Site Map

THE ZOHAR

TERUMAH

Ex. XXV, 1-XXVII, 19

AND THE LORD SPAKE UNTO MOSES SAYING, SPEAK UNTO THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL THAT THEY TAKE ME A HEAVE OFFERING. R. Hiya, on coming to this portion, quoted the verse, "For Jacob hath chosen Jah unto himself, Israel is his costly possession" (Ps. CXXXV, 4). Said he: 'How beloved must Israel be to the Holy One, blessed be He, seeing that He has chosen them and desired to unite Himself with them and be bound up with them, making them a nation unique throughout all the world, as it is written: "Who is like unto thy people Israel, a unique people on earth?" (2 Sam. VII, 23). And they, too, have chosen Him and bound themselves up with Him, as it is written, "Jacob hath chosen Jah unto himself". [126b] Yea, for over the other nations He appointed celestial principalities and powers, but reserved Israel for His own special portion.'

R. Simeon discoursed on the text: "Who is this (zoth) that looketh forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun and terrible as furnished with banners?" (S.S. VI, 10). He said: 'The words "Who" and "This" denote the two worlds: the "Who" symbolizing the most supernal sphere, the unknowable beginning of all things, and "This" a lower sphere, the so-called "lower world"; and these two are indissolubly linked together. When they first unite, this lower world "looks forth as the dawn" when it is striving to become bright; when they draw closer, it is as "fair as the moon" when the sun's rays beat upon her; and finally it is "like the sun", when its moonlight becomes full. It is then "terrible as furnished with banners"; yea, mighty to protect all, furnished with power from the supernal world, through "Jacob", the "complete one", who united the two worlds as one. He united them above, and he united them below, and from him issued the twelve holy tribes after the supernal pattern. [1] Jacob, who was "a man of completeness" (Gen. XXV, 27), brought harmony to the two worlds, as has been elsewhere explained. [2] Other and lesser men, however, who follow Jacob's example (in marrying two sisters) merely "uncover nakedness" (i.e. dishonour the spirit of righteousness) both above and below, causing antagonism in both worlds, and engendering separation, as it is written: "Neither shalt thou take a wife to her sister in her life time to vex her" (Lev. XVIII, 18). And should it be pointed out that even Jacob was not spared this enmity in wives, as we read that "Rachel was jealous of Leah" (Gen. XXX, 1), then would I answer: Surely so! and how could it be otherwise? For the whole longing and the most ardent desire of the lower world (symbolized by Rachel) is to be in all outer seeming like unto the upper world (symbolized by Leah), and to usurp its powers and reign in its stead. So not even Jacob could succeed in bringing perfect harmony into being between them. Other men, therefore (by marrying two sisters), will cause only enmity, separation and chaos, "removing the veil" from the hidden places in regard both to the world above and to the world below. "Who" and "This" are termed "sisters", because they are united in love and sisterly affection. They are also called "mother and daughter". And he who "uncovers their nakedness" shall find no portion in the world to come, nor any part in the Faith.' R. Simeon continued: 'We have a tradition that when the Holy One, blessed be He, created the world, He engraved in the midst of the mysterious, ineffable and most glorious lights, the letters Yod, He, Vau, He, which are in themselves the synthesis of all worlds both above and below. The upper was brought to completion by the influence symbolized by the letter Yod, representing the primordial supernal point which issued from the absolutely hidden and unknowable, the mysterious Limitless (En-Sof). Out of this unknowable issued a slender thread of light which was itself concealed and invisible, but which yet contained all other lights, and which received vibrations from That which does not vibrate and reflected light from That which diffused it not. This slender light in turn gave birth to another light wherein to disport and to conceal itself; and in this light were woven and fashioned six impressions which are not known save to that slender light when it goes in to hide itself and shine through the other light. The light which issues from the slender light is mighty and terrible, and it expands and becomes a world which illumines all succeeding worlds -- a hidden and unknown world in which dwell six myriads of thousands of supernal powers and hosts. When the worlds were all completed [127a] they were joined into a single organism, and are symbolized by the letter Vau (=six) when it is united with the veiled world. [3] And this is the esoteric meaning of the words, "For Jacob has chosen Jah unto himself." But when the Vau emerges self-contained from the Yod He, then "Israel attains to his costly possession": that is to say, to other men permission has not been granted to penetrate to the higher point (Binah), but only as far as the "costly possession" (Malkuth), which is a lower grade; and from this they can ascend higher in intention but not in actual attainment, as Jacob did.'

R. Judah connected this text with the verse: "O, how (mah) great is thy goodness which thou hast hidden for them that fear thee; which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men!" (Ps. XXXI, 20). 'This verse', said he, 'has been well enough expounded by the Companions; but the "holy lamp" (R. Simeon) found in it one of the deepest of the esoteric lessons. The supreme grade, esoterically known as "the supernal world", is designated "Mi" ("Who") and the lower grade known as "the lower world" is designated "Mah" ("What?", "How?"), and we have been taught that "Mah" contains an allusion to "meah" -- "hundred" -- because all the higher grades, when fully realized, are subsumed in it. Why is the world below called "Mah"? Because, although the emergence of the Supernal becomes manifest in that last of all the grades to a greater degree than at any previous stage, it is still mysterious: "What seest thou? What knowest thou?" As to the words "great is Thy goodness", these connote the Foundation of the world, as in the verse, "great goodness towards the house of Israel" (Isa. LXIII, 7). This is here said to be "hidden", because it has been stored away like the primordial light (which is called "good"). The verse continues: "Which Thou has wrought for those who trust in Thee". Yea, for in this Foundation is the fabrication of the whole, of all the world, of souls and spirits; this is the hidden force behind the creation of the (lower) heaven and earth, and this is also the hidden force behind the building of the Tabernacle, which was erected in the likeness both of the world above and of the world below. This is the significance of the words: "that they take me a heave offering": two grades [4] become united as one in the Tabernacle which is the emblem of that union.'

R. Simeon, R. Eleazar, R. Abba, and R. Jose sat one day under a tree in a valley by the Lake of Genessareth. Said R. Simeon: 'How pleasant is the shade of these trees! Surely the beauty and peace of this place is worthy of being crowned with some exposition of the Torah?' He then began to discourse, saying: 'It is written: "King Solomon made him a palanquin (apiryon) of the trees of Lebanon. He made the pillars thereof of silver, the bottom thereof of gold, the covering of it of purple, the midst thereof being paved with love by the daughters of Jerusalem" (S.S. III, 9, 10). This verse we interpret as follows. Apiryon symbolizes the Palace below which is formed in the likeness of the Palace above. This the Holy One, blessed be He, calls "The Garden of Eden", for He created it in order to satisfy His own ardent desire for joyous and continual communion with the souls of the righteous who have their abode there -- these being those souls which have no bodies in this world. These all ascend and are crowned in that place of perfect delight, and have each their appointed places from whence they can perceive the "loveliness of the Lord", and partake of all the delicious streams of pure balsam (aparsamon). This aparsamon symbolizes the hidden Supernal Palace, whereas apiryon is the Palace below, which has no "stay" [5] until it obtains it from the upper Palace. [127b] Now the streams of this aparsamon issue forth from the celestial sphere and the souls which have no earthly bodies ascend to imbibe from the light which emerges from them, and to revel therein. As for the souls who are clothed in bodily raiment and garmented with flesh, they ascend likewise and imbibe nourishment, but from the light of the sphere apiryon, for that is the region which appertains to them: which having done, they descend again. They both give and take. They emit sweet savours from the good works which they have wrought in this world, and they imbibe the aroma which was left in the Garden, and of which it is written: "as the savour of the field which the Lord had blessed" (Gen. XXVII, 27), the "field" being the Garden of Eden. And in this Garden all the souls appear, both those who dwell in earthly bodies and those whose sole being and joy is in the world above. The verse proceeds: "King Solomon made him": that is, He made it for His own glory. Should ye ask, But do not the souls of the righteous share the joy with Him? I would say, Most assuredly! For His joy would be as naught without them, since to have pleasure in their companionship is the very essence of His desire and delight. The term "King Solomon" refers to the King "to whom peace belongs" -- namely, the Supernal King: and the term "king" by itself refers to the King Messiah. [6] "The trees of Lebanon" denotes those trees which the Holy One uprooted and planted in another place, as it is written: "the cedars of Lebanon which he hath planted" (Ps. CIV, 16). Of these trees the apiryon was built. And what are these trees, the "trees of Lebanon"? They are the six primordial Days of Creation. Now each of these Days performs in this apiryon [7] the part which was assigned to it.

'By the first ordering, the primeval light which was afterwards stored away was taken from the Right Side and brought into the apiryon by means of a certain "Foundation", and performed its function therein. Afterwards the apiryon produced an image in the likeness of that original light, as is indicated by the words, "Let there be light, and there was light" (Gen. I, 3), the repetition of the word "light" denoting that the first light brought forth another light. This was the first day of the "trees of Lebanon".

'By the second ordering, there was drawn from the Left Side the division of waters through the stroke of a mighty fire, which entered into this apiryon and performed its function therein, dividing between the waters of the Right Side and those of the Left; and afterwards the apiryon brought forth an image in the likeness thereof. This was the second day of the "trees of Lebanon".

'By the third ordering, there was drawn from the sphere of the centre and the Right Side a certain third day which made peace in the world and from which were derived the seeds of all things. This performed its function in the apiryon, and brought forth various species, herbs and grasses and trees. Its likeness was left there, and the apiryon brought forth similar species, and this was the third day of the "trees of Lebanon".

'By the fourth ordering, the light of the sun was kindled to illumine the darkness of the apiryon, and it entered therein to give light, but did not perform its function till the fifth day. The apiryon produced in the likeness thereof, and this was the fourth day of those "trees of Lebanon".

'By the fifth ordering, there was produced a certain movement [128a] in the waters, which laboured to bring forth the light of the ordering of the fourth day, and it performed its function in the apiryon and brought forth various species; and all remained in suspense until the sixth day, when the apiryon brought forth all that was stored in it, as it is written, "Let the earth bring forth living creature after its kind, etc." (Gen. I, 24). This was the fifth day of the "trees of Lebanon".

'The sixth ordering was the day on which the apiryon came into completion, and apart from that sixth day of Creation it can have neither completion nor life-energy. But when that day was at length arrived the apiryon was completed, with many spirits, many souls, many beautiful virgins, [8] privileged to abide in the Palace of the King. In the completion of this day the previous five days are completed also, and the upper and lower spheres are perfectly united in friendship, in joy, and in one ardent desire for the companionship of their King. Thus was the apiryon sanctified with supernal sanctifications and crowned with its crowns, until finally it was exalted with the Crown of Rest and was designated with a noble name, a name of holiness, to wit, Sabbath, which presages rest and peace, the perfect harmonization of all things both above and below. That is the significance of the words, "The King Solomon made him an apiryon out of the trees of Lebanon." He who is worthy of this Apiryon is worthy of all things, is worthy to repose in the peace of the Holy One's shadow, as it is written: "I sat down under his shadow with great delight" (S.S. II, 3). And now, as we ourselves here sit under the shadow of this peace, it behoves us to observe that we really abide in the shadow of the Holy One, within that Apiryon, and remain for ever there: and we must crown this place with supernal crowns, so that the trees of that Apiryon may be induced to cover us with a shade yet more comforting.'

So they began to discourse upon holy and supernal matters. R. Simeon first spoke, saying: 'It is written: "They shall take me a heave offering: on the part of everyone whose heart is willing ye shall take my offering." "They shall take Me." This signifies that he who aspires towards piety and fellowship with the Holy One, blessed be He, must not be lax or remiss in his devotion, but must be ready and willing to bring sacrifices according to his strength: "according as the Lord God hath blessed thee" (Deut. XVI, 10). True, it is written, "Come ye, buy wine and milk without money and without price" (Isa. LV, 1), and this in reference to work on behalf of the Holy One. But this only indicates that, whereas knowledge of the Holy One and of His Torah can be acquired without price or fee, the doing of good works for the sake of Heaven requires sacrifice and must be "paid for" with full price; otherwise the doer is not worthy to draw down unto himself the spirit of holiness from above. In the book of sorcery from which Ashmedai taught King Solomon, it is written that he who desires to remove from himself the spirit of impurity and to subdue that spirit, must be prepared to pay in return for the fulfilment of his wishes whatever is demanded. For the spirit of impurity tempts the heart of man with many allurements, in order to take up its abode with him. But the spirit of holiness is not so: it demands a full price and strenuous effort, purification of one's self and one's dwelling, devotion of heart and soul; and even so one will be lucky to win it to take up its abode with him. Therefore one must beware and walk straitly according to the paths and ways of righteousness, turning neither to the right hand nor to the left; for otherwise, even if it had entered into a man, it will straightway depart from him, and thereafter it will indeed be passing hard to recall it again. Hence the expression, "Let them buy ("lakah" also means "to buy") unto Me". OF EVERY MAN: from everyone deserving the name of "man", that is, from everyone who prevails over his evil inclination. "That giveth it willingly, with his heart" -- namely, [128b] he with whom the Holy One is well pleased, for He -- the Lord -- is Himself the "Heart", as it is written: "My heart said to thee" (Ps. XXVII, 9); "the rock of my heart" (Ibid. LXXIII, 21). So also here, "Ye should take me a heave offering from him with whom I am well pleased", for there alone can the acceptable sacrifice be found, and in no other place soever. And how may one recognize a person with whom the Holy One is pleased and in whom He has His abode? When we observe that a man endeavours to serve the Holy One in joy, with his heart, soul and will, then we can be quite sure that the Shekinah has Her abode in him. Such a man is worthy to be well paid for his teaching and companionship. Therefore the ancients said: "Buy thee a companion" (i.e. teacher). [9] Buy him for a good price, in order to merit the Shekinah's presence. Therefore also one must pursue and run after the sinner and "buy" him for a good price, in order that the filth of sin may be purged away from him and the spirit of impurity, the emanation of the "other side", be subdued. He who succeeds in redeeming such a sinner can justly consider himself the "creator" of the renewed and quickened soul, and such an act is the greatest praise (of God) imaginable, and it exalts the glory of the Holy One, blessed be He, more than any other circumstance or deed imaginable. Why so? Because by his action in turning the sinner from wickedness he helps to bring into subjection the "other side". Therefore it says of Aaron: "And he turned many from sin" (Mal. II, 6), and hence, "My covenant was with him, life and peace" (Ibid. 5). See now. He who seeks a sinner takes him by the hand, and induces him to give up his evil way, such a one is elevated as none other can be, yea, even with three particular deserts, namely by his causing the "other side" to be subdued, by magnifying the glory of the Holy One, and by sustaining, through the merit of his good works, the very equilibrium of the worlds, both the upper and the lower spheres. Concerning such a man it is written: "My covenant was with him: life and peace." He will be worthy to see his children's children; he is worthy to enjoy this world and the world to come, and none of the lords of judgement shall retain any power whatsoever over him to chastise him, either in this world or in the world to come. He will pass through twelve gates (of the firmament), and none will hinder him. Concerning such a one it is written: "His seed shall be mighty upon earth, the generation of the upright shall be blessed ... His righteousness endureth for ever. Unto the righteous there ariseth light in the darkness" (Ps. CXII, 2-4).

