316. At that time, the sound that is emitted from those girded with swords, NAMELY THE SIXTY WARRIORS, breaks eighteen large mountains. No one lends his ear, everyone is blind and has a closed heart. There is no one to see that this construction is about to shatter. When unseemly deeds are done and people turn away from the correct way, the right is removed, DENOTING THE ILLUMINATION OF CHASSADIM, and the left rules WITHOUT THE RIGHT. Then there is nakedness. Woe to the wicked who bring it upon the world, as there is no blessing above before these EVILDOERS are vanquished here below. This is what the verse says, "And the wicked will be no more. Bless You Hashem, O my soul, Haleluyah" (Tehilim 104:35).

317. "The nakedness of your father, or the nakedness of your mother, shall you not uncover" (Vayikra 18:7). Rabbi Chiyah opened the discussion saying, "Like the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons..." (Shir Hashirim 2:3). This verse has been expounded by the friends. Yet, how beloved is the Congregation of Yisrael before the Holy One, blessed be He, that she lauds Him in this VERSE. We should look into this. Why does she laud Him through the apple and not with something else or with something THAT HAS color, or fragrance or taste.

320. Rabbi Yosi said, when righteous men multiply in the world, it is written, "His left hand is under my head, and his right hand embraces me" (Shir Hashirim 2:6), MEANING THE RIGHT AND THE LEFT JOIN IN UNITY, ONE WITH ANOTHER. When the wicked multiply in the world, it is written, "He has drawn back His right hand from before the enemy" (Eichah 2:3), AND THE LEFT RULES WITHOUT THE RIGHT. THEN ALL JUDGMENTS ARE POURED DOWN FROM IT. Rabbi Chizkiyah said, We understand it from here, WHERE IT IS WRITTEN, "and a whisperer separates close friends" (Mishlei 16.28), meaning that the King separates from the Queen, BECAUSE OF THE EVIL MAN CALLED WHISPERER. This is the meaning of the verse, "The nakedness of your father, or the nakedness of your mother, shall you not uncover" MEANING YOU SHOULD NOT CAUSE THE UNCOVERING OF JUDGMENTS ABOVE TO THE NURTURING OF THE OTHER SIDE THROUGH WHICH A SPLIT IN THE HOLY UNION WILL OCCUR.

327. When this son, as I said, does not conduct himself to the satisfaction of the King, then there is nakedness everywhere, CAUSING THE REVELATION OF JUDGMENTS IN MALCHUT, THE SECRET OF THE UNCOVERING OF NAKEDNESS, nakedness on all sides, BOTH RIGHT AND LEFT. For the King now moves apart from the Queen, the Queen is distanced from His palace, so there is nakedness everywhere. Is this not nakedness if the King is not with the Queen, and the Queen without the King? Therefore, it is written, "The nakedness of your father, or the nakedness of your mother, shall you not uncover: she is your mother" (Vayikra 18:7), surely, DENOTING MALCHUT, and she dwells with you. Therefore, "you shall not uncover her nakedness."

329. So it is written, "Hashem shall roar from on high, and utter His voice from His holy habitation; He shall mightily roar because of His habitation" (Yirmeyah 25:30), because of His actual habitation, namely the Queen, WHO IS GONE. It is surely so THAT HE ROARS. What does He say? THUS: woe that I have demolished My house. "My house" MEANS the union with the Queen. This is surely the meaning of, "The nakedness of your father, or the nakedness of your mother, shall you not uncover." From all directions there is nakedness, NAMELY BLEMISH. FOR WHEN MALCHUT, YOUR MOTHER, PARTED DUE TO THE SIN OF THE LOWER BEINGS, THEN THE LIGHTS DEPARTED FROM ZEIR ANPIN AS WELL. THUS, ZEIR ANPIN, YOUR FATHER, WAS DAMAGED. Then "I clothe the heavens with blackness, and I make sackcloth their covering" (Yeshayah 50:3), MEANING ZEIR ANPIN REFERRED TO AS HEAVEN, as the place of the reception of blessings of the springs' sources, WHICH ARE IN BINAH which were flowing and watering ZEIR ANPIN properly, withdrew AND STOPPED.

