6. And with all this, THE WORLD was not properly planted with its roots until JACOB begot twelve tribes and seventy persons, and the world was planted. Even so, it was not completed until the time Yisrael received the Torah and the Tabernacle was erected. At that time, the worlds could exist and were completed, and the higher and lower beings were scented.

7. Since the Torah and the Tabernacle were erected, NAMELY, ZEIR ANPIN AND MALCHUT, the Holy One, blessed be He, wanted to count the troops of the Torah. How many legions are there in the Torah, IN ZEIR ANPIN? How many hosts are in the Tabernacle, WHICH IS MALCHUT? (THIS MEANS THAT HE WANTED TO COUNT YISRAEL, WHO ARE THE LEGIONS OF ZEIR ANPIN AND MALCHUT.) Come and behold: every item that needs to be settled in its place, THAT IS, TO LINK PROPERLY THE BRANCH BELOW TO ITS ROOT ON TOP, does not settle until it is uttered by mouth and is counted. Here, also, the Holy One, blessed be He, wanted to count the soldiers of the Torah and the soldiers of the Tabernacle, IN ORDER TO TIE YISRAEL TO THEIR ROOTS ABOVE, WHICH ARE ZEIR ANPIN AND MALCHUT, CALLED 'TORAH' AND 'TABERNACLE.' And they are all united and are inseparable from each other. Everything is in a likeness of above, since THEIR ROOTS, the Torah and Tabernacle, are JOINED AND inseparable from each other, and are in unison.

8. Therefore, YISRAEL, WHO ARE the legions OF ZEIR ANPIN AND MALCHUT, are counted so that they are known, in addition to the others who have no number, NAMELY THE WOMEN AND THOSE YOUNGER THAN TWENTY YEARS. Therefore, it is written: "And Hashem spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the Tent of Meeting." If it is in the Tent of Meeting why IS IT REQUIRED TO MENTION that it was in the wilderness of Sinai, SINCE IT IS KNOWN THAT THE TENT OF MEETING WAS IN NO OTHER PLACE EXCEPT IN THE WILDERNESS OF SINAI? HE REPLIES: Once is for the Torah, NAMELY ZEIR ANPIN, and once is for the Tabernacle, THAT IS, MALCHUT.

13. Come and behold: it has been established that the blessing of above does not rest on something that has been counted. You may question: how could they have counted Yisrael? It is because they took ransom from them and it was settled, and the count did not take place until all the ransom was gathered and counted. At first they would bless Yisrael and then they would count the ransom, and they would repeat and bless Yisrael again. So the result is that we find that Yisrael were blessed in the beginning and at the end, and there was no death amongst them.

15. "He will bless the house of Yisrael..." (Tehilim 115:12). These are the women, WHO ARE CALLED 'HOUSE,' which were not included in the count, BECAUSE WOMEN WERE NOT COUNTED IN THE DESERT. "He will bless the house of Aaron" (Ibid.), because they ARE THE PRIESTS AND THEY bless the people with a benevolent eye, a good heart, and heartfelt love. "...The house of Aaron..." WHY DOES IT MENTION THE HOUSE? IT ALLUDES also to the women who are blessed by the blessing OF AARON.

17. Come and behold: we do not find another counting among Yisrael by which they received blessings from it as in this count, IN WHICH THEY USED THE HALF-SHEKEL FOR THE COUNTING, because this counting was purposely meant for a blessing, and it was meant to perfect the completeness of the worlds. At the place whence blessings emanate, they were counted, as it is written, "on the first day of the second month" (Bemidbar 1:1), that is Ziv, of the world's blessings, out of which emanates and radiates brightness (Heb. ziv) to the world. Hence this SECOND month, WHICH IS THE LEFT COLUMN, is called BY THE NAME OF 'Ziv' because the brightness of everything radiates from it. And therefore it is written, "May Hashem...bless you out of Zion" (Tehilim 134:3), THAT IS THE SECRET OF MALCHUT. And it all pertains to the same thing, BECAUSE MALCHUT WAS BUILT FROM THE SECOND MONTH, WHICH IS THE SECRET OF THE LEFT COLUMN. It is also written, "for there Hashem has commanded the blessing, even life for evermore" (Tehilim 133:3).

18. Rabbi Yehuda was present before Rabbi Shimon. He said to him: From where do Yisrael draw their blessings? He answered him: Woe to the world that does not pay attention, and to men who do not observe the glory of the highest King. Come and behold: at a time when Yisrael are worthy before the Holy One, blessed be He, the worlds were in one uppermost and holy tree, THAT IS, ZEIR ANPIN, where all the sustenance is. And it received blessings from the place where all the blessings were gathered, THAT IS BINAH, where, it was planted and rooted. SINCE MOCHIN OF ZEIR ANPIN WERE PLANTED IN BINAH IN THE SECRET OF THE 'THREE THAT EMANATE FROM ONE, ONE EXISTS IN THREE.'

