroned on high, who lowers [Himself] to look upon heaven and earth”: the meaning is that because He is exceedingly high and exalted, therefore heaven and earth, above and below, are equal before Him.

Therefore He “lowers [Himself] to look” even upon the earth as upon heaven, etc. And this is what is written in the Zohar, Parshas Balak (folio 193b), on the verse “Havayah, You are my G‑d; I will exalt You, I will praise Your Name,

for You have done wonders, counsels from afar, in faithfulness, truth” (in Isaiah, chapter 25): “‘Counsels from afar’ — who are they? These are the two willow branches (badei aravos), for all the counsel of the prophets comes from there; they are called ‘counsels from afar.’”

That is to say, the level of Netzach and Hod, which are called “counsels,” receive the power for this “from afar,” that is, from the level of Chochmah (wisdom) and Keser; as it is written, “I said, ‘I will become wise,’ but it is far from me.”

And of this it is also said, “for You have done wonders,” etc.: that it is drawn from the level of the wonders of wisdom (pela’os chochmah), which are above the intellect that can be grasped, etc. And this is “Wondrous Counselor” (pele yo’etz), etc.; see there.

And this is the matter of “She girds with strength” specifically “her loins,” as mentioned above. And this is the matter of the superiority and rank of the level in the Torah that is called bread, which is in Netzach and Hod. And this is what is written in the Zohar (Parshas Pinchas, folio 217b):

“That bread for which the Shechakim go and grind manna as food for the tzaddikim,” etc.; and as was written above, by way of analogy, that one crushes the wheat into very fine particles.

So were the letters of the Torah drawn down below, until every person is able to receive [them], etc.; and so too the division of the laws of the Oral Torah.

7If so, although [bread] is lowered beneath the level of wine and has no taste of sweetness, just as Netzach (victory) and Hod (splendor) are called “willow branches,” which have no taste, etc., nevertheless their root is higher, that is, from the level of Chochmah (wisdom) and Keser (the Crown), as mentioned above. And this is “counsels from afar.”

And as King Shlomo, peace be upon him, said, “but it is far from me”: for its root is from the intellect that is hidden from all thought, and it is called pele (wonder), etc.;

and from there it was drawn into the level of Netzach and Hod, to be in the form of bread of wheat, by crushing the wheat into fine particles, as mentioned above. And this is “From afar she brings her bread,” as is written in the Zohar (Parshas Tzav, folio 35b).

That is to say, the level of bread has its root in a very high place, that is, from a level that is far from the bounds of the chain of descending worlds (hishtalshelus). Therefore this bread “sustains the heart of man.”

With this the matter of the Tablets will also be understood. For it is explained elsewhere, on the verse “If you walk in My statutes,” regarding what is written, “engraved upon the Tablets,” that [the letters] were engraved from them and in them: that this is the matter of “He engraved an engraving in the supernal luster” (galif gelifu bitehiru ila’ah), which is the level of Keser — see there at length; and also

therefore there are 620 letters in the Ten Commandments. Yet this needs to be understood, for in Pardes, in Erchei HaKinuyim, he wrote that the Tablets are Netzach and Hod; and so it is written in Otzros Chaim, folio 85, and in Etz Chaim, Sha’ar 37, chapter 6.

8According to what was said above, this is well resolved; and this is along the lines of what is written in Pri Etz Chaim in the explanation of “Kel Elyon”: Keser (the Crown); “who bestows good kindnesses”: the Netzach (victory) and Hod (splendor) of Abba, as mentioned above.

And see what is written on the matter of the letters of the Torah in the discourse beginning “The Chanukah lamp,” etc., “the mezuzah on the right,” etc.; and this is the level of bread. And as is written in the discourse beginning “And you shall count for yourselves,” regarding wheat: the 22 letters of the Torah, whose root is from the engraved letters, etc.; see there.

94. The explanation of the matter of “lachamu belachmi”: the two loaves (shtei halechem) are the Written Torah and the Oral Torah, and this is also the matter of lachamu and lachmi.

For lachamu, in the plural, is the Oral Torah, and lachmi, in the singular, is the Written Torah. For the essence of the Oral Torah is to grasp

and understand the law and the halachah; for if one says the halachah and does not understand [it], it is not considered study for him at all (as is written in the Magen Avraham, section 50). And since it is in the mode of comprehension, each one comprehends according to his level;

therefore it is called lachamu, in the plural, for each one has a portion of his own according to the measure of his comprehension; and it is the public domain (reshus harabim).

