ביאור על פסוק לבבתני

1An explanation of the verse “You have captured My heart (libavtini).”

2Now, first we must explain the matter of sovev and memalei, [the light that] encompasses and [the light that] fills [all worlds]. For behold, the matter of the chain of descending worlds (hishtalshelus) is known: it is that the life-force (chayus) descends and is drawn down from spirituality to physicality. For example, the light that was created on the first day: that is, a radiance from the level of spiritual light was drawn down and descended into it, and devolved [step by step] to become physical light.

And therefore the light was created on the first day of the work of creation, which is the level of the attribute of Chesed (kindness); and Chochmah (wisdom) is the source of Chesed, and it is the level of light.

For just as the effect of physical light is that through it one can see a thing, which is not so in darkness, so is the effect of the level of Chochmah in spirituality: through Chochmah one sees and grasps the matter. (And see what is written elsewhere concerning the Splitting of the Sea of Reeds, on the matter of “I will show him wonders,” etc.)

And folly is darkness, which does not take hold of or grasp anything, as it is written, “And the fool walks in darkness”; but “the wise man, his eyes are in his head,” for he sees that which will be born [of things].

It follows that Chochmah is the level of spiritual light. And likewise the level of Binah (understanding) is also the level of light, for one understands one thing from within another. And so, by way of analogy, the level of Chochmah and Binah above is the level of light, except that it is spiritual.

And the chain of descent is that a radiance is drawn from them, so that from this the physical light comes into being. But certainly this itself, that the physical should come into being from the spiritual, is above the chain of descent, for it is only the ability of the Holy One, blessed be He, who is omnipotent.

Now, therefore the light was created on the first day, because the drawing down of this radiance from the level of Chochmah, to descend and be enclothed in physicality, is through the attribute of Chesed, which brings about the drawing down, as it is written, “Draw out Your kindness.”

And through Chesed it is enclothed in the combinations of the letters of the utterance “Let there be light,” and through this it is actually enclothed in the physical light. For the letters are what carry and bring the drawing down from above to below.

And in the same way, on the second day, the utterance “Let there be a firmament”; as is known concerning the three levels of light, water and firmament: light is Chochmah, and water is Chesed, for water descends from a high place to a low place, the level of “Draw out Your kindness”; and the firmament is the level of Gevurah (restraint).

Therefore it was created on the second day, being the devolution from the level of spiritual Gevurah into physicality, to “separate between water and water,” etc., also in the manner explained above regarding light, etc.

3Now, this radiance that is drawn from the level of Chochmah (wisdom), which is the spiritual light, [namely] that which is actually enclothed in the physical light through the utterance “Let there be light,” is but a tiny fraction of the essence of the supernal light.

For this drawing down is limited and enclothed in the body of the physical luminary, which is limited.

But the very essence of the supernal light cannot be grasped and limited in the physical light; nevertheless, it shines upon it in the manner of an encompassing [light] (makif).

42. And from this the matter of the light that fills all worlds (memalei kol almin) and the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin) as a whole will also be understood. For it is written, “For Havayah is a G‑d of de’os [kinds of knowledge]”: the meaning is that there are two levels of Daas (knowledge). The level of the higher Daas (da’as elyon) is from the level of the Infinite One (Ein Sof) itself, and it is called sovev kol almin.

And therefore it is called the higher Daas: “higher” meaning higher than all the worlds, for it cannot be enclothed within the worlds at all.

(See the discourse beginning “The heads of the tribes,” on the meaning of the supernal will and the higher Daas, which cannot be enclothed, etc.) And the level of the lower Daas (da’as tachton) is the level of memalei kol almin.

For the six days of Creation are the six supernal emotive attributes (middos), in which and through which the drawing down from the level of Chochmah, Binah and Daas is drawn into the Ten Utterances, which are the letters that are enclothed in the worlds to bring them into being from nothing to something.

Now, the drawing down and enclothing of the level of Chochmah and Binah in the supernal middos is through Daas, for Daas is what spreads and is enclothed in the middos; and this is the level of the lower Daas. Whereas Chochmah and Binah are above the middos, as is known.

(And therefore the lower Daas is called memalei kol almin; and this is why it is explained in the Idra Rabba) (136a), on “And by Daas the chambers are filled,” that from Daas there spread “a thousand thousands of chambers,” etc.; whereas [with] Chochmah and Binah, Chochmah spreads and is drawn only into thirty-two paths, and Binah into fifty gates.

But Daas is drawn into a multitude of different levels, since it is drawn and spreads into the middos; and through this there comes about a multitude of divisions, “for each one according to his measure (shi’ura),” as it is written, “Known in the gates (she’arim),” etc.: “known” specifically, which is from the level of Daas.