'In a certain Upper Chamber there are three colours which bum in one flame. The flame emanates from the South, which is the Right Side. The three mysterious colours which compose this flame proceed in three separate directions: one goes upward, one down, and one flickers, appearing and disappearing when the sun shines. The colour which ascends is the first to appear. It is of a whiteness more dazzling than any known. It enters into the flame and is a little absorbed into it, though without losing its identity. It rests upon the top of that Chamber, and when the Israelites enter the synagogues and pray, as soon as they are arrived at the end of the Geulah (Redemption) prayer -- namely, at the words, "Blessed art Thou, O Lord, who redeemest Israel" and go straight on to the Amidah prayer -- the white and lucent colour descends upon the top of the Chamber and weaves a crown of the prayers of the people; and a herald rises in the Heavenly courts and proclaims: "Blessed are ye, holy people, for that ye perform (make) good (tob) [10] before the face of the Holy One, blessed be He!" This is the inner significance of the words, "I have done what is good in thine eyes" (Isa. XXXVIII, 3): namely, that King Hezekiah connected by his devotions "Redemption" with "Prayer". For when the praying people have reached the words "praises to the supreme God" (in the last hymn before the "Eighteen Benedictions") and the white brightness rests, as we have said, upon the top of that Chamber, the Zaddik is aroused to join the appropriate Place in love and joy, and all the "limbs" are united as one in one desire, the higher with the lower, and all the celestial lights sparkle and glow with divine supernal fire, and all are united in this Righteous who is designated "Good", as it is written, "Say ye to the righteous that he is good" (Isa. III, 10). And He unites them all in the silence of perfect joy, and kisses of friendship; and everything is united in the Chamber. And when the worshippers arrive at the prayer "Grant abundant peace" (at the end of the "Eighteen Benedictions"), the "River that goes out of Eden" does his service in this Assembly and all must take leave from the King, and no human being nor any other created thing may thereafter be found in that Presence, nor may any petitionary prayers be prayed then, [129a] but one must "fall upon the countenance" (say propitiatory prayers). Why? Because that time is the time of service, and every being that dwells upon the earth must stand abashed before his Lord, covering his face in great awe, and let his soul join the service of the souls which are contained in that Chamber. Then the colour which descends hovers over the lower part of the Assembly, and another herald appears, like unto the first, and he cries with a loud voice: "Ye upper and lower beings! Bring witness of him who, by reclaiming sinners becomes a 'maker of souls', that he deserves to be crowned and is worthy to enter now into the presence of the King and the Matrona, because the King and the Matrona enquire after him!" Then two witnesses who are among the number of the "eyes of the Lord which run to and fro through the whole earth" (Zech. IV, 10), and who stand behind the curtain, emerge therefrom and testify, saying: "We testify indeed for that man." Blessed is his lot, for on his account his father shall be blessed and remembered into good, because he has re-made souls in the earthly sphere -- souls even of sinners who had been captured by the "other side". Thus is the glory of the Holy One exalted in perfect joy. Then an angel appears who is the storekeeper of the celestial figures of the righteous, and this angel's name is Jehudiam because of his office ("over the people of the Jews") and he is crowned with a crown on which is engraven the Holy Name. The Holy One makes him a sign and he comes forward, bearing the image of the man who has reclaimed souls of sinners, and places it before the King and the Matrona. And I bring heaven and earth to witness that at that moment they deliver to him that figure; for there is no righteous person in the world whose image is not engraved in heaven under the authority of that angel. Seventy keys also are delivered into his hand -- keys of all the treasures of the Lord. Then the King blesses that image with all the blessings wherewith He blessed Abraham when he reclaimed the souls of sinners. Then the Holy One, blessed be He, gives a sign to four groups of supernal beings, who take that image and show it seventy hidden worlds of which none are worthy except those who have reclaimed the souls of sinners. If only the sons of men knew and perceived what rewards follow the endeavours of the righteous to save sinners, they would assuredly run after them with the same ardour with which they run after life itself. A poor man's benefactor gains many good things, many supernal treasures, because he helps him to exist; but even he cannot be compared to him who endeavours to save the soul of a sinner. For the latter causes the breaking of the power of the "other side", of the "other gods"; he is the cause of the Holy One's exaltation on His Throne of Glory. He gives the sinner a new soul. Happy indeed is his lot!

'The second colour, which is both hidden and revealed, appears in its full glory at the moment when the Israelites are arrived at the Kedushah (Sanctus) of the Order of Prayer, [11] for this is the sanctification which the children of Israel pronounce over and above those uttered by the supernal angels whose associates they are. This colour shows itself all the time that Israel are pronouncing that sanctification in order to defend the Israelites from the angels, who otherwise would take note of them and call down punishment upon them from above. Then a herald appears and proclaims with a loud voice: "Ye who are above and ye who are below, remove all such as are haughty because of their learning!" For we are taught that man must be humble in this world in regard to his knowledge of the Torah; only in the future world is the pride of learning permitted. In this Kedushah we must be on guard and hide our knowledge in quietness among ourselves, [12] more than in those which we say in company with the angels. [13] In one of these we praise those selfsame angels, and for this they permit us to pass through the upper gates. Also we recite it [129b] in the holy language (Hebrew); for this reason, too, they permit us to pass through the heavenly gates; and by means of the next sanctification we enter into still higher gates. It might be said that we deceive the angels by thus praising them. But this deception is permissible, for the heavenly angels are holier than we, and are able to derive and imbibe greater stores of holiness, and were we not to have an extra sanctification we would be unable to associate with them in any fellowship or communion of praise, and the glory of the Holy One, blessed be He, would so be prevented from coming into completion throughout both the upper and lower spheres at one and the same time. Therefore we endeavour to make ourselves their associates, in order that the glory of the Holy One, blessed be He, may be exalted in all the spheres. The Kedushah which comes at the end [14] is in Aramaic, and this may be recited even by an individual -- that is privately -- but the Hebrew words of the Kedushah proper, which is in Hebrew, must only be recited in a congregation of ten persons or more, because the Shekinah unites Herself with the holy tongue, and all sanctifications with which the Shekinah is connected can be uttered only in the presence of at least ten persons, for it is written: "And I shall be sanctified in the midst of the children of Israel" (Lev. XXII, 32). The term "children of Israel" further implies that such a sanctification must be in the holy tongue, which is Israel's, the other nations speaking other languages. It may be objected: "Why, then, must the Kaddish, which is in Aramaic, be recited only in the presence of ten persons?" The answer is, that the sanctification expressed in the Kaddish is unlike the sanctification of the thrice-repeated "Holy, Holy, Holy", for this prayer, the Kaddish, ascends into all sides and all spheres both above and below, and to every side of Faith, [15] and breaks down iron walls and weighty seals and all the shells [16] and defences of evil, so that by its merits the glory of the Holy One, blessed be He, is more greatly exalted than through any other prayer, because it causes the power of the "other side" to wane and its empire to decline; and therefore it must be said in Aramaic, which is the language of the "other side", and one should respond in a loud voice and with a firm spirit: "Amen, May His great Name be blessed", in order that the power of the "other side" may be quelled and the Holy One be exalted in His glory above all things. And when the power of the "other side" is thus vanquished and broken by the power of holiness expressed in the Kaddish, then the Holy One is exalted in glory and remembers His children, and remembers His Name. So because of His exaltation this prayer must be recited in the presence of ten. Blessed for ever is the holy people to whom the Holy One gave the holy Torah in order that they might be made worthy, by her aid, of the world to come.'

Then R. Simeon turned to the companions and said: 'Ye are worthy of the world to come; therefore, because we have begun to discourse upon matters concerned with the Crown of the supernal Kingdom, I shall continue to speak on your behalf in regard to the same subject, and the Holy One will assuredly reward you in the sphere of that Kingdom. And the breath of your mouths will ascend into heaven, as if ye yourselves had stirred up these words.' Then he continued, saying:

'AND THIS IS THE OFFERING WHICH YE SHALL TAKE OFT HEM: GOLD AND SILVER AND BRASS. This verse applies both to the higher side, the side of holiness, and to the lower, the "other" side. Observe that when the Holy One created the world, He began to create from the side of silver, that is, Mercy, which is the right side, because that silver was above; but in the work of the Tabernacle, which was built according to its prototype (the universe), He began His creation from the left side and then proceeded to the right side, because the Tabernacle was from the left side.

'It is written: "Morning and evening and at noon will I pray and cry aloud" (Ps. LV, 17). We have referred on another occasion to this verse. It speaks of three seasons for prayer, and the companions have interpreted the significance of the three times in the following way. "Evening" is the mirror which has no radiance, "morning" the radiant mirror, while "noon" is symbolic of a place which should properly be called "darkness", because it adjoins the evening, only it is designated by the very opposite by a certain elegance of language, just as, on occasion, black [130a] is called white, while sometimes white is called black; we read, for instance, of Moses' wife that she was black (Num. XII, 1), and Israel are compared to the Aethiopians (Amos IX, 7). The evening prayer is not obligatory, and there is no fixed time for it, because the evening is influenced by the "other side", which is dark and rules by night. The limbs and fatty portions of sacrifices used to be burnt on the altar in the evening, and from that moment numbers of groups of demons which issue and have sway by night receive their nourishment. It may be said, have we not been taught that the messengers of the "other side", of the spirit of impurity, had by rights no power in the Holy Land, and so if by this means the Israelites were to rouse them, would they not be doing something forbidden? The answer would be that the smoke of those parts was wont to ascend, not as the smoke of other sacrifices, which did ascend in a straight line heavenward: for these fumes rose and dispersed into a cavern in the North, where dwell all the hosts of evil spirits, and when the smoke arose, as we have said, as it floated upward in a crooked line towards that place, all those malevolent beings would feed on it, and so would remain where they were, dispersing not throughout the earth. One particular evil spirit was appointed over the others in that northerly cavern: his name was Synegoria, [17] and when the smoke began to ascend crookedly and to draw near, he and sixty thousand myriads of other spirits would rise up to meet it in order to imbibe nourishment therefrom. They would stand within their cavern and then pass through the door called "keri" (lit. defilement). It is to this door that there is an allusion in the words, "If ye walk contumaciously (in keri) unto me, then will I also walk contumaciously unto you" (Lev. XXVII, 24, 25); that is, the wrath and anger which come out from that door called Keri will be wreaked on those who walk contumaciously. These are the spirits who roam about by night. When the souls of the righteous emerge from the earth into the upper spaces in order to ascend heavenward, these same spirits also appear and contend with them, in order to prevent them from reaching and entering their heavenly habitation and rest. And, indeed, they bar the way to all save only the souls of the most supreme saints, which break through all firmaments and aethers until they reach the highest sphere. The demoniac hosts speak lying words to the children of men, disguising themselves in other forms, and seducing them till they defile themselves. But at the time when the limbs and the fat of the offerings were burnt, the smoke provided them a full repast of the kind suited to their station, and being busy with this they forgot to come forth and roam about the Holy Land. Now the evening prayer, as I have said, is not obligatory, because these bands of demons participate in the dominion of the night, and only Jacob was able to fix it. However, although the evening prayer is not legally obligatory, yet it has a protective influence against the terrors of the night, against the fear of Gehenna, for at night the wicked receive a punishment double that which is executed upon them by day. Therefore the Israelites introduce the evening prayer for weekdays with the verses: "And he is merciful, he forgiveth iniquity, and destroyeth not: yea, many a time he turneth his anger away, and doth not stir up all his wrath" (Ps. LXXVIII, 28). This is recited because of the fear of Gehenna. But on Sabbath, when there is no fear of the punishment of Gehenna nor of any judgement, one may not recite these verses lest he thus awaken the evil spirits, causing them to appear and become active. To counteract the fear of the accuser and slanderer of souls we conclude the Hashkibenu prayer ("Cause us, O Lord, to lie down in peace") with the words: "Blessed art Thou, O Lord, who guardest Thy people Israel for ever. Amen". To counteract the fear of the many devils and accusers which are present in the night and have power to injure anyone who leaves his house at that time, we say: "Guard our going out and our coming in unto life and unto peace." From the fear of all these things we deliver in trust our bodies, souls and spirits to Heaven above, to the Supernal Kingdom which has dominion over all of them. Therefore we recite every night the evening prayers, performing all this to counteract the mysterious influences of the evil spirits now that there are no sacrifices to keep them at bay. At midnight, when the north wind awakens, it beats against all the abodes of those malevolent spirits, cracking in twain a gigantic mighty rock, the stronghold of the "other side", and rushes about everywhere, both above and below; and all [130b] the evil demons return to their places, for their power is then broken and they have no influence. Then the Holy One, blessed be He, enters the Garden of Eden to have joyous fellowship with the righteous, as has been related before. When morning comes, the light of the lamp which rules the midnight hours hides before the light of the day. The morning has now full sway and dominion and the reign of the night is past. This is the morning of primaeval light, the morning which sheds beneficence throughout all the worlds. From it all celestial and terrestrial beings imbibe nourishment. It waters the Garden with supernal dews. It guards the whole Universe. Here is a mystery which is entrusted to "those who know the measures" of things spiritual. He who has to set out on a journey in the morning should rise at break of day and at a certain specially ordained moment turn and look towards the east. He will then behold a kind of letters which break through the surface of the sky, some ascending and some descending. These are flashed forth from those letters with which the heavens and the earth were created. If the watcher is cognizant of the mystery of the letters which form the mystic Holy Name of forty-two letters, and if he should in this hour be mindful of them with devout intent, with a loving heart, then will he behold in the luminous heaven six Yods, three upon the right side and three upon the left; also three Vaus, which ascend and descend and sparkle in the firmament. These are the number of the initial letters of the words of the priestly blessing. He should then say his morning prayers and set forth upon his journey, because, verily, the Shekinah Herself goes before him; happy is his lot! When morning arrives, a mysterious pillar appears in the South, in that portion of the firmament beneath which the Garden of Eden is stretched: this is a different pillar from the one which is in the midst of the Garden. The pillar set in the South flashes with the brightness of three colours, purple-woven. On that pillar there is a branch, on which three birds sit, chirping hymns of praise. One begins: "Hallelujah! Praise, O ye servants of the Lord, praise the Name of the Lord!" The second then takes up the chant thus: "Blessed be the Name of the Lord from this time forth and for evermore." Then the third sings: "From the rising of the sun until the going down of the same the Lord's Name is to be praised" (Ps. CXIII, 1-3). Then a herald proclaims: "Prepare yourselves, O ye supernal saints, who sing praises to your Lord! Prepare yourselves for the praisegiving of the day, when day separates itself from night! Happy is the lot of him who rises in the morning from the praise of the Torah which has engrossed him in the night watches." Then it is time for morning prayer.