And the Written Torah is called lachmi, in the singular, for the essence of the Written Torah is what is written, the form of the letters: according to the form, so is its allusion above.

But in them there is no comprehension of the human intellect at all, for they are above the intellect, etc.: “wise, but not with a known wisdom.”

Therefore it is called the Written Torah, and it does not depend on understanding. Even an unlearned person (am haaretz), if he said a verse without any understanding at all, is called one who is occupied in the Written Torah; therefore every unlearned person recites the blessings over the Torah in the morning before the verses, and likewise when he is called up to the Torah scroll.

10Therefore, “matters that are written, you are not permitted to say orally,” for in truth it is impossible to bring them into intellect and understanding; and likewise, “matters that are oral, you are not permitted to say in writing,”

for they are understanding (daas), whereas the written is above understanding, etc. Therefore the Written Torah is called lachmi, in the singular, for one cannot speak of it in terms of a division of levels, each one according to his comprehension, since in truth it is entirely above the intellect, etc.;

and the plain meaning that is grasped is called only “the garment of the Torah” compared to its inner dimension (pnimiyus), which is alluded to in the letters. And see what is written in Parshas Berachah, in the discourse beginning “Torah tzivah” (“The Torah [that Moshe] commanded”), etc.; see there.

11There is a further reason why the Oral Torah is called lachamu, in the plural: for it is explained elsewhere, in Iggeres HaKodesh, in the epistle beginning “And the wise will shine,” and these are its words:

“Now, when the Malchus (sovereignty) of Atzilus is enclothed in kelipas nogah in order to refine the sparks that fell in the shattering of the vessels, then the Malchus of Atzilus too is called by the name ‘the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil’ relative to the Z’eir Anpin of Atzilus, which does not descend there and is called ‘the Tree of Life,’” etc.

See there. And it is known that the principal level of the public domain, “the mountains of separation,” is in the shattering of the vessels. Therefore Malchus too, which is the level of the Oral Torah (“the Oral Torah, we call her Malchus”), since she is enclothed there in order to refine the sparks, is also called in the plural,

just as she is called by the name “the Tree of Knowledge.” And this is the matter of “and great (rav) to save”: every “Rav” is from Bavel, as is written elsewhere. Whereas the Written Torah, which is the level of the Z’eir Anpin of Atzilus, which does not descend there, is called lachmi, in the singular.

12Now it will also be understood why the level of the two Torahs, the Written Torah and the Oral Torah, are called by the name “the two loaves” specifically. For although the reason has been explained why lachamu, in the plural, applies to the Oral Torah, and lachmi,

in the singular, to the Written Torah, nevertheless we need to understand why this difference between the Written Torah and the Oral Torah is alluded to in the level of bread specifically. Is not the Torah called by several names — bread, wine and oil? Why, then, were they alluded to in the level of bread specifically?

13Now, it is true that the reason may be given simply: because bread is the revealed part of the Torah, and it is in the revealed part that one can speak of the two levels mentioned above, of lachamu and lachmi.

However, in truth one can give a further reason. For it is explained elsewhere, in Parshas Beshalach, on the matter of the double bread (lechem mishneh) of Shabbos, that they correspond to two levels of bread:

bread from the earth, and bread from heaven, which is the manna; and corresponding to these two breads are the first two blessings of the Grace after Meals, the blessing “Who feeds” (HaZan) and the blessing of the Land, etc.

For the meaning of “bread from the earth”: the level of earth is the level of the Name Ban, and bread from the earth is the level of the refinements (beirurim) of Tohu, which are refined through Malchus (sovereignty), which descends to refine, etc.

And bread from heaven came down in the merit of Moshe, who is the Name Mah, etc. And this is the matter of the blessing “Who feeds,” which Moshe instituted, which corresponds to bread from heaven, etc.

And the blessing of the Land, “We thank You,” corresponds to bread from the earth; for there is blessing and thanksgiving, the higher unity (yichuda ila’ah) and the lower unity (yichuda tata’ah), etc. See there at length.

14Now, the Written Torah and the Oral Torah are also called heaven and earth, as is written elsewhere, in the discourse beginning “The heavens are My throne,” etc., and in other places.