336. "The nakedness of your father's wife shall you not uncover" (Vayikra 18:8). HE QUESTIONS: Who is your father's wife? Rabbi Shimon said: We learned that all the words of the Torah are concealed yet revealed, just as the Holy Name is concealed yet revealed. IT IS WRITTEN YUD HEI VAV HEI AND READ ADONAI. The Torah, which is the Holy Name, is also concealed and revealed. Here IN THIS VERSE, all is openly manifest, MEANING ACCORDING TO THE LITERAL MEANING THE VERSE IS SPEAKING ABOUT THE WIFE OF THE FATHER. BUT THERE IS IN IT concealed knowledge, as we have established.

338. Therefore, He commanded about her twice, once when she sits united with the King and is called "your mother," as it is written, "The nakedness of your mother, shall you not uncover," MEANING do not cause them to separate from each other, or her to be sent away because of your sin, as it is written, "And for your transgressions was your mother put away" (Ibid.). The other was when she is in exile with you, exiled from the palace of the King, called THEN wife of the King. Even though she was distanced from THE KING, do not cause her to turn away from you, and thus your enemies will gain control over you and she will not guard you in exile. This is what is written, "The nakedness of your father's wife shall you not uncover." What is the reason? Because she is "your father's nakedness." Although she was distanced from the King, the King's supervision is still upon her constantly, so one needs to watch himself more carefully in relation to her, so as not to sin against her.

341. Therefore, "shall your camp be holy" (Ibid.). One must SEE that he does not become defiled through his sins and through transgressing the words of Torah. If he does so, they defile him, as it is written, "That you should be defiled (Heb. venitmetem) by them" (Vayikra 11:43). The word "Venitmetem" is written without Aleph, POINTING TO AN EXTRA MEASURE OF DEFILEMENT. We have learned that there are 248 limbs in the body and all become defiled when one becomes defiled, meaning as soon as he wants to become defiled, it IMMEDIATELY ACQUIRES DEFILEMENT. "Therefore shall your camp be holy." What is meant by "your camp?" This refers to the limbs of the body. "That He see no unclean (lit. 'nakedness of') thing in you" (Devarim 23:15). What is a "nakedness of thing?" This is an allusion THAT YOU MUST NOT BRING a strange nakedness to come to this thing, FOR IT IS STRANGE TO MALCHUT CALLED 'THING,' as we have established. If YOU DO so, He will surely "turn away from you" (Ibid.). Therefore "your father's wife shall you not uncover" (Vayikra 18:8). What is the reason? It is because it is written, "It is your father's nakedness" (Ibid.), as we have established.

357. "You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father's sister..." (Vayikra 18:12). Rabbi Chiya opened the discussion saying, "And if a man shall take his sister, his father's daughter, or his mother's daughter, and see her nakedness..." (Vayikra 20:17). We have learned that Adam lived apart from his wife for 130 years and did not beget children, since Adam did not want to copulate with his wife after Cain slew Abel. Rabbi Yosi taught that from the time death was decreed for him and all mankind, he has said, why should I beget children that will be destroyed? He immediately separated from his wife.

369. We have learned that after the passing of Cain and Abel, Adam returned to his wife. A different spirit enveloped him and he begot Seth. From this lineage, the righteous trace their line in the world. The Holy One, blessed be He, increased Chesed in the world, and with each was also born a female to populate the world, just as above, AS ZEIR ANPIN AND MALCHUT WERE BROTHER AND SISTER. The friends have established in the general Mishnah that it is written ABOUT THEM, "And if a man shall take his sister, his father's daughter, or his mother's daughter, and see her nakedness... It is a disgraceful (Heb. chesed, it is confusing but the word chesed can mean disgraceful or kindness) deed" (Vayikra 20:17). Assuredly it is Chesed, for after Chesed rests, offspring and roots come out underneath upwards, and branches spread, MEANING ZEIR ANPIN AND MALCHUT. What was near moved away. Then the branches grew, ZEIR ANPIN AND MALCHUT, and came to join into one in a tree. This was in the beginning, in the concealed state of the world. It is written, "For I have said, the world is built by love (chesed)" (Tehilim 89:3). THEREFORE, from now on, people in this situation THAT MARRY THEIR SISTER "shall be cut off in the sight of their people" (Vayikra 20:17).

