61. As they were walking, he said, "I am black, but comely, O daughters of Jerusalem..." (Shir Hashirim 1:5). The Congregation of Yisrael said before the Holy One, blessed be He: I may be black in exile but I am comely with the commandments of the Torah. Even though Yisrael are in exile, they do not forsake THE PRECEPTS. "Like the tents of Kedar" (Ibid.), MEANING EVEN THOUGH I AM like the children of Keturah, whose faces are always black, still I am like "the curtains of Solomon" (Ibid.), MEANING like the view of heaven for purity, as it is written, "Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain" (Tehilim 104:2). SOLOMON (HEB. SHLOMO) IS THE HOLY ONE, BLESSED BE HE, THE KING OF PEACE (HEB. SHALOM).
61. עַד דַּהֲווֹ אַזְלֵי, פָּתַח וְאָמַר, שְׁחוֹרָה אֲנִי וְנָאוָה בְּנוֹת יְרוּשָׁלָיִם וְגוֹ.' אָמְרָה כְּנֶסֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל קָמֵי קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, שְׁחוֹרָה אֲנִי בְּגָלוּתָא, וְנָאוָה אֲנִי בְּפִקּוּדֵי אוֹרַיְיתָא, דאע"ג דְּיִשְׂרָאֵל בְּגָלוּתָא לָא שַׁבְקֵי לוֹן. כְּאָהֳלֵי קֵדָר, דְּאִינּוּן בְּנֵי קְטוֹרָה, דְּאִתְקַדְּרוּ אַנְפַּיְיהוּ תְּדִירָא, וְעִם כָּל דָּא כִּירִיעוֹת שְׁלֹמֺה, כְּהַהוּא חֵיזוֹ שְׁמַיָא לְמִדְכֵּי, דִּכְתִּיב, נוֹטֶה שָׁמַיִם כַּיְרִיעָה.
175. We have learned that when the Holy One, blessed be He, wanted to create the lower world, He made it all similar to the upper. He made Jerusalem the center of the entire earth, and one place above it called Zion, WHOSE SECRET IS YESOD. It receives blessings from this place. Through this place of Zion, the earth started to be built, and through it the world was built. This is what the verse says, "El Elohim, Hashem, has spoken, and called the earth from the rising of the sun to the going down thereof" (Tehilim 50:1). From which place? "Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, Elohim has shown forth" (Ibid. 2), meaning Elohim did appear from Zion, which is the ultimate beauty of the world. Come and see that Jerusalem, WHICH IS MALCHUT, was blessed only from Zion, WHICH IS YESOD, and Zion WAS BLESSED from above, MEANING ZEIR ANPIN. Everything is one, one bonded into one, AS ZEIR ANPIN AND MALCHUT, THE SECRET OF ONE ON ONE, ARE JOINED BY ZION.
175. תָּאנָא כַּד בָּעָא קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא לְמִבְרֵי עָלְמָא דִּלְתַתָּא, כֺּלָּא כְּגַוְונָא דִּלְעֵילָּא עֲבַד לֵיהּ. עֲבַד יְרוּשְׁלֵים, אֶמְצָעִיתָא דְּכָל אַרְעָא. וַאֲתַר חַד דְּאִקְרֵי צִיּוֹן, עָלָה. וּמֵהַאי אֲתַר מִתְבָּרְכָא. וּבְהַאי אֲתַר דְּצִיּוֹן שָׁארִי עָלְמָא לְאִתְבָּנָאָה, וּמִנֵּיהּ אִתְבְּנֵי. הה"ד, אֵל אֱלֹהִים יְיָ' דִּבֶּר וַיִּקְרָא אָרֶץ מִמִּזְרָח שֶׁמֶשׁ עַד מְבוֹאוֹ. וּמֵאָן אֲתַר. מִצִּיּוֹן מִכְלַל יוֹפִי אֱלֹהִים הוֹפִיעַ. כְּלוֹמַר, מִצִיּוֹן דְּהוּא שְׁלִימוּ דְּיוֹפִי דְּעָלְמָא, אֱלֹהִים הוֹפִיעַ. ת"ח, לָא אִתְבָּרְכָא יְרוּשְׁלֵם, אֶלָּא מִצִּיּוֹן. וְצִיּוֹן מֵעֵילָּא, וְכֺלָּא חַד בְּחַד אִתְקְשַׁר.