Therefore they are also precisely the two levels of bread mentioned above: the Oral Torah, which is the level of Malchus (sovereignty) that is enclothed in kelipas nogah to refine the sparks that fell in the shattering of the vessels, is called bread from the earth,

and this is lachamu, in the plural; and the Written Torah, which is from the level of Z’eir Anpin (the emotive attributes), which does not descend there, is called bread from heaven: lachmi, in the singular.

15This will be explained further from what is written in Parshas Mishpatim on the verse “Like the work of the sapphire brick, and like the essence of the heavens for purity,” etc.: that the letters of the Written Torah are called stones, which are a creation by the hands of Heaven.

And this is the meaning of “like the essence of the heavens.” And the letters of the Oral Torah are called “the sapphire brick,” and a brick is made by man from the dust of the earth, except that they too became like stones.

16Therefore the two loaves are in Netzach (victory) and Hod (splendor). For just as the blessing over bread from the earth was instituted with “We thank You,” the level of thanksgiving (hoda’ah), so the Oral Torah is the level of “she in Hod”;

and just as over bread from heaven Moshe instituted the blessing “Who feeds,” etc., so this is the Written Torah, “He in Netzach,” which is the vowel-point chirik, the level of a point and of self-nullification (bittul); for Netzach is a branch of Chochmah (wisdom), and likewise Moshe is the level of the Netzach of Abba, etc.

17And the meaning of “Come, eat of my bread” (lechu lachamu belachmi) is that the occupation with the Oral Torah should be for its own sake (lishmah), so that lachamu too should be in the mode of lachmi, “to be one in one.” And this is as it is written, “And all your children shall be taught of Havayah.”

This will be understood from what is written elsewhere, in Parshas Bereishis, on the matter of the first two of the wedding blessings, “Who forms man” and “Who formed man,” which correspond to the Written Torah and the Oral Torah; and that this is why the blessing “Who formed” concludes with “Blessed,” etc.; see there.

18Now the matter of the waving (tenufah) of the two loaves will also be understood. For the Written Torah and the Oral Torah are also called groom and bride.

By way of analogy: for there to be the union of groom and bride, there must first be the level of nisuin (marriage), which is the level of the chuppah, which is the level of the makif (what encompasses) over both of them.

And this is the level of “with the crown with which his mother crowned him,” for the level of the crown is the level of Keser (the Crown), which is above the two loaves, which are Netzach (victory) and Hod (splendor): “He in Netzach and she in Hod.”

And this is the matter of waving the two loaves: to raise them to their root and source in the level of the makif mentioned above, the level of the crown and Keser, etc.

And through this the union and the drawing down from the Written Torah into the Oral Torah come about, as is written elsewhere on this matter, in Parshas Berachah, in the discourse beginning “Torah tzivah,” etc.,

mentioned above. And see what is written regarding the matter of the double bread (lechem mishneh) of Shabbos: there too the two breads mentioned above ascend to the level that is above both of them, etc.

195. But this level of the crown must be “Go out and gaze”: [going out] from Atzilus into the chambers (heichalos) of Beriah, etc. At first glance this is not understood at all: how

can they see in the chambers of Beriah what is impossible to see in Atzilus? Surely there is no comparison between Beriah and Atzilus! And it was already mentioned above that this is along the lines of, and akin to, what is written, “From afar Havayah appeared to me,” etc.

But it may further be said: something like this is found in Pri Etz Chaim regarding the kavanah of the Shema, that we do not have the power to arouse Abba and Imma (Chochmah and Binah) when we are in Atzilus, but only when we are below, in Beriah, etc.; see there.

And it is possible to say [this] along the lines of what our Sages, of blessed memory, said in the Gemara (in Yevamos, folio 49) regarding Menasheh, who killed Yeshayahu: Rava said, he judged him and killed him. He said to him, “Moshe your teacher said,

‘For man shall not see Me and live,’ and you said, ‘And I saw Ado-nai,’” etc. And the Talmud raises the difficulty: in any case, the verses contradict one another! And it answers, as it was taught: “All the prophets gazed through a speculum that does not shine (aspaklaria she’einah me’irah); Moshe our teacher gazed through the speculum that shines (aspaklaria hame’irah).”