370. We have learned that "the nakedness of your father's sister" is TO BE EXPLAINED as revealing in that which is hidden. It is written, "For the ways of Hashem are right, and the just do walk in them..." (Hoshea 14:10). How blessed is the lot of the just that know the ways of the Holy One, blessed be He, and walk in them. They are made known to them. Blessed is their share.

372. The joining of Yud with supernal Hei, CHOCHMAH WITH BINAH, is not dependent on Chesed, AS ARE ZEIR ANPIN AND MALCHUT, but their joining and attachment and dependent on Mazal, BEING THE BEARD OF ARICH ANPIN WHO JOINS CHOCHMAH WITH BINAH, for they never separate. The Yud is tied with the Hei and the Hei is tied to the Vav. The Vav is tied to the LAST Hei and the Hei is tied to all, YUD-HEI-VAV. All is considered one knot, and one thing; they never separates from each other, so to speak. If one causes division, it is considered as if he is destroying the world. This is referred to as the nakedness of all.

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."

379. This is like the Mishnah that is unspecific, MEANING THAT WITH WHAT WAS MENTIONED THAT ABA AND IMA ARE NEVER SEPARATED, THE GENERAL WORDS OF THE MISHNAH WILL BE UNDERSTOOD. It is written here, "The nakedness of your sister, the daughter of your father, or daughter of your mother" (Vayikra 18:9). Since it is said, "the daughter of your father," what is "or daughter of your mother?" HE ANSWERS: If she is from the side of Aba, MEANING THE SIDE OF ABA IS DOMINANT IN HER, MALCHUT is named Chochmah. If she is from the side of Ima, MEANING THAT THE SIDE OF IMA IS DOMINANT IN HER, she is called Binah. At any rate, whether from here or there, she is from Aba and Ima TOGETHER, for the Yud, WHICH IS ABA, never parts from the Hei, NAMELY IMA. This is the secret in the verse, "Whether she is born at home" (Ibid.) WHEN SHE IS from the side of Aba and "or born abroad" (Ibid.) WHEN SHE IS from the side of Ima, AS IMA IS THE EXTERNAL PART OF ABA. THE END OF THE VERSE EXPLAINS ITS BEGINNING.

383. Rabbi Chizkiyah said: All is according to the supernal secret to show that one who causes a defect below causes a defect above. "You shall not uncover the nakedness of your daughter in law" (Vayikra 18:15): We have learned that the marital visits of the scholars are on Shabbatot, as they know the secret of the matter. They will meditate with their hearts with a complete wish, and the offspring they produce are called children of the King. If these cause a flaw down below, it is as if they cause harm to the bride on high, NAMELY MALCHUT. Then we find written, "You shall not uncover the nakedness of your daughter in law (Heb. kalah, also: 'bride')." This EXPLANATION is for those who comprehend Torah ways. For the rest of the people, THE EXPLANATION IS the revealed one, MEANING literally your actual daughter-in-law, THE WIFE OF HIS SON. Because of this sin, the Shechinah departs from them, NAMELY, HE ALSO HINTS THAT THE BRIDE ON HIGH DEPARTS BECAUSE OF THIS DEFECT BELOW.

393. "You shall not uncover the nakedness of mother and daughter" (Vayikra 18:17). We have learned that these kinds of incest are among the laws of the Queen, even though they are both revealed and hidden. There are listed "her son's daughter, or her daughter's daughter" (Ibid.), for the world needs them to populate the world, as we have learned. One who reveals one nakedness of these, woe to him and woe to his soul, as because of this he will uncover other nakednesses.

397. We have learned it is written, "Also you shall not approach to a woman in the impurity of her menstrual flow, to uncover her nakedness" (Vayikra 18:19). Rabbi Yehuda taught, the generation in which Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai dwells are all meritorious, all pious, all sin fearing, the Shechinah dwelling in their midst. Not so in other generations. For this reason, these things are expounded and not concealed, IN HIS GENERATION. In other generations it is not so, and supernal secrets cannot be revealed. And those who do know them are afraid TO REVEAL. When Rabbi Shimon would relate the secret of this verse among all the friends, their eyes would flow with tears. All the words he said were being revealed before their very eyes, as the verse says, "With him I speak mouth to mouth, manifestly, and not in dark speeches" (Bemidbar 12:8).