מים רבים לא יוכלו לכבות את האהבה וגו׳…

1“Many waters cannot quench the love, etc.,” until “they would utterly scorn him.” And in the Zohar, volume 3, page 54b: “‘Many waters’: this is the supernal river from which rivers issue forth to every side, etc.”

Now, the rivers are drawn from the springs: the springs well up from the deep, and from them the rivers are drawn, as it is written, “He sends forth springs into the streams.” The springs well up from beneath the earth, whereas the rivers are drawn openly across the face of the whole earth. Therefore the Torah, which is likened to water,

as it is written, “Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the water,” has in it the level of a spring. This is as the saying, “Wise, but not with a known wisdom”: it is not grasped at all, like the analogy of the spring that wells up from beneath the earth and is not so recognizable and revealed. And it has in it the level of rivers,

as it is written, “And a river went out of Eden to water the garden, etc.”: for the radiance of the Shechinah (Divine Presence) that is revealed in Gan Eden, in the comprehension of the secrets of the Torah, is drawn from the level of the “river that went out of Eden, etc.,” and it is drawn down and divides into many levels of rivers and particular flows, to each one according to his comprehension, etc.

2Therefore it is called a “river,” because it comes and is drawn down in revelation, so as to be grasped by the tzaddikim. And of this it is said, “Many waters cannot quench the love” of the Congregation of Israel for the Holy One, blessed be He.

For although this is a revelation of very lofty levels, nevertheless they will not still the love, for the soul will not be filled, nor its thirst quenched, through this revelation alone.

As it is written, “Whom do I have in heaven? And besides You I desire nothing on earth.” For “heaven” and “earth” are the Upper and the Lower Gan Eden, in which the souls take delight through the “river that went out of Eden, etc.”; and nevertheless, “Whom do I have in heaven, etc.,” for Gan Eden is only for a time.

But the main revelation will be in the Time to Come, at the Resurrection of the Dead, as it is written, “And a spring shall come forth from the House of G‑d,” which is far, far above the level of a river, etc.

And this is through occupation in the Torah and the mitzvos, of which it is said, “And she went down to the spring and filled her pitcher”: these are the twenty-four books of the Torah, which are drawn from the level of the spring, the level of “wise, but not with a known wisdom,” for the main revelation of this will be in the Time to Come.

3However, so that this drawing down and revelation may come about through the practical Torah and mitzvos, of this it is said, “And she went down to the spring and filled her pitcher”: this is through Rivkah our mother, for she it is who has the power to bring about “and filled her pitcher, etc.”

And to understand what the level of Rivkah is, we must first explain the matter of the level of Yitzchak. For “Yitzchak” is an expression of laughter and delight, and it is the revelation of the supernal delight to the tzaddikim in the Time to Come, as it is written, “This Leviathan You formed to sport with.”

4Therefore “Yitzchak” is in the future tense. For the level of “Laughter has Elokim made for us” [means] that this level, the revelation of delight, is drawn down through the Name Elokim.

The explanation: “For a sun and a shield is Havayah Elokim.” The Name Elokim is the shield and the sheath over the Name Havayah, which brings into being from nothing to something. For the sheath is a covering and concealment, so that the Name Havayah is not revealed

except through a garment and the sheath that conceals over it, like the analogy of the light and radiance of the sun that shines through a screen and a curtain, as is explained elsewhere on the verse “And the curtain shall divide, etc.”

And because of this sheath and shield, the created beings became a something and a separate thing; and with the multiplication of the garments through the 120 combinations of Elokim, the darkness and concealment are drawn down below into Asiyah all the more. And therefore the soul descended below to be “one who serves Elokim,”

that is, to work upon and rectify the level of the darkness and concealment drawn from the Name Elokim, to turn darkness into light. And this is “which Elokim created to make,” and the Midrash explains “to make” as “to rectify.”

(That is, to rectify) the concealment drawn from the Name Elokim; and this is through the nullification of the something into nothing, by which darkness is turned into light. And this is through self-sacrifice (mesirus nefesh) in prayer, and through the Torah and the mitzvos.