The meaning is explained elsewhere (in the discourse beginning “Our Rabbis taught: The Chanukah lamp — Beis Shammai say,” etc.): the speculum that shines is, by way of analogy, clear glass, in which and through which one can see even from afar, and one sees the very nature and essence of the thing itself.

But the speculum that does not shine is the glass that is called (a shpigel [mirror]), which has a thin coating on the glass; therefore one does not see in it

and through it the actual nature of the thing being seen, but only its likeness and form. Therefore it is called the speculum that does not shine, since one does not see in it at all the actual nature of the thing; whereas in the speculum that shines one sees the very essence of the thing being seen.

Nevertheless, in the speculum that does not shine one can at any rate see the likeness even of a thing that cannot be seen at all through the speculum that shines; just as one can see oneself through (the shpigel), and also see what is behind one.

Only, one sees the likeness and not the essence of the nature, etc.; but in the speculum that shines one cannot see oneself at all, nor what is behind one, by way of analogy. And see [the Zohar,] Parshas Va’eira (folio 23b), on the matter of the speculum that shines and the one that does not shine;

and in the Tikkunei Zohar, Tikkun 22 and Tikkun 40; and in Sha’ar HaYichudim, chapter 1; and in Sefer Hadras Melech, section 156; and in Pardes, in Erchei HaKinuyim; and in Me’orei Or, letter alef, section 159.

Now, Moshe our teacher, peace be upon him, saw through the speculum that shines, in which one sees the actual nature; and of this level it is said, “For man shall not see Me,” etc. Whereas the other prophets prophesied only through the speculum that does not shine.

And this is [the teaching] that all the prophets prophesied with “Thus” (koh), [and] Moshe surpassed them in that he prophesied with “This” (zeh). And see what is written on this matter in the discourse beginning “And Moshe spoke to the heads of the tribes,” etc. The meaning of koh is the level of “in our likeness,” and this is “and through the prophets I am imaged,” etc.

But for this very reason one can also see higher levels, which were not given to descend and be revealed in the mode of the speculum that shines, etc., as mentioned above in the analogy. Therefore Yeshayahu indeed said, “And I saw Ado-nai,” and this was in the mode of the speculum that does not shine, etc.

20In the same way is understood what is written, “Go out and gaze,” etc.: that the level of the crown, which is the level of Keser (the Crown), cannot be seen and apprehended at all in the mode of the speculum that shines; rather, “Go out and gaze” — in the mode of the speculum that does not shine, through which “gaze at the crown,” etc.

Now, it is also known that the difference between Moshe and the other prophets is that Moshe would see into the World of Atzilus (Emanation) by way of passing through Beriah, whereas the other prophets would see into the World of Atzilus through its complete enclothing in Beriah, etc.

See Sha’arei Kedushah, Part III, Sha’ar 6; and see the commentary of the Ramaz (Rabbi Moshe Zacuto) on Parshas Va’eira (folio 23a), on the matter of the Patriarchs and Moshe. If so, according to this we must say that the revelation of Atzilus is called the speculum that shines, and when it is through a complete enclothing in Beriah it is called the speculum that does not shine.

If so, according to this the explanation above is well resolved: “Go out” from Atzilus into the chambers of Beriah, and there “gaze,” etc., that is, through the speculum that does not shine, etc.

21In the same way will also be understood what is written in Pri Etz Chaim regarding the Shema. For the level of the speculum that does not shine, in which the sight is drawn in the mode of returning light (or chozer) because of the thin coating that holds back and prevents the spreading of the sight, etc.,

is, in [divine] service, the level of “with all your might (me’odecha)”: for because of the concealment of the animal soul, the intensity of love becomes the level of me’od (exceedingly), and through this specifically one arouses more above. And see what is written above on the explanation of “Show me your appearance,” etc.

And this level applies when we are in Beriah, etc.; along the lines of what was explained in the explanation on the verse “I am black but comely,” etc.: that specifically through the descent of Malchus (sovereignty) into Beriah she becomes the level of kallah (bride): “my soul pines (kalsah),” etc.

See there at length. And see what is written in the discourse beginning “And I was with Him as a nursling (amon),” on the explanation of “From your dwellings you shall bring,” etc., that this is the level of the Shema, which is [recited] sitting (meyushav), etc., from where specifically one brings and waves the two loaves to raise them to the level of the crown, etc.; and this is for the reason mentioned above.