93. We have learned that all those that toil in Torah at night have their images carved above before the Holy One, blessed be He. The Holy One, blessed be He, enjoys Himself with them all day and pays attention to them. That voice rises and penetrates all firmaments until it arises before the Holy One, blessed be He. Then the verse writes, "For sweet is your voice, and your countenance is comely" (Ibid.). Now the Holy One, blessed be He, has carved the image of Rabbi Shimon on high, whose voice rises higher and higher and is crowned with the holy crown until the Holy One, blessed be He, crowns him throughout the worlds and commends him. About him, it is written, "And said to Me, You are My servant, Yisrael, in whom I will be glorified" (Yeshayah 49:3).

94. Rabbi Chiya said, "That which is, already has been; and that which is to be has already been..." (Kohelet 3:15). "That which is, already has been." We have learned that before the Holy One, blessed be He, created this world, He created worlds and destroyed them - THIS IS THE SECRET OF THE BREAKING OF THE VESSELS - until it entered the will of the Holy One, blessed be He, to create this world. First, He took counsel with the Torah, THE SECRET OF THE CENTRAL COLUMN, then He put on His adornments and was crowned with His crowns and created this world. All that is found in this world was there before Him, AT THE TIME OF CREATION, and was prepared before Him.

100. Rabbi Aba opened the discussion with the verse, "While the king was reclining at his board, my nard sent forth its fragrance" (Shir Hashirim 1:12). This verse has been explained by the friends. When the Holy One, blessed be He, was ready and present on Mount Sinai to give Torah to Yisrael, "my nard sent forth its fragrance," as Yisrael emitted a wonderful fragrance that has shielded them for countless generations. This was what they said then, "All that Hashem has said will we do, and obey" (Shemot 24:7). Another explanation of, "While the King was reclining at his board:" While Moses went up to receive the Torah from the Holy One, blessed be He, which was engraved within the two tablets of stone, Yisrael deserted that wonderful fragrance that crowned them and said to the golden calf, "These are your Elohim, Yisrael" (Shemot 32:4).

101. Now, LET US EXPLAIN this verse from the standpoint of the secret of wisdom. Come and see, "And a river went out of Eden to water the garden" (Beresheet 2:10). This river, DENOTING BINAH, spreads on all sides when this Eden, NAMELY CHOCHMAH, joins with it in complete union in this path not known above or below, DENOTING YESOD OF CHOCHMAH, as in the verse, "There is a path which no bird of prey knows" (Iyov 28:7). Thus, CHOCHMAH AND BINAH desire not to part from one another. Then fountains and streams exit FROM THEM, DENOTING THE MOCHIN OF ZEIR ANPIN, and crown the holy son, ZEIR ANPIN THE SON OF YUD HEI, with all these crowns, DENOTING MOCHIN. It is then written, "With the crown with which his mother crowned him" (Shir Hashirim 3:11), DENOTING MOCHIN ALSO KNOWN AS CROWN. At that time, that son ZEIR ANPIN will inherit the inheritance of his father and mother, NAMELY THE MOCHIN THAT EXUDES FROM THE UNION OF CHOCHMAH AND BINAH THAT ARE REFERRED TO AS ABA AND IMA. Then, He will delight in pleasures.

102. We have learned that when the supernal King, NAMELY ZEIR ANPIN, with delicacies fit for kings sits crowned, it is written, "While the king was reclining at his board, my nard sent forth its fragrance." "MY NARD" refers to Yesod that emits blessings so that the holy King, ZEIR ANPIN, joins with the Queen, NAMELY MALCHUT. Then blessings are given to the worlds and those in the upper and lower worlds are blessed. Now the holy luminary is crowned by this level, MEANING THE MOCHIN OF ZEIR ANPIN FROM ABA AND IMA, ALSO KNOWN AS CROWNS. He and the friends lift up the praise from below upward, NAMELY FROM MAYIM NUKVIN (FEMALE WATERS), and MALCHUT crowns herself with these praises AS SHE JOINS WITH ZEIR ANPIN. Now there are blessings to pour from above downward to all friends of this MENTIONED level. Rabbi Elazar, his son, should now say some of the praiseworthy words he heard from his father.

