אם לא תדעי לך היפה בנשים צאי לך…

1“If you do not know for yourself, O fairest among women, go out for yourself in the footsteps of the flock, and graze your kids by the dwellings of the shepherds.”

Now, it is written, “And Rachel was of beautiful form and beautiful appearance.” The meaning: “beautiful form” is in the shape of the limbs, according to their proportions in their measure; and “beautiful appearance” is in the radiance and splendor of the countenance of the face.

2Now, Rachel is the Community of Israel, which is called by the name Rachel on account of the verse, “Like a ewe (rachel) that is silent before her shearers.” And the matter is that

it is written, “Let us make man in our image,” etc. And the meaning of “in our image” is as it is written, “And upon the likeness of the throne was a likeness like the appearance of a man.”

And this is the level of “Yours, O G‑d, are the greatness and the might,” etc. And so it is in the soul of man: seven attributes, love and awe, etc.

However, the attribute of the soul, which is limited, bears no comparison to His attributes, blessed be He; for He is infinite, and His attributes are infinite.

And in order that the light of love from the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof), blessed be He, shine upon one’s soul, [one] must be in a state of self-nullification (bittul) of the soul’s very existence to Him, blessed be He: that is, to be [as] dust and inanimate matter before the Infinite Light, blessed be He.

3As in the saying, “And let my soul be as dust to all,” and this is the level of “the dust that is on the floor of the Tabernacle.” And through this his soul becomes a foundation and a dwelling for the light of the Infinite Light, blessed be He, to be in the state of “in our image,” in the form of the limbs: love and awe, etc.,

thought, speech and action, etc. And this is the level of “beautiful form” (yefas to’ar): that all the attributes take form (yesoaru) in them in their completeness and in their beauty, as they are above, etc.

4And this is [the meaning of] “And Rachel was of beautiful form”: this level of “beautiful form” comes through the level of Rachel, which is as it is written, “And like a ewe before her shearers,” etc.

However, all this is the level of the outer dimension (chitzoniyus), which is love and awe, etc., and thought, speech and action, etc. But the inner dimension (pnimiyus) is the level of the heart’s desire (re’usa deliba), which is the level of a glimmer from the inner dimension of the Infinite Light, blessed be He, whom no thought can grasp, etc.

And by this glimmer, which [comes] from there to the Community of Israel, it is called “beautiful appearance,” which is the radiance of the countenance of the face; for this reason it is called panim (face), for the pnimiyus (inner dimension) is revealed in it, as in “his face shone,” etc. And this is the meaning of what is written, “May G‑d make His face shine,” etc.

5And that the Community of Israel receive this level and glimmer is also by virtue of the level of Rachel. And this is the level of “and with all your might (me’odecha),” etc.,

through which that supernal glimmer is drawn from the highest of all levels to the lowest of all levels, etc., as it is written, “And beneath are the arms of the world.”

And this is “the fairest among women”: that is, the level of “beautiful form” and “beautiful appearance” mentioned above. And this is what is said, “If you do not know for yourself”: that is, that the level of “the fairest among women” mentioned above is not drawn down in a state of complete Daas (knowledge)

(similar to what is explained elsewhere: that there are souls called “the seed of man,” in which there is a strong degree of Daas, and these are souls of Atzilus, like the soul of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai; and there are those called “the seed of beast,” in which there is no Daas, that is,

like our souls, of Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah. And the meaning is not that one does not know and understand, only that no true arousal is drawn from it, and one is not nourished by the contemplation, etc. And this is “If you do not know for yourself”; and the meaning of “for yourself” is understood from what is explained on the verse “The eyes of all”).

But this is the counsel that is given: “Go out for yourself in the footsteps of the flock.” Tzon (flock) is from the word tze’i (go out); that is to say, something that goes out: namely, the level that goes out from above the order of the chain of descending worlds (hishtalshelus).

And this is the level of the flock of Lavan, the supernal whiteness (loven). And all the work that Yaakov worked for Lavan, “six years for your flock,” is the level of the six orders of the Mishnah, etc.,

which are the level of “flock” that went out and were drawn from the supernal delight, [as in] “Who has sanctified us with His commandments,” which is the level of delight, as explained elsewhere. And the Oral Torah is called peret, from the expression “the fallen grapes (peret) and the small clusters,” for they were drawn not in the order of the chain of descending worlds, from cause to cause, but in the manner of fallen grapes and small clusters.

6And this is [the meaning of] “And the man spread out exceedingly, exceedingly, and he had many flocks”: he drew down the level of “many flocks” through the level of “exceedingly, exceedingly” (me’od me’od).

For the level of “and with all your might (me’odecha),” etc., is the level of your own me’od, each one according to his own measure, which is not so with me’od unqualified; but me’od me’od is the level of me’od relative to all the levels of me’od.

And the meaning of the verse “And the man spread out exceedingly, exceedingly” is: because he broke through and increased upward from level to level, to the height of the heights, therefore he increased in drawing down the level of “flock” from the level of “great and exceedingly high,” exalted, from the Infinite Light, blessed be He, itself.

(And see what is explained in Parshas Shelach on the meaning of “The land is exceedingly, exceedingly good.”) And through this he also drew down the level of “maidservants and servants.”

Now, our father Yaakov, peace be upon him, because he was the level of a chariot, drew down the level of “flock” through his work and through the act of the rods (and similarly the digging of the wells, which are drawings down of the Infinite Light, blessed be He, through rods and wells);

for because he was at the exceedingly, exceedingly high rank and level, he could draw down the Infinite Light, blessed be He, through his own action, so that all his deeds would be a dwelling and a foundation for the resting of the Infinite Light, blessed be He.