19. And Yisrael below were blessed from the place out of which all blessings emanate and are not prevented from leaving, THAT IS MALCHUT, as it is written, "may Hashem...bless you out of Zion," and, "like the dew of Hermon descending upon the mountains of Zion" (Tehilim 133:3); THAT IS, MALCHUT. AND IT IS FURTHER WRITTEN: "because it is there that Hashem commanded the blessing, life forever" (Ibid.). And that is the light of the universe. It is written: "Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, Elohim has shone forth" (Ibid. 50:2); "has shone forth" MEANS illuminates, as in, "He shone forth from Mount Paran" (Devarim 33:2). And when He lights up, He illuminates all the worlds.

21. "Every man of the children of Yisrael shall pitch by his own standard, with the ensign of their father's house" (Bemidbar 2:2). Rabbi Elazar began the discussion with, "Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad with her, all you that love her..." (Yeshayah 66:10). How beloved the Torah is before the Holy One, blessed be He, for wherever the words of the Torah are heard, the Holy One, blessed be He, and all His hosts pay attention to His words. And the Holy One, blessed be He, comes to live with him. That is the meaning of, "in all places where I cause My Name to be pronounced..." (Shemot 20:21). And in addition to this, his enemies fall before him. This has already been explained.

23. "Rejoice with Jerusalem..." That is because festivity is prevalent only when Yisrael reside in the Holy Land. It is there that the woman conjugates with her husband, THAT IS, ZEIR ANPIN AND MALCHUT. Then it is time for everyone to rejoice, above and below. During the time when Yisrael are not living in the Holy Land, a man is not permitted to rejoice and show joy, as it is written: "Rejoice with Jerusalem, and be glad with her." This is meant precisely, THAT IS, WHEN YISRAEL ARE IN IT.

25. One verse says, "Serve Hashem with gladness" (Tehilim 100:2), and one says, "Serve Hashem with fear, and rejoice with trembling" (Tehilim 2:11). What is the difference between them? HE ANSWERS: One speaks of the time when Yisrael live in the Holy Land, THAT IS, WHEN THEY SERVE HASHEM HAPPILY, and one speaks of a time when Yisrael live in other lands - THEN IT IS NECESSARY TO SERVE HASHEM IN FEAR AND REJOICE WHILE TREMBLING. "Serve Hashem with fear." This refers to the Congregation of Yisrael, NAMELY MALCHUT at a time when she is in exile among the nations.

26. Rabbi Yehuda said the scripture says, "For you shall go out with joy" (Yeshayah 55:12), referring to the Congregation of Yisrael. And since it says, "You shall go out," IT MEANS from exile, and it is called 'a rejoicing;' THUS, EVEN WHILE STILL RESIDING IN THE EXILE, WE CALL IT 'A REJOICING.' He replied to him: Certainly, that is the way it is. During all the time she is in exile and lies in the dust, you cannot call it 'happiness' until the Holy One, blessed be He, comes and raises her from the dust, and says to her, "Shake yourself from the dust" (Yeshayah 52:2); "Arise, shine..." (Yeshayah 60:1). And then they will join together. At that point it is called 'rejoicing.' That will be happiness for everyone and then certainly, "you shall go out with joy." Then, many legions will go out to greet and receive the Matron to the joyous festivity of the King, as it is written: "the mountains and the hills shall break forth" (Yeshayah 55:12); and further, "for Hashem will go before you; and the Elohim of Yisrael will be your rearguard" (Yeshayah 52:12).

28. "...The tribes of Yah..." It has been explained that this is because Yud-Hei, THE SECRET OF CHOCHMAH AND BINAH, is assuredly "an appointed practice (also: 'a testimony') for Yisrael." And therefore IT IS WRITTEN, "The Reubenite (with Hei as prefix and Yud as suffix)" (Bemidbar 26:7); "the Shimonite" (Ibid. 14). This is because each individual contains Yud-Hei, HEI IN THE BEGINNING AND YUD AT THE END. But assuredly it is so, because the uppermost holy Tree, THAT IS THE NAME OF YUD HEI VAV HEI, has stamped them with its seal. And this has been explained according to the scripture: "As for the likeness of their faces, the four had the face of a man, the face of a lion on the right..." (Yechezkel 1:10), IN WHICH the image of a man, WHICH IS MALCHUT, is included in all. And there were four faces to the four directions of the world. They are distinguished in their appearances, NAMELY A LION, AN OX, AND AN EAGLE, and all are integrated in man, THE SECRET OF MALCHUT. THE LION, OX, AND EAGLE ARE CHESED, GVURAH AND TIFERET, AND THE FACE OF MAN IS MALCHUT, WHICH DRAWS FROM ALL, AND ALL ARE INCLUDED IN IT.