106. Rabbi Shimon opened the discussion saying, "Let the pious be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon their beds" (Tehilim 149:5). We have learned that the knot of Faith, NAMELY MALCHUT, is tied with the thirteen attributes OF MERCY so that blessings are to be available for all. The entire Faith of the Holy One, blessed be He, is enclosed in three, NAMELY THREE COLUMNS, THE SECRET OF THIRTEEN, AS THEY ENLIGHTEN EACH OF FOUR SFIROT - CHESED, GVURAH, TIFERET AND MALCHUT WITHIN IT. NOW, THREE TIMES FOUR EQUALS TWELVE AND, TOGETHER WITH MALCHUT THAT CONTAINS THEM, THERE ARE THIRTEEN. Consequently, the Torah is crowned with the thirteen attributes, as we have established IN THE BARAITHA OF RABBI YISHMAEL, namely using the arguments of an inference from minor to major and comparison by analogy. We have explained this several times. The Holy Name, NAMELY MALCHUT, is crowned with this.

108. We have learned that all these attributes OF MALCHUT rise and become crowned and rest in a head OF ZEIR ANPIN. There is crowned the head of the King, He that is called by the highest level of Piety, NAMELY ZEIR ANPIN, WHOSE CHESED CONVERTS TO CHOCHMAH. The pious ones THAT CLING TO ZEIR ANPIN inherit all that glory of above, WHICH IS MALCHUT WITH HER THIRTEEN ATTRIBUTES, as it is written, "Let the pious be joyful in glory," NAMELY in this world, DENOTING MALCHUT. "Let them sing aloud upon their beds," MEANING in the World to Come, DENOTING BINAH. "The high praises of El are in their mouths" (Tehilim 149:6), MEANING they know to bind the bond of Faith properly, AS MALCHUT IS CALLED EL. Then "and a two-edged sword in their hand" (Ibid.). What is "a two-edged sword?" This is Hashem's sword, DENOTING MALCHUT FROM THE ASPECT OF JUDGMENT, REFERRED TO AS SWORD. "Two-edged sword" implies that it flames with two Judgments, NAMELY JUDGMENTS OF LEFT AND JUDGMENTS OF THE CURTAIN. For what purpose is all this? It is "to execute vengeance upon the nations..." (Ibid.)

115. We have learned that Yisrael has a more fortunate share than the idolatrous nations, as the Holy One, blessed be He, desired to purify them and have mercy for them as they are His portion and inheritance. It is written, "For Hashem's portion is His people..." (Devarim 32:9) and "He made him ride on the high places of the earth" (Ibid. 13). "On the high places" exactly, as they join up higher and higher WITH ZEIR ANPIN. Therefore, the love of the Holy One, blessed be He, is clinging to them, as it is written, "'I have loved you,' says Hashem" (Malachi 1:2) and, "But because Hashem loved you" (Devarim 7:8). From this excessive love, He gave them one day during the year to purify them and clear them from their sins, as it is written, "for on that day..." (Vayikra 16:30). This was in order that they may be meritorious in this world and in the World to Come, and that no sin may be found in them. Consequently on this day, Yisrael are crowned and rule over the prosecutors and all spirits.

133. We have learned that numerous doors opened before Yisrael on this day to receive their prayers. How fortunate is the lot of Yisrael that the Holy One, blessed be He, wishes to give them merit and to purify them. This is what the verse says, "For on that day will He forgive you..." On this day, the priest is bedecked with numerous crowns. On this day, the service of the priest is full of glory and far greater than on any other service. Everyone was given a share of these sacrifices to the Holy One, blessed be He. On this day Chesed is crowned in the world by the priest, who offers sacrifices for the sins of the people. First, HE OFFERED for his own sins and afterward for the sins of the people. He offered burnt offerings for himself and the nation. We have already established these matters.