5And this is the level of the lower Daas (knowledge). It is the source and soul of the Daas of [the worlds of] Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah; and through myriads upon myriads of stages of descent, there is drawn from it and comes into being even the Daas that is in man,

as in the illustration of the descent and coming into being of the physical light from the spiritual light, as [explained] above. And all this is from the level of the lower Daas. But the level of the higher Daas is not drawn down and does not spread into the emotive attributes (middos) at all; and it is the level of the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin), for it is from the level of Keser (the Crown).

And the explanation of the higher Daas is that it is from the radiance of the Infinite One (Ein Sof), which is not limited in any vessel and is not drawn and does not spread into the middos, for the vessels of the middos cannot limit it. Therefore it is called sovev kol almin, for it is in the manner of an encompassing [light] (makif), since it is not drawn even into the supernal middos.

And this will be understood along the lines of what is written (Job 11), “He sees iniquity, and does not consider [it]”: the meaning is that He is not stirred to take vengeance.

And as it is written, “He has not beheld iniquity in Yaakov”: the intent is not that He did not behold and did not see at all, but as Rashi explains, that He does not scrutinize them, to look closely into their iniquity and their wrongdoing. And so, in the same way, is the meaning of “He sees iniquity, and does not consider [it].”

(And why is this? Granted, concerning “He has not beheld iniquity in Yaakov,” etc., the reason is stated: because “Havayah his G‑d is with him,” and see what is written on the verse “But Havayah your G‑d would not listen to Bilam”;

but concerning “He sees iniquity, and does not consider [it],” where “in Yaakov” specifically is not mentioned, the reason mentioned above cannot be given. And moreover, it is written, “For You repay a man according to his deeds.”

Rather, this speaks of the essence of the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), in the place where the blemish does not reach at all. Therefore, even though “He sees iniquity,” nevertheless nothing is drawn down from there to stir the middos of Atzilus to repay the evildoer according to his evil.)

And this is as it is written, “If you are righteous, what do you give Him?” etc., and “[You are] of eyes too pure to see evil”: His seeing the evil makes no impression or stirring at all, for “the spider grasps with its hands,” etc. And from there is the source of forgiveness and compassion, “Erase in Your abundant compassion,” etc.

And this is what is called the higher Daas, which is not drawn and does not spread to be enclothed in the middos of the World of Atzilus (Emanation); for the middos are a matter of being stirred (hispa’alus), which is not so of Him, may He be blessed, of whom it is said, “I, Havayah, have not changed.”

And reward and punishment are drawn from the level of the Daas that spreads and is limited in the middos. (And see what is written in the explanation of the verse “I am black,” and from what is written here it will be understood all the more.) And likewise, by way of analogy, below too there are the mature intellect (mochin degadlus) and the immature intellect (mochin dekatnus).

That is, the immature intellect is, by way of analogy, like a small child, who is greatly stirred by whatever is against his will, and becomes angry and enraged and cries even over small things, as long as they are contrary to his will, even [over] something slight and little that is against his will.

And this is because his Daas is in a state of smallness; therefore it spreads at once into the middos, and he cannot control himself so as not to be stirred.

Whereas with the mature intellect, the adult can contain in his mind even something that is against his will, and nevertheless he will not become angry at all.

And this is because of the greatness of [his] Daas: then the stirring of the middos is not drawn from it so much. And in this there are many distinct levels, one above the other.

6And the broader the Daas (knowledge), the harder it is to anger, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “There are four types of temperament (de’os),” etc., “hard to anger,” etc.

We see that this depends on the Daas. And so we find regarding Hillel, in the Gemara, the second chapter of [tractate] Shabbos: “And Hillel will not lose his temper,” etc.

And as is also known concerning “the compassionate Father”: for “Father” means the source of Chochmah (wisdom), and there compassion and forgiveness are drawn; it is only from the level of Chochmah, Binah and Daas, when they are enclothed in the emotive attributes (middos), that punishment is drawn, etc.

(As is also explained on the verse “I have come into My garden, My sister, [My] bride”; and see what is written in the Idra Rabba) (128b). And this is what they say, “The Elder, His Daas is hidden,” etc.: that He is not stirred by anything.

And therefore this level is called the hidden brain (Mocha Stima’ah); whereas in Z’eir Anpin (the emotive attributes), “His brain spreads and goes forth,” etc., for the lower Daas is drawn and enclothed in the middos.

But the higher Daas has its root in the Mocha Stima’ah, and even in the level of the Avira (the “air”) that is above the membrane that covers the Mocha Stima’ah, as is explained in Parshas Matos, in the explanation of the verse “Arm from among yourselves,” etc.

And it is stated that in the level of the Avira there is a revelation of the Daas of Atik Yomin, as is explained at length in the book Mevo She’arim, Sha’ar (Gate) 3, Part 2, Chapter 3.

7And it is also mentioned briefly in Etz Chaim, Sha’ar Arich Anpin, at the beginning of chapter 4. It follows that the higher Daas (knowledge) is rightly called the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin), for its root is higher even than the level of the seven lower [Sefiros] of Atik Yomin. And see what is written further on this in Parshas Vayera, on the verse “I will go down now,” in the gloss.