37. And this mystery I learned: that the Holy One, blessed be He, places His bed from north and south, SINCE HIS BED IS THE MYSTERY OF MALCHUT, and it is certainly attached to the son, THAT IS ZEIR ANPIN, WHO IS THERE, FROM SOUTH AND NORTH. And therefore people should place their bed between north and south; THE RIGHT OF THE BED SHOULD BE TO THE SOUTH AND THE LEFT OF THE BED TO THE NORTH, JUST AS ZEIR ANPIN STANDS BETWEEN SOUTH AND NORTH. And so my father taught me, that one is given male children because he concentrated on the complete, whole supernal Faith, NAMELY the Holy One, blessed be He, Who is situated between north and south, and the Congregation of Yisrael, NAMELY MALCHUT ALSO CALLED 'BED,' situated between north and south. Most certainly he shall have male children.

40. Of you it is written: "Let your father and your mother be glad" (Mishlei 23:25). HE ASKS: Since it is written, "Let your father and your mother be glad," what is the meaning of, "and let her who bore you rejoice" (Ibid.)? It would seem sufficient with the mention of the mother. AND HE ANSWERS: ONLY, "your father," means the Holy One, blessed be He, "and your mother" is the Congregation of Yisrael, WHICH IS MALCHUT. The words, "and let her who bore you rejoice," MEAN she who bore you below, THAT IS, YOUR MOTHER IN THIS WORLD. AND IF SO, Rabbi Shimon, your father, where is his joy - SINCE HE IS NOT EVEN ALLUDED TO IN THIS? AND HE REPLIES: It is because he has a verse of his own, as it is written, "The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice" (Ibid. 24), which refers to the Holy One, blessed be He. "...And he who begets a wise child shall have joy of him..." (Ibid.) is your father below, NAMELY RABBI SHIMON. An alternate explanation: "The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice," is the father below. "...And (Heb. ve, Vav) he who begets a wise child shall have joy of him," is written with an extra Vav. SINCE IT WOULD HAVE SUFFICED TO WRITE, "HE WHO BEGETS...," it refers to the Holy One, blessed be He, above, WHO IS CALLED 'VAV.'

45. And you may ask why, if this is so, we see many people getting up at night from their sleep, AND THEIR LIFE IS RETURNED TO THEM, while the Tree of Death still reigns. AND HE REPLIES: Most certainly the Tree of Life does this. What is the reason? Because it is written: "to see if there were any that understood, and sought Elohim" (Tehilim 14:2), so there will be no excuse for the person to say that if he had been in control of his soul at night, he would have RISEN AND studied the Torah. Rabbi Yehuda said: That is certainly CORRECT for Yisrael, and so it is. However, for the nations of the world, we also see likewise, THAT THEY WAKE UP FROM THEIR SLEEP AT NIGHT. What is the reason? He told him: Most certainly, what you said is true.

46. He opened the discussion and said: "How shall I curse whom El has not cursed? Or how shall I denounce whom Hashem has not denounced?" (Bemidbar 23:8) Come and behold: that which is there above, likewise is down below. Above IN MALCHUT, there is right and there is left. ALSO, down below are Yisrael and the other nations. Yisrael hold on to the right, to the holiness of the Holy King. The idolatrous nations hang on to the left, NAMELY ONLY on the side of the Defiled Spirit, which is the lowest level of the left. And all the levels are attached to each other FROM BELOW until they hang from the top, THAT IS, EROM THE LEFT SIDE OF MALCHUT ABOVE. And in the same manner the head moves ABOVE, the tail also moves below, which is THE LOWEST LEVEL, WHICH IS THE DEFILED SPIRIT. The reason is that it is attached to it, SINCE THEY ARE INTERLINKED FROM BELOW UPWARDS, LIKE A CHAIN, the idolatrous nations are guided after the MANNER, WHICH IS THEIR aspect of the Defiled Spirit.

50. Rabbi Elazar wept. He opened the discussion and said: "Her sound is like that of a snake on the move..." (Yirmeyah 46:22). Now that Yisrael are in exile, most certainly MALCHUT goes on like a snake - BECAUSE THE WAY of a snake is that when it bows its head to the dust, it raises its tail. THE TAIL controls and hits those who are in its way. And now it is also that way; WHEN YISRAEL ARE in exile, MALCHUT BEHAVES LIKEWISE. In the same manner as OF THE SNAKE, the head is in the ground and the tail, NAMELY THE LOWEST LEVEL MENTIONED ABOVE, rules. Who caused the tail to rise above to guide and hit? That is the head, which is bowed downwards. Who drives the tail, and who propels the tail on its journeys? It is the same head. Although it is lowered to the dust, it still leads the movements OF THE TAIL. Therefore, SAYS THE SCRIPTURE, "Her sound is like that of a snake on the move..."