'It is written: "The burden of Dumah. He calleth to me out of Seir, Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night? The watchman said, The morning cometh, and also the night: If ye will inquire, inquire ye: return, come" (Is. XXI, 11). This verse has been explained in references to Israel's exile in Seir (i.e. Edom = Rome). Israel says to the Holy One: "Watchman, what of the night?" meaning, "What will become of us in this exile, which is like the darkness of night?" Says the watchman, namely, the Holy One: "The morning hath come once (in the Egyptian exile) when I made My light to shine unto you, when I liberated you, when I ordained you for My service, when I gave you the Torah in order that you might achieve eternal life, but ye have forsaken My Torah", and therefore came also the "night" of this present exile. If ye will inquire from "the book of the Lord" (Ibid. XXXIV, 16) and read therein, ye will find there the reason and cause of your exile and the means of redemption. If you so inquire there, the Book will call upon you, "Return with a perfect repentance and come near to Me". A more esoteric explanation is as follows. First, in regard to the word "burden", it should be noted that there were six grades in the divine 'revelation to the prophets: "appearance" (mahzeh), "vision" (hazon), "revelation" (hezyon), "aspect" (hazuth), "word", and "burden". The first five aspects are all like unto the vision of one who beholds a reflection of light from behind a wall, and some of them are as the vision of one who sees the light of the sun through a lantern. But "burden" signifies that the light came with great difficulty, and was barely revealed. Here it was even a "burden of silence" (dumah), for which no words could be found. "He calleth to me from Seir." It does not say who calleth whom -- whether the Holy One calls to the prophet, or the prophet to the Holy One. But there can be no doubt that the prophecy hints at the secret of faith, and that the faithful prophet is recording how the voice of the mystic object of faith called to him, to wit: "He calleth to me out of Seir". [131a] Similarly it says elsewhere: "And he rose up out of Seir to them" (Deut. XXXIII, 2), not to Seir, the reason being that the mystic object of Faith is contained in grades within grades, each more recondite than the other; shell within shell, brain within brain. We have referred to this fact in regard to the vision of Ezekiel: "A whirlwind came out of the North, a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself, and a brightness was about it, and out of the midst thereof as the colour of amber, out of the midst of the fire. Also out of the midst thereof the likeness of four living creatures" (Ezek. I, 3-5). Grades within grades, as we have said. In the same manner the Holy One, blessed be He, revealed Himself to Israel: "He came from Sinai" -this was the most hidden grade of revelation; "He rose up from Seir unto them" -- this was a second, a more open revelation, the shell nearest to the brain; "He shined forth from Mount Paran" -- this was still another aspect of revelation. Then it says, "He came with ten thousands of holy beings" (cf. Deut. ibid.). This is the highest praise, that, although He revealed Himself in all these grades, yet the commencement of the revelation was from the place which is the root of all, to wit, "the thousands of holy beings" -the last supernal grade. So here, "Seir" is the grade cleaving to the highest. The "watchman" mentioned here is Metatron, the ruler of the night. It is written: "Watchman, what of the night (laylah)? Watchman, what of the night (lail)?" What is the difference between laylah and lail? They are one and the same, only in one part of the night the "other side" reigns and in the other it has no such sway; "lail" requires guarding, therefore it lacks the letter he at the end, it is the early part of the night before midnight, "the night (lail) of watchings" (Ex. XII); from midnight on it is "laylah" (cf. Ps. CXXXIX, 13). "The watchman" here is Metatron, who said: "The morning cometh" -- the morning prayer which rules the night. One must not suppose that it comes by itself, the male being so separated from the female, for it says, "And also the night": not so, for they are perpetually together and are never separated. And the voice proclaimed this: "The morning cometh and also the night." "Both are prepared for you. From now on if ye would pray your prayers, in supplication before the Holy King -- do so. Return to your Lord, and come!" Even as a father is prepared to receive his prodigal children and to have mercy on them, the Holy One, morning and night, calls unto His children, saying: "Come!" Happy is the holy people whose Lord seeks them and beckons them to come unto Him. Because of that honouring and favour the holy people must unite and come to the Synagogue; and he who comes first unites himself with the Shekinah in one bond. Indeed, blessed is he who is found first in the Synagogue, for he stands in the grade of "Righteous" along with the very Shekinah Herself. This is the inner meaning of the words, "Those who seek me early will find me" (Prov. VIII, 17). He indeed reaches a high degree. But, it may be objected, we have been taught that when the Holy One, blessed be He, enters a Synagogue and finds there less than the ten requisite male persons, He is angry; how, then, canst thou say that the one who comes first is united with the Shekinah and is in the grade of "Righteous"? The following parable will explain. A King issued an order to the citizens of his capital, to meet him one and all at a certain place and at a certain time. While the rest were still making ready, one hastened to present himself at the appointed place. Then the King came and found him waiting. He asked him where the rest of the citizens were. The man answered: "My Lord King, I, as thou seest, have arrived first, but my fellow-townsmen are upon the road and will soon be here as well, according to Your Majesty's command". This pleased the King, and he entered into conversation with the man and became quite friendly with him. In the meantime [131b] the others arrived and the King received them graciously and sent them away in peace. Now had no man been swift and prompt to obey the command of his lord, and to inform him of the near approach of his neighbours, would not the King have been much wroth? Similarly, when the Shekinah comes and finds in the Synagogue one person who has arrived there before anyone else,· it is to Her even as though all were indeed present, for the Holy Shekinah joins company with him and together they wait for the others to come, that the prayers may be started. She becomes closely acquainted with him, and promotes him to the grade of "Righteous". But if no one had come in time, she would have said, "Why, when I came, was there no man?" (Isa. L, 2); and note that it does not say "there were no ten men," but "no man", meaning, "There was no one man waiting to unite himself with Me and become My companion and friend, to be a 'man of God' in the grade of Righteous." Moreover, if one day the favoured man is missing, She is greatly concerned, and makes inquiries about him, as it is written: "Who is among you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of his servant ...?" (Isa. L, 10). As we have pointed out, "His servant" is Metatron, who calls from "Seir" to men to repent and pray. Therefore, as we have said, he who comes early to the Synagogue merits the grade "Righteous".

'When morning comes and the congregation is assembled in the Synagogue, service must begin with hymns and psalms of David. We have already made clear that the purpose of the liturgy is to stir up Mercy and Lovingkindness both in the higher and lower range, to bring into being redemptive acts, and to awaken joy; and this was the essential significance of the Levitic service, namely to awaken love and joy above by means of song and praise. Woe unto him who engages in conversation of a secular nature in the Synagogue, for he causes separation, he weakens the Faith. Woe unto him, for he has no part in the God of Israel, since by his lack of awe before the Divine Presence he as much as denies the reality thereof, contemning the influence of the power which comes from above. For when Israel is occupied with the singing of psalms and hymns of praise and with prayer, three groups of supernal angels also assemble. One consists of holy beings who praise Him in the day-time -- for there are also those who praise Him at night -- in company with the Israelites; the second group consists of those holy angels who are always present in the midst of Israel at every Sanctus, and who have sway over all those celestial beings who are roused by Israel's sanctifications here below; the third celestial host is composed of those "virgins" whose office is to he maids of honour to the Shekinah, and to prepare Her to meet the King. These are the most supreme groups of angels, who join the worshippers in their singing of the Psalms of King David. When the Israelites have ended their singing of the Psalms of David, they sing the song of Moses ("The Song of the Sea"). Why do the Psalms of David come before the Song of the Sea? Does not the "written Torah" (the Pentateuch) take precedence of the Oral Law, and even of the Prophets and the Writings, of which latter the Psalms form a part? The reason is that just because of its importance above all other hymns and because the Community of Israel cannot be perfected except by means of the written Torah, [132a] it must be recited in close proximity to the prayer said when seated. At the hour when the Song of the Sea is recited the Community of Israel is crowned with the crown wherewith the Holy One, in the time that is to he, will crown the King Messiah. That crown is engraved with Holy Names, those same Names which glittered as crowns of fire upon the head of the Holy One Himself on the day when Israel crossed the Sea and Pharaoh and his hosts were drowned therein. Therefore that song must be recited with special devoutness, and he who is able to recite this hymn in the present world will be found worthy to behold King Messiah in the hour of His crowning and to sing then this song of redemption. All this is beyond dispute.

'When the Yishtabah hymn is reached, the Holy One takes this crown and sets it before Him, and the Community of Israel prepares herself to meet her King. She must be attended by the thirteen attributes of the Divine Mercy wherewith she is blessed. These are the thirteen aspects of praise, enumerated during the course of that hymn: song, praise; hymn and psalm; strength and dominion; victory, power and greatness; adoration and glory; holiness -- these together make twelve, and unto these is added Malkuth -- sovereignty -- which is the thirteenth, and whose office is to unite all the rest in one bond, for it (Sovereignty) receives blessings from the others. Because of these things the worshipper must concentrate his whole mind upon these thirteen attributes, and be careful not to disturb their sacred unity by conversing between the lines of the hymn. Anyone who should so disturb that unity by secular talk causes a flame to emerge from under the wings of the Cherubim, which cries out with a mighty voice: "Here is a man who has cut short the praise of the Holy One's majesty! Let him be himself cut short, so that he should not behold the glorious majesty of the Holy King!" as it is written: "And seeth not the majesty of the Lord" (Isa. XXVI, 10). For those thirteen attributes are the majesty of the Lord. From then on He is "the God to whom thanksgivings are due" (a part of the above hymn). He is the supernal King to whom perfect peace belongs; for all these praises come from the Community of Israel here below, a "song of songs" directed towards "Solomon" (Shelomoh), namely to the King to whom peace (shalom) belongs.