277. "After the doings of the land of Egypt, in which you dwelt, shall you not do" (Vayikra 18:3). Rabbi Yitzchak opened the discussion saying, "That men may declare the name of Hashem in Zion, and His praise in Jerusalem" (Tehilim 102:22). From there, we learned that the Holy Name is both concealed and revealed. THE CONCEALED IS YUD HEI VAV HEI AND THE REVEALED IS ADONAI. The Torah, which is the Holy Name on high OF ZEIR ANPIN, is concealed and revealed. Every verse in the Torah, every portion of Torah is concealed and revealed, MEANING THERE IS A LITERAL EXPLANATION AND ITS MYSTERY.
277. כְּמַעֲשֵׂה אֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם אֲשֶׁר יְשַׁבְתֶּם בָּהּ לֹא תַעֲשׂוּ, ר' יִצְחָק פָּתַח, לְסַפֵּר בְּצִיּוֹן שֵׁם יְיָ' וּתְהִלָּתוֹ בִּירוּשָׁלָםִ. תַּמָּן תָּנֵינָן, שְׁמָא קַדִּישָׁא סָתִים וְגַלְיָא. וְאוֹרַיְיתָא דְּהִיא שְׁמָא קַדִּישָׁא עִלָּאָה, סָתִים וְגַלְיָא. וְכָל קְרָא דִּבְאוֹרַיְיתָא, וְכָל פַּרְשְׁתָא דְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, סָתִים וְגַלְיָא.
288. Rabbi Aba said: This portion is tied to esoteric wisdom of the Torah. It is all concealed yet revealed, MEANING THERE IS IN IT ESOTERIC AND LITERAL EXPLANATIONS. The entire Torah is similar this way, IN HIDDEN SUBLIME MEANINGS AND THE LITERAL EXPLANATIONS. There is not a matter of Torah in which the Holy subliminal Name is not impressed, which is both concealed and revealed. The concealed matters of Torah are bequeathed to the highly saintly ones and THE REVEALED MATTERS are revealed to the rest of the people. In relation to this, it is written, "That men may declare the name of Hashem in Zion, and His praise in Jerusalem" (Tehilim 102:22). "In Zion" refers to the Temple, where it is permitted to pronounce the Holy Name, YUD HEI VAV HEI, in the proper fashion. However, outside THE TEMPLE, only the appelation can be mentioned, NAMELY ADONAI, BUT NOT THE WAY IT IS WRITTEN. Everything is concealed and yet revealed, AS THE NAME, YUD HEI VAV HEI, WHICH ONE IS FORBIDDEN TO MENTION, IS CONCEALED, BUT THE NAME ADONAI WHICH WE MENTION IS REVEALED. ALL MATTERS ARE IN THIS WAY. We have learned that anyone who deducts one letter from the Torah or adds one letter is like one who is false to the supernal Holy Name of the King.
288. א"ר אַבָּא, פַּרְשְׁתָּא דָּא בְּרָזָא דְּחָכְמְתָא דְּאוֹרַיְיתָא אִתְקַשְּׁרָא, וְכֺלָּא סָתִים וְגַלְיָא. וְאוֹרַיְיתָא כֺּלָּא כְּהַאי גַּוְונָא אִשְׁתְּכַחַת. וְלֵית לָךָ מִלָּה בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, דְּלָא רָשִׁים בָּהּ שְׁמָא קַדִּישָׁא עִלָּאָה, דְּסָתִים וְגַלְיָא. בְּגִינֵי כַּךְ, סְתִימֵי דְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, קַדִּישֵׁי עֶלְיוֹנִין יָרְתִין לָהּ, וְאִתְגַּלְיָא בִּשְׁאָר בְּנֵי עָלְמָא. כְּגַוְונָא דָּא כְּתִיב, לְסַפֵּר בְּצִיּוֹן שֵׁם יְיָ' וּתְהִלָּתוֹ בִּירוּשָׁלָםִ, דְּהָא בְּצִיּוֹן בְּמַקְדְּשָׁא, שָׁרֵי לְאַדְכְּרָא שְׁמָא קַדִּישָׁא כַּדְקָא חֲזֵי. וּלְבַר בְּכִינּוּיוֹ. וְעַל דָּא כֺּלָּא סָתִים וְגַלְיָא. תָּאנָא, כָּל מַאן דְּגָרַע אָת חַד מֵאוֹרַיְיתָא. אוֹ יוֹסִיף אָת חַד בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, כְּמַאן דִּמְשַׁקֵּר בִּשְׁמָא קַדִּישָׁא עִלָּאָה דְּמַלְכָּא.