And this is “Laughter has Elokim made for me”: the essence of the laughter and the supernal delight is drawn down through the Name Elokim, like the analogy of the laughter that princes make, which is from something new,

such as the battle of a lion with another beast, where from the novelty come the laughter and the delight. So too the level of the nullification of the something into nothing: this is the novelty, that the created being, which has become a something and a separate thing, is able to nullify itself.

Whereas if the Name Elokim did not conceal, this level of laughter and delight would not be drawn down at all. If so, the essence of the laughter and the delight was made for us by the Name Elokim, which conceals and hides, because of which the delight is drawn down, that is, through the nullification of the something into nothing.

5Now, the essence of the laughter and the delight is revealed when the refinement and rectification of the Name Elokim is completed. As in the Work of Creation it is written, “And Elokim saw all that He had made,

and behold, it was very good,” and, “And the heavens were completed”: at the completion of all the work the delight was revealed; whereas while the work was not yet completed, the delight is not revealed, but rather he is occupied with completing the work.

So too, in the same way, now the occupation is to be “one who serves Elokim,” to turn darkness into light; and at the completion and perfection of the refinements, then

it is written, “And You renew the face of the earth,” “G‑d will rejoice in His works,” and there will be the revelation of the laughter and the delight. And therefore he is called “Yitzchak,” after the future, for in the Time to Come there will be the revelation of this laughter and delight.

6Now, of Yitzchak it is written, “And behold, Yitzchak was sporting with Rivkah his wife.” Meaning: all the laughter and supernal delight of Yitzchak discussed above is drawn down through Rivkah his wife.

For the main level of turning darkness into light pertains to the animal soul in a person, which needs refinement and rectification, “to make,” [that is,] “to rectify”; whereas the soul itself does not need rectification.

And the animal soul is rooted in the Chayos of the Chariot, the face of the ox, etc. And just as there is power in the Chariot to be [such that] “the Chayos carry the Throne,” so there is power in the animal soul for there to be in it

and through it ascents for the G‑dly soul, that is, after the refinement of the animal soul, because its root is very high, exalted, “from before the King, etc.”

7And with this the matter of the level of Rivkah will be understood. It is from the term “rivkos” of three, three oxen, or of four, four, for the meaning is the joining and binding of three or four animals

together, [which] is called a “rivkah.” And so it is with the Chayos of the Chariot: when they are included and united together, so as to be [such that] “the Chayos carry,” they are the level of a “rivkah” of three, three oxen, which is the inter-inclusion of Chesed, Gevurah and Tiferes: the face of the lion from the level of Chesed,

8and the face of the ox from the level of Gevurah, etc. And sometimes they are of four, four, which is the level of the face of a man among the Chayos of the Chariot, for they are four levels: Chesed, Gevurah, Tiferes and Malchus.

And similarly our Sages said, “The Patriarchs are themselves the Chariot”: they are the three levels of Chesed, Gevurah and Tiferes, and David is the fourth leg, etc.

And this is what is said of Yechezkel’s Chariot, “joined one to another”: they are in a state of joining and inter-inclusion, for specifically through this, “the Chayos carry, etc.,”

because through the inter-inclusion and joining of the middos together, they are thereby elevated and draw from a very high level, where all the middos are included together (see what is explained in Parshas Noach on this matter).

And similarly it will be understood in the service of G‑d in a person: when there is the level of inter-inclusion of the middos (emotive attributes), love and awe, and the arousal of compassion on his soul, which has descended wondrously low, this is called the level of a “rivkah” of three, three oxen; for the middos of the animal soul are refined from kelipas nogah and ascend to G‑d.

And this is “And behold, Rivkah came out”: she comes out from kelipas nogah, and darkness is turned into light. And sometimes she is of four, four, with the inclusion of the attribute of Malchus, which is the level of self-nullification (bittul), accepting the yoke (kabbalas ol) and the service of a servant; for service and awe are two mitzvos, etc.

And this is [why] “Yitzchak was sporting with Rivkah his wife”: that is, the level of Yitzchak, which is the delight that will be revealed in the Time to Come, is drawn “with Rivkah his wife”

(which is the level of the refinement of the Name Ban, [whose] numerical value is behemah [animal], that is, through the refinement of the animal soul, when it ascends higher and higher to be in the level of Rivkah; for below it is “branches that separate,” but through the refinement there then comes about inter-inclusion, etc.).

