25. Rabbi Shimon rose and sat down, laughed and rejoiced. He said, Where are the friends? Rabbi Elazar rose and let them in, and they sat before him. Rabbi Shimon raised his hands, recited a prayer and was glad. He said, Let the friends that were present at the assembly, NAMELY THE IDRA RABA, come here. They all left, and Rabbi Elazar his son, Rabbi Aba, Rabbi Yehuda, Rabbi Yosi and Rabbi Chiya stayed. In the meanwhile Rabbi Yitzchak entered. Rabbi Shimon said to him, How deserved is your portion. How much joy should be added to you on this day. Rabbi Aba sat behind him and Rabbi Elazar before him.

29. Rabbi Shimon said, How different is this time from the Idra RABA IN THE PORTION OF NASO, since in the Idra the Holy One, blessed be He, came with His Chariots. Now the Holy One, blessed be He, is here, coming with the righteous that are in the Garden of Eden, which has not happened at the Idra. And the Holy One, blessed be He, delights in the honor of the righteous more than His own honor, as it is written about Jeroboam that he used to make offerings and worship idols, yet the Holy One, blessed be He, waited for him AND DID NOT PUNISH HIM. But once he stretched his hands against Ido the prophet, his hand dried up, as it is written, "And his hand...dried up" (I Melachim 13:4). It is not mentioned because he worshipped idols, but because he put out his hand against Ido the prophet. Now the Holy One, blessed be He, delights in our honor as all THE RIGHTEOUS IN THE GARDEN OF EDEN came with Him.

30. RABBI SHIMON said, Here is Rav Hamnuna Saba, and around him seventy righteous people engraved with crowns, and shining each from the splendor of the radiance of the most concealed Atika Kadisha. He comes gladly to listen to the things I am saying. As he was sitting he said, since Rabbi Pinchas ben Yair is here, prepare his seat. The friends that were there trembled, rose and sat at the corners of the house, and Rabbi Elazar and Rabbi Aba remained before Rabbi Shimon. Rabbi Shimon said, In the Idra RABA, the situation was that all the friends were talking and I among them. Now I shall alone speak and everyone will listen to my words, higher and lower beings. Happy is my portion on this day.

34. The friends have said in ancient books THAT THE CHANGES SPREADING FROM IT are created grades, THAT IS, THEY COME INTO BEING THROUGH THE ESTABLISHMENTS CREATED, and that Atika Kadisha is revealed through each of them, since they are the constructions of Atika Kadisha. THAT IS, THEY ARE TYPES OF COVERS OVER THE ILLUMINATION OF THE BLESSED ENDLESS LIGHT AND THROUGH THESE COVERS THE LOWER BEINGS ARE ABLE TO COMPREHEND IT. ITS CREATION IS IN RELATION TO PEOPLE, BUT IN THE LIGHT ITSELF THERE IS NO CHANGE, HEAVEN FORBID. THIS IS LIKE A MAN WHO PUTS ON CLOTHES TO APPEAR BEFORE HIS NEIGHBORS. THAT MAN IS NOT AFFECTED AT ALL BY THESE COVERS, THOUGH OTHERS ARE. This is not the time for these matters, because I have already spoken of them in the holy Idra. BUT NOW I realize what I have not known that well, which until now was hidden in my heart. Now I alone testify before the Holy King and BEFORE all the truly righteous who came to hear these matters.

91. Rabbi Shimon said, In the Idra RABA IN NASO I have not disclosed everything, and all these matters were hidden in my heart until this moment. I wanted to conceal them for the World to Come, because there, IN THE WORLD TO COME, we are asked a question ABOUT WISDOM, as it is written, "And He shall be the stability of your times, a store of salvation, wisdom and knowledge..." (Yeshayah 33:6), since wisdom is asked of one. HE THEREFORE CONCEALED THESE MATTERS TO THE WORLD TO COME. Now I SEE that the Holy One, blessed be He, wishes it TO REVEAL THEM, in order that I shall come in without shame before His palaces.

95. All the matters in the Idra RABA are correct and they are all are holy matters, which stray neither right nor left. They are all hidden matters, revealed to those who entered WISDOM and came out OF IT COMPLETELY. All mysteries are in such a way THAT THEY ARE REVEALED SOLELY TO THOSE WHO CAME IN AND CAME OUT. Until now these matters, WHICH I HAVE DISCLOSED HERE, were hidden, because I was afraid to reveal them. Now they are revealed. It is known before Atika Kadisha that neither for my own glory nor for THE GLORY OF my father's house did I do this, but I did it so I would not enter shamefully before His palace. Moreover, I saw the Holy One, blessed be He, and all the truly righteous present here, all agreed with me THAT I SHOULD REVEAL THEM. For I have seen them all rejoicing in my joy, and that they are all invited to my feast in that world, happy is my portion.