51. And now the other nations that hold to the tail OF MALCHUT, rise above and dictate and harm, and the head is bowed to the dust, as it was said, "is fallen; she shall no more rise" (Amos 5:2). Still, the head guides the tail and preserves it, as it says, "they made me the keeper of the vineyards" (Shir Hashirim 1:6). Which refers to the idolatrous nations, who are in the tail. Rabbi Yehuda then came close and kissed his hands and said: If I had not asked anything in this world except this question, and I gained this answer, it would have been sufficient. For now I understand THE ASPECT OF the idolatrous nations, and how their dictatorship is led. Praiseworthy is the lot of Yisrael, for about them it is written: "For Hashem has chosen Jacob to Himself, Yisrael for His peculiar possession" (Tehilim 135:4).

53. "Then the Tent of Meeting shall set forward with the camp of the Levites..." (Bemidbar 2:17). After this, it is written, "On the west side shall be the standard of the camp of Ephraim by their hosts" (Ibid. 18). That refers to the Shechinah that rests on the west, as it was explained THAT EPHRAIM TRAVELED ON THE WEST, THE SECRET OF MALCHUT, AND THEREFORE HE TRAVELED AFTER THE STANDARD OF REUBEN, WHO IS ON THE SOUTH, WHICH IS CHESED, AND SO ON. It is written: "And he blessed them that day, saying, 'By you shall Yisrael bless, saying...' and he set Ephraim..." (Beresheet 48:20). HE ASKS: "By you shall Yisrael bless," referring to Yisrael-Saba. HE QUESTIONS: What does this teach us?

54. AND HE REPLIES: 'By you shall Yisrael be blessed,' is not what is actually written, nor is, 'By you will Yisrael be blessed.' What then is the meaning of, "By you shall Yisrael bless," WHICH REFERS TO OTHERS GETTING BLESSED? THE EXPLANATION is that holy Yisrael, MEANING ZEIR ANPIN, will not bless the world, except through you, EPHRAIM, who resides in the west, MEANING THE SHECHINAH. And it is written, "I am El Shadai: be fruitful and multiply" (Beresheet 35:11). WE THEREFORE SEE THAT THE BLESSING RESTS WITH THE SHECHINAH THAT IS CALLED 'EL SHADAI.' We learn that he saw the Shechinah with him, and then he declared, "By you shall Yisrael bless, saying," MEANING by THE SHECHINAH shall he bless the world.

55. HE QUESTIONS, How could he see THE SHECHINAH, since it is also written: "Now the eyes of Israel were dim from old age..." (Beresheet 48:10), WHICH ALSO ALLUDES TO THE SPIRITUAL EYES. AND HE REPLIES: However, it is written, "changing his hands" (Ibid. 14). Why the crossing? AND HE ANSWERS: The right hand was raised CORRESPONDING TO EPHRAIM, and the Shechinah turned in the direction of Ephraim, and ISRAEL had smelled the fragrance of the Shechinah over his head. He then said, "By you shall Yisrael bless," and saw Her in the west - MEANING THAT HE DID NOT SEE WITH HIS EYES, BUT PERCEIVED IT BY THE SENSE OF SMELL, WHICH MEANS FROM BELOW UPWARD.

65. And we find this corner, WHICH ALLUDES TO MALCHUT, three times. One is that a person must first accept upon himself. And the following is to connect MALCHUT with both arms, THAT ARE SOUTH AND NORTH, RIGHT AND LEFT, so as to join in the body, WHICH IS TIFERET, THE CENTRAL COLUMN, so that all should be united in one. And that is the order of the perfect unification, TO UNITE every aspect with the appropriate bond. And one must not substitute one side with another side that is not appropriate for it, so as not to be punished. Whoever operates this unification properly as I described, happy is his share in this world and the World to Come, since he knows how to prepare the sequence of praise for his Master and the unification of his Master. And furthermore, the Holy One, blessed be He, takes praise in him. About him the verse is written, "and said to me, 'You are My servant, Yisrael, in whom I will be glorified'" (Yeshayah 49:3).

77. Praiseworthy is the portion of the righteous in this world and the World to Come. About them it is written, "And they shall come, and see My Glory..." (Yeshayah 66:18), and: "surely the righteous shall give thanks to Your Name..." (Tehilim 140:14). Rabbi Elazar approached and kissed his hands. He told him: If I had come to this world only to listen to these words, it would have been enough. Rabbi Yehuda said: Happy is our lot and happy is the lot of Yisrael, who cling to the Holy One, blessed be He, as it says, "But you that did cleave..." (Devarim 4:4), and, "Your people also shall be all righteous" (Yeshayah 60:21).