And therefore, specifically through this, “she went down to the spring and filled her pitcher”: that is, specifically through the level of the refinement and nullification of the animal soul,

through this ascent there comes about a descent and drawing down, the level of “and filled her pitcher,” namely the twenty-four books of the Torah.

For the entire Torah has been clothed in physical matters, such as the mitzvos of terumos and maasros in the vegetation and seed of the land, and the mitzvah of sacrifices with animals,

and so too with all the mitzvos; all of this is taken from kelipas nogah, and through the mitzvos they are refined, and through this is drawn down the revelation of the Infinite One (Ein Sof), blessed be He, “which I (Anochi) command you.”

9And this is “Behold, I (Anochi) stand by the spring of water”: that is, in the level of “she went down to the spring and filled her pitcher,” there is drawn down the very level of Anochi, which is the Cause of all causes, from which the spring is drawn, etc.

And therefore, so that there may be this drawing down of the revelation of the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He, into physical things that are from kelipas nogah, it is specifically through first refining the animal soul,

which is also from kelipas nogah; for then, after this refinement and ascent, this drawing down and descent can come about. (And see what is explained similarly on the verse “And you shall count for yourselves, etc.,” and on the verse “Remember the Shabbos day.”)

And therefore the Torah was not given to the angels, because “Is there an evil inclination among you?” The refinement of kelipas nogah and turning darkness into light do not pertain to them.

And therefore this drawing down from the level of “which I (Anochi) command you” also cannot come about among them. And although a revelation of G‑dliness is certainly drawn down to the angels, it is from the level of “And a river went out of Eden to water the garden,” of which it is written, “You who dwell in the gardens, the companions,” who are the angels, “listen to your voice.”

But the revelation of the level of “she went down to the spring and filled her pitcher” is not drawn down to them, but only below. And therefore our Sages said that the tzaddikim are destined to have (the angels) say “Holy” before them.

10And this is “Many waters cannot quench the love.” Meaning: “many waters” is the contemplation in which a person comprehends and contemplates the greatness of G‑d,

in the higher unity (yichuda ila’ah) and the lower unity (yichuda tata’ah), in the verse “Shema Yisrael” and in “Blessed be the Name of the glory of His kingdom forever and ever,” from which comes “And you shall love... with all your heart, etc.” And this love grows very great, until his soul thirsts for G‑d in the level of “with all your might,” without limit.

11And the thirst of this love cannot be stilled and quenched by the “many waters” themselves, that is, the contemplation mentioned above, in which he comprehends the higher unity and the lower unity.

Rather, “if your heart runs, return to the One” is specifically through occupation in the Torah and practical mitzvos, which is the level of “which I (Anochi) Myself command you.”

Whereas through knowledge and contemplation alone, there is only knowledge of His existence, and not the level of “which I Myself command you,” which is like the level of grasping His very essence, as it were, through the practical mitzvos; for “the 248 commandments are the 248 limbs of the King.”

Moreover, even the comprehensions in Gan Eden, which are a comprehension of the very essence of the radiance of the Shechinah and not merely of its existence, nevertheless of these it is said: “many waters,” which are drawn from the “river that went out of Eden, etc.,”

“cannot quench the love” of the level of Rivkah, “with all your heart” and “with all your might,” mentioned above; as it is written, “Whom do I have in heaven, etc.”

For the revelation in Gan Eden is called only a radiance and a glimmer, and it is called “receiving a reward” [peras], an expression of “a slice” [perusah], as explained elsewhere.

But the love mentioned above is for His blessed essence itself, and this is “not in order to receive a reward, etc.” And this is “nor can rivers drown it,”

for “your fathers dwelt beyond the river”: the level of the great love mentioned above reaches higher even than the level of the river mentioned above, which is the source of all the rivers, etc.; and if so, certainly “rivers cannot drown it.”

12However, “If a man would give all the wealth of his house for love, boz yavuzu lo [they would utterly scorn him].” Meaning: “if” is an expression of “when,” for there is an “if” that is not used in the sense of doubt but in the sense of certainty,

as in “If you lend money,” and “And if the Jubilee shall be,” where this is not an expression of doubt; rather, the thing will certainly be and come.