And [concerning] Bilam, who praised himself [as one who] “knows the knowledge of the Most High (da’as Elyon)” [the higher Daas], see what is written about this in the Likkutei Torah of the Arizal, Parshas Balak, in the passage beginning “The matter of Balak and Bilam.” But nevertheless, the Daas that spreads and is limited in the emotive attributes (middos) receives life-force from the higher Daas, which is the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof).

8And this is the meaning of [the statement] that the higher Daas (knowledge) is also called an encompassing light (or makif) and the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin): that the makif is also a light that gives life; that is, the level of the higher Daas is the light that gives life to the lower Daas.

For since the Daas that spreads into the emotive attributes (middos) is the level of an inner light (or pnimi), and is grasped and enclothed within the vessel that limits it, it would have a limit and an end, so that at some time it would be spent and cease, since it is grasped within the vessel, etc.

But because the higher Daas, which is the level of the Infinite One (Ein Sof), shines constantly in the level of the lower Daas, through this it sustains it.

As it is written, “Yours, Havayah, is the greatness and the might,” etc.: the levels of greatness and might, which are the six extremities (vav ketzavos) drawn from the lower Daas, are in the state of “Yours, Havayah,” for in them is the radiance of the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), and “He and His life-forces and His vessels are one.”

9And in the same way with the soul of man: “You breathed it into me, and You guard it within me.” The meaning of “You breathed it into me” is the part of the soul that is enclothed within the body; for not all of the soul is enclothed within the body, only a radiance from it.

And the main part of the soul is in the manner of an encompassing [light] (makif) and is not enclothed in the vessel of the body; and nevertheless, it is through this that [there is] “and You guard it within me”: through the makif the soul that is within is sustained, and through this it is guarded within me.

10And so it will also be understood concerning the two levels of Daas (knowledge) mentioned above: the lower Daas is the soul of the supernal emotive attributes (middos) and is enclothed in their inner dimension (pnimiyus), and the higher Daas is the level of “and You guard it,” etc. And this is [the meaning of] “For Havayah is a G‑d of de’os”: that these two levels of Daas are united together.

So that one should not imagine that they are two levels separate from one another, since this one is enclothed in the middos and in worlds, while the higher Daas is not grasped in a vessel at all, [the verse] teaches us that nevertheless they are truly one thing.

For the higher Daas, the level of the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin), shines constantly in the lower Daas and in the light that fills all worlds (memalei kol almin), and all is one. (As is explained above regarding Pesach, on the matter of “And Havayah our G‑d brought us out.”) And as is written in Etz Chaim, that the encompassing [light] (makif) shines into the inner [light] (pnimi), etc.

Now, all this is in the present; but in the Time to Come there will be a revelation of sovev kol almin: that is, the level of the higher Daas will shine and be drawn down in a manner of actual revelation.

And this is because “the spirit of impurity will be removed from the earth,” and “He will swallow up death,” etc.; then it will be possible to receive this revelation.

113. And now we will come to the matter of the offerings (how in them and through them there is the drawing down and revelation of the light that encompasses all worlds, sovev kol almin). And it is specifically the kohen [priest] who offers [them], and it is written, “And the kohen shall burn wood upon it morning by morning.”

But this is because there must be a sweetening of the gevuros (severities), and this is through the kohen, the man of Chesed (kindness), being occupied with kindling the fire; and this is so that it be with the intention of compassion and kindness.

And therefore it was specifically in the morning, at the time when Chesed is aroused, as all this is written in the Zohar, Parshas Tzav (27b): “And the kohen shall arrange the fire upon it morning by morning,” etc., “in order to sweeten the world and to sweeten the judgments,” and as the Ramaz explains there.

But this is only the matter of arranging two logs of wood. (And it may be said that the two logs of wood correspond to two kinds of sweetening of the gevuros: the first is the light of Chesed in the vessel of Gevurah (restraint); the second, the light of Gevurah in the vessel of Chesed, as is mentioned in the Ramaz there.

And elsewhere there is explained the matter of these two levels: that this is the matter of the Name of forty-two in the paragraph of the Shema, and the Name of seventy-two in the paragraph “And it shall be, if you will hearken,” etc. And see the Zohar, Parshas Beshalach, 98b.) But the matter of the offerings, two lambs every day and the additional offerings (musafin), is a different intention and matter.

And it is what is written, “My offering, My bread, for My fires (le’ishai)”: the meaning of “for My fires” is My fires (ishim), which are the Seraphim, who are always in a state of “flashes of fire”; and the offerings are bread for these fires. And to explain this, we must first introduce the matter of Tohu (chaos) and Tikkun (rectification).

For in the level of Tohu the light was great and the vessels small, so that they could not contain the light, and therefore they shattered and fell.