108. Up until now my words were interconnected, and the concealed matters in the most hidden Atika Kadisha were explained, and how the ones are connected to the others, THAT IS, HOW THE THREE HEADS OF ATIKA ARE MUTUALLY ATTACHED, HOW THE BEARD IS ATTACHED TO ATIKA, AND HOW ABA AND IMA ARE CONNECTED TO THE BEARD. The following are matters that pertain to Zeir Anpin that were not revealed in the Idra RABA, those concealed in my heart, where they did not manifest. Now they are manifested and disclosed. All these matters are hidden yet clear. Blessed is my portion and that of those who receive this inheritance, as it is written, "Happy is the people, that is in such a case..." (Tehilim 144:15).

109. This we have explained, that Aba and Ima are attached to the manifestations of Atika, THAT IS, TO THE BEARD THAT MANIFESTED. It is so, because they derive from the most concealed brain and are attached to it. When they examine what I say THEY WILL SEE that everything is only Atika, that was, is and will be, and that all those manifestations are in it. Aba and Ima come out of this CONCEALED brain and are a part of Mazal. They derive from and are attached to it. Zeir Anpin derives from Atika Kadisha and is attached to it. We have already explained these issues in the Idra RABA. Blessed is the portion of he who came into WISDOM and came out IN PEACE, and who knows the paths not to deviate right or left BUT BE IN THE CENTRAL COLUMN. And whoever has not come in and out IN PEACE, it is better for him had he not been born, as it is also written, "for the ways of Hashem are right" (Hoshea 14:10).

138. Four colors can be seen in these eyes OF ZEIR ANPIN, WHITE, RED, GREEN AND BLACK. From them shine the four compartments of the Tefilin that illuminate the cavities of the brain. There are seven that are called the eyes of Hashem, THE SEVEN SFIROT, CHESED, GVURAH, TIFERET, NETZACH, HOD, YESOD AND MALCHUT IN THE EYE. WHITE IS CHESED, RED IS GVURAH, GREEN IS TIFERET THAT INCLUDES NETZACH, HOD AND YESOD, AND BLACK IS MALCHUT. Eyesight comes from the blackness in the eye, WHICH IS MALCHUT as we explained in the Idra RABA, as it is written, "upon one stone are seven facets (lit. 'eyes')" (Zecharyah 3:9), which are the colors that glow from their aspects.

149. The nose of Atika Kadisha is long and expansive, and is called long-suffering (lit. 'long nosed'). The nose OF ZEIR ANPIN is short. When smoke starts emerging in haste, Judgment is carried out. The nose of Atika detains it, NAMELY ITS CHASSADIM. All is as I said at the Idra RABA, where the friends have commented on it.

170. Since the three constitute the beauty of the beard more than the rest, BECAUSE THEY DECORATE AND BEAUTIFY THE FACE, the Holy Name is written regarding them, as it is written, "Out of my distress I called upon Yah; YAH ANSWERED ME WITH LIBERATION. Hashem is on my side" (Tehilim 118:5-6). In the Idra Raba we explained that, "Out of my distress I called upon Yah," WHICH IS THE FIRST CHARACTERISTIC, refers to the place where the beard starts to expand, where the place is narrow, THAT IS, WHERE THE EXPANSE OF HAIR IS NARROW RATHER THAN WIDE, in front of the ears. And this is well, THAT IT IS CONSIDERED "OUT OF MY DISTRESS (HEB. METZAR)" BECAUSE IT IS A NARROW (HEB. TZAR) SPACE. BUT HERE IT SAYS IT REFERS TO THE HAIRS ABOVE THE LIPS.

171. HE FURTHER BUILDS UP HIS ARGUMENT. In the Agadah book of Rav Yeba Saba he so said and explained that the beginning of the beard STARTS with supernal Chesed, as it is written, "Yours, Hashem, is the greatness, and the power (Heb. Gvurah) and the glory (Heb. Tiferet)..." (I Divrei Hayamim 29:11). BUT everything IS IN THE BEARD because so does THE BEARD start TO COME OUT, AS RAV YEBA SABA SAID, and the nine characteristics come out from the beard and from before the ears, AS SAID IN THE IDRA RABA that THE BEARD begins TO SHOW this way, BUT they do not stay that way except in another place as I explained.