13And the word “if” here is nothing but an expression of “when.” Meaning: “When you lend money” to the poor, “do not be to him as a creditor”; and likewise, “when the Jubilee shall be.”

And similarly, “If a man would give” means “When a man will give”: this is the Holy One, blessed be He, who will certainly give; that is, in the Future, for “will give” is an expression of the future. For in the Time to Come He will give “all the wealth of His house,” which in the present time does not come to revelation, but only in the Future specifically.

However, although this is not revealed now, nevertheless this very level is drawn down through the Torah, the twenty-four books of the Torah, and the practical mitzvos, which are the level of “And these words which I (Anochi) [command you] shall be”: He who is truly “I” is drawn down through this.

14And this is [why it says] “command you” (metzavecha), an expression of togetherness and connection. And this is [the blessing] “Blessed are You, Havayah, our G‑d, King of the universe, who has sanctified us”: “You” is His blessed essence itself; “blessed” [means] drawn down in the level of the Name Havayah, which is clothed in the Ten Sefiros, the yud in Chochmah, etc.,

until it is drawn down to be “King of the universe,” in the level of Malchus, the source of Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah. And this is “who (asher) has sanctified us”: “asher” is an expression of delight, as in “Happy am I (be’ashri),

for the daughters have called me happy.” And this is the level of the supernal delight and laughter that will be revealed in the Time to Come in actual fact, when He gives “the wealth of His house, etc.”: it is drawn down now, truly, for “Today to do them, and tomorrow to receive their reward.”

15And the meaning of this blessing that must be said is, by way of analogy: if a person wants to give light far off, or in a place of darkness and gloom, he must

kindle a great torch and add to the light, so that its light reaches far off as well. So too, in order for the light and revelation to reach the physical Asiyah, the light of the torch must be increased; and this is the blessing, etc.

And therefore our Sages said, “A person is obligated to recite a hundred blessings every day.” And as is said in the Zohar, at the beginning of Parshas Chayei Sarah, page 123a: that it is a drawing down from the supernal place, the Cause of all causes, etc.

16Now, of this our Sages said, “Better is one hour of teshuvah (return) and good deeds in this world than all the life of the World to Come,” for Gan Eden is only the radiance of the Shechinah,

and therefore it cannot quench the love. But this drawing down is from the level of His very essence, and not the radiance alone, and therefore it is called “the wealth of His house.” For it is written, “With wisdom a house is built.”

Meaning: the letters of the Torah are called “houses,” as it is said in Sefer Yetzirah, “Two stones build two houses.” And therefore Torah scholars are called “builders,” for they are occupied with the building of the world.

17Now, the level of Chochmah is “wise, but not with a known wisdom,” which is above the level of “And a river went out,” as explained above. “And with understanding

it is established” is what is said, “His understanding is unsearchable.” “And with knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant wealth”: this is the level of the supernal delight that is hidden and clothed in the Torah, as it is written, “I delight in Your Torah.”

18And this is the level of “the wealth of His house,” which is drawn down through Daas; for “daas” is an expression of connection, as in “And Adam knew.” That is, it connects and draws down the level of the supernal delight from the source of delights into the Chochmah and Binah of the Torah, [for] “the Torah comes forth from Chochmah.”

And this is like what is said in Sefer HaBahir, that King David, peace be upon him, would connect the Torah above with the Holy One, blessed be He. And this revelation will be in actual fact in the Future, when “a man will give all the wealth of his house,” “precious and pleasant wealth.”

19As our Sages said, “In the future the Holy One, blessed be He, will give each tzaddik three hundred and ten worlds as an inheritance”; and this is the level of the “precious wealth,” for “yakar” [precious] too is numerically equal to “yesh” [310].

And therefore it says, “If a man (ish) would give”: aleph, yesh; for the drawing down of the 310 worlds is drawn from the Master (Aluf) of the world, as it is written, “I will teach you (a’alefcha) wisdom, I will teach you understanding.”

And it says, “Acquire wisdom, acquire understanding”: twice “kneh” [acquire] is numerically “yesh,” for all this is drawn from the level of the aleph, “I will teach you, etc.”

