365. Ra'aya Meheimna (the Faithful Shepherd). The Faithful Shepherd said: Certain it is that since the limbs and the arteries of the heart, that are likened to Yisrael, are in trouble, they have to awaken in the trachea pipe, which is the secret of the Shofar, this being the windpipe connected to the lung. Since the lobes of the lung are unable to quiet the anger of the gall, which overcomes the arteries of the heart and all the arteries in the limbs of the body, that breath, WHICH IS THE SECRET OF CHASSADIM that blows in them, rises in the trachea, which is a Shofar, namely the World to Come. FOR A SHOFAR IS THE SECRET OF BINAH THAT IS CALLED 'THE WORLD TO COME.' And so it has been taught: The esophagus is like this world, WHICH IS THE SECRET OF MALCHUT, eating and drinking in it, NAMELY THE MOCHIN OF CHASSADIM AND CHOCHMAH THAT ARE TERMED EATING AND DRINKING. The trachea is likened to the World to Come, WHICH IS BINAH, for there is no eating and drinking pertain to it, FOR THOSE MOCHIN ARE NOT DISCLOSED THERE IN BINAH, BUT IN MALCHUT.

370. Ra'aya Meheimna (the Faithful Shepherd). And in the first compilation, the Faithful Shepherd said that through this the Satan was mitigated and the final Nun of veshet (Eng. 'esophagus' - Vav Shin Tet), was folded AND IT RETURNED TO BE A VAV. Where THE ESOPHAGUS became the Satan, it is now put back, and becomes an esophagus again, as it was. This is because "the voice is the voice of Jacob" (Beresheet 27:22), for Yisrael have no power through eating and drinking, as do the other nations who inherit this world, whose strength lies in eating and drinking. But AS FOR YISRAEL, their strength is in the voice, which is the World to Come, a long world that was created with the letter Yud. And since the voice of the Shofar WHICH IS THE SECRET OF THE MOCHIN OF ZEIR ANPIN THAT ARE CALLED 'VOICE,' WHICH RECEIVES FROM SHOFAR, WHICH IS BINAH, emerges from it, FROM THE YUD WHICH IS CHOCHMAH, the sages said: 'One may not blow less than...ten Shofar verses' NAMELY CORRESPONDING TO THE LETTER YUD (= 10). For with the letter Yud a long world is certainly made, which is Vav, the World to Come, NAMELY THAT RECEIVES MOCHIN OF THE WORLD TO COME, AS ABOVE. And with the letter Hei He created this world, which is small Hei, NAMELY MALCHUT, in which there is eating and drinking of the Torah, NAMELY THE MOCHIN OF CHOCHMAH AND CHASSADIM THAT ARE CALLED 'EATING' AND 'DRINKING.'

439. The esophagus, that swallows the food, which enters from there all the body parts, is the level of offerings by fire. These offerings by fire draw near immediately, swallowing and taking everything from the upper fire that includes the offerings by fire. And this is the secret of the verse: "the offerings of Hashem made by fire, and His dues shall they eat" (Devarim 18:1). These OFFERINGS BY devour and swallow, but the others do not eat that way.

440. And all the people of the world on the outside know not how they eat nor do they know their secret, but the levels that are inside do know and they take from them. For the esophagus cannot be examined from the outside, for it cannot be recognized, but on the inside it can be known and taken until it enters the mill and is pulverized and cooked. And the liver takes everything, as we had learned, but from those offerings by fire issue forth levels that take before the liver. And what are they? They are the molar TEETH, which eat and grind the sacrifices. Therefore, since the destruction of the Temple, it is written: "and the grinders cease because they are few" (Kohelet 12:3). These are the first to grind.

441. Once it has been ground, those who exercise control over them swallow and receive it, and they are called 'the esophagus.' Why IS THE ESOPHAGUS (HEB. VESHET, VAV SHIN TET) SO CALLED? Because the shape of the Vav OF 'VESHET' is like a bowed over esophagus. Afterwards it wanders about (Heb. shat, Shin Tet), to drink wine and water, as it is written: "The people went about and gathered" (Bemidbar 11:8) food to eat and to drink wine and water, namely the libation of wine and the libation of water.