177. Rabbi Yehuda said: If Yisrael knew why the Holy One, blessed be He, visited to punish them more than all other nations, they would be aware that the Holy One, blessed be He, overlooks and forgives His own and does not punish them even one percent. We have learned how many Chariots and how many hosts are possessed by the Holy One, blessed be He, and how many rulers and appointees are in His service. When He designated Yisrael in this world, He crowned them with holy crowns similar to those above and caused them to dwell in the Holy Land, WHICH CORRESPONDS TO MALCHUT, in order that they should worship Him. And He connected all the exalted beings with Yisrael.

180. We have learned that it is written, "And he shall make atonement for the holy place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Yisrael" (Ibid. 16). HE QUESTIONS: What is meant by "and he shall make atonement for the holy place?" However, Rabbi Elazar said: Behold, we learned that the wicked cause a defect above and awaken Judgments. They cause the sanctuary to become unclean and the mighty snake begins to reveal itself. At that point, Judgments are awakened in the world. On this day, the priest needs to bring purification to all and to crown His holy Sfirah, NAMELY CHESED OF ZEIR ANPIN, which is the head of the King, AS CHESED IS HIS FIRST SFIRAH, in order that the King come to dwell with the Queen, NAMELY MALCHUT. As the head of the King travels, all move along, MEANING ALL HIS SFIROT, to join with the Queen and instill joy and blessings in the world.

191. HE SAYS: The upper Hei OF THE NAME YUD HEI VAV HEI, NAMELY BINAH, maintains its gates, MEANING THE FIFTY GATES OF BINAH, in its design and arrangement, MEANING ITS ORDERLY DESIGN. THEN, it grasps the glow of 1,570 covered parlors. ONE THOUSAND IS THE SECRET OF CHOCHMAH AND THE RIGHT COLUMN, FIVE HUNDRED IS THE SECRET OF BINAH AND THE LEFT COLUMN AND SEVENTY IS THE SECRET OF DA'AT, THE CENTRAL COLUMN. Then the Hei, NAMELY BINAH, rises to be crowned fifty times for its fifty gates OF BINAH, which maintain whatever is maintaining. When BINAH is designed with her crowns - MEANING HER TWO CROWNS, WHICH IS THE SECRET OF HER DA'AT - the face of the King, ZEIR ANPIN, glows FROM HERE. The Vav spreads to 22 engravings, NAMELY THE NAME OF AYIN BET.

192. The Hei adorns the Vav with 70,500 crowns - THE SECRET OF CHESED, GVURAH, TIFERET, NETZACH, HOD AND YESOD OF CHOCHMAH, THE SECRET OF SEVENTY THOUSAND, WHICH IS THE RIGHT COLUMN. CHESED, GVURAH, TIFERET, NETZACH, HOD AND YESOD OF BINAH ARE THE SECRET OF FIVE HUNDRED, THE LEFT COLUMN, which are adorned with one crown, BEING THE SECRET OF DA'AT THAT UNIFIES AND INCLUDES THEM. This is the essence of the verse, "With the crown with which his mother crowned him" (Shir Hashirim 3:11). BINAH IS CONSIDERED THE MOTHER OF VAV THAT IS ZEIR ANPIN. IT TURNS OUT THAT the Vav's top is engraved with two tops, NAMELY CHOCHMAH AND BINAH. THEREFORE, THERE ARE TWO TIPS WRITTEN AT THE TOP OF THE VAV, one tip higher, HINTING AT CHOCHMAH, and one tip lower, HINTING AT BINAH. The Yud, NAMELY CHOCHMAH, lowers then on to the Vav, MEANING THAT THE VAV IS JOINED WITH THE YUD LIKE THE HEI. The main impression of all the engravings, MEANING THE CENTRAL COLUMN, between THE TWO TOPS, IS the seventy faces adorned from above downwards. Goblets and flowers hover in it. This one rises, NAMELY FLOWERS, the other descends and they are engraved one in the other.