'Then follows the Yozer benediction: "Blessed art Thou ... who formest light, and createst all things", the initial letters of the words of one verse of which contain the twenty-two letters of the Alphabet, the small letters, that is -- for there are large letters and small, of which the small ones represent the Divine activity in the lower world, and the large ones the world to come.... [133a]

'It is written: "And she (the Shunammite) said unto her husband, Behold now, I know that this is an holy man of God which passeth by us continually. Let us make a little chamber on the wall, and let us set before him a bed, and a table, and a stool, and a candlestick" (2 Kings IV, 9, 10). Here we have an allusion to the order of prayer. "Behold now, I know" refers to the concentration of mind during prayer; "that he is an holy man of God" refers to the supernal world which sitteth upon its Throne of Glory and from whence emanate all sanctifications and which sanctifies all worlds; "passeth by us continually" with the sanctification wherewith the worlds above are nourished, he also sanctifies us here below, for there can be no completion of the sanctification above without sanctification below, as it is written: "I shall be sanctified in the midst of the children of Israel" (Lev. XXII, 32). Therefore, "let us make a little chamber": let us have an ordered service as a stay for the Shekinah, who is called "wall", as in the verse, "And Hezekiah turned his face to the wall" (Isa. XXXVIII, 2). This stay created by our prayers and praises consists of a bed, a table, a stool, and a candlestick. By our evening prayers we provide Her with a bed; by our hymns of praise and by reciting the section of the sacrifice in the morning we provide Her with a table. By the morning prayers, which are said sitting, and with the proclamation of the Divine Unity (the Shema), we provide Her with a stool; and by means of those prayers which must be said standing (' Amidah) and of the Kaddish and Kedushah prayers and benedictions we provide Her with a candlestick. Blessed is the man who thus endeavours daily to give hospitality to the Holy One. Blessed is he in this world and blessed shall he be in the world to come. For these four groups of prayers equip the Shekinah with beauty, joy and lustre, to greet Her Spouse with delight and ecstasy day by day, through the worship of the holy people. The "bed" was given to Jacob to prepare, therefore he ordered the evening prayer; the "table" was prepared by King David in the Psalms which he wrote ("Thou preparest a table before me" (Ps. XXIII, 5)); the "stool" was prepared by Abraham, through his close union with the Lord, wherewith he benefited the souls of all the sons of men. The candlestick [133b] was prepared by Isaac, who sanctified the Name of the Holy One before the eyes of the whole world, and lighted the supernal light in that sanctification. Therefore the Holy People must direct its mind towards the supernal world, and prepare for the Lord of the House a bed, a table, a stool, and a candlestick, in order that perfection and harmony may reign undisturbed every day, both above and below.

'At the time when Israel is proclaiming the unity -- the mystery contained in the Shema -- with a perfect intention, a light comes forth from the hidden supernal world, which divides into seventy lights, and those seventy lights into the seventy luminous branches of the Tree of Life. Then the Tree and all the other trees of the Garden of Eden emit sweet odours and praise their Lord, for at that time the Matrona prepares Herself to enter under the shade of the canopy, there to unite herself with her Spouse; and all the supernal potencies unite in one longing and one will to be united in perfect union, without any separation soever. Then the Spouse makes ready likewise to enter the Canopy in order to unite Himself with the Matrona. Therefore we proclaim loudly: "Hear, O Israel; prepare thyself, for thy Husband has come to receive thee." And also we say: "The Lord our God, the Lord is one", which signifies that the two are united as one, in a perfect and glorious union, without any flaw of separation to mar it. As soon as the Israelites say, "The Lord is One", to arouse the six aspects, these six unite each with each and ascend in one ardour of love and desire. The symbol of this is the letter Vau (because its numerical value is six) when it stands alone without being joined to any other letter. Then the Matrona makes herself ready with joy, and adorns herself with delight, and Her attendants accompany Her, and in hushed silence She encounters her Spouse; and Her handmaids proclaim, "Blessed be the Name of the Glory of His Kingdom for ever and ever." These words are said in a whisper, for so she must be introduced to her Spouse. Blessed is the people which perceives these things, ordering its prayers in accordance with this mystery of the Faith! At the time when the Spouse is united with the Matrona a herald comes forth from the south, crying: "Awaken, O ye supernal hosts, and unfurl the banners of love in honour of your Lord!" Then one of the leaders of the celestial array -- he whose name is Boel (God is in him) -- stands forth, and in his hands are four keys which he obtained one from each of the four corners of the earth. One key has upon it the sign of the letter Yod engraved; the second the letter He; and the third the letter Vau; and these three keys he lays beneath the boughs of the Tree of Life. Then these three become one. Then the fourth and last key, which bears upon it the second letter He, joins the three which have become one. And all the angelic hosts enter by means of those keys into the Garden of Eden, where with one voice they proclaim the Divine unity at the selfsame moment as it is proclaimed here below. Then the Shekinah, the Bride, is conducted to the Palace of the King, Her Bridegroom, for now He stands complete in all His supernal goodness and can supply Her with all that She needs. Thus her attendants bring Her in unto Him in silence. Why in silence? In order that no "stranger" (evil potencies) should participate in her joy. As He united Himself above according to six aspects, so also She unites Herself below according to six other aspects, so that the oneness may be completed, [134a] both above and below, as it is written: "The Lord will be One, and his Name One" (Zech. XIV, 9): Six words above -- Shema Israel YHVH Elohenn YHVH ehad, corresponding to the six aspects, and six words below -- baruk shem kebod malkuto le'olam waed (Blessed be the Name, etc.) -- corresponding to the six other aspects. The Lord is one above; and His Name is One below. We say this response silently, although it is a triumphant expression of the Oneness, because of the "evil eye", which still has power under the present dispensation; but in the future (Messianic Age) when the "evil eye" will have ceased to exist and will have no dominion whatsoever over this world, then we shall proclaim the Divine Unity and its full accomplishment openly and in a loud voice. At present, as the "other side" still cleaves to the Shekinah, She is not entirely One, and therefore, although even in this present time we proclaim the unity, we do so silently, symbolizing it by the letters of the word wa'ed (ever), which are equivalent by certain permutations to those of the word ehad (one). But in the time that is to be, when that other side shall be removed from the Shekinah and pass away from the world, then shall that unity be proclaimed openly. When She enters the canopy and is united with the Supernal King, then we awaken the joy of the Right and of the Left, as it is written: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart", etc. -- that is, without any fear or foreboding, because the "other side" comes not near and has no power here. But whilst Her servants are bringing Her to the King they must keep a great and solemn silence. Of this Jacob is symbolic. Before his death, when he was about to speak of the "end of days" (and the Shekinah left him) he said to his sons: "Perchance some stain is attached to me or to my seed?" But they replied: "Nay, there is no such stain, nor is any fault found. Thine own heart is possessed only by the One, and as for us -- we have no contact with the 'other side' or any of its evil minions; on the contrary we, like thyself, are united with the King alone, since all our will and intent has been to separate from the 'other side'." Then Jacob said: "Blessed be the Name of the glory of His Kingdom for ever and ever." In that hour Jacob and his sons became for a space, as it were, living portraits here on earth of the Shekinah Herself. Jacob symbolized the six sides of the supernal world as a single whole, and his sons were shaped to the likeness of the six aspects as manifested in the lower world. Now he desired to reveal to them a certain "end", for, as we have pointed out elsewhere, [18] there is one "end of days" (kez ha-yamin), which refers to the Holy Kingdom, the mystery of Faith, the mystery of the King of Heaven; and another "end of days" (kez ha-yamim), [134b] which is the mystery of the Guilty King, the "other King", ruler of the powers of darkness, and that end is called "the end of all flesh". Now when Jacob perceived that the Shekinah was withdrawing from him, he questioned his sons, as we have pointed out. And as Jacob and his sons proclaimed the union of the world above and the world below, so also must we. Blessed is he who concentrates his mind and will, with true humility and longing, upon this mystery. Blessed is he in this world and blessed shall he be in the world to come!' Said R. Hamnuna the Ancient: 'This stirring up of the unity has indeed been rightly and justly expounded, and that which we have just now heard is indeed very true; and in the future time these words which we have now uttered will stand before the Ancient of Days and in no wise be abashed.'

He then began to expound this passage as follows. '"They shall take Me a heave offering." Here we have displayed an inclusive union of the above with the below, for it does not say "They shall take a heave offering", but "They shall take Me a heave offering", which denotes a fusion of the upper with the lower spheres. [19] "On the part of everyone whose heart is willing ye should take my heave offering." The words "on the part of" seem at first sight to be superfluous, but in reality they contain a deep lesson for the masters of the esoteric lore. Blessed are the righteous who have learnt how to centre all their thoughts and desires on the Heavenly King, and whose aspirations are directed, not towards the vain and foolish toys of this world and its lusts, but to attaching themselves wholeheartedly to the world above in order to draw down the favour of the Lord Himself from heaven to earth. What is the place whence they receive this favour? It is a holy supernal region, whence emanate all holy wills and desires. This is known as "every man", who is identical with the "Righteous", the Lord of the House, whose love is always directed towards the Matrona, like a husband who loves his wife always. "Whose heart is willing": that is, His heart goes out to Her, and Her heart to Him. And although their mutual love is so great that they never separate, yet "ye shall take from Him My heave offering", meaning, "ye should take the Shekinah to dwell with you". The Holy One, blessed be He, unlike a human husband, [135a] who would protest violently should anyone take from him the wife whom he so dearly loves, is greatly pleased when the Shekinah, whom He so loves, is "taken" from the supernal sphere, the abode of Love, to dwell below in the midst of Israel. Happy is the lot of Israel and happy that of all those who are worthy of this. In that case, it might be asked, why does it say, "which ye should take from them" instead of "from Me"? Because the "from them" refers to these two Divine names or grades. Rabbi Yeba the Ancient suggested that meitam (from them) signifies meet M, from the sphere designated by the letter M; the mysterious sphere, the abode of the Righteous One, from whence He draws life to distribute to all the worlds. It is all one mystery, which has been entrusted to the wise. Happy is their lot! However, although they "take" Her (the Shekinah), they may do so only when her Spouse specially grants permission, and only in accordance with His will, in order that He may be worshipped in love. This is realized daily in the corporate liturgical services of Israel. Or "from them", again, can refer to the six supernal grades; or to the Seasons and Sabbaths. It amounts all to the same thing.

***

GOLD AND SILVER, AND BRASS, AND BLUE AND PURPLE, AND SCARLET, AND FINE LINEN, AND GOATS' HAIR, AND RAMS' SKINS DYED RED, AND SEALSKINS, AND ACACIA WOOD. Gold symbolizes New Year's Day, the day of "gold", because it is a day of judgement, and the side of judgement, symbolized by gold, dominates it; as it is written, "gold cometh from the north" (Job XXXVII, 22), and "evil will be opened from the north" (Jer. VI, 2). Silver symbolizes the Day of Atonement, when the sins of Israel are made "white as snow" (Isa. I, 18), for "on that day shall he make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before the Lord" (Lev. XVI, 30). Brass is symbolic of the days of the Sacrifices of the Feast of Tabernacles, which alluded to the powers and principalities of the heathen nations, who are designated "mountains of brass". "Blue" (techeleth) corresponds to Passover, which established the dominance of the true object of Faith, symbolized by the colour blue, which could predominate only after the punishment of the firstborn of Egypt was accomplished. So all colours seen in dreams are of good omen, except blue. "Red-purple" (argaman) is connected with Pentecost, symbolizing the giving of the written Law, consisting of two sides, of the Right and of the Left, as it is written: "From his right hand went a fiery law unto them" (Deut. XXXIII, 2). "Scarlet" (tola'ath shani) is connected with the fifteenth day of Ab, a day on which the daughters of Israel used to walk forth in silken dresses. So far six symbolic elements have been enumerated; the rest symbolize the Ten Days of Repentance: [20] fine linen, goats' hair, rams, skins dyed red, seal (tahash) skins, acacia wood, oil for the light, spices for the anointing oil and for the incense, beryls and set jewels. These are nine, corresponding to nine days of Repentance, and the Day of Atonement completes it and makes ten days.

'From all of these we take "the heave offering of the Lord" [21] on each of these special seasons, in order that it may rest upon us: on Passover by means of the paschal lamb, on Tabernacles by means of the tabernacle, and so forth. The six Days are but a preparation for her. As they are united above in "One", so she is unified below in the mystery of "one", to correspond to them above. The Holy One, blessed be He, who is One above, does not take His seat upon the Throne of Glory, until She has entered within the mystery of the One in accordance with His very essence of Oneness, to be the One in One. This, as we have said, is the significance of the words: "The Lord is One, and His Name is One." It is the mystery of the Sabbath, which is united with the mystery [135b] of the One so that it may be the organ of this Oneness.

'In the prayer before the entrance of the Sabbath the Throne of Glory is prepared for the Holy Heavenly King. And when the Sabbath arrives the Shekinah is in perfect union with Him and is separated from the "other side", and all the potencies of severe judgement are severed from Her, She being in closest union with the Holy Light and crowned with many crowns by the Holy King, and all the principalities of severity and all the lords of judgement flee from Her, and no other domination reigns in any of the worlds, and her countenance is illumined by the supernal light, and she is crowned here below by the Holy People, all of whom are invested with new souls. Then is the time for the commencement of prayer, when the worshippers bless Her with joy and gladness, saying, "Bless ye the Lord, the Blessed One!" (the beginning proper of the Sabbath Eve prayer). For the holy people cannot be allowed at this moment to begin with a verse that suggests judgement, as on weekdays, when "Bless ye" is preceded by "And He being merciful, forgiveth iniquity and destroyeth not", because the Shekinah is then entirely severed from the mystery of the "other side" and all the lords of judgement have separated themselves and passed away from Her, and he who rouses judgement in the lower spheres causes vibrations of doom and severity also in the celestial regions, and while this disturbing element is in evidence the Holy Throne cannot crown itself with the crown of holiness. Then the lords of judgement who have severed themselves for the time being from the rest of creation, hiding themselves away from all eyes in a deep and secret recess at the bottom of the sea, are roused to return to the celestial habitations, and they come back with violence and fury, so that the Holy Sphere, which requires above all rest and peace for the entrance of the Sabbath, is hard pressed by these potencies of judgement. So it is evident that we should not imagine that She (the Shekinah) is independent of our "rousings", for there is no vibration above of any sort but is caused by those which take place in the midst of Israel below, as we have already pointed out in connection with the expression "in the time appointed, on our solemn feast day"; it is not merely a feast day, but our feast day; that is to say, we effect a movement in the higher spheres by our prayers. Therefore the holy people, who are crowned with holy crowns of souls in order to awaken rest and peace above, may not order judgement there, but, on the contrary, must all consciously and with exceeding great love awaken blessings both above and below.