And the explanation is that the light is the drawing down of the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), which is drawn into the worlds so that there be the levels of Chochmah (wisdom) and Chesed, etc.

And the vessels are Chochmah and Chesed and the other emotive attributes (middos), which receive and limit the light. And that light which was drawn to the level of the middos was so great that the middos, Chesed, Gevurah and Tiferes, etc., could not come into being from it.

And therefore the vessels shattered and fell into Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah. Now, after the refinement (birur), there came into being from them angels, Michael and Gavriel, the face of the lion and the face of the ox, whose power is great and mighty.

And it is from them that the life-force (chayus) is drawn even to the physical domestic animals, beasts and birds in this world. For just as there are three partners in a person, so it is with an animal; except that in a person the Holy One, blessed be He, places a soul (neshamah), while in an animal the soul (nefesh) is drawn from the Chayos [the holy living creatures] of the Chariot.

For the soul of all the beasts is from the level of the face of the lion in the Chariot, and the soul of all the domestic animals is from the level of the face of the ox, and the soul of all the birds is from the level of the face of the eagle.

Except that the physical domestic animals, beasts and birds were taken from the level of the dregs, which have not yet been refined. And when fat and blood are offered upon the altar and rise up in the fire that is above, the same is aroused above, in all the levels,

until it gives power and strength to the holy Chayos to be “bearing and borne” with the Throne, so that they rise from Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah to the source of their root in the World of Tohu, in which the lights are abundant. And this is through the level of the kohen.

For just as below, the raising of the life-force from the animal is through the kohen, the man of Chesed, who is the level of “the right [hand] draws near,” to raise it up above, so above, the Kohen is Chesed.

But “there is Chesed and there is Chesed”: that is, inner Chesed and outer Chesed. Now, the level of inner Chesed, and of “abundant in kindness” (rav chesed), is the level of the supernal Kohen, which is above the World of Atzilus (Emanation).

And it is he who raises the angels of Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah into their root mentioned above; and they bear the Throne, and also “the likeness as the appearance of a man” that is upon the Throne they lift up, so that there be an ascent from Atzilus, where the vessels are abundant, into [the level] above Atzilus, where the lights are abundant.

And this is the meaning of “Seraphim stood above Him”: as it were, they raise the level of the “man” upon the Throne. For this is the meaning of a chariot: like the horse, which carries its rider to a place where he could not go by himself.

And this is what is said of the offerings, “My bread, for My fires.” The meaning is that just as bread gives life to a person, for although the level of man is above bread, since he is a being of intellect while bread is vegetative, nevertheless bread and food give him life,

and this is because their root is higher than his. For of man it is said, “Behind and before You formed me”: “behind” in the work of creation, etc., for the inanimate, vegetative and animal [creations] preceded him, because they are from the level of the World of Tohu, which is higher than the World of Tikkun.

And therefore they descended lower, through the shattering of the vessels. Therefore there is power in what is refined from the bread in the stomach and the liver to become life-force for the person, to join the soul with the body.

And this is [the meaning of] “For by everything that comes forth (motza) from the mouth of Havayah does man live”: motza means a source, as in “a spring (motza) of water”; that is, the source and root of “the mouth of Havayah,” which is above Atzilus, etc., which is present in the bread, etc.

And likewise, in the same way, the offerings are called “My bread, for My fires”: “My fires” are the Seraphim, who are after the refinement,

that is, they are in a state of self-nullification (bittul): Michael’s bittul is in love and the expiring of the soul, and Gavriel’s in awe, “they tremble from fear of the Throne,” etc. And nevertheless they are in a state of limitation, for in the angels too there are lights and vessels, and the vessels limit.

And therefore the “Holy” that they say brings about in them the expiring of the soul for four hours and no more, and afterwards they must say “Holy” a second time, to arouse the love and the expiring of the soul and the bittul, etc. And therefore in the twelve hours of the day they say “Holy” three times.

12And therefore, in the offering, where the physical animal is offered, which at first, before the refinement, was far below the level of the angels, who have already been refined, the physical animal, too, is the level of “My bread, for My fires,” which are the angels, the Seraphim, through its being refined upon the altar;

that is, it brings about the ascent of the angels into their source and root, which is from the World of Tohu, above the vessels that limit.

13And just as physical bread gives life to a person because in its root it is higher than man, which is why it fell lower, so with the physical animals, which were taken from the level of the dregs that were not refined: in their root, this level was taken from the World of Tohu, from a level higher than the root of the Chayos of the Chariot themselves.

And precisely for this reason they fell lower, as is known from the analogy of a falling wall: from a higher place, it falls farther down.

Therefore, when they are refined, they become the level of bread and life-force for the level of “My fires,” which are the Seraphim, etc.

14And now, prayer is in place of the offerings. For the G‑dly soul, although it does not need rectification (tikkun), nevertheless its love is limited, because it was taken from a level of limitation.

