13. We have already learned that Jacob surely redeemed Abraham. At the time that ABRAHAM fell into THE FURNACE OF the Chaldeans' fire, his fate was being decided before the Holy One, blessed be He. In what merit should this one be saved as he lacks ancestral merits? THE HOLY ONE, BLESSED BE HE, said TO THE COURT ON HIGH: 'He should be saved because of his sons.' As we have learned, a son can bring merits for his father. The others replied: But Ishmael will descend from him. The Holy One, blessed be He, replied, 'But Isaac WILL DESCEND FROM HIM, who will extend his throat FOR THE SACRIFICE on the altar.' The others said: But Esau will derive from Isaac. THE HOLY ONE, BLESSED BE HE, said, 'But Jacob will DESCEND FROM HIM, who is a whole throne, and all his sons are perfect before Me.' They concurred by saying: Surely for this merit, Abraham shall be rescued. Such is the meaning of, "who redeemed Abraham."

17. At that hour, the Holy One, blessed be He, said to the throne, WHICH IS MALCHUT, 'My throne, for which word, among all the words THEY UTTERED, should I save these righteous men?' It replied: For the word that all the others mocked, I would save them, NAMELY THE MERIT OF JACOB, "Jacob shall not now be ashamed, neither shall his face now grow pale," SO THEY WILL SEE THAT THEY WERE SAVED IN HIS MERIT. Just as THE MERIT OF Jacob stood fast when Abraham was cast into the fire, now it will stand fast for these - NAMELY HANANIAH, MISHAEL AND AZARIAH. This is what is written, "Thus says Hashem concerning the house of Jacob, who redeemed Abraham, Jacob shall not now be ashamed..." namely by the contempt and the mockery with which THE NATIONS AND NOBLES RIDICULED HIM.

59. HE ANSWERS: THIS IS as is said, "And their faces shall look one to another (lit. 'man to his brother')" (Shemot 25:20), BROTHERS MEANING MALE AND FEMALE, for the time that ZEIR ANPIN AND MALCHUT faced each other, it is written, "How good and how pleasant." However, when the male turns his face away from the female, woe is to the world. Then it is written, "But sometimes ruin comes for want of justice" (Mishlei 13:23) and assuredly without justice, MEANING WITHOUT ZEIR ANPIN CALLED JUSTICE, WHO DOES NOT LOOK OR GIVE ABUNDANCE TO THE FEMALE CALLED RIGHTEOUSNESS. The verse, "Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne" (Tehilim 89:15) means that one does not go without the other. When justice, WHICH IS ZEIR ANPIN, moves afar from righteousness, WHICH IS MALCHUT, woe is to the world.

71. Rabbi Shimon opened the discussion saying, "Behold the bed of Solomon sixty valiant men are round about it..." (Shir Hashirim 3:7). "Behold the bed of Solomon:" What is meant by "his litter?" It refers to the throne of glory of the King, NAMELY MALCHUT CALLED BED. It is written about it, "The heart of her husband safely trusts in her" (Mishlei 31:11) and Solomon (Heb. Shlomo) REFERS TO the King that the peace (Heb. shalom) is His, REFERRING TO ZEIR ANPIN. "Sixty valiant men are round about it:" They are attached to MALCHUT'S aspect of harsh Judgment and are connoted as sixty fire guards, MEANING SIXTY GUARDIANS FROM FIRE. That youth, MEANING METATRON, clothes himself with them.

185. Rabbi Aba said: Why does the letter Vav contain Vav-Aleph-Vav ואו IN THIS PRONUNCIATION? HE ANSWERS: Vav, MEANING ZEIR ANPIN, sits on the throne, REFERRING TO MALCHUT CALLED THRONE, as the verse reads, "And upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it" (Yechezkel 1:26), REFERRING TO ZEIR ANPIN. The Aleph is silent within VAV and is not revealed, AS THE ALEPH REPRESENTS ARICH ANPIN, CLOTHED FROM THE CENTER DOWNWARD WITH ZEIR ANPIN, AND IS NOT REVEALED OUTSIDE OF ZEIR ANPIN. This is what is written, "'By Myself have I sworn,' says Hashem" (Beresheet 22:16), AS ZEIR ANPIN SWORE BY ARICH ANPIN WHO IS CLOTHED WITHIN HIM. For this reason, THE ALEPH is written but not pronounced, MEANING WHEN WE READ THE VAV, THE ALEPH IS SILENT AND IS NOT HEARD IN ITS PRONUNCIATION, AS IT HINTS AT ARICH ANPIN WHO IS CONCEALED AND INCOMPREHENSIBLE. The last VAV comprises the first and we have established that THE LAST VAV is Yesod, the ending of the body, TIFERET, and comprises it all, AS IT IS PART OF THE BODY. Therefore, the letters are connected one with the other, Vav-Aleph-Vav being the beginning and end, MEANING TIFERET AND YESOD THAT ARE ONE, AND THE ALEPH REPRESENTS ARICH ANPIN CLOTHED IN TIFERET, as we have explained.

196. We have learned that from the new moon, MEANING ROSH HASHANAH (THE JEWISH NEW YEAR), the books are opened and the judges judge. The courts start to judge daily until that day known as the ninth day of the month. On that day, all judicial decisions go up to the judge. They prepare a supernal throne of Mercy for the Holy King. On this day, Yisrael need to rejoice in joy before their Master who will on the second day be sitting on His throne of Mercy for them, His throne of absolution MEANING FORGIVENESS OF SINS.

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.

308. "And keep My ordinances" (Vayikra 18:4): "My ordinances" are the customs of the King, NAMELY ZEIR ANPIN. "My Judgments (lit. 'justices)" (Ibid.) are the decrees of the Torah. Rabbi Yehuda said: All these customs stem from the place called righteousness, DENOTING MALCHUT. They are called "My ordinances" and are Royal decrees. Wherever something is called Justice, it refers to Royal Laws of the Holy King, the Holy One, blessed be He, the King to whom all peace is His, being the Holy King in a place where two portions are held one with another, MEANING Judgment and Mercy. Therefore, it is written, "Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne" (Tehilim 89:15) and they are Judgment and Mercy. For this reason, THEY ARE ordinance and Judgment. Of this, it is written, "His statutes and His Judgments (lit. 'justices') to Yisrael" (Tehilim 147:19) to Yisrael, but not to any other nation.