377. "You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father's brother" (Vayikra 18:14): Rabbi Yehuda said that this verse speaks of Yisrael below, AS YISRAEL ARE THE BROTHERS OF ZEIR ANPIN, WHO IS YOUR FATHER. "Your mother's sister" (Ibid. 13) is Jerusalem on earth, THE SISTER OF MALCHUT ABOVE, YOUR MOTHER. Through these sins IS UNCOVERED THE NAKEDNESS OF YISRAEL, MEANING Yisrael will be in exile among the nations. THE NAKEDNESS OF JERUSALEM IS UNCOVERED, MEANING Jerusalem below will be destroyed. About this, we learned of the love of the Holy One, blessed be He, in that He called Yisrael brothers, as it is written, "For my brethren and friends' sake, I will now say..." (Tehilim 122:8). THEREFORE, THE VERSE SAYS ABOUT THEM, "THE NAKEDNESS OF YOUR FATHER'S BROTHER."
377. עֶרְוַת אֲחִי אָבִיךָ לֹא תְגַלֵּה. תָּאנֵי רִבִּי יְהוּדָה, דָּא יִשְׂרָאֵל לְתַתָּא. וַאֲחוֹת אִמְּךָ: דָּא יְרוּשְׁלֵם דִּלְתַתָּא. דִּבְחוֹבִין אִלֵּין, יִגְלוּן יִשְׂרָאֵל בֵּינֵי עֲמְמַיָיא, וְיִתְחֲרִיב יְרוּשָׁלֵם לְתַתָּא. וְעַ"ד תָּנֵינָן, רְחִימוּתָא דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא דְּקָרָא לְיִשְׂרָאֵל אַחִים, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר לְמַעַן אַחַי וְרֵעָי אֲדַבְּרָה נָא וְגוֹ.'
381. Rabbi Yehuda continued: Yisrael are called brothers to the Holy One, blessed be He, as His love for them has never been interrupted. Jerusalem below is called "your mother's sister" (Vayikra 18:13), as it is written, "Jerusalem, built as a city that is compact together..." (Tehilim 122:3), MEANING THAT JERUSALEM BELOW IS LIKE THE CITY THAT IS COMPACT TOGETHER, MALCHUT. What is meant by "compact together?" It means that the King joined, in the six ends, ZEIR ANPIN, with all aspects of the King, with the grade of the Righteous, YESOD, in which all Sfirot of the King are included. This is the meaning of, "that is compact together," MEANING TOGETHER WITH ALL SFIROT OF ZEIR ANPIN.
381. וְעַ"ד א"ר יְהוּדָה, יִשְׂרָאֵל אָחִין אִקְרוּן לְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, דְּלָא אַעְדֵּי רְחִימוּתָא דִּלְהוֹן לְעָלְמִין. יְרוּשְׁלֵם דִּלְתַתָּא אָחוֹת אִמְּךָ אִתְקְרֵי, כְּמָה דִּכְתִּיב יְרוּשָׁלַםִ הַבְּנוּיָה כְּעִיר שֶׁחוּבְּרָה לָהּ יַחְדָּיו וְגוֹ.' מַאי שֶׁחוּבְּרָה לָהּ יַחְדָּיו. בְּגִין דְּאִזְדְּוַּוג בָּהּ מַלְכָּא מִשִּׁית סִטְרִין, בְּכָל סִטְרֵי מַלְכָּא, בְּדַרְגָּא דְּצַדִּיק, וְכָל כִּתְרֵי מַלְכָּא כְּלִילָן בֵּיהּ. וְהַיְינוּ שֶׁחוּבְּרָה לָהּ יַחְדָּיו.