For even the World of Beriah (Creation), from which the level of neshamah [the soul’s level of intellect] is drawn, is limited; and all the more so ruach [spirit], which is drawn from Yetzirah, and nefesh [the soul’s lowest level], of Asiyah.

15And it is impossible for the soul to reach the level of “with all your might (me’odecha),” without limit, except through the refinement of the animal soul specifically, which is before the refinement and whose root is from Tohu, etc., along the lines of what was said above in explaining “My bread, for My fires” of the offerings, etc.

And this is the meaning of “a pleasing fragrance (rei’ach nichoach) to Havayah”: rei’ach (fragrance) is an ascent from below to above, like a fragrance, which rises and restores the soul; and this is the level of the Shema.

And through this, afterwards, nichoach, [meaning] nechus darga, “a descent of level,” to draw down from above to below, “to Havayah”; and this is the level of the Shemoneh Esreh, “Blessed are You, Havayah”: the drawing down of the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof) below.

And likewise, the Torah is the level of drawing down the Infinite Light. And this is [the meaning of] “On three things the world stands: on the Torah, on the service (avodah), and on acts of kindness”: avodah is the level of ascent, and Torah and acts of kindness are levels of drawing down.

164. Now, it is explained above, in the main text, how great and abundant is the power of the ascent and self-nullification (bittul) of the soul in Israel, more than in the angels, etc.,

for the level of the “man” upon the Throne was not drawn down and revealed until the level of “with all your might (me’odecha)” was revealed, for adam (man) has the letters of me’od (might).

And the explanation is that the reason the influence from the emotive attributes (middos) is limited is not because the Sefiros and the middos themselves are limited,

for this is not so: the Ten Sefiros are infinite. Rather, the influence from the middos is limited because of the combination and inter-inclusion of Chesed (kindness) with Gevurah (restraint) and of Gevurah with Chesed.

Therefore, although the level of Chesed in itself is infinite and would spread without end,

but because there is a level that opposes it, namely the level of Gevurah, which contracts it and prevents Chesed from spreading without limit, etc., so that He “said to His world, ‘Enough!’”

17And this is [the meaning of] what is written concerning the curtains of the Mishkan [Tabernacle], “four by the cubit,” “twenty-eight by the cubit.”

And it is not written “four cubits,” “twenty-eight cubits”; rather, the curtains in themselves are without limit, but there is the level of the cubit, which measures and contracts: up to here shall be Chesed (kindness), and up to here Gevurah (restraint).

For through this they became the level of middos, “measures” [attributes], and this is the matter of the measuring line and the measuring rod in Yechezkel, as is written in the Zohar, Parshas Pekudei (233a).

And this is why the level of adam (man) is truly the level of me’od (might), and nevertheless it is called adam. (And see what is written in Parshas Yisro, in the discourse beginning “To understand the explanation of ‘The Patriarchs are the Chariot,’” what is written there: “And we must understand: is not the Name Mah (45),” etc., “but in truth, the one depends on the other,” etc.;

18And this is [the meaning of] “You have captured My heart (libavtini)”: the Holy One, blessed be He, says to the Congregation of Israel, “You make Me into the level of a heart.” For all the life-force (chayus), sustenance and nourishment of all the limbs of a person, and of the body as a whole, depend on and are drawn from the heart;

for the heart is the dwelling of the vital soul (nefesh hachiyunis), as it is written, “For the blood is the soul (nefesh)”: for in the blood that is in the heart the vital soul is bound and enclothed.

19And the heart is what distributes the life-force (chayus) and the blood to all the limbs. But where does the blood in the heart come from? Not from itself alone,

for of itself it has only a revi’is (a quarter-log) of blood, and that is not enough for the blood to spread and flow through all the limbs;

rather, blood is continually added to it through the food that a person eats, which is digested until it becomes blood; and the liver takes the bulk of the blood and the waste, and sends the choicest to the heart.

20And so it is in what the analogy stands for: through the elevation of the animal soul in “the service of the heart, which is prayer,” which is called “My bread, for My fires,” there comes about the drawing down of the life-force (chayus) in the level of the heart.

That is, through the refinements of Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah, whose root is from the World of Tohu, light and life-force are added to the Adam of the World of Atzilus (Emanation), and through this the spreading of the life-force is drawn from it into the worlds; and see what is written about this on the verse “I am asleep, but my heart is awake.” And this is [the meaning of] “You have captured My heart”: “You make Me into the level of a heart.”

21Now, in the heart there are two chambers, the right chamber and the left chamber. The left chamber is the dwelling of the blood, and the right chamber is full of air and spirit (ruach), which is the main [seat] of the spirit of life.

For the blood by itself could not spread and flow through all the limbs without the spirit of life that carries it.

And there is more in the spirit of life: it reaches to the brain and joins the brain to the heart, for in the brain there is no flow of blood; only the air and the spirit of life that is in the heart is what binds and joins the heart to the brain, and from the brain it returns back to the heart, as is known.