20Now, this level of revelation quenches the thirst of the great love mentioned above. And this is “boz yavuzu lo,” an expression of plunder and spoil, like a person who plunders and snatches a thing of precious worth,

such as the plundering of precious treasures, where he plunders and snatches because perhaps it is not fitting that they would give it to him by way of giving; therefore he plunders and snatches, out of the greatness of his longing for it.

21And so it is with the revelation of “His good treasure,” which is the level of the Cause of all causes, [of which it is said,] “No eye has seen, O G‑d, besides You.” And it is called “the wealth of His house.” Therefore, when the revelation of these treasures is drawn down and given, then “boz yavuzu,” by way of analogy.

And this level, now, is the joy of the soul in occupation with the Torah and the mitzvos, after the thirst and the great love in the recitation of the Shema, which a person arouses in his soul so as to be [in the state of] “Whom do I have in heaven, etc.,” and “Many waters cannot quench the love.”

Let him take this to heart: that these things, the words of Torah and the mitzvos, are themselves the level of the revelation of the “precious wealth” mentioned above.

22As it is written, “The fear of G‑d is His treasure.” And for this his heart should rejoice, with joy and with gladness of heart, “from the abundance of everything.” And this is “she went down to the spring, filled her pitcher, and came up.”

For through the twenty-four books of the Torah, although this is the level of return and descent, for they were clothed in physical Asiyah, nevertheless through this, on the contrary, “she came up,” even above the great love mentioned above, of the level of Rivkah, etc.

And although “many waters cannot quench the love,” that is “many waters” specifically, which were drawn from the level of the river.

But the twenty-four books of the Torah are drawn from the level of “she went down to the spring,” for the spring is drawn from the very level of the Cause of all causes, as it is written, “Behold, I (Anochi) stand by the spring of water”; and therefore through this the thirst of the great love will be quenched. And therefore, on the contrary, the spring appears smaller than the river;

that is, because it is closer to the level of Anochi, the Cause of all causes, therefore there is more self-nullification (bittul) in it, for “whatever is closer is closer before Him, etc.”; and as the saying, “There is none besides You for the life of the World to Come; there is nothing apart from You, etc.”

But in truth, certainly, the source from which the water comes forth is the spring, and from it [the water] is drawn to the river, as it is written, “He sends forth springs into the streams.”

23And also, spring water is called “living water,” etc. And “boz yavuzu” is as the saying, “Sharp one, snatch and eat, snatch and bless”; that is, as it is written, “Come, eat of my bread,” and as it is written, “I opened my mouth wide and panted, etc.”; “An impetuous people, etc.”

And therefore the water libation on the Festival is also alluded to in the expression “boz yavuzu,” as is said in the Zohar. That is, in the offerings of the second, sixth and seventh days the water libation is alluded to, as our Sages said, “It says on the second [day], ‘and their libations,’ etc.”

24And “second,” “sixth” and “seventh” [bet, vav, zayin] are the letters of “boz.” And that is because this too is in the manner of the “plunder” mentioned above: to still the fiery flashes of the love that is on the altar, which is through the libation of water from the spring, as it is written, “And you shall draw water with joy, etc.”

And therefore this libation is specifically after the Ten Days of Teshuvah, which are the intensification of love in the level of teshuvah (return), and “besides You I desire nothing, etc.,” in the manner of “And behold, Rivkah came out,” as mentioned above.

25And through this, specifically afterward, the level of “she went down to the spring and filled her pitcher” is drawn down, as explained above; and therefore there was in this a great and intense joy, etc.

And also because this is like the very level of “the wealth of His house,” which is hidden in the letters of the Torah; for the mitzvah of the water libation is not stated explicitly in the Torah,

but our Sages revealed to us that it is alluded to in the Torah: the mem on the second day, the yud on the sixth day, and the mem on the seventh. And this is “the wealth of His house,” which is hidden and concealed, etc.

26And with all this will be understood what is written, “The rivers have lifted up their voice; the rivers shall lift up their dochyam.” And the Zohar explains, on Parshas Va’eira (page 23a): “These are the rivers, as it is said, ‘And a river went out of Eden, etc.’”