226. "And there came a great King against (or: 'to') it" (Kohelet 9:14). This refers to the Holy One, blessed be He, who comes to join with it and reside in it. "And besieged (or: 'circled') it" as the verse says, "'For I,' says Hashem, 'will be to her a wall of fire round about...'" (Zecharyah 2:9). "And built great siegeworks against it" (Kohelet 9:14) means that He builds its big, strong, fine, beautiful and holy walls, MEANING THE PROTECTION THAT EXTERNAL FORCES WILL NOT BE NURTURED FROM IT. It is called the holy city. All the majesty of the King He brought within. Therefore, it alone comprises all crowns of the King, BEING THE MOCHIN OF ZEIR ANPIN, ACCORDING TO THE SECRET OF THE VERSE, "A VIRTUOUS WOMAN IS A CROWN TO HER HUSBAND" (MISHLEI 12:4). ZEIR ANPIN IS NOT CROWNED WITH THE ILLUMINATION OF CHOCHMAH, SAVE WHEN HE IS UNITED WITH MALCHUT, SINCE CHOCHMAH IS REVEALED IN MALCHUT ONLY, and all crowns of the King are decorated with it. For this reason, there are "few men within it," AS NOT ALL PEOPLE MERIT IT.

227. "Now there was found in it a poor (Heb. misken) wise man" (Kohelet 9:15). This resembles what is written, "He that has clean hands, and a pure heart" (Tehilim 24:4). HE IS CALLED "Misken" in accordance with the words, "And they built for Pharaoh treasure (Heb. miskenot) cities" (Shemot 1:11), MEANING he is crowned with crowns of strength, with the crowns of Torah and with the crowns of the Torah precepts of the King. He is called wise, because he merits wisdom, AS MALCHUT IS CALLED THE LOWER CHOCHMAH BECAUSE IN HER CHOCHMAH REVEALED, AS MENTIONED. ALSO, HE IS CALLED wise, because he is wiser than all PEOPLE to contemplate the service of his Master, so he may gain enough merit to enter that service. This is the idea of the verse, "And he by his wisdom saved the city" and "saved" is to be understood as, "Let me go away, I pray you, and see my brothers" (I Shmuel 20:29). Also, "let me escape there" (Beresheet 19:20) SPEAKS ABOUT RESCUE. Here also, "And he by his wisdom saved the city:" THROUGH HIS MEDITATION, HE SAVED IT FROM THE EXTERNAL FORCES FEEDING UPON IT.

228. "Yet no man remembered that poor man" (Kohelet 9:15) MEANING THAT no one remembered to perform the commandment of the Torah and to toil in the Torah as that poor man that joined to everything in order to merit it. "Then said I, wisdom is better than strength" (Kohelet 9:16), MEANING permission to enter that world is given only to truly righteous men, to those who toil in Torah day and night, as well as crown themselves with the commandments of the Torah in this world to arrive with them in the World to Come.

232. About this, it is written, "Humble, and riding upon an donkey" (Ibid.), as he was poor at first "and riding upon an donkey." As we have established, it refers to the lower crowns of the idolatrous nations, the firstborn of which Hashem killed in Egypt, AS THEY ARE CONSIDERED "AN DONKEY." This is the meaning of, "And all the firstborn of cattle" (Shemot 11:5). We have established this matter so to speak with "just and victorious" MEANING that he is more VICTORIOUS than anyone. Until now, the Righteous, NAMELY YESOD, resided without righteousness, DENOTING MALCHUT. Now that THE RIGHTEOUS AND RIGHTEOUSNESS are joined, he is "just and victorious," because he NO LONGER dwells in the Other Side. We have learned that "the righteous perishes (lit. 'is lost'), and no man lays it to heart" (Yeshayah 57:1). This verse is complicated. IT READS "lost" when it should be written 'is lost.' So what is the meaning of "lost?" HE ANSWERS: He really lost. What did he lose? The Queen - and he joined another place called maid.