And so above, “You have captured My heart (libavtini)” means the two levels that are in the heart, the right chamber and the left chamber. That is, the life-force (chayus) that is drawn and spreads from Atzilus to Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah, to give life to souls and angels, is like the spreading of the life-force from the left chamber to all the limbs of the body;

and the drawing down of the light and life-force from the essence of the Infinite One (Ein Sof), blessed be He, who is not within the category of the Sefiros at all, so that there be drawn down the coming into being of the Chochmah (wisdom) of the World of Atzilus (Emanation), “You are wise,” etc., is like the spreading and drawing of the life-force from the right chamber of the heart, which is full of spirit and which also reaches to the brain.

And so is the drawing down to become the level of Chochmah, etc.

(And see the commentary of the Ramaz on the Zohar, Parshas Emor) (93b), on [the verse] “Of You my heart said, ‘Seek My face,’” etc., where he discusses at length the matter of the heart, and that the light of Abba (Chochmah) shines in the right chamber of the heart, in which is the spirit of life, and Imma (Binah) shines in the left chamber, in which is the blood, etc.

And the inner dimension of the heart is the inner dimension of [the Names] Av (72) and Sag (63), etc. And so he also wrote in Parshas Pinchas (on folio 221).

If so, according to this, what was written is understood: that the life-force that spreads from Atzilus to give life to the World of Beriah is from the level of the left chamber of the heart.

That is, because “Imma nests in the Throne”; but Atzilus is the level of Chochmah in general, which is the level of the right chamber, etc.

And it is called ruach (spirit), as is written in Etz Chaim, Sha’ar Mochin deTzelem, chapter 5, which writes in the name of Sefer Yetzirah that Chochmah is called “the spirit of the living G‑d.” And see what is written on the matter of ruach on the verse “And the number of the children of Israel shall be like the sand of the sea.”

Alternatively, according to what is written in Parshas Miketz, in the discourse beginning “The Chanukah lamp,” etc., “so that the mezuzah be on the right,” etc., on the matter of avir (air) [being] or (light) [with a] yud: that the shining of the lamp’s light is through there being air around the light, etc. See there.

It follows that the light, which is the level of Chochmah, as explained above, receives from the level of air, which is the level of Keser (the Crown), etc.; and air is ruach.

Therefore the drawing down from the Infinite One, blessed be He, for the coming into being of Chochmah is called by the name ruach, which is drawn from the right chamber of the heart. And these two drawings-down of libavtini are through the two levels “My sister” and “bride,”

which are two loves. “My sister” is a love drawn from the level of Chochmah: “my sister, my companion,” “two companions who never part,” etc.

And it is a calm love, in the manner of “the words of the wise are heard in calm”; and it is the level of the natural love, which is from the level of Chochmah, as is written in Sefer Shel Beinonim [the Tanya]. And through this one arouses and draws down the drawing of the life-force into the emanated [levels], which is called ruach. (And this is [the meaning of] “Say to Chochmah, ‘You are my sister.’”)

And “bride” (kallah) is the level of a love like flashes of fire, “my soul expires (kalsah),” which is from the level of Binah (understanding), “the heart”; and through this the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof) is drawn into Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah, and this is through the emotive attributes (middos), “Yours, Havayah, is the greatness,” etc.

225. And these two levels of love are also what is written on the verse “I have come into My garden,” etc., concerning the difference between the level of “companions” and “beloveds”: the level of “companions” is that they never part, for their love is constant,

and therefore “flashes of fire” and thirst do not apply; and this is the level of those whose Torah is their occupation, etc. And “beloveds” are those whose love is at intervals and appointed times, when one arouses the love, as at the time of prayer and the like; and therefore in this love thirst and the element of fire apply, etc.

And therefore it is well understood that through the level of “My sister” one arouses and draws down from a higher level.

And see the Zohar on Vayikra (112a), on “My sister,” and the Zohar, Parshas Emor (folio 100b). And see what is written on the verse “The Song of Songs” on the matter of the higher Shechinah and the lower Shechinah, and what is written on the verse “And you shall offer a burnt-offering, a fire-offering,” etc.

It is also possible [to say] that these two loves are drawn from the two levels of Daas (knowledge): for the higher Daas unites and joins Chochmah (wisdom) and Binah (understanding);

therefore through it is drawn the love of the level of “My sister,” which is from the level of Chochmah, as is written in the Zohar on “Say to Chochmah, ‘You are my sister.’”

And the lower Daas joins and draws down the spreading of the intellect into the emotive attributes (middos); from this is drawn the second level of love, the level of “my soul expires,” etc.

And so the Ramaz explains, in the Raaya Mehemna, Parshas Shoftim (275a), the matter of “the walls of his heart”: that they are the powers in the two chambers of the heart, which are Chesed (kindness) and Gevurah (restraint), drawn from Daas. And as is written about this elsewhere, mentioned above.