442. Those Serafim with their flames enter through the esophagus and are drawn into the lung, where they take a drink, and they are called 'lung,' in one union WITH THE LUNG and everything is absorbed into them. And each one of them takes as befits him. And since the destruction of the Temple, "and the grinders ceased because they were few, all of them." For their form and their food have been diminished, and there is no day that passes without a curse. Rabbi Shimon lifted up his voice and said: Woe to Jerusalem the holy city. Woe to the people that has lost all this goodness, and the image of ministers, mighty men, and officials has been reduced. The friends cried about this and said, Alas, Rabbi, when you depart from the world, who will reveal to us such deep and hidden secrets that have not been heard from the days of King Solomon until now? Happy is the generation that hears such matters! Happy is the generation amongst whom you are! Woe to the generation that will be orphaned without you!

445. Netzach and Hod are the two halves of ONE body, like two twins, which is why they are called 'Heavens.' The two of them together are Vav Vav of veshet (Eng. 'esophagus'), from the aspect of the left, and they are the two molar teeth from the aspect of the right.

451. And from the side of esophagus (Heb. veshet, Vav Shin Tet), BEFORE WHICH THERE IS GRINDING WITH THE TEETH, IT IS SAID: "The people went about (Heb. shatu, Shin Tet Vav), and gathered (Heb. laktu) it" (Bemidbar 11:8), it being the collection (Heb. lekutot) of JUDGMENT decisions that is in the Mishnah. "and ground it in mills" (Ibid.). It follows that whoever brings out OF HIS MOUTH words of Torah, must grind them in his teeth, NAMELY CLARIFY THEM WELL, in order to express complete words, and these words are called 'complete.' But as for the other WORDS that are scorned, these words are swallowed when eaten greedily, without being ground in their molars and their teeth, NAMELY THEY DO NOT CLARIFY FULLY THE WORDS OF THE TORAH THAT THEY BRING OUT OF THEIR MOUTHS; about them it is written: "And while the meat was yet between their teeth... the wrath of Hashem was inflamed against the people" (Bemidbar 11:33). This is because THEY COME from the root of him, who said: "Give me to swallow, I pray you..." (Beresheet 25:30), NAMELY THE WICKED ESAU. And Netzach and Hod are called 'Cherubs,' WHENCE THE VERSE: "AND THE CHERUBS SHALL STRETCH OUT THEIR WINGS ON HIGH," WHICH REFERS TO NETZACH AND HOD, AS EXPLAINED IN THE PRECEDING PARAGRAPH.

531. And the secret of the matter is that the yeast of those ANIMALS ON A THOUSAND HILLS, WHICH ARE THE SECRET OF THE ILLUMINATION OF CHOCHMAH THAT IS ON THE LEFT, is the principle and basis for those animals below, for the spirit spreads downwards from them, and this spirit is formed in the animals below, THAT IS TO SAY, IT BECOMES THE SPIRIT OF THE ANIMAL BELOW. And when a sinner brings an animal for sacrifice, then that spirit of the animal ascends and returns to its place, TO THE UPPER ANIMAL, WHICH IS MALCHUT, and this spirit spreads through all THE ANIMALS THAT ARE ON A THOUSAND HILLS, AS ABOVE. And all those that are of this sort, NAMELY, THE OTHER SIDE THAT ARE DRAWN DOWN FROM THE LEFT, approach and enjoy that fat and blood that are the raiment of this spirit. And this spirit is from their side, NAMELY FROM THE LEFT SIDE, and they all benefit and are nourished and become advocates of that person, FOR THE PROSECUTOR BECOMES DEFENSE COUNSEL, AND MAYIN NUKVIN OF THE SACRIFICE enter by way of the esophagus, as we have learned. This is why the sacrifice is taken from an animal.

636. And the sixth THING TO OBSERVE is that he should not be a voracious glutton at the King's table, as was Esau, who said: "Give me to swallow" (Beresheet 25:30), by gulping it down, but by way of mastication, GRINDING THE FOOD WITH HIS TEETH. So, too, one who produces words of prayer or words of Torah from his mouth, should bring them out, chewed over, and complete; NAMELY, HE SHOULD CONSIDER THEM AND GO OVER THEM, AS THOUGH CHEWING THEM OVER, and not in a gulping fashion, imperfectly. And furthermore, because of the danger that the food might enter his trachea instead of his esophagus, HE MUST EAT BY WAY OF MASTICATING AND NOT GULPING.