But we have no such power except through what is already prepared to be a place for the drawing down of the Infinite Light, blessed be He: that is, the level of the Torah and mitzvos that have been given to us. And this is called “in the footsteps (ikvei) of the flock”: the level of the heels, the lowest of levels;

that is, the Torah and mitzvos that are clothed in physical matters, through which “graze your kids (gediyosayich)”: these are the mazalos (the constellations), from the expression “Gad, gadi, ve-sinok lo” (Fortune, my fortune, do not grow weary).

7And as [in] “who set a table for Gad (Fortune).” For all the things of this world are under the mazalos: mazal makes wise, mazal makes rich, etc.

And similarly it is written, “with the bounty (mimeged) of the produce of the sun”: the mazal of the sun bestows produce. That is, the Torah and mitzvos that are clothed in physical matters, which are placed under the mazalos.

“Graze” and sustain them from the supernal delight “by the dwellings of the shepherds.” The meaning: the shepherds are the seven shepherds, Avraham, Yaakov, Moshe, etc.; and they are called shepherds because they draw down the level of the supernal delight to the Community of Israel.

8Now, the Patriarchs are themselves the chariot. But we have no such power except through “the dwellings of the shepherds”: the level of vessels, “vessels of diverse vessels, and royal wine in abundance.” The level of Chesed (kindness), the right arm, is a vessel for the level of Avraham, “who loves Me”; that is, the mitzvos of charity and kindness.

And similarly, of the six orders of the Mishnah, Zera’im is in Chesed. And these are called “the dwellings of the shepherds”: there “graze your kids.” And through this you will merit to reach and come to a level greater than this: to be “upon the dwellings of the shepherds,” above the level of “dwellings,” that is, to the place of the shepherds themselves.

9(And through all this the verse will be understood: “I served you fourteen years for your two daughters and six years for your flock.” For it is written, “And Lavan had two daughters: the name of the elder” (ha-gedolah) [read as: the great hei] “was Leah,” whose root is from the level of the upper hei of the Name Havayah;

“and the name of the younger” [read as: the small hei] “was Rachel,” etc. And they are called the upper Shechinah and the lower Shechinah. And they are the level of the source of the souls of Atzilus. For among the souls of Atzilus there are also two levels: the first, those called “brothers to the Omnipresent”; and there are those called “sons.”

But of Rachel it is written, “And Rachel came with the flock that was her father’s”: these are the souls of Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah, which are called “the seed of beast.” And this is “If you do not know for yourself, O fairest among women,” which refers to the souls of Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah, which are called “beast” and “flock,” who cannot draw down into their soul the level of “the fairest,” etc.,

to be of “beautiful form and beautiful appearance,” because of the lowliness of their soul and the concealment of the body and the animal soul; as explained elsewhere on the verse “And you see among the captives a woman of beautiful form,” etc.: that this level of “beautiful form” is in exile and captivity within the animal soul.

Then this is the counsel: the level of “six years for your flock,” which are the six orders of the Mishnah; for the Torah is called “strength and tushiyah,” since it gives strength to the G‑dly soul and weakens (mateshes) the strength of the animal soul. And through this they too can come to the level of “And Rachel was of beautiful form,” etc.

As it is written, “On Your behalf my heart said, ‘Seek My face’”: to seek the revelation of the inner dimension of the heart. And how shall one seek and search for it? “Your face, O G‑d, I will seek”:

that is, through engaging in the Torah and mitzvos; for the Torah comes forth from Chochmah (wisdom), which is the level of the radiance of the inner dimension of Havayah: “A man’s wisdom makes his face shine.” And through this, “May G‑d make His face shine upon us, selah.” And as explained elsewhere on the verse “In the third month after the Children of Israel went out of the land of Egypt,” etc. And this is the path from below upward.

Whereas with the higher souls the path is from above downward: first “And you shall love,” etc., and afterwards “And these words shall be,” etc. And this is the meaning of “fourteen years”: they are the seven supernal attributes, which are the level of “seven and seven pipes,” etc., as explained below on the verse “For with You is the source of life.”

And this is “If you do not know,” etc., in the manner of the path from above downward, then “go out,” etc. And as explained on the verse “And I will walk among you,” etc.: that there are two kinds of path in the service of G‑d.

The first is for the souls of the great tzaddikim, whose going and whose way in holiness follow the order of the drawing down from above downward; as it is written in the section of Shema Yisrael: first “And you shall love G‑d,” which is the level of love and awe, and it is drawn through the contemplation of “Hear, O Israel,” etc.;

and afterwards “And these words shall be,” etc., “and you shall speak of them,” etc., which is the mitzvah of Torah study; and afterwards “And you shall bind them as a sign,” which is the performance of the mitzvos. And this follows the order of the drawing down of the Name Havayah, blessed be He: yud-hei are the level of awe and love; vav is the level of Torah; hei, the level of mitzvos.

However, there is also a second level, which is the path from below upward: that is, for souls whose power is not strong enough to give birth to love and awe from the spirit of their understanding, except by first engaging in the Torah and the mitzvos; for from this in particular they receive the power to come to love and awe, etc.

And of this it is said, “If you do not know for yourself”: that you cannot draw down and make shine in your soul the revelation of love and awe from the level of “the fairest among women,” which is the level of “beautiful form” and “beautiful appearance” explained above; then “go out for yourself in the footsteps of the flock” first; and this follows the order of the path from below upward.)