And the level of “the depth of the heart,” it can be said, has its root in the higher Daas; and this is the matter of “My sister.” And see what is written on the matter of “My sister” on the verse “And the land shall rest,” “the land was nullified,” etc.

And see what is written on the matter of the higher Daas in the soul, in the explanation of the verse “Many waters cannot extinguish the love,” etc.

And therefore, through these two levels, there is drawn from the level of the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin) into the light that fills all worlds (memalei kol almin), as explained above concerning “For Havayah is a G‑d of de’os,” etc., that in truth all is one.

23Now, all this is the higher Daas (knowledge) and the lower Daas in the G‑dly soul. But it can further be explained according to its plain meaning: that even through love drawn from the lower Daas of the G‑dly soul, one arouses and draws down from above, from the level of the higher Daas, which is the level of the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin).

And this is because in man there is also the animal soul, which is also an intellectual soul, except that it is drawn after physicality, for it is from kelipas nogah [the translucent husk].

But the G‑dly soul is essentially an intellectual soul, which constantly contemplates and grasps the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He, and has no other intellectual pursuit. And see what is written about this in the discourse beginning “Who is enthroned on high,” etc.

And therefore every level of the Daas of the G‑dly soul is certainly called the higher Daas in relation to the human Daas and intellect drawn from the animal soul in man, which understands and grasps the physicality of this world and can also understand G‑dliness; for the animal soul is composed of good and evil.

And it is possible that this is the matter of the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil: the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil is the level of the Daas of the animal soul, and the Tree of Life is the Daas and Chochmah (wisdom) of the G‑dly soul, etc.

Although it is explained elsewhere that the level of the Tree of Knowledge applies also to the G‑dly soul, as is written on the verse “gathering wood,” nevertheless it is not called the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil at all, G‑d forbid, as is written in the Pardes, in the entry “Etz” (tree).

But the actual Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, in the main, is kelipas nogah, from which the animal soul is drawn. And see about this in the discourse beginning “In the Raaya Mehemna, Parshas Nasso: ‘And the wise shall shine,’” etc.

Now, when a person makes the Chochmah, Binah and Daas of the G‑dly soul prevail over the intellect of the animal soul, deepening his intellect and thought in contemplation of the greatness of the Infinite One (Ein Sof), blessed be He, in the Shema and in prayer, then the Daas and intellect of the animal soul will be nullified and included in the Daas of the G‑dly soul;

and then the emotive attributes (middos) born of the physical intellect, [directed] to the desires of this world, will also be nullified in the attributes born of the Daas of the G‑dly soul, to cleave to Him, may He be blessed, with cleaving, longing and desire, in the manner of “My sister” or in the manner of “bride,” “my soul expires,” etc.

It follows that prayer, which is the refinement of the animal soul, brings about the nullification and elevation of the lower Daas in man into the higher Daas, which is the refinement and joining of the Tree of Knowledge with the Tree of Life.

And therefore, through this, one also arouses and draws from above a drawing down from the higher Daas, sovev kol almin, into the lower Daas and the light that fills all worlds (memalei kol almin), which are also sometimes called the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge. And similarly it is stated that the good inclination and the evil inclination have their root in the two chambers of the heart of Z’eir Anpin, as the Ramaz explains on Parshas Emor (93), mentioned above.

And this is [the meaning of] what is written, “He has not beheld iniquity in Yaakov,” etc.; and it also states why: “For Havayah his G‑d is with him.” That is, through a person drawing G‑dliness into his soul, so that the intellect and attributes of the animal soul, called the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, are nullified before the intellect and attributes of the G‑dly soul, called the Tree of Life,

whether the nullification is in the manner of “My sister” or in the manner of “bride”; at any rate, all of it is the nullification of the animal soul and its inclusion in the G‑dly soul, so that the intellect and attributes of the animal soul also agree to this love.

Therefore, through this, one arouses from above the level of the higher Daas, which is above, in the Infinite One, blessed be He, which is the level of sovev kol almin; and the attributes drawn from it are “abundant in kindness,” the inner Chesed (kindness). And through this, “He has not beheld iniquity in Yaakov,” etc.

For the little from below arouses much above, as is written in Sefer Shel Beinonim, Part III (end of chapter 12). And therefore the offerings atone. And this is [the meaning of] “You have captured My heart, My sister, [My] bride.”

246. “You have captured My heart with one (be’achas) of your eyes.” Be’achad is written. “Your eyes” are “the eyes of the congregation,” those whose Torah is their occupation, and they are in the state of “gazing at the glory of the King.” But there are two levels in them.

The first is that they are in the self-nullification (bittul) of the lower unity (yichuda tata’ah), the nullification of the “something” (yesh): it is something, only it is nullified and bows down. And the second is the level of the higher unity (yichuda ila’ah), that there is truly nothing besides Him, and this is the true nullification. And these are the two levels “our Father, our King.”