'The congregation respond: "Blessed is the Lord who is blessed for ever and ever." The expression "who is blessed" indicates the streaming of blessings from the source of life to the place whence issue nourishment and bounty for all creatures. And why do we call this source "blessed"? Because it sustains and waters 'olam va'ed (lit. for ever and ever), which is the Sabbath eve. In this way blessings are transmitted to this 'olam va'ed from the highest world, so that it attains its full perfection. Thus in this benediction, "blessed" represents the ultimate source whence all blessings emanate; [22] "the Lord" is the centre [23] of all the supernal sides; "who is blessed" represents the peace of the house, the fountain of the cistern [24] a providing completion and nourishment for all, while "for ever and ever" refers to the world below, [25] which needs these blessings: the "good oil" of "blessed", "the Lord", and "the Blessed One" is all for this 'olam va'ed. Therefore the whole congregation has to recite this every day; but on Sabbath eve it must be recited with special devotion and gladness, in order that the Sabbath may be fitly blessed by the holy people. When they begin to recite this benediction a voice is heard in all the heavens that are sanctified by the entrance of the Sabbath: "Blessed are ye, holy people, for that ye bless and sanctify on earth below, that thereby many supernal holy hosts [136a] may be blessed and sanctified above." Blessed are they in this world and blessed are they in the world to come. The Israelites do not recite this benediction until they are crowned with the crowns of holy souls, as we have said before. Blessed is the people who is worthy of them in this world, so that it may merit them in the world to come. This, to the pious, is the night of conjugal unions, when they are thus crowned with new souls and new additional holy spirits, for, being in a state of supernal holy tranquillity, they may then beget holy children.

'Here now is a mystery entrusted to the wise. At midnight on this night the Holy One is pleased to enter the Garden which is above. On weekdays at this time He enters the Garden of Eden which is below, in order to have joyous communion with the righteous who have their abode there; but on Sabbath He enters the Garden above. For on weekdays all the souls of the righteous abide in the Garden which is on the earth; but on Sabbath eve, all those hosts of holy angels who are appointed over the Lower Paradise bring up from that region the souls which dwell there into the firmament which is close to this Garden, where many holy chariots of fire await their coming, that they may escort these souls to the Paradise above, and bring them before the Throne of Glory. Whilst these souls are thus ascending, other souls are descending in a similar manner to become crowns to the holy people below. So their activity proceeds, some ascending and some descending. Do not, however, imagine that on this account the Paradise on earth remains empty and untenanted upon the Sabbath. Far from it! For, as we have said, while some souls go, others come, to wit, those souls who are being cleansed and purified during the six days of the week, but who are not yet sufficiently perfected to be able to abide in Paradise permanently, but on the Sabbath are permitted to enjoy its delights for a space, so that the place is never empty. This is symbolized by the removal and replacing of the "shew bread" (v. Leviticus XXIV, 5-9). Again, do not imagine that when the souls return to their earthly Paradise at the end of the Sabbath they find it so overflowing with other souls that no place remains for them; for their abode becomes by some mysterious process much larger, being extended both in length, width and height, so that their presence makes no difference. There are also some souls which, having ascended to the highest sphere, never come down again. And in addition there are also those who ascend and descend continually to crown the holy people. In fact, on the Sabbath eve there is a veritable commotion of souls coming and going, ascending and descending. As for the innumerable holy Chariots which perpetually speed hither and thither, eye can scarce behold them for their radiant and glittering aspect! All the souls are full of joy and eagerness to become crowns for the holy people on earth, for the righteous in the lower Paradise. At last comes the moment when a voice proclaims throughout all the spheres: "Sanctified! Sanctified!" Then there is peace everywhere, perfect peace, even to the wicked in Gehenna, and all the souls crown themselves, some above, and some below. On Sabbath, at midnight, when the wise consummate their conjugal unions, at the time when they are sleeping peacefully in their beds, and their souls are eager to ascend and behold the glory of the King, the supernal spirits with which they crowned themselves at the sanctification of the Sabbath take those souls and bring them up unto the heights. These souls are there bathed in the spices of Paradise, and behold all that is within their capacity to behold. Then, when it is time to descend again, the supernal spirits accompany them until they reach safely their human habitations. [136b] It is incumbent upon the wise to recite certain verses calculated to arouse that supernal holy spirit of the Sabbath coronation, as, for instance: "The spirit of the Lord God is upon me; for the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings to the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, etc." (Isa. LXI, 1); or, "Whithersoever the spirit was to go, they went, thither was their spirit to go; and the wheels were lifted up over against them: for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels" (Ezek. I, 20), in order that the act of procreation may be effected in a spirit of Sabbath holiness, through the influence of the supernal Sabbatic spirit.'

When R. Hamnuna the Ancient used to come out from the river on a Friday afternoon, he was wont to rest a little on the bank, and raising his eyes in gladness, he would say that he sat there in order to behold the joyous sight of the heavenly angels ascending and descending. At each arrival of the Sabbath, he said, man is caught up into the world of souls. Happy is he who is aware of the mysteries of his Lord! And when the Sabbath day itself lightens, a spirit of tranquil joy ascends through all worlds. This is the significance of the Psalm (recited on Sabbath morning): "The heavens tell the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork." 'What is meant by "Heaven"? That heaven in which the Supernal Name is made visible (shama-yim -- heaven; shem -- Name). What is the meaning of the word "tell" (mesaprim)? Assuredly not the mere telling of a tale. Far otherwise! It signifies that they are illumined from the flashing of the supernal Point and ascend in the Name which is contained in the light-stream of the supernal perfectness. They flash and lighten of themselves through the lightening and flashing of the Supernal Book; [26] they lighten and flash towards all the sides which are attached to them, and each sphere retains unto itself a little of this light, for from that sapphire-like radiance every ring in the chain derives its light and radiance. For upon this day (Sabbath) the heavens are crowned and ascend in the power of the Holy Name more than on any other day. "His handiwork" is the supernal Dew which streams forth from all the hidden regions; it is "the work of His hands", and His self-fulfilment wherein He completes and perfects Himself on this day more than upon any other. This dew "streams down" (maggid in the Aramaic sense) from the Head of the King, with an abundance of blessing, the "firmament" here signifying the stream issuing from the Cistern, the "River which went out of Eden", which flows earthwards, as the stream of the Supernal Dew which gleams and flashes from all sides. This "firmament" draws it downward upon a current of love and desire, in order that it may water the field of bliss and joy at the entrance of the Sabbath. When that fair pearled Dew streameth down, the whole becomes full and complete in its holy letters acting through all their holy channels; since all is united to it, a path is opened to it to water and bless all below. "Day unto day" -- one day to another, one ring or sphere unto its fellow. Here Scripture speaks in detail concerning the manner in which the heavens radiate sapphire brightness to that Glory, and how that "Firmament" of the supernal Dew causes the downward flow of the current. "Day unto day utters speech." Day unto day, grade unto grade, in order that the one should complete itself in the other, and one be illumined by the other from the luminous and sparkling radiance of the Sapphire which is reflected by the heavens back to the central glory. The word yabia' (uttereth) can be translated "hasteneth": they hasten to catch the light and the flashing one from another. The word OMeR (speech) indicates the letters and paths which proceed from the Father, [27] the Mother, [28] and the head which issues from them, who is the firstborn Son. [29] Aleph symbolizes the Father, and when it ascends and descends, the Mem unites itself with it, producing em, which signifies Mother; the resh is the Head (rosh = head), signifying Son. When these three unite the result is that they form "Word", "Speech". Thus the Father, the Mother, and the first born Son radiate one within the other in one union, which has its reign and duration upon the Sabbath. Thus all are united so as to become one, and therefore they hasten one to another that Omer, as a supernal reign, in order that all should be one. But when all has been conveyed down to that "firmament", then it diffuses light upon the "Glory of God" below that it may produce beings in the likeness of [137a] the heavens which give light to that Glory. "And night unto night declareth knowledge." These are those "chariots" which form the body of the Throne; they are called "nights", as it is written: "My reins also instruct me in the nights" (Ps. XVI, 7). The upper chariot is called "Days" or "day unto day", the lower "Nights", or "night unto night". Ye-hawe (declares) may also mean "makes alive", to wit, produces the progeny of the heavens, "brings unto life" generations. "Knowledge" designates the mystery of the heavens: as the heavens have six sides, so also the generations which they bring into life in their likeness. Thus "day unto day" is included in a supernal sphere called "Word" (omer), and "night unto night" in the mystery of the Male, who gives light to her and whose name is "Knowledge". And because this "Word" is not like other words, but is a supernal mystery, Scripture comes back to it and says: "There is no word (omer) nor speeches, their voices are not heard" (v. 3). This "word" is a supreme mystery of supernal grades, where there are no voices nor speech, and which cannot be understood like the other grades which constitute the mystery of the Faith, and which are voices that can be heard. And yet "Their line is gone out through all the earth" (v. 4), although they are supernal mysteries which can never be perfectly comprehended, yet the current of their flow is downward. Because of this current, we have a true Faith in this world, and all mankind can discourse of the mystery of the Faith of the Holy One in connection with these grades, as if they were revealed to and not hidden from them. Therefore it says: "And their words to the end of the world" (Ibid.), which means that from the beginning to the end of the world the "wise of heart" discourse of those hidden grades although they cannot be comprehended. And how far are they comprehended? "In them hath he set a tent for the sun" (Ibid.), because the holy sun [30] is as a tabernacle of all those supreme grades, and is as a light which has taken into itself all the hidden lights and the whole current of their extension, whereby Faith is manifested in the whole world. To grasp the Sun is equivalent to grasping all grades, because the sun is a "tent" including all and absorbing all; and he in turn lights up all the shining colours below. Hence "He is a bridegroom coming forth from his canopy (covering)" (v. 6), in the gleam and flash of those hidden lights which in strong yearning and desire give him tokens of their love, as to a bridegroom to whom all his friends give presents and gifts. And what is "his covering"? Eden, the "covering" which covers up all things. "He rejoiceth" from the side of the primeval light in which judgement has no place at all. "As a strong man" (gibbor) -- from the side of "strength" (geburah); and note that it does not say here "a strong man", but "as a strong man", which means that Judgement is tempered by Mercy. Thus the sun gathers all together in one, in perfect devotion and love. "To run on the way", in order to nourish and complement the Moon on every side and make it possible for her to shed her light downwards. "His going forth is from the end of the heaven" (v. 7). He goes forth from the end of that supernal heaven, from the termination [31] of the Body, as it is written, "From one end of heaven to the other end of the heaven" (Deut. IV, 32); where the "one end" designates the upper world, and the "other end" its termination. "And his circuit unto the ends of it" (Ibid.): he (the sun) runs through all those holy regions that are capable [137b] of being vivified and nourished by his rays. "And there is nothing hid from the heat thereof" (Ibid.): nothing is hidden from that radiance, for it is directed towards all together, to each according to its capacity of reception. When all are thus completed and vivified by the Sun, then the Moon is crowned in the likeness of the supernal perfect Mother in fifty gates. This is expressed in the following verse: "The Torah of the Lord is perfect, quickening the soul"; as she is perfect from all sides in the mystery of five grades, in the likeness of the supernal Mother, to whom belongs the mystery of the fifty. Therefore the Torah is introduced here in six parallel sentences of five words (in Hebrew) each, in order to complete the mystery of fifty. "The Torah of the Lord is perfect, quickening the soul" is five. "The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple" is five. "The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart" is five. "The commandment of the Lord is clear, enlightening the eyes" is five. "The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring for ever" is five. "The judgements of the Lord are true, righteous altogether" is five. All these sentences present themselves in five words each, after the semblance of the supernal Mother; six times, as the Tetragrammaton is mentioned in these verses six times, corresponding with the six supernal grades which form the mystery of the supernal heaven. So the Moon is completed in the realm of transcendence into that which it should be, and all this on the Sabbath day, upon which all is perfected in the mystery of the Sabbath above and below. On this day, therefore, radiance is increased everywhere. The heavens receive it from the source of life; and they then impart light and completeness to the supernal Glory from the mystery of the supernal Numberer (Sopher), the Father of all; then from the mystery of the Numbered (Sippur) -- the Supernal Mother; finally from the mystery of the Number (sepher). [32] Therefore it says: "The heavens declare" (mesaprim), namely, as we have pointed out, in the mystery of these three Names which, on the Sabbath, reign supreme more than on other days. Therefore David uttered this Psalm of praise, through the Holy Spirit, in regard to the light and the effulgence of the Sabbath and its pre-eminence over the other days of the wee~ because of the mystery of the Supernal Name which in it lightens up and radiates and sparkles in the spheres of holiness, and is completed above and below.

