148. With the arrival of night, these 1,548 tens of thousands THAT ARE THEN DRAWN are called outside of the curtain, where they recite songs. Then all the Judgments from below, MEANING THE JUDGMENTS OF MALCHUT, are stirred and go and wander through the world. These recite songs until the middle of the night, MEANING one watch and a half WATCH. After midnight, all the others come together, MEANING THOSE OF THE WATCH AND THE HALF WATCH FOLLOWING MIDNIGHT, and say praise, such as, "And they shall proclaim the praises of Hashem" (Yeshayah 60:6). Rabbi Yehuda said: When goodwill is present in the morning, the praise of Hashem will be recounted, BUT NOT AT NIGHT.

149. Rabbi Yosi said: After the north wind is stirred at midnight and then moves on, BEING THE SECRET OF THE ILLUMINATION OF CHOCHMAH OF THE LEFT SIDE CALLED THE NORTH WIND, THEN the praises can be proclaimed until the advent of morning. When this morning is stirred, WHICH IS THE LIGHT OF CHASSADIM, joy and blessings are prevalent on the world, WHICH ARE NOT CALLED 'PRAISES' AS DESCRIBED IN THE PREVIOUS PARAGRAPH.

152. With the arrival of night, all these ANGELS who are outside of the veil stir MEANING THOSE THAT ARE DRAWN FROM THE BACK OF MALCHUT AND FROM HER EXTERNAL PART. Then, everything is stilled and there is no opening IN THE DOOR. The Judgments from below, THOSE OF MALCHUT - THE LOWEST OF ALL SFIROT - are all aroused, MEANING ALL THE JUDGMENTS are assigned together, these over those until midnight. After the assembly of all THE ANGELS THAT ARE DRAWN FROM THE CENTRAL COLUMN after midnight, one minister is appointed over them; he gathers all the camps, as the verse says, "The rearward (Heb. me'asef) of all camps" (Bemidbar 10:25). His name is Asaf (Eng. 'he gathered'), and he corresponds to ASAF down below, WHO IS MENTIONED IN TEHILIM. All appointed ministers and heralds of praise are under his tutelage.

153. This goes on until morning. When morning arrives, the youth rises, METATRON, who is nurtured at the breast of his mother, MALCHUT, to cleanse them, NAMELY THE ANGELS OF THE NIGHT, and he comes in to serve. The early morning is a period of goodwill when the Queen talks with the King, NAMELY ZEIR ANPIN. The King extends from Himself a single thread of blessings, NAMELY CHASSADIM, and spreads over the Queen and those allied with her, NAMELY those that toil in Torah at midnight.

206. Rabbi Aba was staying with Rabbi Shimon. Rabbi Shimon rose at midnight to study Torah, and Rabbi Elazar and Rabbi Aba rose with him. Rabbi Shimon opened the discussion saying, "As the hart pants after the water brooks, so my soul pants for You, Elohim" (Tehilim 42:2). The friends have established this verse. Fortunate are Yisrael more than all nations that the Holy One, blessed be He, gave them the Holy Torah and bequeathed to them saintly souls from a holy source in order that they should observe His commandments and take pleasure with the Torah. All those who take pleasure in the Torah need not fear anything, as it is written, "Unless Your Torah had been my delights, I should have perished in my affliction" (Tehilim 119:92).

210. We have learned that it is written, "The voice of Hashem makes (lit. 'frightens') the hinds (Heb. ayalot) to calve" (Tehilim 29:9). IT IS PRONOUNCED "ayalot," yet spelled without Vav. This is the gazelle (Heb. ayelet) of dawn, REFERRING TO MALCHUT. Another explanation of the wild hinds: We have learned that at midnight, when the Holy One, blessed be He, enters the Garden of Eden to delight in the righteous, this voice, NAMELY ZEIR ANPIN, goes out and strikes pain to all those hinds that surround the holy throne of glory, NAMELY MALCHUT. This is what is written, "Sixty valiant men are round about it..." (Shir Hashirim 3:7). Another explanation, "Makes (Heb. yecholel) the hinds to calve" as it says "his hand slew (Heb. cholelah, also: 'created') the slant serpent" (Iyov 26:13), WITH CHOLELAH MEANING THAT HE CREATED AND STRENGTHENED. ALSO, "YECHOLEL" MEANS HE STRENGTHENS THE HINDS THAT ARE THE SIXTY WARRIORS. "And strips the forests bare" (Tehilim 29:9), as the verse says, "honeycomb (lit. 'forest of honey')" (I Shmuel 14:27),and, "I had eaten my honeycomb with my honey" (Shir Hashirim 5:1), MEANING THAT ZEIR ANPIN, WHICH IS THE SECRET OF THE VOICE OF HASHEM, nurtures those SIXTY VALIANT MEN CALLED HINDS as a mother nurtures her children. THEREFORE, IT IS WRITTEN, "THE VOICE OF HASHEM MAKES THE HINDS TO CALVE," MEANING IT NURTURES AND MAINTAINS THEM.