And this is the matter of be’achad and be’achas: the higher unity is the level of be’achad, which is written, the world of thought, which is the hidden world; and the lower unity is be’achas, which is read, the world of speech, the revealed world. And from each one of these two levels they bring about the level of “You have captured My heart.”

25“With one necklace (anak) of your neck.” An anak is an ornament of precious stones and pearls, which are inanimate, and nevertheless they shine and are beautiful to adorn oneself with. And so, “Malchus (sovereignty) is the mouth; we call it the Oral Torah”: the level of the letters of speech, which are the level of the inanimate, “two stones build,” etc.

And nevertheless the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin), is drawn into them, and they are the level of “necklaces for your throat,” for they are from the supernal light. And see what is written above on the verse “your neck with strings of beads.”

26And the verse as a whole [says] that “You have captured My heart” both in the manner of “My sister” and in the manner of “bride,” which is at the time of prayer, and in the manner of “your eyes,” which is the self-nullification all day long of “the eyes of the congregation.”

And the level of anak is the level of the letters of the Torah for businessmen, who cannot be in a state of self-nullification all day long; and then even “one chapter in the morning and one chapter in the evening,” etc. And this is “with one necklace,” etc., as mentioned above.

27And one may further explain libavtini in a somewhat different style, based on what was explained in the discourse beginning “Who has counted the dust of Yaakov,” on the matter of “unite (yached) my heart”: that the inner dimension (pnimiyus) of the heart is the level of yechidah [the soul’s innermost, single essence], which is above even Chochmah, Binah and Daas;

and it is the matter of the supernal will, the level of Keser (the Crown). And along these lines it is also explained elsewhere, on the verse “And it shall be on that day, a great shofar shall be blown,” that “the Torah comes forth from Chochmah,” and “the Torah is bound to the Holy One, blessed be He,” and the Holy One, blessed be He, is called “the Rock of my heart.”

That is, the inner dimension of the heart is above Chochmah; for the heart is the level of Malchus (sovereignty) and is below Chochmah, as is written in the Zohar, Parshas Shelach (161b) and Parshas Terumah (128b): that is, the level of the outer dimension (chitzoniyus) of the heart.

And it is also known that Malchus has its root in Keser; and this is the matter of “Where is the place of His glory?” For Malchus is called kavod (glory), which in numerical value is thirty-two (lamed-beis), the [thirty-two] paths of Chochmah; and this is also the meaning of lev (heart, lamed-beis).

And this is the matter of the thirty-two [mentions of the] Name Elokim in the work of creation, whose root is from the supernal kavod, the thirty-two paths of the higher Chochmah, as is written in the Pardes, in the entry “Lev.”

28And “Where is the place of His glory?” refers to the root and source of Malchus (sovereignty) in Keser (the Crown); and this is the level of ayeh (“where?”), which is not grasped, etc. And this is the matter of the primordial thought, that it arose in [His] thought that He would be King over a people; and this is the matter of “Your kingship is a kingship of all worlds.”

And therefore this level is called the inner dimension (pnimiyus) of the heart, for “heart” means thought and will; and of this it is said, “but my heart is awake,” as is written in the Idra (129b), that of Arich Anpin it is said, “Behold, He neither slumbers,” etc.

But His essence, may He be blessed, is far above even the level of will, as is explained elsewhere, in the discourse beginning “Go out and gaze,” that the drawing down of Keser is called, above, “the nullification of will” (bittul ratzon), etc.: for He, may He be blessed, is exalted and uplifted above this will, as it is written, “If you are righteous, what [do you give Him]?” etc.

29And what brings about this drawing down is the arousal from below (isarusa dilesata) in the occupation with Torah in the manner of the nullification of will, etc.; see there. And this is “You have captured My heart (libavtini)”: “You are the one who causes Me to be in the state of a heart.” And this is through the arousal from below of “My sister, [My] bride,” etc.,

through which there is drawn an arousal from above (isarusa dile’eila) of two levels of heart: Keser Elyon (the supernal Crown), which is the source for the coming into being of Atzilus, and the Malchus of Atzilus, which emerges opposite the heart of Z’eir Anpin and which is the source for the coming into being of Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah; and these are the level of the light that encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin) and the level of the light that fills all worlds (memalei kol almin).

And therefore libavtini is said twice in this verse. And this is [the meaning of] “As in water face [answers] to face, so the heart of man to man”: “the heart of man” is Arich Anpin; “to man” is Z’eir Anpin (the emotive attributes).

That is, the two levels of heart mentioned above; for Malchus receives from the heart of Z’eir Anpin. And see the Zohar on Terumah (end of 146b), and see what is written at the end of Parshas Bereishis, in the discourse beginning “Go out and gaze,” on the matter of “and on the day of the gladness of his heart.”