248. Come and see: The Holy One, blessed be He, THE SECRET OF THE ENDLESS LIGHT, produced ten Sfirot, holy lofty crowns, with which He is crowned and clothed. He is they and they are He, as a flame attached to a burning coal. There is no separation BETWEEN THE ENDLESS LIGHT, BLESSED BE HE, AND THE SFIROT THAT CLOTHE HIM. Correspondingly, there are ten Sfirot that are not holy below, held by the filth of the nails of one holy Sfirah called Chochmah, DENOTING MALCHUT CALLED THE LOWER CHOCHMAH. THE ILLUMINATING LIGHTS AT HER BACK PARTS ARE CALLED NAILS AND WITHIN THEIR REFUSE, CALLED THE FILTH OF THE NAILS, THE KLIPOT ARE ATTACHED. Therefore, they are called Chochmot (lit. 'wisdom' plural).

256. As Rabbi Yosi said, every person has a Nefesh, an ANIMALISTIC NEFESH and he has a supernal Nefesh, DENOTING a SPIRITUAL Nefesh. If man merits that soul, he is given a crown called Ruach, as the verse says, "Until a spirit be poured upon us from on high" (Yeshayah 32:15). Then there awakens in man a different supernal awakening to search the ways of the Holy King. When man merits the Ruach, he is crowned with a heavenly, holy, all - inclusive Sfirah called Neshamah, called the Neshamah of Eloha.

258. IN THE BOOK OF KING SOLOMON, it is written that the Holy One, blessed be He, made three dwellings for righteous people, FOR THEIR NEFESH, RUACH AND NESHAMAH AFTER THEIR DEMISE. One is for the Nefashot (Heb. plural) of the righteous that did not depart this world and are still in this world, AS THE NEFESH OF THE DECEASED DOES NOT DEPART THIS WORLD. When the world needs mercy and living PEOPLE are in distress, the Nefashot pray for them. They go and tell this to those who slumber in Hebron, MEANING THE PATRIARCHS, who awaken and go to the earthly Garden of Eden, where the Ruach of the righteous are clothed with crowns of light, take counsel with them and make a decree. And the Holy One, blessed be He, fulfills their wish and shows mercy to the world.

359. We have learned that when Adam descended with the supernal image, a holy form, and those on high and below saw him, they approached him and crowned him ruler over this world. Later, when the serpent came upon Eve, it injected its filth in her. Following this, she gave birth to Cain; SHE DELIVERED CAIN FROM THE FILTH OF THE SERPENT. From that genealogy were the subsequent generations of the world's evildoers and the habitations of demons and spirits come from there and his side. For this reason, all spirits and demons in the world are partly of people below and partly of the angels on high, AS THEY ARE BORN HALF FROM THE FILTH OF THE SERPENT, UPON IT WHICH THE ANGEL SAMAEL RODE. THEREFORE, HALF STEM FROM THE ANGELS. THEIR OTHER HALF IS HUMAN, BECAUSE THEY WERE BORN FROM CAIN WHO WAS HUMAN. These other DEMONS born from Adam THROUGH TWO FEMALE SPIRITS, AS MENTIONED ABOVE, are all similar as they stem half from below and half from above.

374. BINAH DOES NOT SUSTAIN ZEIR ANPIN, because the King without the Queen is not crowned with the crowns of Ima, as He used to be in the beginning when He was joined with the Queen, WHEN IMA USED TO ADORN HIM with several crowns, numerous lights, with supernal holy crowns, as it is written, "Go forth, daughters of Zion, and behold King Solomon with the crown with which his mother crowned him..." (Shir Hashirim 3:11). When He joined with the Queen, supernal Ima crowned Him properly. Now that the King is not with the Queen, the supernal Ima takes back her crowns, withholds from Him the sources of the streams and He is not part of the one connection. CONSEQUENTLY, He is not found to be one, so to speak.