'Therefore the "Men of the Great Synagogue" have ordered that this Psalm of David should be the first one to be sung on the Sabbath day, since it refers to those particular "Heavens" which lighten all the others. Then follows (in the liturgy) that "river which goes out of Eden", alluded to in the Psalm which follows this one in the Sabbath service: "Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous" (Ps. XXXIII); for this "River" gathers into itself the whole mystery of the "heavens" and the source of life on this day, and the sun is perfected for its appointed task of the distribution of light. Then the Moon, when she separates herself from the "other side" -- as on this day she does -- in order to receive light from the sun, is alluded to in the Psalm following this one, namely (Ps. XXXIV): "Of David, when he changed his behaviour towards Abimelech." When the "other side" has separated itself from the "Moon", then the latter is united with the "Sun", and therefore this Psalm begins (acrostically) with the twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet, signifying the merging of the Sun with the Moon. Then follows the union of the Matrona with Her Spouse: "A prayer of Moses, the man of God" (Ps. XC): He spreads out both His right and His left hands to receive Her and to unite Himself with Her in perfect union. Then follow other psalms of joy and ardent longing. "A psalm. Sing unto the Lord a new song, for he hath done marvellous things: his right hand and his holy arm hath wrought salvation for him" (Ps. XCVIII). This Psalm has been expounded elsewhere, and the Companions were perfectly correct in their assertion that it was chanted by the kine [138a] who bore the sacred ark. [33] This corresponded to the mystery above: when the "living beings" (Hayoth) lay hold of the Throne in order to raise it to the highest heights, then we sing this Psalm. As to the question, why, then, is it called "new" when it is perpetually being repeated, the fact is that it is indeed a "new song" because it refers to the "new" moon at the time when she receives light from the sun. "His right hand and his holy arm hath wrought salvation for him": this denotes the rousing of the right and the left hand to receive Her (the Moon, signifying the Shekinah) when She arrives at "Beth Shemesh", the "House of the Sun", which hands receive and bear Her even as the kine bare the ark. This psalm of praise was therefore ordered to be chanted on the Sabbath by the "one people", namely the children of Israel. (Ps. XCII): "A song. A psalm for (to) the sabbath day. It is good to praise the Lord, to sing unto thy name, O most high. To proclaim thy lovingkindness in the morning and thy faithfulness in the nights." It has been established by the Companions that this hymn of praise was sung by the first man (Adam) after he had been driven out of the Garden of Eden, when the Sabbath drew nigh unto the Holy One and interceded for the created being. Then he sang this hymn in honour of the Sabbath which had delivered him. It is a hymn of praise sung by the world below to the world above, to a world which is altogether "Sabbath", the sphere of the "King whose is the peace". It is a hymn of the sabbath below unto the Sabbath above: the sabbath below, which is like night, sings to the Sabbath above, which is like day. In fact, whenever "Sabbath" is mentioned it refers to the "eve of the Sabbath" (i.e. the Shekinah), but when it says "the Sabbath day", it denotes the Supernal Sabbath (i.e. Tifereth). The former is symbolized by the Female, the latter by the Male. Thus "And the children of Israel should keep the Sabbath" (Ex. XXXI, 16) alludes to the Female, which is the night (layla), and "remember the Sabbath day" (Ibid. XX, 8) alludes to the Male. Thus the sabbath here below sings a hymn to the Sabbath above. Therefore this psalm is anonymous, as we and everywhere where there is a reference to the world below (the Shekinah) that the Name is not actually mentioned, as, for example, "And he called unto Moses" (Lev. I, 1), "And to Moses he said, go up to the Lord" (Ex. XXIX, I). Since in this psalm reference is made to a higher sphere, therefore the divine name is not applied to the lower grade, just as a candle cannot shine in the sunlight. All the hymns sung in praise of and on the Sabbath are the aids to its ascension to supernal regions where it is crowned with supernal holy crowns above all other days.

'The Sabbath service continues with the prayer: "The soul of all living shall bless thy name, O Lord our God." The Companions have made some true observations on this prayer. [34] But the real truth is that on Sabbath it is incumbent on us to mention that soul [35] which emanates from "the Life of Worlds" (Yesod). And since this soul belongs to Him from whom all blessings proceed and in whom they are present, who wills to water and to bless that which is below, she is given permission to bless this Place. Thus the souls which fly forth from this "Living One" on the entrance of Sabbath do actually bless that Place in order to communicate blessings to the world below which is called the "Lower Name" (Malkuth). At the same time, the region whence those souls emanate blesses the Name from above, and so it receives blessings from below and from above, and is completed in all aspects. During other days she receives blessings from those souls which bless her from below; but on the Sabbath she receives blessings from those supernal souls which bless her with forty-five words according to the numerical value of the word Mah (What?) From the words "the soul of all living" to "the God of the first and last ages" there are forty-five words; from the words "were our mouths filled with song as the sea" to the words "and with us" are very nearly fifty words, corresponding to the Mi [36] (numerical value = fifty). From here on follow other praises which resolve themselves in the number one hundred, the completion of all (to "the great God") and form one chariot. [138b] Thus this hymn of praise and all the words contained in it are numerical symbols of the perfection of the Sabbath, and the perfection attained through it, according to the Divine purpose. Blessed is that people that has learnt how to conduct a service of praise in well-pleasing fashion! From here on follow prayers proper (connected with the Shema and the Amidah) .

'It is written: "But be not thou, O Lord, far from me; my Hind (eyaluti), haste thee to help me" (Ps. XXII, 20). These words did King David speak in that hour when he ordered that hymns of praise should be sung to the King, so that the unity of the Sun and the Moon should be accomplished. While he composed these praises, he said: "But be not thou far from me". The combination of "Thou" and "Lord" signifies the mystery of the one inseparable union. "Be not far": this refers to Her (the Shekinah) when she ascends to be crowned by her Spouse in the world above, and from thence to ascend still higher into the Infinite, to be united there, high, high, above. Therefore it says: "be not far", that is to say, do not ascend to such heights that will leave us without Thee. Therefore through this service of praise Israel seek to attach themselves closely to the Shekinah and her Glory, so that if this Glory should seek to rise aloft they may still cling to it and not allow it to abandon them. Therefore, also, the prayer proper (Amidah) is recited quietly, as one would speak confidentially with a King; for as long as Israel holds Him in confidential converse He cannot depart from her, leaving her alone. "My hind": even as the hind and the gazelle, though they flee to a far distance, yet soon return again to the place from which they went, so also the Holy One, blessed be He, even when He ascends into the unscalable heights of infinity, soon returns. Why so? Because Israel here below cling to Him, and being so attached to Him do not allow Him to forget them and abandon them. This is the significance of the prayer, "My hind, haste Thee to help me." Therefore it behoves us to cling to the Holy One, blessed be He, in order so to speak to draw Him down from the heights, so that we should not be deserted by Him for an instant. Therefore, when we pass quickly from the Geulah (Redemption) benediction to the Prayer (Amidah or eighteen benedictions) we must, as it were, lay hold on Him, and lead Him apart, and converse with Him privately and in a still voice, in confidence, so that He should not depart far from us and leave us alone. Concerning this it is written: "And ye who cleave to the Lord your God, ye are all alive to-day" (Deut. IV, 4); "Blessed is the people who is in such a case; blessed is the people who has the Lord for its God" (Ps. CXLIV, 15).'

Having reached this point, R. Simeon rose and the Companions likewise, and they walked away from the tree in the valley. Said R. Eleazar unto R. Simeon his father as they journeyed on: 'Father, up to this point we have been sitting in the shadow of the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden. Hereafter we must assuredly walk in the ways which guard this Tree.' R. Simeon replied: 'Begin thou first, while we are yet upon the way!'

R. Eleazar then explained to them the symbolic significance of colours and metals in connection with the Tabernacle. 'Gold is mentioned first because it is the emblem of the lower Power, or the Left Hand. Silver, which, on account of its whiteness, signifies Mercy, or the Right Hand, although it comes second here, is nevertheless the essential hue as regards the mystery of the Divine attributes in their manifestation to Israel, as it is written, "Mine is the silver and mine is the gold" (Haggai II, 8). It is also represented by the "cup of benediction" (the cup drunk after a meal) which, although it is taken up with both hands, is actually held only with the right hand. This is the esoteric meaning of the words "His left hand is under my head, and his right hand embraces me" (S.S. II, 6). Shining polished brass is a colour resembling gold, combining the colours of both gold and silver. Hence the "brazen altar was too small' (I Kings VIII, 64), because it symbolized the "smaller light which rules by night", while the golden altar symbolized "the greater light to rule the day" (Gen. I, 16). Hyacinth (purple-blue), [139a] which was used for the fringes, also denotes "judgement", or the Throne from which the judgement concerning capital offences is proclaimed. Therefore all colours seen in dreams are of good omen, with the exception of purple-blue, which denotes that the soul of the dreamer is being judged and the body is in danger of extermination. Much ardent prayer for mercy is needful to avert this portent. This colour symbolizes the Throne, concerning which it is written: "And above the firmament ... was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone ... and it had brightness round about" (Ezek. I, 26-27). Because the fringes are made of a material of this colour, when the morning light begins to shine on them, they become greenish-blue like a leek, and from that moment the time of the recitation of the Shema begins. [37] For this reason capital cases may not be tried at night because that colour, blue, reigns, which has the power to snatch away souls without Judgement, since Judgement does not rule at that time. When morning comes and the Right Hand is roused, the brightness appears and reaches the dark blue, and then it becomes connected with another Throne. From this moment on it is time to recite the Shema. Argaman (reddish-purple) is a mixture of colours uniting as one. Tolaat shani (prop. worm of deep scarlet) symbolizes Israel: for as the worm's power to destroy exists only in its mouth, so does Israel's power lie in her mouth (i.e. prayer); and shani, being used in the plural (Prov. XXXI, 21), signifies that two (shne) colours are united to form one. It issues from the supernal Throne which rules over the dark blue from the right side, it is white and red, right and left. It represents Michael, the guardian of Israel (Dan. X, 21). "Fine linen", of six threads, symbolizes "Tarshish" (Gabriel). With these, two other are united: "goats' hair and rams' skins reddened": "goats' hair" denotes the lower outside power which protects (covers up) the inner power. All this is necessary and a place must be allowed for all, because they come from the sphere of gold (judgement); "rams' skins reddened", drawn from the two sides, left and right, to protect in another place. "And tahash (seal) skins": there is a species of this animal which flourishes on the "other side", in the wilderness and not in cultivated places, and this species is ritually "clean" and is the one here called tahash. The "acacia wood" symbolizes the Seraphim, for the word "standing" is applied to both of them (Ex. XXVI, 15; Isa. VI, 2). Then comes "oil for the candlestick", symbolizing the Holy Spirit. "Precious stones and stones to be set for the ephod and for the breastplate." These are holy stones, the foundation of the Sanctuary in holy chariots. They were set apart in the resplendent garments, for the High Priest to look upon and to remind him of the twelve Tribes. For that reason there were twelve stones, as has been pointed out.

'There are thirteen things enumerated apart from the stones, which, taken altogether, make twenty-five [139b] in the supernal mystery of the union. Corresponding to these twenty-five, Moses chiselled twenty-five letters in writing the mystery of the Shema (the twenty-five Hebrew letters contained in the verse, "hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one"). Jacob wished to express the unity below and did so in the twenty-four letters of the response to the Shema: "Blessed be the Name of His glorious Kingdom for ever and ever." He did not bring it up to twenty-five because the Tabernacle was not yet. But as soon as the Tabernacle was completed and the first Divine utterance was pronounced there, it contained twenty-five letters, to show that the Tabernacle was after the supernal pattern, as it is written, "And the Lord spake to him out of the tabernacle of the congregation" (Lev. I, 1 -- twenty-five letters in Hebrew). Thus the twenty-five things for the Tabernacle show forth the Sanctuary as a perfect and harmonious whole in accordance with the mystery of the twenty-five letters, as thou, our Master, hast taught us. This is the mystery of the completeness of the whole Tabernacle and of everything appertaining to its construction. The number twenty-five corresponds with the twenty-two letters of the Alphabet, along with the Law, the Prophets and the Writings, which all form one whole sum 'and one mystery. When the Israelites proclaim the Unity, expressed in the mystery of the twenty-five letters of the Shema and in the twenty-four letters of the response, and each person in the congregations is doing this with devoutness, then all those letters unite as one and ascend as one unity. Then the forty-nine gates are opened which signify the mystery of the Jubilee. And when the gates are opened, the Holy One, blessed be He, regards each of such persons as though he had fulfilled the whole Torah -- the Torah which can be viewed from forty-nine aspects. So it is necessary to concentrate heart and mind on both the twenty-five and the twenty-four letters and to raise them with the whole force of intention to the forty-nine gates, as we have said. Through concentration on this, one will concentrate on the Unity, for our Master has taught us that the "Hear, O Israel" and the "Blessed be the Name" are the summary of the whole Torah. Happy the lot of him who thus concentrates, for verily these contain the Torah in its entirety, above and below. It is the mystery of the complete Man, Male and Female, and is the secret of the whole Faith. In the debates in the schools of Shammai and of Hillel concerning the recitation of the Shema, the former held that the evening "Shema" should be recited in a reclining or resting position, and the morning "Shema" should be recited standing, their reason being that in the evening the Feminine aspect is included in the active energy and reign, while in the morning the Masculine aspect reigns exclusively in the supernal world, and it is therefore necessary to recite the Shema standing, as is done during the Prayer (Amidah) and at all times when the Masculine predominates. The school of Hillel, on the other hand, made no such distinction. If the said aspects (Male and Female) were each entirely by itself, it might be necessary to do so, but as we, by our concentration and intention, unite them in our consciousness during the recitation and response, in the forty-nine aspects, and raise them towards the forty-nine gates, we need not emphasize their separateness, but should rather concentrate on the fact that they are both one without any separation whatever: the Masculine in six words -- "Hear,O Israel, etc.", and the Feminine in six -- "Blessed be the Name", etc. And the rule is always according to the school of Hillel.'