And this is the level of Binah (understanding), for through contemplation of the greatness of the Infinite One (Ein Sof), blessed be He, the fiery flashes of love are born, to cleave to G‑d. And this is “The rivers have lifted up their voice”: it is the ascent from below upward.

And so too the Targum [renders], “their voice in song.” This voice is the level of song, which is an ascent, as is known from the matter of the song that the Levites say; and afterward, through this, a drawing down from above to below is drawn.

27And as explained above, through “And behold, Rivkah came out,” in the level of ascent, through this afterward “she went down to the spring and filled her pitcher,” as mentioned above; and as it is written, “If he sets his heart to Him, His spirit and His breath will be gathered to him.”

And this is “the rivers shall lift up their dochyam,” and its Targum is, “The rivers will receive the reward of their praises”: the reward is the drawing down from the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He, that is clothed in the Torah, “wise, but not with a known wisdom,” which is above the level of Binah and comprehension.

And it is in the manner of “He sends forth springs into the streams,” and as is explained in the Zohar, Parshas Chukas (page 181a). And it is called “dochyam,” an expression of clearness and brightness, as in “pure myrrh” (mar deror), which we render [in Aramaic] “mira dachya.”

And this indicates the laws of the Torah, as explained elsewhere on the matter of Mordechai. And it is also an expression of purity, as in “concerning the ayil kamtza [locust], that it is pure (dachan)”; that is, the drawing down of supernal Chochmah in the Torah is to separate the pure from the impure.

28And they are called “dachyan u’mesaavin” [pure and impure]. And also “dochyam” [is] “dach yam,” that is, a pitcher (kad) that is drawn from the sea (yam) of Chochmah, as it is written, “and she filled her pitcher, etc.”

And also, “dochyam” is an expression of depth and lowliness, as Rashi explains, which is the level of the return and self-nullification (bittul) that follows the running. And it is written, “and with the crushed and lowly of spirit,” and as explained elsewhere on the verse “And we dwelt in the valley, etc.”

And as it is also written, “What house could you build for Me, etc.… but to this one I will look: to the poor and the broken of spirit, etc.”

29And then it explains what the virtue of this reward is: “More than the voices of many waters, the mighty, etc.; mighty on high, etc.” And the explanation is as explained in Pri Etz Chaim, Sha’ar Yom HaKippurim, chapter 3, that there are supernal voices from which Abba and Imma are nourished, etc.; see there.

And see what is explained on the verse “And all the people saw the voices, etc.” And this is “Your testimonies are very faithful; holiness befits Your house,” in the manner of “With wisdom a house is built,” which refers to the words and letters of the Torah, which were drawn down and built through supernal Chochmah.

30“Your testimonies are faithful”: “testimony” is an expression of knowledge, as it is written, “And with knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious wealth,” which is called “the wealth of His house.”

And this is “holiness befits Your house”: it is a drawing down from the level of the supernal Holiness, the Infinite Light, blessed be He. “G‑d, for length of days” is as our Sages said concerning the seventh millennium, “a day that is entirely long.”

31And the matter is: the meaning of “entirely long” is that even at its beginning it is long. But seemingly, the term “length” applies only to the conclusion and end, and not to the beginning; so how is it “entirely long,” even at its beginning?

But the intent is that there will be a revelation of the Infinite Light, blessed be He, which is clothed in the supernal hiddenness called Arich Anpin, as it is written, “long-suffering (erech apayim), etc.”

And it is called Arich Anpin, meaning that it can be drawn down also below into Asiyah, for before Him, blessed be He, spirituality and physicality are equal, and He makes them equal.

And therefore the revelation below, in the lower unity, will be as in the higher unity. (And see what is explained on the verse “And now, please, let [the power] be great, etc., as You have spoken, saying: G‑d is long-suffering, etc.”)

And therefore it is entirely long, at the beginning as at the end, for it is the revelation of the level that has no beginning and no end. And similar to this is the saying of our Sages, “The cup of King Mashiach holds two hundred and twenty-one lugin,” which has no explanation at all according to its plain meaning: what is the significance of two hundred and twenty-one lugin specifically?

Rather, the intent is that the cup is the vessel for the revelation of the Infinite Light, blessed be He, and the revelation in it will be from the level of “erech apayim, etc.,” as mentioned above.