R. Simeon lifted up his hand and blessed his son R. Eleazar. He then began to speak on the verse: "Who stirred up from the east him whom righteousness called to his foot?" (Isa. XLI, 2). 'This verse', he said, 'has been variously interpreted, but, esoterically considered, "Who" refers to the mystery of the supernal world, [38] from whence the first revelation of the mystery of Faith is manifested, as we have already pointed out. Or again, the "Who" denotes that which is concealed, the absolutely impenetrable and undisclosed, and which begins to make its glory known from the region that is called "East", from which region the whole mystery of the Faith and light commences to be revealed. "Righteousness" reveals the Supernal Power and the reign of the Holy One, blessed be He, who delegates to that Righteousness authority to rule over all the worlds, to guide them and lead them towards perfection. For this reason does it go on to say: "Gave nations before him and made him rule over kings", [140a] since all the kings of the world are under the authority of that "Righteousness", as it is written: "And he will judge the world in righteousness" (Ps. XCV, 13). Moreover, when it says "Righteousness calleth to his foot", the question is: Who calleth whom? The answer is that "Righteousness" calls to the resplendent mirror, which is ever bright and refulgent, as it is written: "Keep not thou silence, O God; hold not thy peace, and be not still, O God" (Psa. LXXXIII, 1). Now the Holy One has let His light shine upon us on our way for the sake of my son Eleazar, who called down the supernal light upon us, and it has not waned. Happy is the lot of the righteous in this world and in the world to come.'

Then R. Abba discoursed on the text, "A psalm of David when he was in the wilderness of Judah" (Ps. LXIII, 1). 'Why', he said, 'is this psalm different from all others in that it alone mentions the place in which it was composed? However, this is not the only psalm where a particular motive for its composition is given. The superscription of one psalm runs: "Where he changed his behaviour before Abimelech" (Ps. XXXIV); and another (LIV) has: "When the Ziphim came and said to Saul, Doth not David hide himself with us?" The purpose of these headings is to proclaim the merit of David, showing that even when he was in distress and fleeing from his enemies he sang praises to the Holy One, blessed be He. True, it was the Holy Spirit that spoke through him, but had not David yearned continually for the Holy Spirit, it would not have rested upon him. It is always thus: the Holy Spirit will not descend upon a man unless he, from below, moves it to come. And David, as we have seen, in the greatest tribulation did not cease to sing hymns and to praise his Lord for all things. If I should be reminded of the difference between "A psalm of David" and "Of David a psalm", the former, as in the passage just discussed, signifying that the Holy Spirit gave the initiative, then I would say, be that as it may, if David had not prepared himself for the reception of the Holy Spirit, it would not have come upon him. "A psalm": this means the Holy Spirit. Why is it called so? Because it continually praises the Supernal King without ceasing. When David came, the Holy Spirit found a "body" properly prepared, and so was able to sing through him in this world praises to the King, so that this world might be perfected to harmonize with the world above. "Of David" -- David, a complete, perfected, worthy man who never changed. "When he was in the wilderness of Judah": as we have said, although he was in great trouble, he sang praises. And what was the burden of his song? "O God, thou art my God: I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is, to see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary." "God" in a general sense; "My God" expresses David's individual grade of experience. In fact, there are three grades here: "God", "My God", "Thou". Yet, even though there are three designations, there is really only one grade, as all allude to the mystery of the Living God: "God" is the supernal One, the Living One; "My God" denotes His omnipotence "from one end of the heaven to the other end"; and "Thou" expresses the personal grade of David's awareness of this Presence. But, although all are one and are designated by one name, yet ashahreka (lit. I will seek Thee), may also be rendered (with allusion to shahar, black), "I will strengthen the light which shines darkly (the Shekinah)," for this does not shine until it is strengthened from below. And he who thus strengthens it becomes worthy of the white light, the light of the "refulgent mirror", and of the world to come. This mystery is expressed in the words: "And those that seek me (meshahrai) shall find me" (Prov. VIII, 17), namely those who, out of the blackness of the dawn, prepare a light. The double n in yimzaunni ("they shall find me") signifies that they will merit the two lights: the dim, blackish light of dawn and the white light of day: or, the mirror that is not refulgent and the mirror that is. Hence David said in effect: "I will prepare a light from the blackish dawn in order that the white light of day may shine on it." "My soul thirsteth for Thee, my flesh longeth for Thee": as a starving man longs for food and drink. "In a dry and thirsty land, where no water is": in the desert, a place where holiness cannot dwell. [140b] And we, Master, hunger and thirst for thee in this place; and as David longed to "behold God in holiness", so we long to drink in the words of the Master in his sanctuary (house of study).' Said R. Simeon to R. Abba: 'Let him who began continue.'

Then R. Abba spoke on the verse: "And they shall take me a heave offering." Said he: 'When the Holy One showed Moses the work of the Tabernacle, he was perplexed over its construction, as has been pointed out. Now comes the question, if it was to Moses alone that the Holy One gave the Terumah (heave-offering, i.e. the Shekinah), how could he have given her to others (i.e. communicated the Presence of God to the people), for it says that "the children of Israel should take a heave-offering"? We may answer by a parable. A King stood in the midst of his people, but his Queen was not with him. As long as she was absent the people did not feel secure and were somewhat uneasy. But as soon as the Queen arrived the whole people rejoiced, feeling that they were now safe. In like manner, although the Holy One, blessed be He, showed Israel many signs and wonders through Moses, they did not yet feel sure of themselves, but as soon as the Holy One said, "They shall take me a heave-offering that I may dwell in the midst of them" (v. 8), their confidence was at once firmly established and they rejoiced in the worship of the Holy One, blessed be He. Therefore it is written: "And it came to pass on the day that Moses had fully set up (kalloth) the tabernacle ... that the princes of Israel brought their offerings .... " (Num. VII, 1-3), namely on the day when the Bride (kallah) of Moses (Shekinah) came down to earth.

'Now the question might be asked: Wherever the expression "and it came to pass" occurs in Scripture, is it not always connected with something sad? And the answer would be that something sad occurred also on the day when the Tabernacle was completed and the Shekinah came down to earth. For a celestial Accuser stood at Her side who covered Her Face with a veil of thick darkness to prevent Her from finding Her way down to earth. And we have been taught that a thousand and five hundred myriads of accusing angels were round about Her for the same purpose. At the same time, also, a multitude of supernal angels rose up before the Throne of the Holy One, and said: "Lord of the world! All our splendour and all our refulgence emanates from the Shekinah of Thy Glory, and should She now descend to those below?" But in that hour, the Shekinah gathered up all her strength and, breaking through that darkness, like one breaking through strong barriers, came down to earth. As soon as they saw this they all cried together with a loud voice: "O Lord our God, how mighty is thy name in all the earth" (Ps. VIII, 1): "mighty", because She had thus broken through so many barriers and restraining hosts and had come down to earth to reign over all. All of which explains the use of the ominous expression, "and it came to pass", in connection with the completion of the Tabernacle, indicating the pain that was suffered by many celestial armies on the day when Moses' Bride (the Shekinah) came down to earth. Therefore it is said: "That they take Me a heave offering." Observe it does not say "Me and a heave offering", but "Me as a heave offering", to show that all is One, there is no separation, and the Tabernacle in its completion was in the likeness of that above: the one corresponded with the other in every detail, that the Shekinah might be located in it in all its aspects. Here in this world the Tabernacle was fashioned like unto the body which contains the spirit, and the Shekinah, which combines the upper with the lower, and which is the Holy Spirit, entered into this kind of body, so that the brain should dwell in a shell, all according to purpose. So the Holy Spirit becomes, as it were, a body to contain another spirit, subtle and luminous, and in this way all is contained one within the other, until it enters this world, which is the last external shell (klifah). The toughest husk is the one within the shell of this world, just as in a nut the outside shell is not the toughest, but the inner husk. So also above, the hard, withstanding shell is the other spirit which rules in the body; within it is a softer shell, within which again lies the brain.

'In the Holy Land, in connection with the Temple, things happened differently. The hard shell was broken in that spot and did not rule at all; it was broken there, and yawned asunder. And the opening thus made existed there as long as Israel worshipped [141a] in manner due. Their sins, however, caused the two sides of the opening to draw together, until the shell became whole again. As soon as the shell closed up over the brain it ruled over Israel and drove them out from that place. Yet, in spite of this, the hard shell cannot rule in that holy spot, since it has no right there. If that is so, it may be asked, why is the Temple still in ruins, for all destruction comes only from the influence of that hard shell? The answer is that the destruction was indeed caused by that "side" when it closed over the brain, but the Holy One prevented it from ruling in that place, and when Israel had been driven out from there, the shell broke open as before. But because the holy people was no longer there, the opening was covered with a holy covering, a kind of thin curtain, to protect that spot and prevent the hard shell from closing over it again. This covering spreads over it from all sides. It is not possible for the holy ointment to descend upon the Land as formerly, as that thin covering prevents it, the Holy People being no longer there. Therefore it is that the ruined Temple has not been rebuilt. On the other hand, it is also impossible for the hard shell to rule there, because the thin covering prevents it from entirely closing over the brain. For this reason all the souls of members of other nations who live in the Holy Land, when they leave this world, are not accepted there, but are thrust out and are forced to roam about and go through many wanderings until they leave the Holy Land behind them and reach instead those impure regions where they belong. But all the Israelitish souls that leave this world from the Holy Land ascend from there, and that covering receives them into itself and through it they enter the Upper Holiness, because like always tends to like. And the souls of those Israelites who have departed from this world while still outside the confines of the Holy Land, and while in the power and dominion of that hard shell, wander hither and thither and roam about until they reach their appointed places. Happy is the lot of that man whose soul leaves this world in the domain of holiness, in the cavity provided by the Holy Land.

'He whose soul leaves him in the Holy Land, if his body is buried upon the day of his death, is in no way dominated by the spirit of impurity. Therefore it says of one who has been put to death by hanging that "his body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day .. that thy land be not defiled" (Deut. XXI, 23), for at night the impure spirit is given permission to rule. However, although these last are given temporary power, they cannot exercise their sway within the boundaries of the Holy Land, because it is impossible for them to enter it unless they can come upon an organ or means of approach in the parts and fat of those sacrifices that are consumed at night for the purpose of feeding other (foreign) kinds. [39] But even these portions were not left with the purpose of attracting evil potencies to the Holy Land, but rather, on the contrary, to entice them away from it, for, as has been said on another occasion, the smoke of these parts of the sacrifices was wont to ascend crookedly and drift away until it reached that hidden cavern in the North in which all the powers of the "other side" have their abode; into which cave the smoke would enter and all the demons and impure spirits be nourished thereby. But the smoke of those sacrifices which were burnt during the day ascended in a straight line unto its rightful place and all the proper spirits received nourishment from it. Over the bodies of the righteous, who were not seduced in this world by the lusts of the hard shell, the impure spirit has no power at all, because they did not associate themselves therewith. But just as the wicked in this life were seduced by that powerful shell of evil and its pleasures and practices, so are their bodies unclean after the soul has left them. The bodies of the righteous, because in this life [141b] they took their delight in religious rejoicings and the meals and ceremonies of Sabbaths and festivals, are, as we have said, not in the power of the impure spirit at all, since they had no joy nor part in anything appertaining to it. Blessed is he who derived no pleasure therefrom at any time of his allotted mortal span! As for him whose soul left him outside the precincts of the Holy Land, his body is defiled by that impure spirit, which remains in it until it returns to the dust. And if such a body is brought into the Holy Land to be buried, to it applies the text, "And ye entered and defiled my land and made my heritage an abomination" (Jer. II, 7) -- that is: "Into My Land over which the spirit of impurity has no power or dominion, ye have brought this your body wherein that very impure spirit has entrenched itself, to be buried in the hallowed soil! Ye defile My Land!" However, the Holy One, blessed be He, provides the land with a means of purging from this defilement: when such a body decomposes, the Holy One causes a wind to blow from above which thrusts the impure spirit outside, for He has compassion on His land. Joseph's body was never under the power of the impure spirit, although his soul left him when he was yet outside the Holy Land. Why had the "other side" no dominion over him? Because when he was alive he was never seduced by it. Yet he did not wish that his body should be taken for burial into the Holy Land, but only requested that his bones should be taken and deposited there. Jacob, again, did not die at all: his body remained intact and his spirit had no fear of the impure potencies, for his bed was filled with the perfection of the celestial light, in the brightness of the twelve tribes and of the seventy souls (which came into Egypt with him). Therefore he was not afraid of the "other side", and it had no power over him. Further, his body was in the likeness of the Supernal Form, for his beauty united all sides, and all the limbs of the first man -- Adam -- were united in him. Therefore Jacob said, "I will lie with my fathers, and thou shalt carry me out of Egypt" (Gen. XLVII, 30) -- the whole body. Therefore also "the physicians embalmed Israel" in order that his body might remain intact, as was fitting. As to other men whose souls pass away in the Holy Land, their souls and bodies alike come to no harm.

'Three names has the soul of man: nephesh, ruah, neshamah. They are all comprised one within the other, yet they have three distinct abodes. Nephesh remains in the grave until the body is decomposed and turned into dust, during which time it flits about in this world, seeking to mingle with the living and to learn of their troubles; and in the hour of need it intercedes for them. Ruah enters the earthly Garden (of Eden) and there dons a likeness which is in the semblance of the body it tenanted in this world: that likeness being, as it were, a garment with which the spirit robes itself, so that it may enjoy the delights of the radiant Garden. On Sabbaths, New Moons and festivals it ascends unto higher regions, imbibes the joys thereof, and then returns to its place. Concerning this it is written: "And the spirit (ruah) returns to God who hath given it" (Eccl. XII, 7) -- namely, at the special seasons and on the special occasions which we have enumerated. Neshamah ascends at once to her place, the region from whence she emanated, and for her sake the light is kindled to shine above. She never again descends to earth. In her is consummated the One who combines all sides, the upper and the lower. And as long as she has not ascended to be united with the Throne, the ruah cannot crown itself in the lower Garden, nor can the nephesh be at ease in its place; but when she ascends all the others find rest. Now when the children of men are in sorrow or trouble, and repair to the graves of the departed, then the nephesh is awakened and it wanders forth and rouses the ruah, which in turn rouses the Patriarchs, and then the neshamah. Then the Holy One, blessed be He, takes pity on the world. This matter has already been explained, although the doctrine of the neshamah has been put in a somewhat different form; but it all amounts to the same, and what we have said is entirely correct. Now if the neshamah is for one reason or another hindered from ascending to her rightful place, then the ruah, when it reaches the door of the Garden of Eden, finds it barred, and it cannot enter, [142a] and so roams about unnoticed and forlorn; and as for the nephesh, it wanders about the world and beholds the body which was once its home devoured by worms and suffering the judgement of the grave, and it mourns therefor, as the Scripture tells us: "But the flesh upon him shall have pain, and his soul within him shall mourn" (Job XIV, 22). Thus all suffer punishment, and so they remain until the neshamah is able to attain to her rightful sphere above. Once this is accomplished, however, both the others are united each with its sphere; for all three are one, forming one whole, united in a mystical bond, according to the prototype above, in which nephesh, ruah and neshamah constitute together one totality.

'The (supernal) Nephesh possesses in itself no light and cannot out of its own being engender it, and for this reason it is in close connection and deeply enmeshed with a certain Body, [40] which it fondles and sustains. It is concerning this Nephesh that it is written: "She giveth meat to her household and an appointed portion of labour to her maidens" (Prov. XXXI, 15), the "house" denoting the Body, which she feeds, and the "maidens" the limbs of that Body" The (supernal) Ruah rides upon the Nephesh, dominates it, and enlightens it with supernal glory, as much as it can bear; this Nephesh is the throne or pedestal of this Ruah. The (supernal) Neshamah produces the Ruah, rules over it, and sheds upon it the light of life. The Ruah depends entirely upon the Neshamah and is lit up by its light and nourished by its celestial food, while the Nephesh is similarly dependent on the Ruah. But as long as that supernal Neshamah does not ascend unto the spring of the "Ancient of Ancients", the most Hidden of all hidden regions, there to be filled with the presence of Him whose glory is eternal as the waters of an unceasing and refreshing spring, so long must the Ruah be debarred from entering into that which is its own especial Paradise, namely, the Nephesh; and in all cases the abode of the Ruah is the Garden of Eden, while the Neshamah ascends aloft to the fountain-head, and the Nephesh takes up its abode in the body.

'Similarly in man below, the three are one yet separate. The neshamah ascends aloft to the fountain-head; the ruah enters the Garden of Eden: and the nephesh finds rest in the grave. It may be asked, what in our analogy corresponds above to the grave? The answer is that "the grave" in this case is the mighty klifah. In this respect the soul of man corresponds, and here, as elsewhere, the lower is after the pattern of the upper. Thus there are three grades of the soul distinct one from another, although they form one bond and one mystery. As long as the bones of their human habitation remain intact in the grave, the nephesh remains there also, though unwillingly.

'There is here a mystery which is entrusted only to such as perceive and know the way of truth and are afraid of sin. In the hour when the neshamah crowns herself above with the holy crown, and the ruah stands within the radiance of the supernal light to which it is admitted on Sabbaths, New Moons, and festivals, and when that same ruah descends well satisfied from those feasts to enter into the Garden of Eden resplendent and radiant: in that hour the nephesh also rises up within the grave and assumes shape in the likeness of the form which it previously possessed when in the living body, and in virtue of this image all the bones arise and sing praises to the Holy One, blessed be He; as it is written: "All my bones shall say (tomarnah), O Lord, who is like unto thee?" (Ps. XXXV, 10). And had the eye but the power and permission to perceive such matters, it would behold on the nights of Sabbaths, New Moons, and festivals, a kind of figures singing and praising the Holy One above their graves. But the folly of the children of men prevents them from having any cognizance of these matters, since they neither know nor perceive what the foundation of their lives in the world is, and have no mind to be aware of the glory of the Supernal King in this world which they can see, not to speak of the world to come, which they see not; thus they have no perception of the basis of either, or of the inner meaning of these things.

'On New Year's Day, when the world is judged, and the Throne of Judgement stands by the Supernal King, every soul (nephesh) hovers about and intercedes for the living. On the night following the giving of judgement they roam about, endeavouring to discover what decisions have been made concerning the fate of men in the coming year; and sometimes they communicate their knowledge to the living in the form of a vision or dream, as it is written: "In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falleth upon men ... then he openeth the ears of men and sealeth their instructions" (Job XXXIII, 16): i.e. the soul puts its seal to words which it communicates to the sons of man that they may receive instruction or reproof. On the last night of the Feast of Tabernacles, when the final edicts are issued from the King, and the shadow is removed from those persons who are shortly to die, [142b] a certain celestial officer named Yehudiam descends with myriads of followers and bears that shadow aloft; and the soul which we have mentioned roams about and sees the shadow and returns to its place, and announces to the rest of the dead: "Such and such an one is coming to be with us" -- meaning the soul of whichever shadow has been most lately borne away by the angelic minions. If that deceased one be righteous and has lived a good life while in this world, all the dead rejoice; but if not, they all say: "Alas, alas! Woe, woe!" When the angels bring up the shadow, they deliver it to that faithful servant whose name is Metatron, and he takes it and brings it unto its due and rightful place, as it is written: "As a servant earnestly desireth the shadow" (Job VII, 2). From that hour on, a place is prepared for the neshamah of that man, and a place for his ruah in the Garden of Eden, and a place for his nephesh to rest in during its wanderings -- for there is a certain nephesh which has no rest, concerning which it is written that "it shall be slung out, as out of the middle of a sling" (I Sam. XXV, 29), which nephesh wanders about in the world, having no rest either by day or by night, this being the greatest and direst punishment possible; and there is likewise a "nephesh" which is "cut off" together with the body, concerning which it is written: "and I will cut it off from its people" (Lev. XVII, 10): and there is also a nephesh which is not "cut off" together with the body, but is " cut off" from the place which, had it belonged to a worthy person, would have been its appointed place above, concerning which it is written: "that nephesh shall be cut off from my presence; I am the Lord" (Ibid. XXII, 3); "from My presence" means that the ruah does not rest on it any longer; and when that is so the nephesh can have no part in the heavenly bliss, nor have any cognizance of any of the matters which take place in the other world. Such a nephesh is like that appertaining to an animal.

'A nephesh which is destined eventually to find rest, when in the course of its wanderings it meets with Yehudiam, the chief angelic messenger, with all his princes, is taken by him through all the doors of the Garden of Eden and shown all the glories of the righteous and the splendours of its own ruah, and then it invests itself in all serenity with its ruah, and it perceives all that is going on in the supernal world. And when that ruah ascends to be crowned within its neshamah which is above, the nephesh joins the ruah and clings thereto with all its strength, and receives illumination from it, which causes it itself to shine, even as the moon borrows light from the sun. And that ruah then joins itself in the same wise to the neshamah, and the neshamah unites herself with the end of Thought, this being the mystery of the Nephesh which is above, and the Nephesh which is above unites itself with the Ruah which is above, and that Ruah again with its Neshamah, and that Neshamah with the Infinite (En-sof). Thus is achieved harmony, peace and union both above and below. This constitutes the attainment of the rest and quietude of the nephesh that is below, concerning which it is written: "But the soul (nephesh) of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of life with (et) the Lord thy God" (I Sam. XXV, 29); that is to say, in the union symbolized by et (the first and the last letters of the alphabet, signifying the union of all things), one being like unto another. For when the Moon -- which is the symbol of the supernal Nephesh -- descends, illumined with glory from all sides, then she in her turn illumines with her radiance all the chariots and all the camps, and unites them, so that they are formed into one complete body which shines forth resplendent with the steadfast brilliance of the supernal light. In the same way the lower nephesh, when it descends, similarly illumined from all sides -- from the light of the neshamah and of the ruah -- also illumines all the chariots and camps, namely the limbs and bones of its body, and forms them into one complete body which emits light. This is the significance of the words: "And he will satisfy with splendour (zahzahot) thy soul" (Isa. LVIII, 11); and then "He will make vigorous thy bones" (Ibid.): that is, they will be fashioned into one complete' body which will emit light, and arise to give praises to the Holy One, as has been pointed out in connection with the words, "All my bones shall say, O Lord, who is like unto Thee?" This praising does indeed constitute the rest and delight of the nephesh, and is verily the completion of its joy. Blessed are the righteous who fear their Lord in this world, for they merit the threefold rest of saints in the world to come.'

Then came R. Simeon and blessed R. Abba, and said: 'Happy are ye, my sons, and happy am I who have been permitted to behold how many [143a] supernal places are prepared which will shine for us in the world to come.' Then R. Simeon began to speak on the verse: "A song of degrees. They that trust in the Lord shall be as Mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abideth for ever" (Ps. CXXV, I). 'This verse', he said, 'has been variously interpreted, but its special significance is this: "A song of degrees" refers to the song which is sung by the supernal holy grades from the side of the celestial Might in harmony with the song of the Levites here below. There are" degrees" upon "degrees", and they worship in the mystery of the fifty years (Jubilee). "They that trust in the Lord" are the righteous which trust in their good works, as it is written: "The righteous trust (are bold) like the young lion" (Prov. XXVIII, 1). It might be objected that the righteous do not, in fact, trust in their own works, being, on the contrary, perpetually in a state of fear and trembling, like Abraham, of whom it says that he was afraid concerning Sarah (Gen. XII, 10-13); or Isaac, who was afraid (Ibid. XXVI, 7); or, again, like Jacob, who was likewise in fear (Ibid. XXXII, 8); and if these did not trust in their own good works, how much less cause for assurance have other righteous men! How, then, can it be said with any justice that "the righteous trust like the young lion"? We must observe, however, that they are compared to the young lion (Kephir), and not to the other kinds of lion, which are stronger. The young lion, although strong enough to hold his own, is, in comparison with the other kinds of lions, weak, and so does not trust his own strength. In the same manner the righteous, although confident of the power of their good works, yet do not trust in them more than the young lion in .his strength. Therefore it says here: "They that trust in the Lord shall be as mount Zion", namely, they will be in the future dispensation, not merely like the young, or even the old, lion, but like mount Zion, immovable and without fear. And ye, my sons, sons of the saints above, your trust, your confidence, is indeed like unto mount Zion. Verily, blessed are ye in this world and in the world to come!'

_______________

Notes:

1. i.e. symbolizing the twelve permutations of the Tetragrammaton.

2. By marrying Leah and Rachel. v. Zohar, Genesis, 153b.

3. Yod, He.

4. Yesod and Malkuth.

5. A play on the word semekh, which means both "support" and "the letter S" (Aparsamon = apiryon + the letter samekh).

6. v. Zohar, Gen. 29a.

7. The world of Beriah or "creation", v, Introduction, vol. I, p. xvii.

8. The Hekaloth.

9. Pirke Aboth, I, 6.

10. Here a synonym for the Sefirah, Yesod or Zaddik.

11. The Kedushah which occurs in the prayer, "And a redeemer shall come unto Zion."

12. By saying it in Aramaic.

13. The Kedushah in the benediction, "Fashioner of light", and the Kedushah in the Amidah.

14. In the prayer, "And a redeemer shall come unto Zion."

15. i.e. the Sefiroth.

16. The k'lifoth.

17. Lit. "advocacy, justification". Perhaps a corruption for Sangorin (from sanguis), "bloodthirsty".

18. Zohar, Genesis, 62b.

19. i.e. Tifereth with Malkuth.

20. From New Year to the Day of Atonement.

21. Malkuth.

22. Hokmah.

23. Tifereth.

24. Yesod.

25. Malkuth.

26. Hokmah.

27. Hokmah.

28. Binah.

29. Tifereth.

30. Tifereth.

31. Yesod.

32. Sefer Yezirah.

33. v. Zohar, Genesis, 123a.

34. Zohar, Exodus, p. 205b.

35. The "additional soul" given to the Israelite on Sabbath.

36. For the symbolic meaning of Mah and Mi, v. Zohar, Genesis, 1b.

37. v. T. D. Berachoth.

38. Binah.

39. v. supra. p. 370.

40. Metatron.

Go to Next Page